Race-Level Reporting of Incidents Using the New Online System During Two Seasons (2019/2020–2020/2021) of Harness Racing in New Zealand

Gibson, Michaela J.; Legg, Kylie A.; Gee, Erica K.; Rogers, Christopher W.

doi:10.1016/j.jevs.2022.104142

Cited by 2 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 14 publications

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“…Changes in racing venues and the introduction of the synthetic track did not affect the distribution of races within regions in New Zealand compared with previously reported data [ 1 ]. This result is similar to harness racing, where the reduction in racetracks did not affect the racing profile, as clubs affected by racecourse closures continued to hold race meetings but at adjacent racecourses [ 12 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 65%

“…The introduction of the online system was associated with a greater consistency in the descriptors of injuries and race day events. As identified with a similar dataset for harness racing horses [ 12 ], one of the major outcomes of this consistency was the correct classification of injuries associated with racing events (i.e., incident examinations). In contrast to our hypothesis, despite a subtle change in the pattern of racing after the COVID-19 lockdowns and associated break in racing and training, there were no changes in the type or incidence of injuries reported.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…When racing could resume, there was a lag in the time it took for horses to return to racing, associated with the time required to regain race fitness. Therefore, Thoroughbred racing had a longer non-racing period of 89 days, than the 67-day break in racing observed for harness racing [ 12 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Race-Level Reporting of Incidents Using an Online System during Three Seasons (2019/2020–2021/2022) of Thoroughbred Flat Racing in New Zealand

Gibson

Legg

Gee

et al. 2022

Animals

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In the 2019/20 Thoroughbred racing season, the paper-based reporting process of stipendiary steward reports was upgraded to an online system (‘Infohorse database’) to allow for the rapid entry of precise event and injury data. The objectives of this study were to describe the incident and non-incident examinations during the 2019/20, 2020/21, and 2021/22 Thoroughbred flat racing seasons in New Zealand and describe the primary injury and reporting outcomes. The introduction of the online system was associated with fewer miscoding events with horse identification (0.1%). An improvement in the definition and prompts in reporting within the online system compared with the previous paper-based system resulted in a greater frequency of non-incident examinations being undertaken. The increased frequency of reporting the clinical outcome, ‘no observable abnormalities detected’ (NOAD), demonstrates the role of stipendiary stewards to carry out routine screening. The frequency of most clinical findings, such as musculoskeletal fractures (0.5 per 1000 starts, 95% CI = 0.3–0.6), remained similar compared to previously reported data using the paper-based system. The online system provided a more structured dataset compared with the paper-based system, making it a useful tool for the monitoring of incidents, injuries, and potential risk factors within Thoroughbred racing in New Zealand. Therefore, evidence-based changes to the management and structure of racing can be undertaken to ensure the industry meets its duty of care for racehorse and jockey welfare.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 65%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Race-Level Reporting of Incidents Using an Online System during Three Seasons (2019/2020–2021/2022) of Thoroughbred Flat Racing in New Zealand

Gibson

Legg

Gee

et al. 2022

Animals

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“…However, discussion around racing in New Zealand media appears minimal and shortlived, typically sparked by an adverse event that is publicised, indicating that racehorse welfare is not a high priority for mainstream New Zealand public (Legg et al 2019). Public concern tends to focus on Thoroughbred racing more than Standardbred racing, possibly due to a lower public profile and lower incidence of fatalities in Standardbred racing (Gibson et al 2022b).…”

Section: Public Perception Of Racehorse Welfarementioning

confidence: 99%

“…A focal welfare concern of the racing industry is the risk of injury during training and racing. The primary reason for involuntary loss of horses from racing and lost training days is musculoskeletal injury (lameness), followed by respiratory conditions (Perkins et al 2005;Gibson et al 2022b). These reasons are not unique to racing and were also reported in other industries such as show jumping, and even within lower-intensity activities such as riding school horses (Lönnell 2012;Lönnell et al 2012).…”

Section: Injuries Associated With Racingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Commercial equine production in New Zealand 4: welfare implications of the New Zealand production systems

et al. 2023

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From racehorses to family pets, equine production and management is primarily pasture-based in New Zealand. Pasture-based equine production systems largely reflect the horse’s ecological niche and have a unique set of management and welfare challenges. This review examines the potential welfare issues related to the management of horses in New Zealand. The economic value of horses varies greatly depending on their usage, which covers a wide spectrum from pest species (e.g. feral horses) to production (e.g. racehorses) and companion animals (e.g. leisure and sport horses). The view of where the horse is positioned on this spectrum may cause differing welfare threats to horses, due to the economic considerations, which drive the majority of welfare and managemental decisions. The organisation, management, racing and wastage metrics of the Thoroughbred racehorse industry are well documented, and the benefits of the pasture-based system have become evident through less stressful weaning practices and opportunity for early exercise (which has been associated with longer careers and fewer musculoskeletal injuries). Identification of equine-welfare research priorities in New Zealand remains challenging, given the lack of vertical integration of many sectors of the equine industry resulting in fragmented and limited availability of data.

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Race-Level Reporting of Incidents Using the New Online System During Two Seasons (2019/2020–2020/2021) of Harness Racing in New Zealand

Cited by 2 publications

References 14 publications

Race-Level Reporting of Incidents Using an Online System during Three Seasons (2019/2020–2021/2022) of Thoroughbred Flat Racing in New Zealand

Race-Level Reporting of Incidents Using an Online System during Three Seasons (2019/2020–2021/2022) of Thoroughbred Flat Racing in New Zealand

Commercial equine production in New Zealand 4: welfare implications of the New Zealand production systems

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