11th IFAR Conference to be Held in Newmarket

The 11th International Forum for the Aftercare of Racehorses (IFAR) conference will be held in Newmarket, England, from 13 to 15 May 2027.

“We are delighted to bring the IFAR conference to Newmarket, the historical home of British horseracing and a globally significant centre of the Thoroughbred industry,” said IFAR Chair Dr Eliot Forbes. “This event will bring together racing leaders, aftercare practitioners, and experts to share knowledge, address emerging challenges, and advance the lifetime care of racehorses. Building on the momentum of our milestone 10th conference in Saudi Arabia, Newmarket provides an outstanding setting to strengthen international collaboration and drive further progress in racehorse aftercare.”

This will be the second time IFAR has held a standalone, multi-day conference, following the highly successful 2025 event in Lexington, Kentucky. The programme will incorporate a traditional conference held at the Rowley Mile Racecourse and a series of site visits showcasing aftercare initiatives and facilities in the region. There will also be a welcome reception on the evening of 12 May. Further details about the programme, speakers, and registration will be released closer to the event.

“Newmarket’s connection to horse racing dates back over 400 years, making it a perfect fit for this expanded format,” said Natasha Rose, chair of the IFAR Conference Committee and the executive manager, RESTART & Equine Welfare at The Hong Kong Jockey Club (HKJC). “IFAR attendees can expect a host of memorable speakers combined with a unique behind-the-scenes look at some of the excellent aftercare work being done in the area.”

IFAR welcomes suggestions for topics to be considered for the conference programme. Organisations interested in presenting or contributing to the event are also encouraged to contact IFAR at info@ifarglobal.org.

IFAR is supported by the Japan Racing Association (JRA), under a multi-year sponsorship agreement.

Established in 2016, IFAR advocates for the lifetime care of retired racehorses. It works to strengthen awareness of this responsibility across the international racing community and to promote the versatility of the Thoroughbred within the wider equestrian community.

IFAR has previously conducted forums in conjunction with the 41st Asian Racing Conference (ARC) in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, in February 2026; as a standalone event in Lexington, Kentucky, in April 2025; along with the 40th Asian Racing Conference (ARC) in Sapporo, Japan, in August 2024; the 39th ARC in Melbourne, Australia, in February 2023; the 38th ARC in Cape Town, South Africa, in February 2020; the European & Mediterranean Horseracing Federation’s General Assembly in Oslo, Norway, in May 2019; the 37th ARC in Seoul, South Korea, in May 2018; and the Pan American Conference in Washington, D.C., in May 2017. Virtual conferences were held in 2021 and 2022.

For more information about IFAR, visit https://www.internationalracehorseaftercare.com and follow @IFARnews across social media.