WA Horse Council

29/09/2026

SET-UP DAY AT ASCOT! 🐴
A busy day getting everything ready and a very warm welcome to David and Maureen King at Ascot Racecourse ahead of our three Large Animal Rescue Workshops this week.
And a very big thank you to the Perth Racing and Racing WA teams. The support has been exceptional — from the planning and communication beforehand to the staff helping us today with equipment, access, AV, practical areas and all those last-minute details that go into running workshops like these. Nothing has been too much trouble.
Ascot is a fantastic venue for this training, and we really appreciate having such helpful people behind the scenes making sure we have everything we need.
Wednesday and Friday are FULL, but we still have a few places available for Thursday 1 October for our equestrian sports and eventing workshop.
Everything is taking shape — looking forward to seeing you all at Ascot! 🐴🚒

27/09/2026

Wednesday and Friday are FULL — with just a few places remaining for Thursday’s Large Animal Rescue Workshop at Ascot next week!

Cyclone Narelle is a powerful reminder of why local experience, capability and preparedness matter so much in emergencies.

With roads blocked, communities cut off and access severely limited, scene management, coordination and knowing what capability already exists locally become critical.

Through CAWE and DPIRD’s daily emergency coordination meetings, the WA Horse Council has seen how technology has transformed communication, triage and coordination — helping identify what people, skills and equipment are available, where they are, and how they connect through our emergency services network.

It is fantastic to have people coming to Ascot from across WA — and interstate! Rangers, DFES, Police, veterinarians and vet nurses, racing and equestrian sport are coming together to build practical skills in scene safety, incident control, rescue and inter-agency coordination.

We can also learn from NSW, where animals are specifically recognised within emergency and rescue legislation. Ultimately, it is about building the local knowledge, networks and capability before the emergency happens.

And congratulations to the Exmouth and Karratha SES crews — an extraordinary example of locals continuing to help their community even when some returned home to find their own homes damaged. 💙

24/09/2026

FROM ROYAL ASCOT TO ASCOT, WA 🇬🇧 ➡️ 🇦🇺 🐴
Ours may not be Royal Ascot — but it’s every bit as beautiful, and we might just have them on the weather! ☀️
A few more photos from BARTA training at Ascot Racecourse, showing just how seriously large-animal incident preparedness is approached in the UK.
Racecourse teams train together through realistic scenarios — bringing veterinarians, horse handlers, ground staff and emergency responders into a coordinated response, with an emphasis on scene safety, incident control, animal welfare and responder safety.
Next week, we’ll be bringing that same approach to Ascot Racecourse here in WA — getting people from across racing, veterinary, emergency response and animal welfare around the same table and out on course together.
We’re only just getting started in WA, but this is exactly what we’re working towards: training together, learning from every incident, and building the local knowledge, equipment and capability to be ready before the next emergency happens.
From one Ascot to another. 🐎☀️ Department of Fire and Emergency Services WA

24/09/2026

🐴 VET NURSES — THIS ONE IS FOR YOU!

David King led the Large Animal Rescue practical for veterinary nurses at this year’s Bain Fallon Memorial Lectures in Melbourne — and he’s now bringing that training to WA.

Large animal emergencies need veterinary nurses who understand scene safety, rescue equipment, incident management, practical rescue techniques and the care of the animal before, during and after rescue.

We still have places available Thursday 1 October at Ascot Racecourse — and we’d love to see more of our WA vet nurses there!

David has 40+ years of large animal rescue experience and was central to developing the AFAC Large Animal Operations Guidelines.

Veterinarians, equine professionals, FEI/event officials and horse owners are also very welcome.

👉 8.30am–4.30pm | $250 including lunch | 6 VetEd CPD points

23/09/2026

🐴 LARGE ANIMAL RESCUE — PRACTICAL RESOURCES

We’re looking forward to welcoming everyone to our Large Animal Rescue Workshops at Ascot Racecourse next week!

There are still a few places available on Wednesday and Thursday — but they are filling quickly.

Every course participant will receive a copy of the Large Animal Rescue Field Guide, written by David King, generously provided by the WA Horse Council and AEIMN ANZ as a practical resource to take home and use in the field.

Participants will also receive access to the AFAC Large Animal Rescue Operations Guidelines, published in 2022 by the AFAC Rescue Technical Group and AFAC Urban Operations Group. These provide best-practice guidance for fire and emergency agencies across Australia and New Zealand on the procedures, techniques, equipment and training involved in Large Animal Rescue.

A huge thank you to David King, AEIMN ANZ, the AFAC Rescue Technical Group and Urban Operations Group, and everyone who has helped advance Large Animal Rescue training and capability across Australia and New Zealand.

It is all about learning from every incident, bringing agencies and responders together, and improving responder safety, scene management and animal welfare outcomes in our communities.

22/09/2026

Large Animal Rescue in WA — where are we now?

In this 2024 interview with Brittany Taylor, David King talked about some of the challenges facing Large Animal Rescue in Western Australia — challenges that remain very relevant today.

