“At Least HISA Is Doing Something”: Equestrian Community Left Divided as New Rules Drop-In After Multiple Horse Deaths at Popular Race Track

Horse deaths at equestrian races are gruesome and bring a despairing feeling to the equestrian community. In the wake of the recent deaths at the popular race track, the Saratoga race course, the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority has been conducting an investigation into the horse deaths that happened on the track this season.

As these investigations were under process, another tragedy struck the equestrian race when two horses died in separate races on the Travers Stakes race day. Now, in light of those unfortunate deaths, the HISA has announced new measures to avoid such instances. This development was shared on a social media platform that drew mixed reactions from equestrian enthusiasts.

HISA announces new measures

After the recent equine tragic deaths at Saratoga, HISA  has declared that it has set additional safety measures that will be conducted at the Saratoga track’s remaining races. A Facebook post was shared by the DRF containing the news about the development.

The post had a caption saying “Veterinarians affiliated with the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority will perform the post-entry soundness examinations for horses racing at Saratoga Race Course until the end of the track’s meet on Monday“.

The action that the HISA declared consists of two safety measures. The first, as the caption says, is related to the post-entry analysis of the horses which will be conducted between their entry time and the time of physical inspection by the veterinarians on the day of the race.

The second measure is that the experts of the track surface advisory group will inspect the track before the live racing. The experts will also inspect the historical records related to tracks maintained by the racecourse. These measures are taken to ensure an extra layer of safety and security for the equine participating in the race. The post drew comments from online surfers who seemed divided on the new safety steps taken by the authority.

Fans expressed difference of opinions

The new safety steps taken by the HISA garnered mixed reactions from equestrian enthusiasts and differed in their opinions related to it. One equestrian fan said, “At least HISA is doing something” describing the actions of HISA as a ray of hope among the dark cloud that engulfed the equestrian community.

Another fan had some reservations on the issue and wrote, “I would argue breakdowns are up since HISA took over a year ago” suggesting that the death cases increased after HISA got involved in the racing. Another online surfer wrote, “That will make NO difference” suggesting that this won’t make any change, and showed his hopelessness.

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Another fan wrote, “Too late, worst Saratoga meet in years” suggesting that the steps should have been taken earlier, and now it’s too late after lots of deaths. Another equestrian fan said, “I guess better late than never” explaining that it’s never too late if you are on the right path, and showed his hope for the new safety measures.

Equestrian enthusiasts are entitled to their individual opinions, but one thing is common among them and that is all are deeply affected by the tragic equine deaths and hope in the depth of their hearts that new measures aid in avoiding such deaths.

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