During a meeting at the town hall that lasted more than two hours that sometimes turned into contention, StrideSAFE CEO and co-creator, veterinarian Dr David Lambert, along with their equine medical director Churchill Downs Inc., Dr. Will Farmer attempted to answer questions on June 26 and ease the anxiety of riders and veterinarians alike.
For those who can attend and ask questions directly at Churchill Downs‘ Equine Medical Center as well as via a YouTube live stream of the meeting, Lambert and Farmer looked at how the technology works and how it’s implemented.
Presented by the Kentucky Riders’ Benevolence and Protection Association, the meeting was moderated by National HBPA Executive Director Eric Hamelback, who opened the proceedings by saying, “The regulations will not It’s very important that people outside of our industry understand that science won’t eliminate the risks in horse racing. We can’t just create regulations and just expect all those risks. That risk goes away. We don’t want regulations and ultimately degrade riding skills. But honestly, I think that’s the way we’re going. … The science is very And we try to make sure we educate people about what we can do better, to help reduce the risk.”
Farmer discussed Washington State University research being conducted at Churchill Downs and Ellis . Park. He said the research has two directions: developing protocols for a red-flagged horse, meaning its gait indicates possible injury, and a correlation between high-speed activities and race.
Dr. Will Farmer
Lambert then goes into the specifics of StrideSAFE, showing readings of normal or “green” horses and flagged ones. He provided data from 6,616 horses that a horse with a red flag was 300 times more likely to be injured than a horse registered in the green category.
Lambert emphasizes that StrideSAFE is not a diagnostic tool. He said StrideSAFE “is not a sane model; it’s a pattern-breaking possibility.”
He said, “I’m sure there are things we’re doing wrong. There are things we’re missing out on, I’m sure. There are things we can do better, I’m sure of it. That’s it. But that’s you guys; I need the information back to solve that problem.”
But not everyone was on board.
One attendee challenged StrideSAFE’s insight, telling Lambert, “So you’re saying that the vets I pay all this money for, or ride for these horses, are not. smart enough to distinguish whether they’re front left or right front, back?”
He continued, “You (tech) are telling us that everyone who has worked in this business all these years… we don’t know what your (tech) will say. with us.”
“There are things that just happen at high speed that don’t happen anywhere else,” Lambert replied, noting that he doesn’t tell people how to do their jobs.
Lambert added, “We’re here to help you share (information) with your veterinarians so they can explain it… and just put in a little effort to try to help. is all we’re trying to do. guess anyone, we’re not criticizing anyone.”
Another attendee followed Lambert by admitting that there had never been anything that cavalrymen and vets could detect that had not been improved through technology.
The study, which received funding from the Kentucky Equestrian Commission, has raised concerns among some riders that the data collected could be sent to that regulatory agency, the state’s veterinarian, or the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Complete and Complete about Horse Racing.
Because the information is limited to the university, the data cannot be used to anyone’s advantage when asking for a horse. Farmer notes that reports on each horse will not be completed until after race day.
“Although this study was funded by KHRC, this study was conducted with a third party. Therefore, this study will be transferred to Washington State University,” Farmer said. “There are very strict restrictions on how this data can be used and what it is used for. And that’s the job of Washington State University.”
Part of the study involved conducting PET scans on horses marked as high risk to examine them more closely for existing injuries. Concerns about the cost of those scans grew, but Farmer noted that the cost of advanced diagnostics—not limited to PET scans—was included in the cost of the study.
A horse that staggers out of the gate, steps on a rock, loses a shoe, or a rider loses an iron can get a red flag. However, Lambert says that reviewing race replay videos, discussions with coaches, and other means of uncovering possible causes are part of the assessment process.
Part of implementing StrideSAFE will be teaching veterinarians how to read the information generated by the system.
“They need to be able to sit down with this data like an X-ray or an ultrasound,” says Lambert. “They’ll have to be able to go through the slides.”
Hamelback said recent observations from StrideSAFE researchers that seven out of eight horses that died of musculoskeletal causes at Churchill Downs recently had pre-existing medical conditions appeared to suggest that trainers and other relationships already know that before the horse runs.
“When we look at the press, when we look at the optics of what the rest of the industry sees, they see those claims (after being injured or dying) as, ‘Oh, someone knows me. That horse had a red flag, and this is what happened.’ That’s where the rub lies, no one knows it,” he said. “The only horses that will improve when it’s done right in a race are the horses that don’t actually fail miserably.
“Those are the ones that we can now track.”
Hamelback added, “Having that facility … in the future, I think it will be possible to help the trainers, the veterinarians in attendance really know if there’s a problem.”
“The purpose of this is that valuable, useful information will eventually be sent back to your trainer and their veterinarian, and they will make the best welfare choices,” says Farmer. for their horses.”
