EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 

Racing New South Wales has the unprecedented opportunity to become one of the first racing authorities in the world to implement a lifetime, evidence-based digital transition framework for retired racehorses.

By moving the industry model from temporary welfare intervention to scalable, lifelong transition support, Racing NSW will permanently solve the industry's welfare continuity crisis, generate substantial ongoing revenue, and claim the undisputed title of global leader in racehorse welfare.

This proposal outlines the outright acquisition, custom rebuild, and exclusive licensing of the Race-2-Ride Training Passport specifically for Racing NSW.

By acquiring this turnkey platform rather than attempting a multi-year, high-risk internal build, Racing NSW bypasses development delays and secures an evidence-based system backed by unparalleled scientific rigour. The platform will be fully re-badged and, where necessary, custom-filmed as an exclusive Team Thoroughbred product, ready for a massive public launch before Christmas 2026.

To get started straight away, watch the video above or download the Quick Start Guide.

The Value Proposition for Racing New South Wales

NSW LEADS THE WAY: This acquisition allows RNSW to confidently declare: "NSW leads the way in OTT retraining and welfare with Team Thoroughbred’s Race-2-Ride program." You will own the most comprehensive lifetime support system in global racing.

MASSIVE REVENUE GENERATION (100% RNSW OWNED): Once acquired, RNSW retains 100% of all future revenue. By mandating a $997 passport fee at foal registration (approx. 5,600 foals annually in NSW), the platform generates over $5.5 million per year in self-sustaining funding.

THE ULTIMATE PR WIN FOR EXISTING OTTs: Because the mandatory foal registrations make the platform highly profitable, RNSW can afford to gift the passport, or offer it at a nominal administrative fee, to thousands of existing OTT horses currently in NSW. Launching this prior to Christmas 2026 provides the ultimate gift to the NSW equestrian community and instantly populates the Team Thoroughbred platform with active users.

UNREPLICABLE EXPERTISE & SCIENTIFIC RIGOR: A tech agency can build software, but they cannot build an evidence-based welfare curriculum that protects the industry's social license. This platform is built on proven equitation science and combined reinforcement methodologies. Through a 12-month implementation retainer, Dr. Kate Fenner, the only person globally holding a PhD in horse training and behavior, serving as President of the International Society for Equitation Science (ISES), Board member of Pony Club Australia, and possessing 15 years of online equestrian platform experience, will oversee the platform build, reshoot/badge the curriculum for Team Thoroughbred, and train your staff to operate the system long-term.

UNLOCKING BUYER CONFIDENCE & REHOMING CAPACITY: The industry’s challenge is not simply finding more homes for retired racehorses; it is giving more people the confidence to choose one. By providing a guaranteed safety net of structured education, live support, and community, this platform transforms the ex-racehorse into a supported, realistic choice for everyday riders. Expanding the pool of confident buyers directly increases rehoming speed and reduces long-term pressure on welfare farms.

EXPANDING THE REHOMING MARKET (THE TWO AUDIENCES): Currently, welfare programs only support people who have already decided they want a retired racehorse. This digital ecosystem allows Racing NSW to reach a second, much larger audience: prospective buyers who want a horse, but feel uncertain about taking on a Thoroughbred. By combining evidence-based education, expert guidance, and an ongoing community of support, this program removes that uncertainty. It transforms the ex-racehorse from an intimidating prospect into a realistic, rewarding, and highly supported choice for the everyday rider - drastically broadening the pool of willing adopters and ensuring the long-term sustainability of the rehoming pipeline.

SUPPORTING GRASSROOTS PARTNERS & RIDING SCHOOLS: As Racing NSW expands its national participation network, this platform acts as a critical safety net for community partners. When riding schools, EA accredited coaches, and local equestrian centers take on retired racehorses, they will not be left to figure out the transition alone. The passport equips these grassroots partners with 90+ evidence-based lessons, providing a structured, safe, and measurable framework to successfully transform their horses. This guarantees the success of community adoption initiatives and directly protects Racing NSW's investment in expanding its long-term distribution pathways.

BRIDGING NATIONAL YOUTH & COMMUNITY PATHWAYS: A sustainable future for retired racehorses requires connecting with younger generations and grassroots networks . As a current Board Member of Pony Club Australia, Dr Kate Fenner provides a direct, strategic link to national youth equestrian bodies, interschool programs, and local club networks . This unique positioning ensures the Training Passport is perfectly aligned with the safety, welfare, and educational standards expected by Australia's largest equestrian participation networks, effortlessly integrating Thoroughbreds into these thriving community spaces.

A TURNKEY, RISK-FREE LAUNCH: No development guesswork. Racing NSW acquires a proven architecture, bespoke branding, and a dedicated mobile app, delivered on an accelerated timeline to ensure you are up and running, and leading the nation, by the end of this year.

