The death of seven horses at the Kentucky Derby venue has heightened the debate over horse racing safety.
Two of the deaths occurred as a result of racing injuries on Derby day when more than 150,000 people blocked Churchill Downs.
“While each reported incident was unique, it is important to note that no discernible pattern was identified in the injuries sustained,” the track said in a statement, calling the incidents “unacceptable.”
In recent years, the industry has embarked on a series of veterinary and medication reforms that have resulted in a drop in mortality rates.
Here’s a look at what horse racing is doing to prevent injuries and deaths.
HOW FREQUENT ARE INJURIES AND DEATH?
The Churchill Downs deaths received more attention because they occurred the week before the Kentucky Derby.
There has been a spate of deaths in recent years, most notably 30 in Santa Anita, California in 2019. These led to a series of safety reforms that spread across the country.
The protocol requires an autopsy when a horse dies at the racetrack and a review of contributing factors, veterinary records and stakeholder interviews to learn the cause and what, if anything, could have been done to prevent it.
“It’s hard to explain and say it’s going to happen every now and then,” said Mike Repole, co-owner of scratched early Kentucky Derby favorite Forte, “but unfortunately the reality is that it’s going to happen every now and then.”
California and New York have public databases cataloging equine injuries and fatalities; not Kentucky.
More than 7,200 horses died in racing between 2009-21, according to a database maintained by the Jockey Club, which oversees the thoroughbred breed registry in the United States and Canada.
A potentially catastrophic injury can occur anytime a horse is racing or even walking in a paddock on the farm. The skinny legs of the large animals absorb a lot of shock force.
WHY ARE HORSES EUUTHANIZED AFTER LIMBS INJURY?
A leg injury in a horse can lead to complications as the other legs try to take the pressure of an animal weighing around 1,100 pounds. The bones in the leg don’t break easily, they often fracture completely, making them extremely difficult to repair or restore to their original shape.
Unlike humans, who can be put on bed rest, horses are designed to spend most of their time on the move. The horses at the track are taken out of their stalls daily to either race, undergo timed training, or simply run multiple laps inside their stables. They are also bathed and groomed.
Aside from being resistant to constraining their legs, horses can develop pressure sores if they lie down for too long. Horses sleep standing up and are not worried about falling because of a system of tendons and ligaments that allow them to lock up the major joints in their legs. When a horse cannot move its legs, the animal’s blood flow decreases. Being cooped up in one place for a long time can also impact a horse’s mental health.
ARE THERE ALTERNATIVE TREATMENTS?
The cost of surgery or other treatments can be substantial, although owners of expensive Thoroughbreds often go to extreme lengths to protect their investment.
Even with treatment, a horse’s chances of full recovery can be slim. In order to spare the animal additional pain and stress, it is usually euthanized.
WHAT DOES RACING DO AGAINST INJURIES?
Whether it’s everyday races or the Triple Crown Series – Kentucky Derby, Preakness and Belmont – horses undergo multiple extensive veterinary examinations and observations to ensure their fitness to run.
University of Kentucky researchers are working to identify a screening tool that can be used before races to identify horses at increased risk of injury. Funding for the study was provided by the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission’s Equine Drug Research Council.
The research involves analyzing blood samples from racehorses – both injured and uninjured – at racetracks across the country to determine if there are changes in messenger RNA and if there is anything that horses that suffer a catastrophic injury consistently different, according to an article from 2021 in Trainer magazine.
The Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act – the sport’s new national governing body – launched its racetrack safety program last year. From May 22nd, the Anti-Doping and Drug Control Rules will come into force, bringing consistency to the sport in post-race and out-of-competition testing, decisions and penalties. The new rules replace the patchwork of norms across the 38 US racing states, which vary by circuit and location.
WHO WAS BARBARO AND WHY WAS HE IMPORTANT?
The colt won the 2006 Kentucky Derby and horribly fractured his leg two weeks later in the career-ending Preakness.
He underwent surgery for three broken bones in and around the ankle of his right hind leg. Two months later, Barbaro developed laminitis in his rear left foot. During a longer stay in a horse clinic, he had five more operations. Laminitis is common in horses that keep their weight on one foot for long periods of time to relieve pressure on an injured foot.
Barbaro’s initial injury and subsequent health struggle endeared him to the public, who sent get-well cards to the hospital. His right leg eventually healed, but he developed laminitis in both front feet. Vets and his owners, Roy and Gretchen Jackson, decided he could not be saved and he was euthanized in January 2007.
His plight prompted the Jacksons to endow a chair in equine disease research at the University of Pennsylvania Veterinary School, where the Barbaro Fund was also established to support the treatment and care of large animals. College scholarships were created for students studying veterinary medicine and equine research.
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