OPINION
doing so how do we stabilize and improve horseracing. Veterinary sports medicine should not be seen as a technical service with practitioners performing the role of pharmacists and technicians medicating joints at the request of the trainer. Racing veterinarians must resist the temptation of taking the easy money on offer by acting as latent robotic technicians; rather, they should use the knowledge at their disposal to provide a better standard of care to both the horse and their client. The veterinarian should be incorporated into the training process, lending his expertise and when required using medication appropriately to assist our athlete performing at maximal exertion. This approach would be in the best interest of all concerned. The veterinarian would be paid for his or her expertise rather than for and a signature veterinary license. The trainer would benefit from an additional sounding board and medical expertise in the field of sports medicine, training, and rehabilitation. The owner would be assured that the gold standard in veterinary care is being offered to his or her horse, with the dual aim of protecting the animal’s welfare and providing the optimal environment for sporting success. It is in all parties’ interests to work together; the business model of the veterinarian-trainer relationship has to change to facilitate this improvement in the service provided. A premium must be placed on professional veterinary advice, with fees for consulting and medication more in line with encouraging this process. The owner/trainer and horse would
receive an improved service without reducing the earning power of the veterinarian. The racetrack veterinarian’s main source of income must change from dispensing medication and injecting joints to providing a trained and professional source of scientific advice to the trainer with both aiming towards a common target. Trainers must use the information at their disposal and integrate the veterinarian into their training regime as an ally while in turn the veterinarian must recognize the requirements and stresses placed on both the Thoroughbred and its trainer and positively influence the careers of both. We have the information, we have the tools, and we must use them. A prospective purchaser of a personal computer in 2014 does not buy the Apple 2, which was revolutionary in the 1980s, as it has been superseded exponentially over the past 30 years. Likewise why are we using training and medication practices that have been shown to be outdated and ineffective when evidence-based alternatives are available. The breeding, selection and training of young Thoroughbreds is and will remain an art but this inherent expertise must be combined with up-to-date knowledge and training if racing is to prosper. Let’s stop looking for someone to blame and burying our heads in the sand; rather, let’s look for solutions to problems and work together in order to give the star of the show, the Thoroughbred racehorse, a safe and prosperous environment to achieve the best chance of success, and allow us all to revel in the sport of horseracing. n
“Veterinary sports medicine should not be seen as a technical service with practitioners performing the role of pharmacists and technicians medicating joints at the request of the trainer”
54 TRAINERMAGAZINE.com ISSUE 33