For more than 30 years in purebred racing, Dr. Jennifer Durenberger has worked in what she calls the “four corners” of the sport.
Specifically, it’s New York, Minnesota, Louisiana, and California.
After starting as a sample collector at Canterbury Park As a teenager, her career took off, and she worked as a regulatory veterinarian in New York and California, and as a manager at the Association’s racetracks. New York Racing Association, plain downand Canterbury.
And, like anyone else in the industry who has worked in various parts of the country, she is forced to learn a new set of rules and standards every time she takes root in her roots and moves to a new state. other states.
“I’ve seen first-hand a bunch of rules being enforced in different jurisdictions,” she said.
All of which explains why Durenberger jumped late last year as if she were on a trampoline when the opportunity arose to become director of equine safety and welfare for the Safety and Integrity Authority. in Horse Racing. After so many years of frustration from dealing with diverse rules in different jurisdictions, she is now playing a key role in HISA’s mission to create standards that cross state boundaries. state and honored from coast to coast.
“Being part of a team that sets national standards is something that I am very excited about,” said the 51-year-old from Minnesota.
Durenberger is just one of many individuals who have left prominent industry jobs to join HISA, the organization authorized in 2020 by the US Congress to implement national integrity and safety standards. . Launched on July 1, 2022, HISA has brought safety and welfare regulations under a single framework, and on March 27, HISA’s Anti-Doping and Drug Control Program will put regulations in place. rules and drug testing according to the same national standards.
“I see my role as helping support HISA’s mission, which is to make racing safer for our equestrians and the people who work with them, including those riding,” said Durenberger, who left his job as a manager at the NYRA track to join HISA. Nov 28, “What I do is provide advice on policy issues and assist our safety committee to review and revise the rule. I’m the vet’s liaison. regulations and participate in providing healthcare services nationwide.”
Dr. Jennifer Durenberger at Aqueduct Racetrack
Faced with the enormous task of working with industry stakeholders to understand and embrace new sets of regulations, Dr. Durenberger’s schedule was filled with a relentless series of meetings and discussions with participants at all levels of the industry to gather feedback on the initial HISA. steps for the first nine months.
“We never get bored,” said Saratoga Springs, NY resident, who received a veterinary degree from Cornell University and a law degree from Western State University. “HISA is still building many of its processes and technologies to make things more efficient and accurate in terms of veterinarian reporting. So we’ve been in a lot of contact with vets. veterinarians engaged and regulated, and made sure we were building the right systems for their work more efficiently.We now have some economies of scale because we We’re not working in a single state, but across the country. We’re taking feedback from everyone and feeding that feedback back to HISA and the various committees and leadership.”
For Lisa Lazarus, CEO of HISA, Durenberger is the right person to take on the important job of working with countless industry figures during a critical transition that is also seen as a learning curve. .
“As director of equine safety and welfare, Dr. Durenberger has played a key role in the implementation of HISA’s Race Safety Program, which guides our equine-centered approach to ensure the safety of horses and ensure continued cooperation with veterinarians across the country,” said Lazarus. “Dr. Durenberger has worked hard since joining us last November to ensure that veterinarians understand HISA rules and are fully equipped to comply with the Road Safety Program. racing to help protect the health and safety of equestrians. I am confident that Dr. Durenberger is the right veterinarian to lead this great undertaking.”
Although HISA has faced a number of regulatory challenges and resistance, Durenberger says she has seen some meaningful changes in a short period of time as several jurisdictions come to grips with regulations. new rules in areas such as racetrack recognition; safety requirements; race horse test; monitor and maintain track surfaces; claim rules; veterinary records and veterinary lists; use of crops; and safety and health requirements for jockeys.
“I’ve seen some significant changes and more protections for athletes who ride no matter where they are. HISA rules now follow the horse anywhere, so here’s a set of rules. horse-centered principle that our industry has never seen before,” said Durenberger. “As of July 1, we’ve put in place a number of states with different rules that fit categories like uniform pause times for horses that are put on a vet’s list. , the vet’s off-list procedure and the rule that requires nullification are, in my opinion, one of the biggest game-changers in recent years.”
Of course, with HISA less than a year old, the workload for Durenberger and others involved in safety and welfare won’t ease as soon as they try to bring a fragmented industry together because a common goal.
“What we want to achieve a few months from now is that we have an industry that is really proud of the direction it is taking together. It’s not just HISA doing something. It’s all about it. all stakeholders come together and really take a step forward to try and make this industry sustainable,” she said. “We want to be able to say that people are starting to see, feel and appreciate the changes and are very, very happy that they have decided to support HISA. I hope that we can come together. working to make the industry better for all of us.”
