Safety for both horses and riders has been an issue in thoroughbred racing for years.  Break-downs have been more prevalent in the past years (My heart will always be broken by Spook Express’s death in California several years ago – I remember the first time she saw snow at Aqueduct here in New York).  The death of second-place Derby finisher Eight Belles brought the topic in front of a larger audience.
            While I respect and admire the mission of organizations like PETA, the members with whom I spoke had never:  been to a race; spent any time in the barns; didn’t know trainers, jockeys, or exercise riders; had never ridden a horse; had no long-term plan for the tens of thousands of homeless racehorses should their desire for the sport to be banned take effect.  The passion is commendable, but anyone who speaks out against an issue and in favor of changes MUST do research and come up with a viable plan.
            A ban on racing would result in the slaughter of tens of thousands of horses because there would be no way to support them.  Phasing out racing in a reasonable manner would take, by my calculations, twenty years and two billion dollars.
            I think the sport can be fixed from the inside.  Like many racing enthusiasts, I am tired of owners in it to make a buck.  I’m tired of good horses running for a single season and then retired at obscene stud fees, as Big Brown will be.  If Big Brown is such a phenomenon, he should run until he’s four, five, or six, not have less than a dozen races under his belt and then retire to a life time of breeding.  I’m tired of the media encouraging wanna-bes with ridiculous pieces like the one Tom Durkin did about the trajectory of Big Brown’s increasing value.  Pieces like that encourage what I call “faux owners” into the business – those that want to look cool in front of their friends by owning horses or want to make a quick buck because they think horse racing is an easy way to get rich.
            It costs a lot to keep horses fed, healthy, and trained, and it is not for the faint-hearted.  In spite of being large, horses are amazingly fragile.  Even with strides made in equine health, more needs to be done.
            One of the ideas being tossed around is to have seasons and have an off-season, which I think is a good idea.  Give everyone a rest, horses, trainers, jockeys, etc.  Of course, that also means paying those who work in the industry – trainers, jockeys, grooms, hot walkers, etc. enough to survive the off-season and making sure they don’t wind up homeless.  The tracks are yapping about their financial pressure, but if they turn to year round Racinos and sponsor other events in the off-season – that do not hurt any horses still housed on the grounds – I think they could make a go of it.
            Like a life in the arts, life in racing is a hard way to make a living.  The same formula that only the top 1% of writers, actors, artists, et al make a lot of money and only 10-11% eke out a living applies to life in the racing world as well.
            Here are some of my ideas.  They’re not the be-all and end-all, but I think they would help in long-term protection.
            1.  No registered thoroughbred can ever be sold to slaughter.  One of the things that is not being addressed in these discussions is the amount of thoroughbreds, often mares-in-foal that end up as dog food when they stop earning their keep.  Once a foal is registered with the Jockey Club, the law in every state and Canada must state that it cannot be sold to slaughter and doing so bans the owner, trainer, or sales representative from racing for life.  A law is no good without strong consequences that are followed through.
            2.  The Triple Crown races should be run in the horses’ fourth year.Three year olds are still growing and developing.  While horses need to start training early in order to build the skills to make it to the track, having three year olds run the Triple Crown is too soon.  It should be held for four year olds, or perhaps even five year olds, when they’ve hit maturity.
            3.  Ban medication.  If a horse needs medication, that horse is not sound enough to run and needs whatever therapy/recovery time/medication necessary to get back on his hooves.  But horses that race should not be on medication.  And all fifty states need to implement the same policy.  Right now, with each state setting its own, it’s ridiculous and confusing for owners and trainers, and unhealthy for horses.
            4.  Breed less.  Horses are being overbred, in my opinion, with 10,000 plus foals per year.  Breed for stamina, not just speed.  And brood mares should only be bred once every two or three years, not kept perpetually pregnant.  In my opinion, perpetual pregnancy is another form of abuse.  There are breeders yapping that they can’t make a living if they don’t breed for speed.  If the product doesn’t exist, it can’t be bought.  Serious owners will purchase for stamina if that’s all that’s being bred.  Breeders MUST take a stand.
            5.  Jockey Weights.  One of the issues being ignored in horse safety is that jockeys need to be allowed to carry a healthy weight on their own bodies, not have to add weights in the saddle.  The healthier and more clear-headed the jockey, the safer both horse and rider will be around the track.  Exercise riders are regularly 130, 140 pounds and higher.  It’s ridiculous for jockeys to have to maintain a weight of 110 or 112 pounds and then have additional weight added to the saddle.  Let the jockey carry a healthy body weight and eliminate the need to add weights in the saddle.
            6.  Cough up the cash.  Companies regularly fork over dough to have races named after themselves.  Up the ante.  Whatever monies are forked over to name the race, the same amount must be donated to a charity benefiting injured horses, injured riders, or equine health research.
            I think the idea of an off-season is a good one.  I want to see the information regarding increased safety on synthetic versus dirt tracks – as a vet pointed out, a well-maintained dirt track is safer than a poorly-maintained synthetic track, so track maintenance has to be a priority.  I don’t feel I have enough knowledge of the details of synthetic versus natural tracks to intelligently voice an opinion.  Don’t worry:  I’m working on it, and I’m sure I’ll have plenty to say down the road.
            The positive aspect of the spotlight and pressure on the sport right now is maybe it will be forced to get off its collective duff, stop creating committees, and start to actually make changes.  Changes need to happen in months, not decades.  The sport is worried about lost attendance and interest.  If you create an atmosphere where one doesn’t have to worry that every horse and every rider could wind up dead at any point in any race, you’ll build your audience.  But the changes have to happen NOW, not in ten years, or it really will be too late.