welfare

On May 5, 2026, the Light Up Racing Board of Directors announced the organization's decision to sunset following Breeders' Cup 2026, in the absence of a long-term organizational home and sustainable funding structure for the work. The following observations are not made from the sidelines. They come from being inside the work. There Is No Silver Bullet One of the most common questions we heard from leaders was simple: what is the solution? The campaign. The message. The strategy that will finally "fix" public perception. The honest answer is that...

The 12th Welfare and Safety of the Racehorse Summit, scheduled for June 29 and June 30 in the Keeneland Sales Pavilion and livestreamed, will feature presentations on the progress of the racing industry and how diagnostic equipment and technology is being used to assist in racing safety, the summit announced Thursday. Presentations for June 29 will feature Dr. Tim Parkin discussing the latest statistics from the Equine Injury Database; Liza Lazarus, who will discuss HISA technology and data integration; and Dr. Scott Morrison, who will present on the racehorse and...

Arioneo, a French company which specializes in the development and marketing of analysis solutions for the performance and health of equine athletes, has created a new study aimed at the deployment of a new generation of automated ECG-analysis algorithms capable of detecting cardiac rhythm abnormalities, including atrial fibrillation (AFib), across training, racing and resting conditions. In a press release Tuesday, the company states that the study is "powered by an artificial intelligence engine trained on one of the largest exercise ECG datasets in the racing industry, [which] enables, for the...

Delaware Park Casino, the Delaware Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association, the Delaware Jockeys' Health and Welfare Benefit Fund and the Delaware Park Jockeys Association teamed up to donate $20,000 to the Permanently Disabled Jockeys Fund (PDJF), the organizations announced in a joint statement Saturday. Delaware Park has developed a unique funding mechanism for the Permanently Disabled Jockeys Fund donation as, over the course of the live racing season, each jockey donates a dollar from each mount fee. Delaware Park Casino, the Delaware Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association and the Delaware Jockeys' Health and Welfare...

In the horse world, value is too often measured in miles ridden, ribbons won, or jumps cleared. Success is frequently defined by performance, competition, or potential. But there's an entire population of horses--older, injured, sensitive, or simply different--who remind us that value has nothing to do with being under saddle. These are the horses who work in-hand. They don't need to be ridden to be remarkable. They don't perform in the arena, but they show up in ways that are often quieter, more profound, and more enduring. And yet, too...

Last week, I witnessed firsthand the career-saving and even life-saving potential of the StrideSAFE sensor technology--and I feel a responsibility to share what happened. A stakes-level horse in our barn was flagged by StrideSAFE after showing a dramatic rise in injury risk in the right front leg over its two most recent races. A barn exam by our veterinarian showed no obvious lameness or inflammation. But based on the compelling StrideSAFE data, we took the next step and scheduled advanced imaging. The PET scan results--confirmed by two separate equine hospitals--showed...

Light Up Racing continues to respond to the New York Times piece on horse racing written last week. In an email to members Monday, the organization encouraged positive action such as writing letters to local newspapers and talking about safety advancements on social media platforms. In their Letter to the Editor, Light Up Racing writes in part: "Long before the Super Bowl or the World Series, horse racing was America's first great sporting event. It has brought people and horses together for generations, shaping the cultural and economic fabric of...

The Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority (HISA) will hold a pair of educational webinars ahead of upcoming rule changes that will go into effect July 8. The first, aimed towards trainers, will take place Monday, July 1 at 2 p.m. and will cover the impact of the modified rules along with a Q&A on the changes. To register and/or submit questions, click here. The HISA Town Hall series will continue with a one-hour webinar Monday, July 8 at 2 p.m. and will also include an overview on the major rule...

Thursday's eight-race card at Woodbine Racetrack has been pushed back and will begin at 6:05 p.m., the track announced Monday. The move was made in the best interest of horse welfare as an extreme heat warning is in effect for the city of Toronto and the surrounding areas. Woodbine noted that the decision to push back the start time was made in consultation with the HBPA. Woodbine is the latest track to alter post times due to the heat joining Finger Lakes, who moved both Tuesday and Wednesday cards up...

A new communications campaign, HorsePWR, has been launched by British racing, designed to share and promote the facts around welfare in horseracing. HorsePWR will have its own dedicated website to provide information about the sport and the thoroughbred, the lives they lead and the high welfare and safety standards within racing. The website also explores the areas that racing has committed to improve, from reducing risk on and off the racecourse to better supporting horses when they leave the sport. The campaign has been led by the British Horseracing Authority...

As promised in remarks made by Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act (HISA) CEO Lisa Lazarus during The Jockey Club Round Table in Saratoga Aug. 14, a Horsemen's Advisory Group to provide feedback to its executive team and Standing Committees on the implementation and evolution of HISA's regulations and protocols has been established.  HISA is inviting all horsemen and women who wish to be considered for membership in the Advisory Group to email horsemenadvisory@hisaus.org indicating their interest and qualifications by Friday, Sept. 9, 2022. "We look forward to building upon our...