Hogan To Racing Industry: If We Don't Change, It's Going To Be Changed For Us
New Jersey-based veterinarian Dr. Patty Hogan gave a 75-minute presentation titled “Injuries in Racehorses” to 60-70 members of the MidAtlantic horseracing industry this week.
Hogan explained to the audience that she sees nearly 3,000 horses at her clinic annually, with the majority of them being either Thoroughbred or Standardbred racehorses. She also explained that her involvement with horses, both professionally and personally, allows her a unique perspective in both racing and non-racing sectors of the horse business.
She explained that in this day and age animal welfare issues are a hot-button topic and that it is the responsibility of the racing industry to be not only proactive in protecting their equine athletes, but also mindful of how they present the sport of horseracing to non-savvy audiences.
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“We all love horse racing, but we all live in the little horse racing bubble, not realizing we need the rest of the world to like racing too,” she told the audience. “If we don’t change [how we deal with injuries and end-of-career questions] ourselves, it is going to be changed for us.”
She also urged horsemen to avoid the “one last race” mentality, which she says often is a precursor to more significant injuries, fatal breakdowns and limitations due to soundness in their post-racing lives.
