At present, the horse racing industry maintains a database of horse injuries and deaths, yet does not afford the human athletes that ride them the same courtesy. The (Louisville) Courier-Journal‘s Gregory Hall reports that there may finally be some momentum to change that, given talks at the “Welfare and Safety of the Racehorse Summit” – the same event at which such a database was first proposed several years ago.
The original summit in 2006 made a similar recommendation to create a human injury database, which was paired with the recommendation that led to the Equine Injury Database, which now receives reports from 86 racetracks. Those racetracks represent more than four-fifths of thoroughbred flat races and all steeplechase races.
Gathering statistics on the timing, nature and cause of the injuries would be a huge step toward increasing jockey safety.
According to Jockeys’ Guild statistics, 128 riders have died since 1940 from injuries suffered on racetracks in the United States, The Courier-Journal reported in April. Currently, about 60 riders who suffered brain or spinal-cord injuries receive modest aid from the racing industry’s Permanently Disabled Jockeys Fund.
Just this week, two jockeys were injured during racing at a Tulsa, Okla., track – one suffered a broken neck.
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