NYS Equine Medical Director addresses Saratoga’s increased
horse fatalities
New York State Equine Medical Director Dr. Scott E. Palmer released the
following statement on Friday in regards to the increased number of horse
fatalities during the 2014 Saratoga meet:
“Although New York State has made significant progress in
reducing injuries and preventing the inappropriate use of medication in
racehorses, the job of equine safety is never done. There will be challenges
along the way. We are experiencing such a challenge during the 2014 Saratoga
meet. A thorough investigation of all of the racing fatalities during the 2014
Saratoga meet is being conducted. Until that investigation is complete, it would
be inappropriate to opine or make any final statements about definitive cause of
injury. With that said, the following represents some preliminary observations:
There were eight equine fatalities during the 2013 Saratoga
meet:
There were five racing fatalities.
There were three training fatalities.
All eight involved musculoskeletal fractures of the lower
limb.
There have been 11 equine fatalities during the 2014
Saratoga meet:
There were two racing fatalities.
There were three training fatalities.
All five involved musculoskeletal fractures of the lower
limb.
There were two cervical fractures and one lumbar spinal
injury.
There were three episodes of sudden death.
Governor Andrew M. Cuomo’s
Task Force on Racehorse Health
and Safety, which I chaired, put forth recommendations in 2012 to reduce the
prevalence of musculoskeletal fractures related to training and racing. The
number of this type of injury actually decreased from eight in 2013 to five in
2014.
Aside from the musculoskeletal fractures noted above, there
were six additional fatalities related to circumstances that cannot be prevented
by interventions designed for musculoskeletal injury prevention. These include
the cervical and spinal injuries as well as episodes of sudden death. The
current challenge is to design new interventions that will address these
additional types of fatalities.
Among the steps being considered and implemented by the
Commission and NYRA to address the types of accidents that resulted in the
cervical and spinal injuries:
Designing innovative entry and exit ramps at the gap on
the backstretch of the racetrack that will improve the ability of outriders and
horsemen to catch loose horses and minimize the chance for injury of horses
leaving the track without a rider
Designing modifications to fencing that controls access
from the paddock to the racetrack to minimize the chance of injury
Modifying hurdles in Steeplechase races so that horses
will not fall over a fixed obstacle
Sudden death syndrome is a rare but well-documented cause
of death in young athletes, including human athletes who collapse during
strenuous athletic competition. The following program is being put in place to
address these particular circumstances:
We are employing a new investigative protocol created in
conjunction with
Dr. Katie Kelly, a veterinary cardiologist at Cornell
University, which will include measurement of cardiac enzymes associated with
heart muscle damage. This protocol will also include electron microscopy of the
pacemakers and transmission pathways in the heart.
We are also investigating innovative technology to enable
veterinarians to instantly detect cardiac arrhythmias on the track at the time
of a horse collapse. Drug testing protocols are already in place to detect use
of drugs that might induce cardiac arrhythmias.
The Equine Safety Review Board, made up of members of the
Gaming Commission (including myself), NYRA, the New York Thoroughbred Horseman’s
Association, Cornell University and The Jockey Club, are thoroughly
investigating the circumstances leading up to all of these tragic deaths. A
similar committee conducts the same investigations of racing fatalities at
Finger Lakes Racetrack.
We will leave no stone unturned in our efforts to identify
the causes of death in all racing fatalities in New York. As stewards of the
racehorse, we have a duty to do all that we can to honor and protect these
incredible athletes.”
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