Exploring the key attributes of former racehorses considered to have the potential for a successful second career in horseball

The British horseracing industry is committed to safeguarding the welfare of racehorses throughout their racing careers and beyond. Former racehorses who do not retire to a stud career and are suitable for second careers are often retrained to compete in other equestrian sports. Horseball is a growing discipline, which proactively supports retraining of racehorses (RoR) that could offer a suitable second career for former racehorses. This study explored the key attributes that horseball competitors look for in a potential former racehorse to promote a successful career in the sport. Participants voluntarily completed an online, 18 question survey (SurveyMonkey®), distributed through horseball related communication channels (Facebook™, Instagram™ and the British Horseball Association). Horseball competitors were asked (a) what key physical and behavioural characteristics they considered necessary for a successful horseball horse and (b) whether they would consider competing a former racehorse. A total of 45 horseball competitors completed the survey representing a margin of error of ±13% at the 95% confidence interval for the UK horseball population (n=200). Most respondents celebrated former racehorses’ suitability for horseball competition; 73.72% (n=32) had already owned and competed a former Thoroughbred racehorse in horseball and 97.78% (n=44) would consider purchasing and competing one in the future. Former racehorses were recognised to possess key performance attributes: agility, temperament, and speed suitable for a successful second career in competitive horseball. However, injuries that impeded former racehorse performance; lameness and other chronic injuries, were deemed as detrimental to success in competitive horseball. Further work in collaboration with racehorse rehoming stakeholders is required to produce guidelines to identify specific behavioural and physical characteristics which could predict the suitability of former racehorses for successful second careers across equestrian disciplines.

Retaining top talent: an introduction to the midlife review

Purpose This paper aims to explore the emerging HR practice of midlife reviews which are being implemented as the mechanism to stimulate a conversation between employers and employees about next steps, second careers and flexible career solutions. Design/methodology/approach This paper considers the approaches taken by Legal & General and AVIVA to implementing a midlife review programme within their organisation by interviews with senior managers involved in the implementation. Findings A midlife review helps employees plan the important second phase of their career and enables employers to work with them to decide how they can best be supported. The midlife review includes deciding what kind of training or upskilling they might need, considering any changes to working patterns and tailoring the benefits package to suit older workers. Originality/value The midlife review was introduced by the National Institute of Adult Continuing Education in 2015 and is only just starting to gain traction as a HR practice to retain older talent within an organisation. This paper attempts to raise awareness for the purpose of future research.

MAKING CAMPUS GREAT AT ANY AGE: ONE UNIVERSITY’S APPROACH TO AFU PRINCIPLES

This presentation will discuss the focused approach to putting AFU principles into practice that we accomplished with our campus-wide steering committee. We performed surveys for students over the age of 40 to learn the perspectives of older learners and what resources they felt were available on campus. By doing this, we were able to understand more about learners pursuing second careers and through a variety of initiatives at the university level, we have improved visibility of older learners and the richness they bring to our campus. We also collected data from our emeritus faculty and staff to learn how they interact with campus in retirement to understand effective ways to actively engage with them as a retired community. Overall, we have been able to effectively use the AFU Initiative to enhance inclusion and diversity to include older learners on campus and make AFU efforts more visible across campus.