WHILE horse racing markets itself as a glamorous sport, there is also a dark side.

For example, there are those with a soft spot for animals who think the whipping of a racehorse borders on cruelty to the animal, but experts say there is a humane way of applying this jockey tactic. But for the equine thoroughbred, a few strikes of the whip could be the least of its problems as there have been reports of a wider range of abuse, most of which few will admit to or speak of publicly.

Senior Jamaica Racing Commission (JRC) veterinarian Dr Sophia Ramlal says while racing has its “inherent” risks, there are rules in the racing industry which are installed to protect horses from harm and abuse.

“Horses are athletes just like any other athletic sport, and there are an inherent risks in the game. They [horses] are required to travel at a fairly quick speed of 40 miles per hour with a jockey on their back and so there are risks involved in horse racing,” Dr Ramlal admitted to the Jamaica Observer.

“Warning off danger is a process of trying to ensure that before they [horses] compete and while they are competing, all the steps that can be taken are taken to ensure that we minimise the risks. That said, there are always some horses that get injured — sometimes catastrophically — but racing has its own inherent risk, just like all other athletic sports,” she added.

Racing exposes horses to significant risks of injury and, sometimes, catastrophic injury and death through trauma or emergency euthanasia. The odds are, it seems, stacked against the racehorse.

“We have a battery of rules in trying to protect horses. For instance, here and everywhere else you will have horses that have suffered injuries; they are not well, and they are specially listed for additional checks compared to the other horses that are normally healthy.

“Rules in racing are designed to prevent and so we think about trying to prevent disease in the first instance, making sure horses are properly vaccinated, making sure they are properly housed, making sure that they are X-rayed before they gallop as two-year-olds, all those kinds of things,” said Ramlal.

“Hence, rules are aimed to be preventative in the first case, and then if we are not successful in preventing the first injury, we are designed to prevent repeating injuries. Hence, horses are put on the vet list and they are subjected to more scrutiny. They [horses] are called out of racing if we don’t think they are worthy of racing, if they are safe anymore, and so the rules are there to protect and to prevent, and certainly to prevent repeating injuries,” she added,

Racing involves striking the horse with a whip to enhance performance, which inflicts pain and can result in injury; Caymanas Park requires only a specific type of whip (known as a humane whip) to be used. But there are also no rules about the number of strikes with a whip which can be used during a race, which means there is no limit on the number of times a horse can be struck.

“So our rules in Jamaica are fairly open. It speaks to using the whip that we refer to as the humane whip — which means the feather end of it is more gentle on the horses. Our rule speaks to excessive whipping [but] it does not quote how many whipping incidents there can be, but it just speaks to excessive whipping.

“What is an absolute no-no is horses being whipped on the flank or anywhere else but on their shoulders or on their thighs, and so our rules are not as specific as other jurisdictions but there is a rule that speaks to the fact that jockeys are not to excessively whip the horses,” Dr Ramlal explained.

She argued that if there are any infringements, or if in the veterinarians’ minds these horses have been inappropriately whipped, then the jockeys will be referred to the stewards.

“Where we see horses come back with whip marks on their flanks, sometimes bleeding whip marks… those matters have been reported to the stewards and they have gone ahead to summon and fine or suspend the jockeys,” she affirmed.

Antoine Nembhard, a JRC steward, said that they (stewards) are in consultation with relevant parties to look into the rules of excessive whipping.

“We have met with the jockeys and other stakeholders to determine what approach, what methodology is best for our situation, but there is no number correctly assigned as it is left to the discretion of the steward.

“Usually what happens is that the rider is called in before a panel of stewards and we will review the incident and then ask the jockey to give us an explanation as to why he is using the whip excessively. Depending on the explanation, then an action may be taken. It could range from a warning, to a fine, or even the suspension of the use of the whip for a period of time,” explained Nembhard.

Another abuse of horses in the racing industry revolves around the use of drugs. Horses are often drugged because they’re forced to run lengthy distances. A lot of horses get hurt but instead of letting the horses rest and recover from injuries, many trainers give them drugs so they won’t feel the pain and can continue racing. This can cause their injuries to worsen.

Ramlal explained that medication can be used to prevent the perception of pain and that there are also medications that can promote healing, but the best thing for healing injuries is a combination of medication and rest.

“We must not treat horses in the dark; we must treat them according to the veterinarian’s recommendation and we must also give the horses rest time as well. Diagnostics, medications and rest. And we need to practice these — all three,” urged Ramlal.

“So the solution to lameness is not at the end of a needle. It is a combination of factors where you have to diagnose, you have to know what you are treating, you have to be willing to rest the horse, and you have to work the horse at the level it is comfortable with, or not work it if work is not warranted because horses need to heal. So, drugs are only part of the solution,” she further explained.

Also, horses often start racing when they’re just two years old. Many think that’s too young as their bones are still growing and their bodies aren’t ready for the pressure of running at full speed on a hard track, and they can get injured more easily than older horses.

Ramlal stated that there are steps which can be taken to ensure horses are ready for racing.

“Benchmark for two-year-olds usually, from a bone perspective, is to make sure that their knees are closed. Not every horse reads the book, and every trainer advises that you should go ahead and make sure you X-ray the knees to make sure the growth plate is closed.

“In other words, you want to make sure that the bone is at its strongest. You don’t want to put a horse out there to race and we don’t have maximal development in the bone,” she stated.

“Other benchmarks include: Is the horse able to tolerate work well? Is the horse able to tolerate equipment well? Has the horse done the gate test? Has the horse done paddock schooling? And if you check most of those boxes then you should know that your two-year-old is ready, and it must look athletic,” Ramlal concluded.

Meanwhile, managing director at the Jamaica Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Aminals (JSPCA) Pamela Lawson said her organisation has no objection to the racing of thoroughbreds at Caymanas Park. However, her protestation lies with how the racing industry treats the animals when they have lived past their youthfulness and use at the track.

“I can’t say racing is cruel. If the animals are maintained, and taken care of, and receive what they are supposed to, I can’t object. But I must object that when they have outlived their youthfulness they are just thrown out on the street where they themselves are in danger as well as other people. Quite a few of the male horses are geldings, and so when you have a gelding that can’t be used for stud, what else are they going to do with him?” Lawson asked.

“These animals have had the best of things, have had proper diet, they have gotten more than they should, medications, and they have been catered [to] and pampered all their lives. They have not been able to become anything great and even in some cases they have been good horses and won, but when they outlived their youthfulness they just let them go on the road — and we are against that. It happens all the time and I am tired of it,” she bemoaned.

Lawson said horses roaming the streets at night presents a range of possible dangers to users of these roadways.

“Guess what, when you and your family are driving along the Dyke Road or coming into Portmore in the pitch-dark night and a horse suddenly runs across the road on you and kills off your family, what are you going to tell me? They [horses] are left to fend for themselves, and when we get them or find them, they are emaciated because they haven’t got anybody feeding them, they don’t know how to care for themselves, things like that,” Lawson told the Observer.

Breeder, owner and trainer Patrick Smellie, who is president of the United Racehorse Trainers Association of Jamaica (URTAJ), said that not all horses are being let go on the streets as some are used for recreational purposes.

“Some of us give the horses to the police mounted patrol and we also give them to guys down on the north coast to use as riding horses for tourists. We also turn out horses on farms to let them live out their lives till they die, and so it is not every horse is let go on the roads. There are horses that people let go on the roads for real, which they shouldn’t do, and that’s wrong. It’s cruelty,” he said.