For Immediate Release
Kildare June 10th 2021 – A new partnership has been created to help promote and innovate better equine welfare practises in Ireland. This sees the Irish Horse Welfare Trust (IHWT), Ireland’s oldest and largest dedicated equine charity, partner with the revolutionary horse welfare technology business Kildare-based Equine MediRecord (EMR).
The partnership will see all IHWT horses have their health monitored and tracked through EMR’s digital platform, helping ensure best possible care to the horses, while looking at new ways to innovate new technologies and best equine welfare practices. EMR launched three years ago but has already amassed an impressive list of clients including the Breeders Cup World Championships, Thoroughbred Owners of California, Irish Veterinary and Welfare Commission, Kentucky Thoroughbred Association and the Arabian Racing Organisation.
The Irish Horse Welfare Trust, Charity No. CHY14634 was established in 1999 and formally set up in 2001 to help the plight of neglected horses in Ireland and was Ireland’s largest dedicated equine charity.
IHWT was established in 1999 and formally set up in 2001 to help the plight of neglected horses in Ireland and was Ireland’s largest dedicated equine charity. It was established to provide a dedicated centre that is equipped for dealing with the rehabilitation and re-homing equines. IHWT cares for an average of 65 horses and ponies at their Equine Centre in Woodenbridge, County Wicklow. In recent years we have had up to 100 rescue horses in care and the IHWT has become a specialist rehabilitation centre for Thoroughbred type horses.
EMR sells and maintains a revolutionary software platform which allows for the full veterinary history of the horse to be recorded securely, ensuring the best possible horse welfare as well as aiding with crucial anti-doping procedures in competitive horses.
It is the responsibility of any equine premise to maintain horse health records but a lot of the time it is vets or assistants who record this information. The registered carer for the horse therefore relies on other people to submit the correct information about the medicines given to the horses. However this can be mistakenly forgotten to be recorded or manipulated after the fact. The EMR system notifies the primary horse carer in real time if a medication has been given and once confirmed to be correct, is signed by the registered horse carer. Once records are entered into the system and signed off as correct they cannot be altered, providing integrity and transparency for all concerned.
EMR already boasts a number of endorsements from key equine stakeholders worldwide. Sharon Power, Founder and CEO of the IHWT said “We are delighted to be partnered with Equine MediRecord and our detailed equine records will be much easier to maintain now“
Pierce Dargan, CEO of EMR, said: “We are really looking forward to working with the IHWT on a number of different projects to help to ensure and improve equine welfare practises in Ireland and abroad. We believe our system has a role to play in helping aid reform the global equine industry as we look to improve horse welfare and transparency.”
To find out more about the IHWT visit their website www.ihwt.ie . More information about EMR can be found on their website www.equinemedirecord.com
Contact: Pierce Dargan
Chief Executive Officer
Equine MediRecord
[email protected]
Contact: Sharon Power
Chief Executive
Irish Horse Welfare Trust
[email protected]
About Equine MediRecord
Equine MediRecord (EMR) develops, sells and maintains the first software platform to be approved to replace the paper regulatory documentation that is required to be kept by horse farms to ensure equine welfare & anti-doping regulations are followed. The EMR platform has been approved by the relevant government departments and currently operates in Ireland, U.K. , France, Saudi Arabia and USA. EMR has amassed clients such as Arabian Racing Organisation, Kentucky Thoroughbred Association (KTA), Thoroughbred Owners of California, Breeders Cup World Championships, Maryland 5 Star, Jockey Club of Saudi Arabia and 1S/T Racing for American Classic Preakness Stakes and Pegasus World Cup. EMR secured an 8 figure investment from Merit Holdings and joined their Business Infusions Group in 2022.
About Irish Horse Welfare Trust
The Irish Horse Welfare Trust, Charity No. CHY14634 was established in 1999 and formally set up in 2001 to help the plight of neglected horses in Ireland and was Ireland’s largest dedicated equine charity.
It was established to provide a dedicated centre that is equipped for dealing with the rehabilitation and re-homing equines. We care for an average of 65 horses and ponies at our Equine Centre in Woodenbridge, Co Wicklow. In recent years we have had up to 100 rescue horses in care and the IHWT has become a specialist rehabilitation centre for Thoroughbred type horses.
At our Equine Centre we deal with many rescues most of which have suffered from severe neglect and cruelty. Our staff will work with local Gardai, NGO’s and Government authorities when necessary.
The cost of running IHWT is over €300,000 per annum so we rely on grants, fundraising and donations from members of the public to continue helping horses that have suffered. The length of rehabilitation of equines at IHWT will vary depending on injury and the condition of the horse/pony when they are rescued. IHWT has a huge rescue and re-homing success rate with hundreds of horses and ponies re-homed in Ireland, all who would have died through neglect if it had not been for intervention. In some cases, decisions have to be made to put an equine to sleep, in order to minimise an ongoing disease or serious complication.
We are grateful to the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine for a grant in December 2021 of 94,000 euros and Horse Racing Ireland for a grant of 70,000 euros. This is essential support for our operations.
You can make a real difference by making a donation or by re-homing one of our rescues.
