Regulatory Veterinarian Checks in Horse Racing

At the center of vet checks is a close examination for signs of general illness, injury, or lameness.
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They wear bright yellow saddle blankets and cause all manner of chatter and intrigue with every gallop down the backstretch, head toss in the barn area, and regal glance at the surrounding paparazzi. These are the darlings of Derby week that will captivate millions this afternoon. More subtle are the two-legged, tablet PC-wielding regulatory veterinarians working in the background, conducting checks to ensure these horses get to the track and home safely.

The goal of these vets is to keep a close eye on hopefuls’, and then contenders’, conditions, catching any lump, misstep, or hint of malaise that could compromise performance ability in the days prior to the big race.

Mary Scollay, DVM, equine medical director for the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission (KHRC) and member of the American Association of Equine Practitioners (AAEP), points out that such checks aren’t just for the stars in the sport; every horse that races in Kentucky undergoes a race-day exam. But, "for specific targeted events like Kentucky Oaks, Derby, and Breeder’s Cup, where we have a large population of horses coming in from around the country that we may not have been able to familiarize ourselves with over time as part of the resident (racetrack) population, we will start looking at those horses in the week preceding the event.

"So, for this year’s Oaks and Derby … all those horses will have been examined in their stalls at least twice before race day, and we’ve also had veterinarians trackside observing them under tack at varying gaits, so jogging, galloping, and hopefully speedwork … to make sure that we’re satisfied with their condition at all of those stages

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Written by:

Stephanie L. Church, Editorial Director, grew up riding and caring for her family’s horses in Central Virginia and received a B.A. in journalism and equestrian studies from Averett University. She joined The Horse in 1999 and has led the editorial team since 2010. A 4-H and Pony Club graduate, she enjoys dressage, eventing, and trail riding with her former graded-stakes-winning Thoroughbred gelding, It Happened Again (“Happy”). Stephanie and Happy are based in Lexington, Kentucky.

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