News Releases

Monday, October 15, 2012Contact: Shannon Luce (859) 224-2716
Welfare and Safety of the Racehorse Summit IV Open to Public and Available
on Live Video Stream

For the first time, the entire Welfare and Safety of the Racehorse Summit in Lexington, Ky., on October 16 and 17, will be open to the public and all sessions will be available on a live video stream at keeneland.com/livevideo/sales/videoonly.php.

Like its three predecessors, the fourth Welfare and Safety of the Racehorse Summit will be underwritten and coordinated by The Jockey Club and Grayson-Jockey Club Research Foundation and hosted by Keeneland Association in the sales pavilion.

The two-day workshop and “think tank” brings together a wide cross-section of the breeding, racing and veterinary communities.

The agenda is available at grayson-jockeyclub.org/newsimages/2012_agenda_WSS.pdf.

The three previous summits were held in October 2006, March 2008 and June 2010.

Among the major accomplishments that have evolved from the previous three summits are the creation and launch of the Equine Injury Database, the first North American database of racing injuries; the creation and launch of the Racing Surfaces Testing Laboratory, which provides science-based testing of racing surfaces to enhance safety for horse and rider; the incorporation of proposed safety and welfare recommendations from the first two summits into the NTRA Safety and Integrity Alliance Code of Standards; the production and widespread distribution of an educational DVD on shoeing and hoof care; and the publication of stallion durability statistics.