Sustainable Equine Futures Program
Our Equine Program
The Australian Veterinary Environmental Alliance (AVEA) is currently developing our Sustainable Equine Futures (SEF) program — and we need you to help shape it from the ground up!
SEF is a program designed to help everyone who works with and cares for horses build a more sustainable equine industry with practical, evidence-based strategies.
As a Sustainable Equine Futures pilot practice, you are starting a journey to reduce your environmental hoofprint and protect the future of your business, your clients, and the animals in your care. The program is a structured online learning hub developed specifically for equine veterinary teams. It provides clear, practical actions to embed sustainability into your daily operations.
Developed by veterinary professionals, for veterinary professionals, the
resources are tailored to the realities of busy vet teams – offering realistic, achievable solutions to help you make meaningful, lasting change.
We’re calling on veterinary teams, breeders, trainers, stables, studs and owners who want to turn their veterinary, scientific and industry expertise into practical steps the whole sector can take.
Climate change affects horses now
Climate change isn’t a future problem for horses — it’s already changing how they’re cared for, housed and worked.
Horses are highly exposed to extreme weather — at risk of displacement, injury or death in floods and bushfires. Rising temperatures and humidity also affect performance in racing and sport horses, increasing the risk of overheating and heat stress. Drought and irregular rainfall reduce the availability and quality of pasture and hay, pushing up feed costs.
A warming, more variable climate can worsen the spread of equine disease. For example, while diseases like Hendra virus and Ross River virus aren’t caused by climate change, there’s growing evidence it can increase their risk and geographic spread — driving the flying foxes that carry Hendra into closer contact with horses and expanding the range and activity of disease-carrying mosquitoes.
The sector also has a real opportunity here: the steps that reduce environmental impact often cut costs and build resilience at the same time, while demonstrating to an increasingly environmentally-aware public that the equine industry cares about the future of animals and the environment.
A sector-wide program, built in stages
Sustainable Equine Futures is being developed with and for the people who know the industry best. We’re starting where the leverage is greatest — equine veterinary teams, who sit at the trusted centre of the sector and whose advice reaches breeders, owners and industry alike — and expanding outward to the wider equine community as the program grows.
The first phase gives equine veterinary practices a clear, proven pathway to make their operations more sustainable and climate-resilient — grounded in climate literacy and built on AVEA’s existing Climate Care Program, tailored for equine teams.
What the program will offer
For equine veterinary teams taking part now, we offer:
- Access and support to complete Climate Care Program for Equine Teams
- A toolkit of practical tips and resources for sustainable veterinary practice
- A framework for carbon reporting and emissions reduction
- Support setting sustainability goals and tracking progress
- Peer learning through buddy and mentoring initiatives
- Invitations to webinars and workshops
- Opportunities to showcase your practice’s progress
In the future, we’ll also offer a formal Sustainable Equine Futures membership — including CPD-accredited learning, recognition as a sustainability leader in the sector, and resources designed for the wider equine community beyond veterinary practice.
Why get involved?
Sustainability isn’t only good for horses and the environment — it makes sense for the businesses that care for them. Benefits include:
- Lower running costs through energy, water and waste efficiencies
- A more resilient operation, better prepared for extreme weather and disease pressures
- Stronger appeal to clients, staff and owners who care about this work
- A motivated team working towards a shared goal
- A leadership position in a sector only beginning this journey
- Networking opportunities with like-minded colleagues in the industry
Who’s it for?
Anyone with a stake in Australia’s equine industry — equine vets and vet nurses, breeders, trainers, stables, studs, riding schools, owners and industry bodies. The first phase is built for equine veterinary teams; if you’re elsewhere in the sector and want to be part of what comes next, we’d love to hear from you.
Join us
Sustainable Equine Futures is in active development, and we’re shaping it around the people who’ll use it.
Help shape the program: complete our short Equine Clinic Survey and contact us to register your interest to become a pilot practice.
Organisations across the equine industry who’d like to be involved are warmly invited to reach out.
Contact Dr Caitlin Wood at [email protected].
Sustainable Equine Futures Advisory Committee
Testimonials
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