Horse Welfare

The British racing industry, in partnership with the Royal Veterinary College (RVC), is using data spanning 14 years to identify and help reduce risk in the sport, via the Racing Risk Models (RRM), the British Horseracing Authority (BHA) and Horse Welfare Board (HWB) announced on Wednesday. Work on the RRM began in 2018 and its development and implementation has been one of the core recommendations of the HWB's 2020 strategy, A Life Well Lived. Academic researchers from the RVC have since been analysing data collected for each race start in...

Officials at Parx Racing abruptly moved the GIII Turf Monster Stakes--one of five graded events on the GI Pennsylvania Derby and GI Cotillion Stakes undercard--to the main track after Freedom Eagle (Hoppertunity) suffered an unspecified injury and was vanned off the track following the running of the Alphabet Soup Handicap, an 8 1/2-furlong grass race restricted to Pennsylvania-breds earlier on the program. A statement from the track read: "Parx Racing management moved Saturday's Grade III Turf Monster Stakes from the turf course to the main track out of an abundance...

Spendthrift Farm has made a $50,000 donation to the Light Up Racing initiative, the community-driven organization said in a release early Friday morning. Founded by a group of horse racing advocates, Light Up Racing's primary mission is to educate both the industry and the public on evidence-based practices, with a strong emphasis on horse welfare and transparency. The organization seeks to reshape perceptions and foster a well-informed community. "Our donation demonstrates our commitment to upholding the highest standards of horse welfare, fostering transparency, and driving positive perception change for our...

'StrideSAFE' Horse Safety will be instituted as part of the track's Equine Wellness Program during the 2023 racing season, and prominent Thoroughbred owner James McIngvale has pledged to cover two-thirds of the costs for the testing of Thoroughbreds. StrideSAFE is 'a biometric sensor mechanism that slips into the saddle cloth to detect minute changes in a horses's gait at high speed.' The changes are said to be undetectable to the naked eye and are recorded in a stoplight fashion--green for all clear, varying shades of amber as warnings for possible...

The Pennsylvania State Horse Racing Commission reported Monday on the progress of its Equine Safety and Welfare Plan, a list of tangible steps intended to increase protections for horses racing at Pennsylvania's six tracks. The measures, which the commission began implementing Mar. 1, 2022, included an Integrity Hotline for reporting suspected illegal or unethical behavior. "Early results from the hotline and other measures have been promising and reinforce the thorough consideration that went into developing the action plan," said Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding, who chairs the commission. "Implementing the strategy...

Edited Press Release The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) today approved the rules and accreditation standards that comprise the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority's (HISA) Racetrack Safety Program, a major milestone in HISA's mission to protect the wellbeing of equine and human athletes along with the integrity of the sport. With FTC approval, HISA will now move forward with robust industry education efforts ahead of the program's July 1, 2022 implementation date. "The Racetrack Safety Program's multi-faceted approach will enable veterinarians, horsemen and all racing participants to optimize the safety of...

The European Federation of Thoroughbred Breeders' Associations held its 2021 AGM on Nov. 23 in Newmarket, where the movement of Thoroughbreds between Europe and the UK post Brexit was one of the key topics discussed. The federation is continuing its work on securing HHB status for Thoroughbreds. Plans were also made for the federation to produce a European stud farm environmental impact study, and a sub committee was formed to look into the formulation of an official federation welfare strategy to raise awareness about the high level of care Thoroughbreds...

Following the broadcasting of the BBC's programme Panorama: The Dark Side of Horse Racing on Monday evening, the British Horseracing Authority announced its support to investigate the images of horses being euthanized in situations which may have harmed their welfare. In addition, several leaders from the British racing industry including the BHA, as well as the Horse Welfare Board will be meeting to discuss further issues raised by the Panorama programme on Tuesday. The BHA will also be in contact with Horse Racing Ireland over the contents of the programme....

Considering his age and all he accomplished in his career, Green Gratto (Here's Zealous) would have seemed to have earned a cushy retirement. Instead, he is scheduled to run in a an optional claimer--in for the $20,000 tag--for New Jersey breds Sunday at Monmouth, his first start since Apr. 19, 2018. It's the latest twist in a controversial story that began when he returned to the racetrack in November, which caused an uproar on social media from critics who felt it was improper and too risky to run the horse...

The FY2021 Agriculture Appropriations Package, scheduled for votes by the Subcommittee on Agriculture Appropriations and the full Appropriations Committee this week, doubles to $2 million the funding for enforcement of the Horse Protection Act (HPA) of 1970 while maintaining the current ban on horse slaughter in the United States by defunding the inspection of horse slaughter plants on U.S. soil. "We applaud Reps. Sanford Bishop and Jeff Fortenberry for their leadership of the subcommittee and for providing additional funding to enforce the 1970 law that made it a crime to...

Dr. Mick Peterson, Executive Director of the Racing Surfaces Testing Laboratory and Professor, Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering, University of Kentucky gave a presentation entitled "Track Surfaces: International standards for racing surfaces and the expansion of the Maintenance Quality System"  Tuesday as part of the Grayson-Jockey Club Research Foundation's weekly webinar series. The series was developed to make up for the cancellation of the ninth Welfare and Safety of the Racehorse Summit due to the coronavirus pandemic. Peterson's presentation was divided into three parts--"current best practices for testing and documentation of...

The office of California Assemblymember Ash Kalra (D-San Jose) announced Tuesday the introduction of AB 2177, the Equine Welfare and Safety in Horse Racing Act. Citing last year's rash of horse deaths at Santa Anita Park as the impetus, the proposed legislation is co-sponsored by Social Compassion in Legislation (SCIL) and People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA). "If the state is to continue to sanction horse racing and its wagering as a legal sport, addressing horse fatalities to the greatest extent possible needs to take precedence," said Kalra....