Parx Implements House Rule for Shockwave Therapy

by T.D. Thornton

Parx Racing has become the latest United States racing entity to adopt a “house rule” in an attempt to bring about proactive equine welfare change without having to wait out the bureaucratic delay typically associated with getting regulations passed at the state racing commission level. 

As of June 1, extracorporeal shockwave therapy (ESWT) devices will be prohibited on the backstretch of the Philadelphia-area track, Parx Director of Racing Sam Elliott said. 

In addition, Thoroughbreds are banned from being removed from the grounds to receive off-track ESWT within 14 days of racing at Parx. 

Horsemen who violate the rule will have stall privileges revoked. Veterinarians will lose their right to practice at Parx. 

“We came to the conclusion that there was no real good use for shockwaving in an actively racing Thoroughbred, and the potential for misuse for outweighed any potential benefit of having the machines on the grounds,” Elliott said. “Safety’s a pretty big thing for me, and sending horses out there who have just had this treatment isn’t safe.” 

ESWT can be safely used on out-of-training racehorses to treat and speed the healing of musculo-skeletal and soft tissue injuries by sending high-pulse energy waves to the affected area via a hand-held wand. 

But intentionally or unintentionally, the same treatment can be used in an abusive fashion to mask and deaden pain if it’s administered to horses that are expected to race within a few days. A horse might then run hard on a hurt limb without feeling discomfort, exposing both the animal and its rider to danger in the event that a catastrophic injury occurs. 

“The current [Pennsylvania Horse Racing Commission] rule says that horses can’t be shockwaved within seven days of a race,” Elliott said. “That’s regulated by the state. But the main problem with shockwave is there’s no way to test for it. We’re just trying to be cautious with these horses. We couldn’t come up with a reason that horse that’s actively in training could need it. I spoke to a lot of horsemen here, and almost to a man, they were in favor of it.” 

Neither representatives from the Pennsylvania Thoroughbred Horsemen’s Association nor the Pennsylvania racing commission could be reached for comment late Thursday afternoon. 

Elliott said that under the current seven-day rule, ESWT is “pretty well used” on the Parx backstretch. But he emphasized that the rationale behind the new house rule isn’t so much about licensed vets administering the treatments well in advance of a race as with untrained backstretch personnel using ESWT machines inconsistent with their intended use and/or outside the scope of veterinary supervision. 

Dr. Dionne Benson, DVM, the executive director and chief operating officer for the Racing Medication and Testing Consortium, could not be reached for comment prior to deadline for this story. But Benson has previously written on the RMTC website that the official RMTC policy and the Racing Commissioners International model rule “prohibits the use of ESWT within 10 days of a race…The biggest problem in terms of enforcement is the use of the machine off racetrack grounds where commissions typically do not have jurisdiction.” 

In some jurisdictions, there is a requirement that ESWT use has to be voluntarily disclosed by horsemen, even if the therapy occurs off-track. Elliott said Parx horsemen and vets will not have to disclose ESWT use to be in compliance with the new rule. 

The Parx house rule is part of a growing trend in U.S. racing whereby tracks and state equine medical directors aren’t waiting for commissions to act on health-related rule changes. 

In harness racing, Meadowlands owner Jeff Gural is known for his frequent attempts to thwart drug cheats by imposing house rules that go beyond New Jersey racing regulations. In California, prior to the announcement of formal threshold levels and rules against cobalt abuse, state equine medical director Dr. Rick Arthur, DVM, decreed that Thoroughbreds and Standardbreds with any level of the drug in their system had to be placed on the vet’s list until the substance cleared, which precluded them from racing with it. 

“The reason we made if a house rule was that it would take a long time to get it through at the commission level,” Elliott said. “That’s not a knock on the commission. It’s just the nature of the beast. They have to move slowly and deliberately and they have to get a lot of consensus, so this just seemed like the best way to do it. 

“Once we decided to do it this way for expediency’s sake, we contacted the commission,” Elliott continued. “They’re always fine with house rules provided they’re stronger than the state regulations, so they have no problem with this.”

Elliott said he realizes that Parx can’t directly control what happens to horses once they leave the grounds, but the track does already have a separate house rule that dictates horses can’t leave grounds once they “hit the overnight.” Parx draws entries for some of its races four days in advance. 

“The purpose of this isn’t to catch anybody. I would prefer if we didn’t. The purpose is to create a safer environment,” Elliott said. “I guess if [trainers] start taking horses off the grounds and returning in short order, maybe those are people we need to pay attention to. 

“Are there people going to use [ESWT] still?” Elliott asked rhetorically. “Probably. But the sanction’s pretty stiff, so I’ll bet they’re going to think about it before they do.”