Senior Jamaica Racing Commission (JRC) veterinarian Dr Sophia Ramlal says in spite of the view by some that horse racing is cruel, there are many measures taken to keep riders and the animals as safe as possible.

Ramlal’s comments follow scrutiny of the sport in light of numerous jockey-falls and horses retiring or being put down because of injury in recent years.

“Racing is the most regulated sport in many jurisdictions, Jamaica included,” Ramlal told the Jamaica Observer. “We have a set of rules designed to ensure safe competition for both horses and jockeys and all the stakeholders.

“Included in those rules are things that speak to the condition of horses, the requirement for vaccinations, the requirement for proper treatment should a horse be unwell.

“There are other things, such as ensuring that we have a training facility that allows horses to prepare for racing on proper housing, and the feeding of the horse on a daily basis. There is an equine pool for horses that may have musculoskeletal injuries that prevent them from racing on the track. So, there are things in place to ensure that a horse before stepping onto the track to race or train has the ability to be properly cared for.”

Ramlal says that horses live the best of lives because they are very well treated.

“Horses are very well housed,” she said. “They are given shelter; they are fed two to three times a day; they have water all the time; they have grooms who are very attentive to them; and the model is one that offers the basics for keeping and caring for a horse.

“Obviously, not everything goes according to plan, and there are occasions where, for whatever reason, the persons who usually care for the horses are either falling on hard times themselves or unaware of the situation with their horses. But rule 151 is very clear, detailing 15 to 16 things a trainer must be responsible for keeping and caring for his horse.

“When jockeys are riding, a horse’s ears are pricked forward, and they continue to run even when their rider unseats because it is in their nature. There is difficulty getting a horse to run if the animal does not want to.

“Horses are naturally flight creatures,” Ramlal said. “They are bred to run, whether they are thoroughbreds, quarter horses, or you name it, Arabians. You know, that is their history for racing as they are work animals. They are bred to be associated with people. We use them now for entertainment in racing, but you know they are creatures, and animals have worked.

“When horses are in a race and they are running and this jockey is being thrown from horse X, 10 times out of 10, they are still a long with the field. They are herd creatures; they are trained to run; they are programmed to run; and they will run.”

Horses do die in horse racing, but Ramlal says that everything that can be done to protect horses during a race is implemented.

“We have eyes and ears on them even before they run,” she said. “We are monitoring them at scratch time; we are looking at them in the paddock; we are looking at the gates; we are looking at them during the race; and we are looking at them after they race.

“We want to make sure that we are running safely and that we are not forcing a horse to run, and this is where a trainer and a groom become very helpful in the process, even if they nominated a horse and don’t believe that it is okay. The veterinarians are always on call, and we are on call for that exact reason to remove horses from races, get that treatment to them sooner rather than later.”