International Federation of Horse Racing Authorities

The International Federation of Horse Racing Authorities has been established with the purpose of promoting best practices and top regulation on international horse racing matters. Founded back in 1961 by horse racing authorities in Great Britain, the United States of America, Ireland and France, the International Federation has proved a vital player in the horse racing industry.

The four nations mentioned above realized that for the integrity of horse races to be protected it was important for them to coordinate their efforts. It was realized that they needed to work together to maintain their chief aim: to organize competitions which would select the greatest horses so as to improve breeding of racehorses worldwide. In the year 1967, the four nations introduced the International Conference. This fantastic conference brings top racing authorities from the world over together in the beautiful city of Paris annually. In 1993 they decided to establish the International Federation of Horse Racing Authorities to create a more official front to their efforts. This outstanding organization now consists of some 60 members.

The International Federation of Horse Racing Authorities has set itself a number of objectives and operational regulations so as to truly bring about unity in the world of horse racing. One such objective of the International Federation is to coordinate rules regarding racing, breeding and wagering in all the member countries. The Federation ensures fair and quality racing for the benefit of the public. A vital role of the group is to protect the welfare of all at racecourses including horses, jockeys and spectators. They work to keep everything up to date along with the technical, economic and social climate. The Federation has done much to promote horse racing as well as breeding around the world. They have developed good lines of communication for exchanges between horse racing authorities. Amongst other things they make recommendations to the correct authorities regarding improvements in regulations or laws. It is also the Federation's responsibility to organize the International Conference of Horse Racing Authorities every year. Finally, the International Federation gathers information on racing, breeding and betting from each of its membership countries and then publishes the statistics. The International Federation of Horse Racing Authorities certainly plays an essential role in this exciting industry.