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About ITA WTC WDC
ITA
International Trotting Association

The International Trotting Association was founded in 1969 and the first conference took place in Ohio, United States of America.

Organisations from 19 countries together with the European Trotting Union are members of the ITA.

WTC
World Trotting Conference

Every second year the members of the International Trotting Association meet at the World Trotting Conference. 2021 the conference was postponed due to Covid.

2023 the conference will take place in Berlin, Germany on August 14 – 18. The venue is the Pullman Berlin Schweizerhof.

WDC
World Driving Championship

The first World Driving Champion was Herve Filion of Canada in 1970. The 2023 Championship is hosted by Belgium, Netherlands and Germany.

The defending champion Rick Ebbinge will meet eleven other drivers from eleven countries.

The Conference with 5 committees

At the World Trotting Conference the five standing committees have their meetings.

Each day of the conference there is also a plenary session where guest speakers have been invited.

At the General Assembly of the final day the recommendations of the committees are presented to the delegates for approval.

  • Breeding Committee
  • Constitution and Regulation Committee
  • Equine Health and Integrity Committee
  • Marketing and Business Development
  • Racing and Wagering Committee
Conference Schedule
Constitution AND REGULATION Committee

09:00 – 12:00 Conference room CHUR 1

The Constitution and Regulation Committee has its meeting.

Lunch 12:30
Plenary Session I: Change of decade

13:30 – 17:30 Conference room DAVOS

The first plenary session will begin with conference opening ceremonies.

  • Openings
  • Presentation France
  • Our first Guest Speaker is Ilkka Halava, Futurist, Foresight Coach and CEO of Prime Frontier Oy and Future Works Oy. The title of the speech is “Looking to the future“. What do we know about the future and what can we anticipate? What kind of attitudes do people have towards the future, can the future be influenced, how are the trends of the future known, what do people want from the future?
16:10 – 16:30 Coffee Break
  • Attitudes within the industry and the need for change. Second Guest Speaker is Saara Iivari, head of communication and marketing, Suomen Hippos.
Evening
WELCOME DINNER (19:30)
Plenary Session II: Horse Welfare – the basis for everything

09:00 – 14:00

  • Harness racing through the lens of science: rein tension, training methods and horse welfare
    • Speaker: Elke Hartmann, Department of Animal Environment and Health, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences.
  • Promotion of the ethical and responsible involvement of horses in sport
    • Speaker: Jessica Stark, World Horse Welfare’s Director of Communications and Public Affairs/FEI.
11:15 – 11:35  Coffee Break
  • Barefoot racing
    • Video: Jean-Marie Denoix,  Director of Cirale-Normandie.
  • Tracebility of horses: digitally integration in databases and apps – a good way to ensure greater compliance
    • Speaker: IT-Developer/ Health Welfare and Traceability Manager of Harness racing Australia (HRA)
  • Situation in North America
    Whipping rules in different states / Status HISA ( horse integrity and safety act) / FBI-sentences and their impact on the image on the sports, short-and longterm / Antidoping work, status in USA / Discussion about social licence in USA / problem that young people do not want to be a part of trotting business

    • Interview with John Campbell / Panel discussion with Joe Feraldo, Jeff Gural, Marjaana Alaviuhkola and Jessica Stark
Lunch
Breeding Committee

The Breeding Committee has its first meeting

15:30 – 18:30 Conference room WINTERTHUR

Marketing and Business Development Committee

The Marketing and Business Development Committee has its first meeting

15:30 – 18:30 Conference room LAUSANNE

Evening
Free evening
Plenary Session III: Leading breeding into the future

09:00 – 13:00

  • Modern breeding methods (ICSI)
    • Speaker: Dr. Alexandra Görgens, Clinik for reproductive medicine for horses in Mühlen.

10:10 – 10:40 Coffee Break

  • Gene doping – gene therapy: which genetic and cellular practices have no place in horseracing and breeding
    • Speaker: Dr. Natascha Hamilton, Chairman of IFHA’s Gene Doping Control Subsommittee.
  • Challenges for and advances in medication and doping control of trotting horses
    • Speaker: Dr. Mark Machnik, Biochemical Institute University of Cologne.
Lunch
Breeding Committee

The Breeding Committee has its second meeting

14:30 – 17:30 DAVOS / WINTERTHUR

Marketing and Business Development Committee

The Marketing and Business Development Committee has its second meeting

14:30 – 17:30 LAUSANNE

Constitution and regulation Committee

The Constitution and Regulation Committee has a second meeting

17:00 – 18:00 

Evening
Dinner at Seglerhaus am Wannsee – Bus Leaves 18:30
Plenary Session IV: Funding of the horse racing industry and the change of the race betting

09:00 – 13:20

  • What does the future of horse betting look like in different countries?
    • Speaker: Jari Vähänen, Co-Partner and Founder, The Finnish Gambling Consultants.
  • New tool for optimisation of games
    • Video: Jean Baptiste Vilain, VELTYS Pratice sport
  • How can betting technically be optimized?
    • Speaker: Aymeric Verlet, Directeur international PMU
  • How to be attractive for the next generation
    • Speaker: Petter Johansson, ATG
    • Panel-discussion Speaker ATG / Speaker PMU

 

Lunch
Equine Health and Integrity Committee

The Equine Health and Integrity Committee has its first meeting

14:30 – 17:30

Racing and Wagering Committee

The Racing and Wagering Committee has its first meeting

14:30 – 17:30

Evening
Tour “Berlin by night” – Bus leaves 20:00 
(Dinner not included in tour)
Equine Health and Integrity Committee

09:00 – 12:00

The Equine Health and Integrity Committee has its second meeting

Racing and Wagering Committee

09:00 – 12:00

The Racing and Wagering Committee has its second meeting

Lunch 12:00
Summary of Conference Recommendations and Conference Closing

14:00 – 15:30 

At the final days General Assembly the recommendations of the committees will be presented to the delegates for approval.

Evening
Winning ceremony / banquet – Bus leaves 16:30

Evening at the races with the final five races of the World Driving Championship.