‘A Dunedin idea’: New Zealand Horse Ambulance Trust turns 10

A Dunedin veterinarian behind the world’s only dedicated fleet of horse ambulances says he is humbled and satisfied by the legacy he has built over the past decade. The New Zealand Horse Ambulance Trust celebrated its 10th Anniversary at the weekend with a charity race day in Christchurch. It was co-founded in 2016 by equine veterinarians Peter Gillespie and Bill Bishop. Built in Mosgiel, the trust’s New Zealand fleet is now 10 horse ambulances strong and attend more than 700 race meetings, equestrian events and A&P shows across the country each year. Dr Gillespie, now retired, said it was satisfying to have raised the bar in horse welfare in New Zealand. “I’ve been an equine vet for 45 years and, to me, it’s kind of like a legacy, that I was able to do something and leave something for the profession that was not there when I started out as a young veterinarian. “The reason I did it was for the welfare of the horses, and to make that particular part of horse racing a lot better. “To see the success of it has been quite humbling and very satisfying indeed.” Dr Gillespie, also the owner of VetEquine Otago at Invermay, said there was no appropriate way to manage race day horse injuries prior to the trust’s establishment. It was at a barbeque one night where he asked Dunedin engineer Barry Armour, of TL MacLean, what it would take to design a horse ambulance. One thing led to another and the first six horse ambulances were built within a year. “We’re the only country in the world that has a dedicated national fleet of horse ambulances.” Resembling a horse float, the ambulances use a hydraulic suspension system to lower to ground level so an injured horse could walk in and out. All the ambulances were fitted with technical rescue equipment to get horses out of “difficult predicaments”. There was also a recovery slide and a winch for horses with non-survivable injuries, along with privacy screens for the public. It cost about $125,000 to make each one. Six were in the North Island and four in the South Island. The design had also been exported overseas: four units were operating in Australia and one in Canada. Dr Gillespie said the registered charitable trust was seen as the number one horse charity in New Zealand. Over the past decade, it had fundraised nearly $2.5 million through donations, bowls and golf tournaments, auctions and even people leaving it money in their wills. The industry had really gotten behind it. “I’m incredibly proud of the fact that it hasn’t been taken out of Dunedin. “It’s a Dunedin idea — they’re built in Dunedin, well, in Mosgiel, so everything about it’s Otago.” tim.scott@odt.co.nz