LEXINGTON, Ky. — Colts and stallions were fatally injured at nearly twice the rate as female racehorses, according to early findings from an industrywide database that also uncovered no immediate proof that synthetic tracks are safer than dirt ones.
Tim Parkin, an epidemiologist at the University of Glasgow in Scotland, announced the findings Monday during the Jockey Club’s third summit on racehorse welfare and safety. The study, which includes information from most racetracks in the United States and Canada, covers more than 86 percent of all flat-racing starts and all steeplechase races between Nov. 1, 2008, and Oct. 31, 2009.
The study showed colts were fatally injured at a rate of 3.18 times out of every 1,000 starts, with an even higher rate (4.06 per 1,000) for older male horses that hadn’t been gelded. The rate was much lower for fillies (1.84 fatalities per 1,000 starts) and mares (1.66 per 1,000).
Parkin said he was reluctant to draw any conclusions about why male horses died at a much higher rate, but he acknowledged the sample size was large enough that the figures likely weren’t a fluke.
The findings were similar to, though less dramatic than, studies done in other countries, he said. They don’t necessarily mean male horses are more susceptible to injury merely because of their gender. Read more…
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