Numbers Can't Talk Unless They Exist

It has been said that information is power and if the national racetrack injury database is going to be powerful it is going to need good information. The problem is that the concept is meeting with resistance from owners and trainers.

While Dr. Mary Scollay, the Kentucky equine medical director who is overseeing the database effort with support from The Jockey Club, maintains that "there would be a high level of confidentiality involved with the program" it is understandable that few trainers would like the names of the horses injured "on their watches" divulged.

Currently 64 racetracks (representing about 75% of all flat racing) have agreed to participate. According to Scollay, 17 tracks are currently providing information--including the names of the horses injured--and 29 more will be reporting in their upcoming months.

I can see both sides of the issue here but I also can see the importance of having accurate and reliable data on which to make rational decisions going forward that impact the health of all race horses. Lack of data has seemed to be the stumbling block on so many occasions when it comes to drafting new safety legislation for horses, that anyone who values horses should be willing to help generate this data.

The key element to this database is that it would document those injuries suffered not only during actual races but also those incurred during training hours. Real injuries suffered in real time are the key to real data that is meaningful.

Scollay's suggestion is to require licensed veterinarians to participate in gathering the information but I don't think this will solve the problem. This solution relies on vets to be honest and unbiased, which you would like to believe comes with the territory of caring for animals, but which we all know is not always true.

Perhaps the answer is to guarantee anonymity for the first three years just to generate numbers and then require that the horses' names be included in the reports. If all we are after is numbers, then lets get those numbers as quickly as possible without pointing fingers.

After all, horses lives are at stake.