International racehorses working at Werribee
© Racing photos
By Ryan Reynolds
The future of Werribee’s equine centre is clouded, with reports the University of Melbourne is mulling considerable changes to the services it provides.
The Herald Sun has reported the U-Vet Werribee Animal Hospital is also believed to be seeking 11 redundancies from the 50 academics who teach trainee vets.
The equine centre is a crucial part of the racing industry in Victoria, providing first-class care for injured thoroughbreds.
It also provides services for international raiders who quarantine at Werribee ahead of the Spring Carnival.
It is unclear what any of the changes would mean for the racing industry, however, any closure would be a significant blow, with the other hospitals that offer similar services located at Ballarat and Seymour.
“The University of Melbourne Equine Centre at Werribee is an important facility that provides exceptional care and treatment to both local and international thoroughbred racehorses, and a facility racing and Racing Victoria relies upon to provide good welfare outcomes for our horses on many levels,” A Racing Victoria spokesperson told Racing.com.
“We will await the outcomes of the University’s proposed change plan for the hospital before providing further comment.”
In a statement given to the Herald Sun, the university said there were no changes to the hospital operations or staffing ‘at this time’.
“Staff are currently being consulted on a proposed change plan for U-Vet Werribee Animal Hospital as part of the University’s response to the impact of COVID-19,” a spokeswoman said.
“There are no plans to stop providing oncology services or to close U-Vet Werribee Equine Centre.
“Any decisions that might affect how any services are delivered will be made early next year.”
This article first appeared on Racing.com and is reprinted here with their kind permission. To find out more about Racing Victoria’s Off the Track program, visit rv.racing.com/the-horse/off-the-track.
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