THE WELFARE CRISIS & THE SOCIAL LICENSE THREAT

Racing faces mounting public criticism and severe threats to its social license to operate. While Team Thoroughbred NSW already does exceptional welfare work, physical rehoming programs alone cannot mathematically support every horse for its entire natural life.

Consider the scale of the challenge in NSW alone:

• 5,600 foals are registered annually in NSW.

• 34% never race. Thousands of horses are bred for the industry but exit before ever seeing a track.

• Those that do race typically compete for just 2-3 years, but will live for 20-30 years.

• Post-racing, these horses will change hands 3 to 4 times on average, making continuity of care and tracking almost impossible.

• Current physical retraining programs, globally, only reach a fraction of retiring horses and support them for a limited window of 6-12 months.

The Public Narrative: "Racing breeds too many horses, then abandons them when they are no longer profitable."

The racing industry can never build enough holding farms to guarantee every retired racehorse a good future. Physical facilities will always be finite. However, the industry can build enough knowledge, support, and owner confidence to change the outcome for thousands of horses.

By acquiring this platform, Racing NSW permanently changes the narrative. Team Thoroughbred moves from offering limited physical support to providing guaranteed lifetime digital support for every horse that enters the NSW studbook—a truly scalable solution to a structural global problem.

THE SOLUTION: THE TEAM THOROUGHBRED TRAINING PASSPORT

A bespoke, white-labeled digital ecosystem that provides guaranteed, lifetime educational support for every horse in the NSW system.

This is not a temporary physical rehoming program; it is a permanent digital asset that stays with the horse for its entire natural life, equipping every subsequent owner with the exact tools they need to succeed.

How the Ecosystem Works

• Mandatory Attachment: The passport is attached at foal registration. The $997 one-time fee immediately makes the program self-funding and highly profitable for Racing NSW.

• Microchip Integration: The passport is linked directly to the horse's microchip, meaning it belongs to the horse, not the owner.

• Privacy-Protected Lifetime Transfer: The passport transfers automatically through unlimited ownership changes over the horse's 20–30 year lifespan. Crucially, while access to the training ecosystem transfers to the new owner, all previous owner data, videos, and private training history are kept strictly confidential and do not travel with the passport.

• Scientific Foundation & Practical Transformation: The entire curriculum is built strictly on evidence-based equitation science and combined reinforcement, in which the correct use of negative reinforcement serves as the motivator and positive reinforcement serves as the reward. Rather than pressuring horses toward elite competition, this low-stress methodology focuses on practical transformation, human safety and horse welfare. It equips everyday riders with the exact tools they need to develop a safe, relaxed, and willing partner, ensuring a successful transition into standard recreational life.

What NSW Horse Owners Receive (Lifetime Access)

Upon enrolment, every owner of a NSW OTT horse gains immediate access to a dedicated Team Thoroughbred platform (built on Kajabi) and mobile app, featuring:

• Bespoke Video Curriculum: 50+ high-quality training modules, from foundation groundwork to advanced riding. Every video will be exclusively branded with Team Thoroughbred/Racing NSW badging.

• Live Coaching & Video Analysis: Weekly LIVE Q&A sessions and personalised video feedback (initially hosted by Dr Kate Fenner, with a managed handover to your newly trained Team Thoroughbred staff).

• The OTT Community Hub & Team Networks: A private, moderated online ecosystem designed to connect individual owners as well as host dedicated community groups, such as riding school squads, Pony Club branches, and regional adult riding teams. This architecture allows local communities to share milestones, collaborate, and participate in exclusive Team Thoroughbred virtual LIVE training, shows, and team-based competitions, fostering a sense of belonging and shared purpose. 

• Safety & Crisis Support: Direct protocols and intervention pathways if owners encounter severe behavioural issues or welfare concerns.

By providing this comprehensive, easy-to-access support directly to the owner's smartphone, Racing NSW prevents the behavioural breakdowns that lead to horses ending up in the welfare system in the first place.

DATA & EVIDENCE: MEASURABLE OUTCOMES

A lifetime digital system creates a major strategic asset for Racing NSW: the ability to measure and report on welfare outcomes. Over time, anonymized platform data will allow Racing NSW to measure:

• Owner engagement and curriculum completion rates.

• The growth of the OTT community and passport adoption.

• Long-term educational outcomes across different cohorts.

By tracking these metrics, Racing NSW can definitively prove the program’s effectiveness when responding to public scrutiny. Crucially, to protect owner privacy and encourage adoption, the system focuses solely on educational engagement — it does not track, store, or consolidate individual veterinary histories or previous owners' private data.

THE ACQUISITION PACKAGE

Racing NSW is acquiring a turnkey, fully developed digital asset and exclusive territorial rights. By securing this package, you bypass 18–24 months of high-cost, high-risk internal development and deploy an evidence-based system immediately.

