Morphettville to Hong Kong Jockey Club

This article is from the September 2020 Horse Deals magazine.

Landing a plum role as Equine Rehabilitation Manager at the world class equine facility, the Hong Kong Jockey Club, was a dream come true for 33-year-old Aussie Erin Sykes. Horse Deals spoke to Erin to learn more about her work and life in Hong Kong and how she has had to adapt during COVID-19.

Erin, what is your role at the Hong Kong Jockey Club and what are your main obligations? I work within the Department of Veterinary Clinical Services as the Equine Rehabilitation Manager and I’m tasked with managing rehabilitation and maintenance of our racing and equestrian horses.

How did your career with horses lead to your current position? I’ve always loved and ridden horses, so one of my first jobs out of high school was working as a stablehand at a local stable at Morphettville Racecourse. I then spent many years working as a track rider, strapper, and then a manual therapist, all while studying a Bachelor of Equine Science at Charles Sturt University. Thoroughbreds are amazing creatures. They love people, they’re versatile, incredibly forgiving and they have exceptional work ethics. So it was a dream come true to land the job with the jockey club.

What equestrian facilities do you have access to at HKJC? The Rehabilitation Unit hasn’t been open for all that long so we’re still establishing it. Currently, it is fitted with an aqua treadmill and three chilled saltwater spas. We also have a variety of mobile therapies including a TENS unit, a therapeutic ultrasound and a class IV laser. As well as the rehabilitation unit, the club boasts a variety of equestrian facilities across various sites, including a world-class equine hospital, with a surgery, pharmacy and laboratory, a farrier forge, a cross country course and spelling paddocks. The three-storey stable blocks at Sha Tin still blow my mind!

What do you enjoy about your role? The therapies and interventions we deliver in the rehabilitation unit are typically well received by the horses. For example, the aqua treadmill offers them quite a novel experience. So it’s really rewarding to see them enjoy it. They have a bit of a splash and a play, and we usually offer up snacks. Seeing happy horses always makes me happy.

As a part of the job, do you live onsite? It depends where I’m working. I’m typically based in mainland China at our Guangzhou training facility. I have an apartment offsite about 20 minutes away, in a small tourist town filled with hotels and hot springs. When I’m working at Sha Tin racecourse in Hong Kong, I stay in an apartment on site. It makes it a bit easier to roll out of bed and sneak into the trainers’ pavilion to watch a bit of trackwork in the early hours of the morning.

What facilities do you have access to as a worker at HKJC? In my role I have access to accommodations, select restaurants, pool and gym facilities in the clubhouses and country club. The club also provides recreational opportunities such as leisure boats, which we can reserve for private use.

What does an average day look like for you? For an average day in Guangzhou, where I spend most of my time, I get picked up by my driver Tony around 6.15am. We complete our standard biosecurity protocol as we enter the racetrack, which includes security checks, disinfectant foot baths and hand sanitisation.

My first clients arrive at the rehab unit at 7am and quickly we have the spas and aqua treadmill full and my techs get busy providing electrotherapies. Bookings keep my team busy throughout the day and I alternate between overseeing operations, reviewing individual rehabilitation cases and providing feedback to trainers and vets about their horses. We finish up around 4pm, complete the billing and clean up.

How have you coped with the language barrier in your role? Actually terribly! I’ve sought out language classes, but I have not had time to follow through with them yet. I’m limited to being able to say “hello” and “thank you” in Mandarin, which is a bit embarrassing. So I depend heavily on translation apps on my phone. My amazing staff who are mostly stablehands, vet nurses and vets from mainland China have delivered an exceptional effort by studying English to try to facilitate better communication. I’m very lucky to have a really amazing team!

Currently back home in Australia, how are you continuing to work from afar? The Hong Kong Jockey Club boasts an exceptional online veterinary information system. This comprehensive system has allowed me to keep up to date with every horse’s training program, veterinary records and farrier visits from right here in Australia! This information, as well as feedback from trainers, stable staff and vets, aids me in continuing to managing each horse’s program, despite the current limitations we’re facing with COVID-19.

What’s the most important thing you have learnt in your role? There is no recipe book for rehabilitation! I’ve spent a fair bit of time learning from Kathryn Nankervis from Hartpury College in the UK. One of the things she’s taught me is the importance of routinely reviewing and readjusting programs to cater to each individual. What works for one horse, might not be suitable for the next.

Have you had the opportunity to meet any racing royalty? I do get a little star-struck by some of the Hong Kong Jockey Club’s amazing equine athletes. I’ve been lucky enough to meet horses such as Aethero, Rise High and Beauty Generation. I tend to paparazzi them a bit! My absolute favourite would have to be Southern Legend trained by Caspar Fownes. He’s an absolute professional, the kind of horse that just takes everything in his stride. He always gets an extra carrot when I see him!

Erin’s three tips for managing and maintaining sound horses...

1. Motion is the lotion - one of my mentors, Steve Adair, who runs the Equine Rehabilitation Practitioner Certificate program at the University of Tennessee preaches this.

2. Consistent adherence to programs produces results. For example, just 5-10 minutes a day of prescription stretches or postural exercises can lead to big results - but consistency is the key.

3. A properly tailored maintenance program is crucial for supporting our equine athletes. Prevention is cost-effective in the long run!

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