Hundreds of High School students have a much greater awareness of career opportunities in the Thoroughbred industry following presentations by Thoroughbred Industry Careers (TIC) during the North West Equestrian Expo in Coonabarabran this week.
TIC hosted a pavilion over the five days of the event and held information sessions to showcase the pathways available to those interested in turning their passion for horses into a career.
Connecting with those already involved with horses is an important step towards securing the long-term future of the industry said TIC Chief Executive Lindy Maurice.
"The Thoroughbred industry is going from strength to strength and ensuring that we have enough capable staff coming through is the only way we'll stay ahead of the game," Maurice said.
"The Coona Expo was a win for the kids and a win for us. So many of the riders were blown away to learn of the number of opportunities available to them and we were totally delighted that people who already live and breathe horses are now contemplating turning that passion into a career."
TIC were major sponsors of the event and helped provide subsidies to assist students and families impacted by drought to attend.
"It was an important occasion for us on many levels, firstly because it is the largest Interschool event on the calendar and secondly because many equestrian events across the state have been cancelled due to the drought, so to be able to support a volunteer-run event like this, and see everyone competing and connecting with their peers was rewarding for all involved."