Intellectual Property & Licensing Rights: To provide absolute commercial clarity, the acquisition is structured as follows:

• What Racing NSW Owns: A Perpetual, Exclusive Territorial License to operate the platform within New South Wales. Racing NSW retains 100% complete ownership of the bespoke Team Thoroughbred platform implementation, all custom branding, and all user/owner data generated within the state.

• What is Retained: The underlying global Race-2-Ride intellectual property, methodology, and core curriculum remain the property of Dr Kate Fenner, who retains the right to implement this model in other racing jurisdictions worldwide.

• The Strategic Advantage: This IP structure deliberately positions Racing NSW as the pioneering first-mover. You will be establishing the benchmark model that other national and international jurisdictions will eventually seek to replicate.

The $1.5M Acquisition & Valuation Rationale: The proposed acquisition price reflects the combined strategic, commercial, and intellectual value of the package as a whole. This figure has been determined after considering:

• The years of research, development, and refinement invested in creating the evidence-based Race-2-Ride methodology.

• The substantial time, capital cost, and development risk Racing NSW avoids by acquiring an established system rather than attempting an internal build from scratch.

• The professional expertise and specialist knowledge of equitation science embedded within the framework.

• The immediate, scalable welfare and reputational benefits to Racing NSW.

Deliverables Included in the Package:

• Custom Digital Ecosystem: A dedicated, technology-neutral digital platform and mobile app architecture built entirely for Team Thoroughbred.

• Bespoke Content Integration: The complete digital re-badging of 90+ educational lessons (from foundation to advanced), exclusively branded for Racing NSW, providing a massive, ready-to-launch content library without the delay of a production reshoot.

• Community Infrastructure: Full configuration of the community forums, live coaching pipelines, and virtual show architecture.

IMPLEMENTATION TIMELINE 

ABOUT DR. KATE FENNER

Dr Kate Fenner brings exceptional qualifications and a proven platform ready for immediate launch:

• Honorary President, International Society for Equitation Science (ISES): Global leadership in evidence-based horse training and welfare; International scientific credibility
• Board Member, Pony Club Australia: Youth equestrian education, welfare, and safety expertise
• PhD (Horse Behaviour & Training), University of Sydney: Academic rigour in learning theory and training methodology
• 27+ years specialising in OTT Thoroughbred and Standardbred retraining: Deep expertise in racehorse-specific challenges and solutions
• Published researcher on racehorse welfare and retraining outcomes: Evidence-based approach backed by peer-reviewed research
• Founder, Kandoo Equine: 1,000+ active members on existing platform; Proven online training delivery model; Platform operational and ready to scale; Content library already developed 
• John & Josh Lyons Certified Trainer: Professional training credentials

CRITICAL ADVANTAGE: Platform and content already exist. No development phase needed. Can launch Team Thoroughbred Training Passport by Christmas 2026.

CLIENT TESTIMONIALS

Kandoo GOLD members who have retrained off-track horses using Dr Fenner's evidence-based methodology: 

Professional Trainer, Standardbred Specialist:

"I used this method on a 4-year-old OTT Standardbred gelding. I like the methods because they teach the horse a new way of being and allow them to learn how to move their body without the burden of a rider. With long-reining, the trainer can observe the horse's frame and make gentle, consistent corrections. This training method makes the transition straightforward with clear communication without any surprises."

OTT Mare Owner, Thoroughbred:

"Standing still for mounting (Kandoo's 'Hips to the Fence' lesson) was a game-changer right from the beginning. My OTT mare was used to being mounted 'on the move' - as a result, she learned to stand calmly, making mounting much safer. The Kandoo method of long reining and short reining helped her learn to bend laterally through her body before having a novice rider on board. This was also a great way to assess whether the horse was ready to ride or needed more groundwork."

Adopter of 8-Year-Old OTT Gelding:

"My horse, Beau, had osteoarthritis joints and some behaviours such as trying to bite humans and a fearful disposition. The groundwork on giving to the bit and shoulder control has been a blessing for him. He is now safe to be around. Due to the research-driven wisdom and the program, I can keep Beau. I let all my horse friends know of her program."

5-Year Kandoo GOLD Member:

"Kate is always so approachable, and her sensible approach makes her relatable to everyone - you never feel awkward asking a question. Kate's step-by-step guide is easy to follow and makes perfect sense, which gives clarity. This is such a benefit to educating OTT horses who have experienced such a different and sometimes frenetic training regime. The benefits of measuring their emotional level to help educate are imperative - I have found that some of my OTTs just zone out and become robotic. Increasing their emotional level and then giving them the chance to self-regulate and learn has been a game-changer for my horses and me. It never dates, and it's comforting to know I can always reach out if I hit a stumbling block."