The project began in 2016 when the NZ Horse Ambulance Trust was founded with the goal of creating a unified fleet of horse ambulances.
Horse Ambulance Trust trustee Dr Pete Gillespie said the ambulance featured an electronic suspension system to drop the float to the ground, air conditioning to keep the animals cool and padded crushes to keep the injured horse standing safely in place.
It also featured a winch to pull injured or deceased horses on and a video feed that went to the cab so the driver could keep an eye on how the horse was doing.
Each ambulance cost about $150,000 to make.
They could now be found in Christchurch, Auckland, Invercargill among other places.
They had been used almost 200 times so far — one was used at Wingatui Racecourse earlier this week.
The ninth ambulance was the last one to be built under the trust’s current programme, but opportunity would be left open for more, Dr Gillespie said.
He had been working as an equine vet for 42 years and knew the needs of horses in danger.
Without an ambulance there were few ways to get an injured horse out of a ditch or off the track.
Before the fleet was assembled it was up to local clubs to solve the problem with whatever equipment they had.
Now there was a dedicated body across New Zealand people could go to when their horses needed help, he said.
Dunedin did not have a large horse community and he was proud the project had been entirely local.
There had also been interest in building ambulances to go overseas, he said.