Since then, we have continued working to bring emergency services, veterinarians, local government, rangers, racing, equestrian organisations and animal welfare agencies together through practical Large Animal Rescue training. Our upcoming Ascot courses continue that work, with a strong focus on scene safety, incident control, animal behaviour and working together safely and effectively when an incident occurs.

Animal rescue and animal welfare in emergencies are legislated differently across Australia, and the responsibility and capability for Large Animal Rescue varies considerably between states.

In WA, there remains an opportunity to better integrate Large Animal Rescue into our existing emergency management structures, with clearer roles and pathways for response.
Our longer-term goal is not simply more training. It is to build a coordinated WA network, supported by appropriate policy and legislation, and to know before an incident occurs where our trained people, local expertise and specialist equipment are located across our very large state.

The Ellenbrook horse-float accident in May was another reminder of why this matters. Learning from every incident — what worked, where the gaps were and how we can improve — is an important part of building that network.
Every course, every agency we bring together and every incident we learn from moves us a little closer to that goal.

Brittany Taylor interviews David King (AEIMN) at the State Equestri...

21/09/2026

LARGE ANIMAL RESCUE — BUILDING WA CAPABILITY 🐴🚒

In May 2025, WA Horse Council Chair Dr Kathy Klein, an AEIMN Board member, and Jacinta Withoud from Eventing WA attended the Equine Event Incident Management Workshop with internationally recognised BARTA Co-Founder Jim Green, hosted by AEIMN ANZ at the University of Melbourne Veterinary School.

The course demonstrated how structured incident management — planning for foreseeable incidents, situational triage, clearly defined team roles, appropriate rescue techniques and casualty-centred decision making — can improve safety for animals, responders and the public.

It was clear how valuable this approach could be for WA racing, equestrian sport, emergency services, veterinarians and horse owners, and how important it is for these groups to train and plan together before an incident occurs.

The Ellenbrook horse-float rollover this May, involving the rescue of two horses, brought that need sharply into focus.

We are therefore delighted to see those sectors coming together next week at Ascot Racecourse for our Large Animal Rescue Workshops — building practical skills, relationships and greater emergency response capability here in WA.

A huge thank you to everyone participating, and to Racing WA, Perth Racing, AEIMN ANZ, the Australian Veterinary Association and Thompson & Redwood for supporting this important training.

Safer outcomes for animals and people through knowledge, practice, planning and collaboration.

20/09/2026

🐴 THANK YOU MICHELLE MAYNARD MLA — FOR LEADING THE WAY

A very special thank you to Michelle Maynard MLA for leading our Swan Valley Pass Wide & Slow ride this year from the VIP cart — and seeing first-hand, along the route, so many of the challenges faced by those who share our local roads.

Our Pass Wide & Slow WA campaign is proudly funded by the Road Safety Commission through its Community Initiatives program, with valued support from the City of Swan and Thompson & Redwood, helping us take this important road-safety message into communities across WA.

And it is not just about horses.

Across our electorate — the Swan Valley, Bells Rapids and the Hills — our roads are shared by horses, wildlife, livestock, cyclists, pedestrians and people walking their animals. Fur, feathers, feet and hooves — Animal Lives Matter.

We are incredibly lucky to live in such a beautiful part of WA, and increasing development and tourism — particularly around Brigadoon/Bells Rapids, the Swan Valley and the Hills — means more vehicles sharing our rural and semi-rural roads. Many visitors simply have little experience driving around animals or other vulnerable road users.

Michelle had the opportunity to see many of these challenges first-hand during the ride — and why speed, education, road design and driver awareness all matter.

And this is certainly not just an issue for our electorate. We are so proud of our regional communities this year — Harvey, Albany and Mt Barker have led the way in WA, bringing riders, drivers, Police, emergency services and their communities together around safer roads and greater awareness.

At the heart of all of this is a very simple message:

Kindness. Patience. Respect. Animal Lives Matter.

We look forward to continuing to work with Michelle and Main Roads WA on vulnerable road-user safety — particularly where speed, increasing tourism and the mix of animals and other road users are creating very real challenges.

And we look forward to seeing Michelle again at our Large Animal Rescue Workshops at Ascot Racecourse at the end of the month — another important part of building safer, better-prepared communities for animals and people across WA.

Thank you, Michelle, for leading our ride, listening to our community and seeing these issues first-hand.

Pass Wide & Slow — below 20 km/h and at least 2 metres. 💚

20/09/2026

A huge thank you to Thompson & Redwood for continuing to stand behind the work of the WA Horse Council.
Their commitment reaches across so much of what we are trying to achieve — from Animal Welfare in Emergencies and Large Animal Rescue to improving road safety for horses and all road users across WA.
A very special mention to JoAnne Wallace and Ally Doumany, who have been instrumental in helping the Council turn good ideas into strong education and messaging that reaches the horse community across Australia.
Having a WA business prepared to contribute its time, expertise and resources to making our communities safer really does make a difference.
We — and the horses — are incredibly grateful. Thank you, Thompson & Redwood. 🐴❤️ See less