This was published 7 years ago
Equine therapy program
200 retired racehorses are part of Racing NSW’s $5 million horse welfare program, which is funded by one per cent of the state’s racing prizemoney. It prepares racehorses with new social skills for a for life beyond the track, whether it’s in show jumping, polocrosse, pony clubs or police horses. There are programs and stables set up all around the state. It's important work because, at the other end of the horse lead, are humans also in need of love and support, whether they are ex-service personnel who have been exposed to the horrors of war in places like Somalia, East Timor and Afghanistan; members of the police or emergency services; or prisoners at Racing NSW’s stables at St Helier’s Correctional Centre in Muswellbrook.
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Retired serviceman Clayton Hellyer, who suffers from PTSD, interacts with Vashka, a retired racing horse, as part of a equine therapy program run by Racing NSW in Capertee, NSW.Credit:Janie Barrett
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Retired serviceman Max Streeter, who suffers from PTSD, interacts with Vashka, a retired racing horse, as part of a equine therapy program run by Racing NSW in Capertee, NSW.Credit:Janie Barrett
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Retired serviceman Clayton Hellyer, who suffers from PTSD, interacts with Vashka, a retired racing horse, as part of a equine therapy program run by Racing NSW in Capertee, NSW.Credit:Janie Barrett
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Retired serviceman Max Streeter, who suffers from PTSD, interacts with Vashka, a retired racing horse, as part of a equine therapy program run by Racing NSW in Capertee, NSW.Credit:Janie Barrett
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Retired serviceman Clayton Hellyer, who suffers from PTSD, interacts with Vashka, a retired racing horse, as part of a equine therapy program run by Racing NSW in Capertee, NSW.Credit:Janie Barrett
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Retired serviceman Max Streeter, who suffers from PTSD, interacts with Vashka, a retired racing horse, as part of a equine therapy program run by Racing NSW in Capertee, NSW.Credit:Janie Barrett
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Retired serviceman Clayton Hellyer, who suffers from PTSD, interacts with Vashka, a retired racing horse, as part of a equine therapy program run by Racing NSW in Capertee, NSW.Credit:Janie Barrett
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Retired serviceman Max Streeter, who suffers from PTSD, interacts with Vashka, a retired racing horse, as part of a equine therapy program run by Racing NSW in Capertee, NSW.Credit:Janie Barrett
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Retired serviceman Clayton Hellyer, who suffers from PTSD, interacts with Vashka, a retired racing horse, as part of a equine therapy program run by Racing NSW in Capertee, NSW.Credit:Janie Barrett
10/16
Retired serviceman Max Streeter, who suffers from PTSD, interacts with Vashka, a retired racing horse, as part of a equine therapy program run by Racing NSW in Capertee, NSW.Credit:Janie Barrett
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Retired serviceman Max Streeter, who suffers from PTSD, interacts with Vashka, a retired racing horse, as part of a equine therapy program run by Racing NSW in Capertee, NSW.Credit:Janie Barrett
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Retired servicemen Max Streeter and Clayton Hellyer, who suffer from PTSD, watch Vashka, a retired racing horse, as part of a equine therapy program run by Racing NSW in Capertee, NSW.Credit:Janie Barrett
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Guard Janelle Bowden with a retired racing horse used in an equine therapy program run by Racing NSW at St Heliers Correctional Centre in Muswellbrook, NSW.Credit:Janie Barrett
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Guard Janelle Bowden with a retired racing horse used in an equine therapy program run by Racing NSW at St Heliers Correctional Centre in Muswellbrook, NSW.Credit:Janie Barrett
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Scott Brodie with a retired racing horse used in an equine therapy program run by Racing NSW at St Heliers Correctional Centre in Muswellbrook, NSW.Credit:Janie Barrett
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Retired racing horses used in an equine therapy program run by Racing NSW at St Heliers Correctional Centre in Muswellbrook, NSW. Credit:Janie Barrett