CHRB Advances Soundness Examination Recommendations

Equine welfare was at the forefront of discussion in two separate meetings of the California Horse Racing Board July 13-14.

Details of the Wednesday meeting, before the Medication, Safety, and Welfare Committee of the CHRB, were relayed before the full board Thursday by chairman Dr. Greg Ferraro. There, the CHRB advanced recommendations for soundness exams and veterinary record reporting, which now go out for public notice for 45 days. These steps were taken following input from Dr. Tim Grande, the CHRB's official veterinarian, who believes the next phase for successful efforts to reduce injuries should focus on horses whose profiles indicate they are at higher risk of injury.

"Several proposed regulatory amendments would do just that," Ferraro said of the procedures that will establish consistent requirements.

Discussion of the potential regulation that would limit the accumulation of high-speed furlong exercise and limit multiple inter-articular injections to a single joint remain in the preliminary stages of possible CHRB action.

Later in the Thursday meeting, CHRB executive director Scott Chaney reported an 8% decrease in equine fatalities in the latest fiscal year. Statistics suggest new regulations that went into effect Jan. 1, related to thyroxine use and pre-workout examinations, have seemingly led to greater safety in morning training, he reported.

"The numbers bear this out—training-related fatalities decreased from 21 in the first six months of the fiscal year to 10 since Jan. 1," he said.