How Do We Fix Horse Racing

Photo by Mathew Schwartz on Unsplash

Yes, I know, for some people the question is probably “Do we fix horse racing?” Is it a sport that has had its day?

For those of us who value the Thoroughbred horse as a breed and its history, however, fixing American horse racing is key.

For those who haven’t been following the issues, a rash of high profile fatal injuries at Santa Anita cast a pall over the sport. The track was temporarily closed, then reopened for the Breeders’ Cup…at which another horse died. The primary cause of the initial deaths: Inclement weather that flooded the track. Del Mar hit the news this week (December 2019) with a death that may be the result of trainer abuse — the trainer concerned was suspended from the track.

Nobody in racing wants to see a horse die. The fact is that the industry has put a lot of money into researching treatment of equine injuries. As a result, a broken leg is not the automatic death sentence it was only a matter of years ago. This research is spreading into the sport horse and rodeo worlds, benefitting all horses, not just high-value Thoroughbreds. But the fact is deaths still happen. And while we may not be able to prevent them, the public is showing a lower tolerance for them.

If horse racing isn’t going to go the way of greyhound racing in Florida, something needs to be done.