Veterinarian-Owner-Trainer Relationship


Open and consistent communication between the owner, the trainer and the veterinarian will develop a relationship built on trust and shared philosophies. The result will be decisions that are made in the best interest of the horse. The current reality of racetrack operations is that the owner is often excluded from the communication chain, and we as veterinarians would like to change that. Veterinarians also are sensitive to the costs of services that are provided. It is important for owners to know that veterinary care is not given to any racehorse without the trainer’s direct or implicit approval and that their trainer is acting as their legal agent when requesting veterinary services for their horses. Without open communication, differing management philosophies often result in confusion and dissatisfaction.


In order to provide complete transparency for the veterinary-owner-trainer relationship, the AAEP recommends the following:


• Trainers should include horse owners in all aspects of health care decisions. • Owners should have a thorough understanding of the medication and training philosophy of their trainer with particular emphasis upon the level of medical care provided to their horses.


• Veterinarians should provide unfettered access to owners and trainers for consultation and discussion of medical treatments.


Medication


While much progress toward uniformity has been made by industry stakeholders such as the Racing Medication and Testing Consortium in recent years, medication remains the flash point for much of the public’s scrutiny of horse racing today. U.S. racing jurisdictions impose medication regulations that vary from one jurisdiction to the next. This disparity in medication rules presents significant challenges to owners and trainers who race horses in more than one jurisdiction, and often leads to confusion about how to best implement appropriate therapeutic regimens. In addition, many racing jurisdictions have their own testing laboratory, which currently do not operate by a uniform accreditation standard.


Horse racing in most other jurisdictions throughout the world operates under the medication rules of the International Federation of Horseracing Associations (IFHA). The principle difference in the medication regulations of the United States and the IFHA is the permitted use of anti-bleeder medication furosemide (Salix® and adjunctive anti- bleeder medications in some racing jurisdictions) and permitted levels of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDS). With anabolic steroid regulation now in place in the United States, most other differences are largely semantic and are primarily a function of the state regulatory structure of U.S. racing.


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