Equestrian World Adds Track Conditions to Injury Database to Curb Racehorse Fatalities

Equine fatalities during equestrian races are always a major concern for the community, industry, and the authorities. The authorities have issued several guidelines and rules on a regular basis to contain the tragic losses or injuries after studying the reasons behind these deaths. However, there was no significant data on the cause of death or injury related to track conditions.

Recently the United States Jockey Club has added a study of analysis of surface and track conditions to its webpage. This analysis is welcomed by the equestrian world and is a significant step in the track related related injuries. The data of the study will aid in further studies and formulation of measures to contain the issue.

The equestrian database includes a significant analysis

According to Horse Talk, a new analysis of the track condition was conducted from 1 January 2021 to 31 December 2023 and the summary is based on the incidence of musculoskeletal fatalities at the different tracks during the mentioned period. The study was conducted by Dr. Euan Bennet from the University of Glasgow Vet School and Professor Tim Parkin from the University of Bristol. The fatalities do not include instant deaths on the track and the researchers have taken into consideration that fatalities occurred within three days of the last race run. The study was conducted on turf and dirt tracks. In dirt tracks the four conditions were considered for study. While in turf tracks, eight conditions were considered.

According to researchers in the two-year study, there was no remarkable gap between the incidence of fatalities on dirt or the turf surface. As per the study on dirt surfaces – the fast track had 419 fatalities from 308,954 starts, the good track had 38 fatalities in 22,147 starts, the muddy track had 22 fatalities in 17,936 starts, and the sloppy track had 36 fatalities in 25,085 starts. On turf surface – the firm track had 91 fatalities from 81,434 starts, the good track had 9 fatalities from 12,542 starts, and the yielding track had 2 fatalities from 1,567 starts. The study was released by the Jockey Club and is included in its Equine Injury Database website.

The evolution and impact of the Equine Injury Database

Equine Injury Database is a webpage that contains records of racing fatalities since 2009. The idea of such a database was conceived in the year 2006 during the Welfare and Safety of the Racehorse Summit. In the year 2008, after a thirteen-month pilot project that recorded more than 3000 incidents, this program was launched. The purpose of the project was to know the frequency and types of racing injuries in a predefined format to identify horses at risk and for further research. The database is funded by Jockey Club via its subsidiary InCompass Solutions Inc. The annual report of the database includes all race-related deaths on track or within 72 hours of the race.

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The study is a significant step that contributes by providing important data for two years. The result signifies that the track conditions have an influence on the fatalities and this study data may assist in further study and research.

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