Smart starts in racing

Melvin Camatchee grew up in Mauritius in a family home that adjoined a local racecourse. He still remembers the thrill he got from watching horses thunder around the track. By the age of 13, Melvin was earning pocket money at the track by cleaning out stables.

“My childhood dream was to work in horse racing, but that opportunity never arose in Mauritius,” says Camatchee, 42.

“When I moved to Australia 20 years ago, I became a disability carer, but earlier this year I woke up one morning and thought it was time to do what I’ve always wanted to do. Some friends told me I was too old, but I wanted to challenge myself and see if I could achieve my dream.”

Camatchee, who lives in Melbourne’s northern suburbs, contacted Racing Victoria to find out how he could find a pathway into racing. In March, he completed the week-long Stable Start Certificate I in Racing (Stablehand) at Cranbourne.

“I learned how to stay safe around horses, how to keep the horses safe and practical skills like putting on a bridle, using a lead, putting on a saddle and walking a horse,” says Camatchee.

“I also learned about the anatomy of a horse and got some insight into how the racing industry works. By the time I finished the program, I had more confidence, although I knew I still had a lot to learn.”

Racing Victoria helped Camatchee contact trainers willing to take on a new and enthusiastic stablehand, and he now works at Dom Sutton’s Flemington stables. His working days begin at 4am and each shift, he mucks out boxes, saddles horses for trackwork, and washes them when they return to the yard. Camatchee is now completing Cert II.

“I want to be a foreman, so I’ll keep learning,” he says.

“This is the hardest job I’ve done, but I love what I do. I’m happy to come to work and I’m achieving my dream.”

A range of educational organisations, including TAFES, universities, and industry-based programs, have developed educational pathways that equip students with knowledge and skills that enable them to find a job and safely and effectively care for thoroughbreds.

These programs teach everything from hands-on horsemanship to veterinary science and the practicalities of stable management. This provides more knowledge across all levels of the sport and further improves people's understanding of horse welfare. “If we want the industry to continue to move forward, we need to focus on best practice and horse welfare, and giving students the right skillset before they step into the stables or onto the track is vital.”

Charles Sturt University in Melbourne is the only university in Australia offering a Bachelor of Equine Science. The course leads to careers in equine health, welfare, breeding, equitation science, training, nutrition, performance, and rehabilitation.

The three-year program includes subjects such as equine health and disease, horse behaviour and training, equine injury and rehabilitation, equine industry professional practice, and equine breeding management.

At Box Hill Institute, high school students in Years 10 to 12 who want to work with thoroughbreds are introduced to the industry via a Certificate III in Equine Studies. The two-year program is part of VCE studies and attracts students with some horse experience – or none at all.

“We have students who’ve competed in equestrian at national level and who have their own horses. We also have students who’ve barely touched a horse but who’ve always wanted to work with horses,” says Brodie Harrison, Coordinator Science and Animal Studies.

“We’ve also had students whose family own racehorses and they want to know more about the industry.”

The program, supported by Racing Victoria, teaches students safe work practices and how to handle horses safely. It also teaches students how to load and unload horses and how to handle racehorses in stables and at trackwork.

“We spend an afternoon at Sandown and meet the race caller, stewards, jockeys and vets. It helps students realise that racing is a major industry with a variety of roles on offer,” says Harrison.

The program effectively blends theory and practical experience. Students travel to Breakoday Quarterhorses in Glenburn to learn how to muck out a stable and put a horse on a walker.

“Students learn with quieter horses, so when they get to the track at Cranbourne and have to put a young thoroughbred on the walker, they have the skills,” says Harrison.

“If we want the industry to continue to move forward, we need to focus on best practice and horse welfare and giving students the right skillset before they step into the stables or onto the track is vital.”

Danielle Smith, Workforce Development Program Lead at Racing Victoria, agrees that skilling up the workforce of the future is paramount. Through Stable Start, the organisation offers Cert I and II in Racing (Stablehand) and Cert III in Racing (Trackwork Rider) – a 12-month program that is one of very few off-the-job trackwork rider training courses in Australia.

Cert I is an entry-level program for people who have never worked with horses or who are new to racing. Cert II extends knowledge with units on horse health and nutrition and how to strap horses safely on race day.

“Students go into stables with a good base level of understanding that they can build on. But in the early stages, our aim is to ensure students are safe when they join the workforce,” says Smith.

“We see students build confidence, and as they move on to higher certificates, their knowledge about the industry rises. They take on more responsibility and keep building their skill base.

“In a busy stable, you can’t provide the same level of support on the job for new people in the industry, so a lot of the initial education needs to happen off-the-job. We need new staff to keep the racing industry going, and so we need to provide ongoing education and training to attract new people and to keep them, and the horses they work with, safe.”