A new system is in the process of development that would notify track officials and regulatory veterinarians when a horse with a heightened risk of injury is entered into a race.
Based on The Jockey Club's Equine Injury Database, Dr. Tim Parkin, a noted epidemiologist from the University of Glasgow who has conducted research and studies on thoroughbreds in the United Kingdom and Hong Kong, is developing the protocols for the system which is expected to be completed in August 2012.
Protecting horses from injury
New system can identify the population of race horses at increased risk for injury and take steps to mitigate that risk.
“With this system in place, we can identify the population of horses at markedly increased risk — and potentially implement measures to mitigate that risk,” Parkin said.
Using data from the Equine Injury Database, racing officials and regulatory veterinarians would receive automatic notifications from racing office software tools provided by InCompass Solutions Inc., a Jockey Club subsidiary. The alerts would indicate when a horse presented a heightened risk of injury and needed a closer inspection. Those notices would be sent to regulatory veterinarians and racing-office personnel at the racetrack.
This system has the potential to be among the most significant advances in safety for both equine and human athletes. Based on the Equine Injury Database which contains approximately 37,000 injury reports from 86 tracks, it furnishes the needed information for identifying and tracking horses that are at heightened risk for injury so further injuries can be mitigated or prevented.