Horse deaths at Santa Anita Race Track in Arcadia, California, are more than double the toll at other California tracks for the past fiscal year according to state statistics. Since the switch was made to a dirt running surface in 2010, twelve horses have died or 3.7 per 1,000 starts. In three years of running on a synthetic track, 26 racing deaths or 1.5 fatalities per 1,000 starts occurred.
Does dirt track lead to race horse fatalities?
Horse deaths at Santa Anita Race Track in Arcadia, California, are more than double the toll at other California tracks.
In 2010, a study of death statistics from nearly 90 race tracks throughout the USA found that over a two-year period, the number of fatalities per 1,000 starts was 1.55 on synthetic surfaces compared with 2.14 on dirt surfaces.
Synthetic surfaced tracks are more difficult to maintain than dirt, and part of the reason Santa Anita switched to the dirt surface was because of a drainage system failure that caused horse trainers to threatened a boycott of the track because of unsafe conditions for their horses.
Adding to other problems at the track, are the recent deaths of three horses during production of the television horse drama "Luck" starring Dustin Hoffman and Nick Nolte. The deaths of the three horses caused the cancellation of the HBO series when the third horse suffered injuries and had to be euthanized.
Track surfaces, along with training regimens, racing schedules, breeding practices and medications are factors that play into the health of thoroughbred race horses. A concensus is emerging that synthetic tracks are safer for racing than dirt.
On the other hand, some trainers question the use of synthetic tracks because of the variablity of temperatures in synthetic tracks and how the temperatures affect the surfaces which are made of polymers, wax and other materials that are cool in the early morning, but heat up during sunny days.
According to reports, California is ahead of other states in trying to improve safety records on race tracks. The state contracts with UC Davis to conduct necropsies on every horse that dies at a track, and this information is analyzed and used wherever possible.
Veterinarians say that many racing fatalities are caused by minor injuries to bones, tendons and joints that are not detected, and, in the heat of a race, the injuries are compounded leading to limb failure that results in a horse going down and having to be euthanized.