equine welfare

First HRI Equine Welfare Symposium Schedule Revealed

The first Horse Racing Ireland (HRI) Equine Welfare Department symposium, titled 'Changing Stride - the way ahead for horse racing safety and care' will be held at the Keadeen Hotel and the Curragh on Friday, May 24. The symposium focuses on cultivating a culture of zero compromise in equine care and safety standards and is the key goal of the new HRI strategic plan 2024-2028. Tickets are €50 and include meals, refreshments on the day and entry to the Curragh for an eight-race card to kick-start Tattersalls Irish Guineas weekend....

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HISA Trialing New 44-Factor Computer Generated Risk Model at Churchill Downs

A new HISA computer model to identify at-risk horses is being used by Churchill Downs officials to complement existing track safety nets, representatives from the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority (HISA) and Horseracing Integrity and Welfare Unit (HIWU) announced during Tuesday's press conference on equine safety protocols in place for this year's GI Kentucky Derby and GI Kentucky Oaks. "It's essentially a model that looks at 44 potential risk factors that might cause a horse to be at risk for injury," said HISA CEO Lisa Lazarus, who added that the...

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New York State Bar Association Offers HISA Webinar Apr. 18

Edited Press Release The link for an equine-related Committee on Animals and the Law of the New York State Bar Association [has gone] live. It's a webinar on the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act (HISA): Its Impact on Equine Welfare, NYS Racing and Regulation, and Federal Administrative and Constitutional Law. The webinar will be held Thursday, April 18 from 12:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. EDT. Attorneys who attend are eligible for up to three NYS MCLE credit hours. These credit hours are valid in almost every U.S. jurisdiction. Non-attorneys are...

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Keeneland To Donate $100K to Grayson-Jockey Club

As a signal of its commitment to supporting equine safety and welfare research, Keeneland will pledge a total of $100,000 over the next four years to the Grayson-Jockey Club Research Foundation. "The best interest of the horse is the beginning and end of all we do at Keeneland," said Shannon Arvin, president and CEO of Keeneland. "In furtherance of our mission, Keeneland has long championed the important work of Grayson-Jockey Club Research Foundation, which is a leader in equine safety, integrity, and research. Especially exciting is Grayson's study of advancing...

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Owner Rights Under HISA's ADMC Rules

Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority (HISA) Chief Executive Officer Lisa Lazarus and Horseracing Integrity & Welfare Unit (HIWU) Executive Director Ben Mosier released a statement late Tuesday to address the rights of Thoroughbred owners under HISA's Anti-Doping and Medication Control (ADMC) Program. The statement appears below in its entirety: "In response to recently published misinformation regarding owners' rights under the HISA Anti-Doping and Medication Control (ADMC) Program, HISA and HIWU are compelled to again set the facts straight and reiterate our commitment to due process under HISA regulations. "Following an...

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Top 10 Ways HISA Will Change Racing

Edited Press Release The anticipated implementation of the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority's (HISA) Anti-Doping and Medication Control (ADMC) Program by the Horseracing Integrity & Welfare Unit (HIWU) on Mar. 27 will strengthen equine welfare and enhance confidence in the fairness of the sport. Here are the top 10 ways HISA's ADMC Program will change racing for the better: 1. For the first time, rules will be uniform and standardized across all states. The ADMC Program will bring all testing and results management under one central authority, ensuring greater transparency,...

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This Side Up: Lessons From A Polish Donkey

I must admit that this whole business of getting wiser as you get older is giving me a little trouble. Somehow I only seem able to nail one half of the deal--albeit, so far as that goes, I'm definitely making rapid, daily progress. The only small increment of wisdom I can detect, meanwhile, is perhaps a rather unexpected one. Because while conforming to a dismal stereotype in becoming ever less flexible with age, in most of my habits and beliefs, I did at least sense some improvement in my levels...

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TBA Awarded Over £360K to Support Racing Industry

Over £360,000 will be issued to the Thoroughbred Breeders' Association over a three-year period for activities that work towards improving the education provision, equine welfare and environmental sustainability of the UK racing industry. The money will come from the Racing Foundation, the racing industry's charitable grant issuing body. The plans include funding for further development and delivery of new initiatives within the TBA's Thoroughbred Breeding Industry Training and Qualification Pathway, which provides a formal structure to industry learning--ranging from essential skills at Level 1 through to advanced management training at...

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Hochul Signs Horse Welfare Bill into Law

New York Governor Kathy Hochul signed into law Wednesday a bill prohibiting the slaughter of racehorses and racehorse breeding stock for a commercial purpose; requiring that all racehorses competing in the state, as well as all horses used for breeding purposes, be microchipped; requiring that the state's Thoroughbred and Standardbred breeding funds set aside money for aftercare programs and put all funds raised through fines relating to be used to support aftercare; amending the tax law to allow individuals and corporations to contribute to aftercare facilities; and mandating a public...

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What Will HISA Look Like?

We recently ran part one of our story on the challenges facing HISA. Today, we deal with lawsuits, adjudication, and more. This time next year, the machinery of horse racing in the U.S. may be almost a month into a radical system overhaul. But with scant few calendar pages between now and then, what do we know about how the cogs, wheels, and pulleys of the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act (HISA) will work together? To find out, the TDN reached out to Charles Scheeler, chair of the HISA board...

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Will HISA Be Ready in Time?

Part One of a Two-Part Series If the letter of the law is any reliable prognosticator, this time next year the United States horse racing industry will already be nearly a month into what promises to be a major realignment of the planets. With the official enactment of the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act (HISA) on the first of July, 2022, racing jurisdictions North and South, East and West will be bound by the same medication standards, safety rules, and enforcement mechanisms--a hallelujah for many who have long championed the...

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Dr. Rick Arthur Q&A: Part Two
Dr. Rick Arthur Q&A: Part Two

After 15 years as California's equine medical director, Dr. Rick Arthur has stepped away from the post. A vocal proponent of tightened welfare practices in the sport, Arthur has spearheaded during his tenure a slew of equine safety reforms that have made California arguably the most stringent regulatory environment in the States. Arthur's forthrightness, however, has led to him staking out positions that have at times proven polarizing. The day after Arthur officially stepped down, he conducted a Q&A with the TDN, the first part of which can be seen...

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