One year ago, Congress defunded public media. Now that we're 100% community funded, please become a sustaining member or increase your existing membership today.
Santa Anita Horse Fatalities Linked To Pre-Existing Injuries, Pressure To Race, Poor Knowledge Of Anatomy
The 2014 Breeders' Cup Classic at Santa Anita Park on Nov. 1, 2014 in Arcadia. (Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images)
In the wake of the unusual media attention paid to horse deaths at Santa Anita Park in the 2018-2019 season, the California Horse Racing Board launched an investigation into the park’s practices. Today, the results of that investigation were released.
In a 77-page document, investigators found that while no laws appear to have been broken, 21 of the 23 horses that died at Santa Anita during racing or training had pre-existing injuries. All of the pre-existing injuries were associated with high exercise intensity.
Here are some other key takeaways:
- 16 of the 23 horses who died during racing or training were in the care of trainers who had at least one other fatality in a one-year period
- Many of the horsemen involved in the fatalities “did not display good working knowledge of [equine] anatomy”
- Many trainers felt pressure to let their horses race, regardless of the animals’ health
READ MORE:
One year ago, Congress voted to defund public media, eliminating a critical $1.7 million from our budget every year going forward. But they couldn’t silence us, and we’re not going anywhere. LAist is now 100% community funded and that means we’re taking our future into our own hands and turning to you to keep local reporting strong.
You come to LAist because you want independent reporting and trustworthy local information. Our nonprofit newsroom doesn’t answer to shareholders looking to turn a profit. Instead, we answer to you and our communities. We are free to follow facts wherever they lead and to hold power to account without fear or favor. Our only loyalty is to our readers and listeners and our mission: to inform, engage, and strengthen Southern California’s communities.
If this story helped you, please become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.
You come to LAist because you want independent reporting and trustworthy local information. Our nonprofit newsroom doesn’t answer to shareholders looking to turn a profit. Instead, we answer to you and our communities. We are free to follow facts wherever they lead and to hold power to account without fear or favor. Our only loyalty is to our readers and listeners and our mission: to inform, engage, and strengthen Southern California’s communities.
If this story helped you, please become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.
Senior Vice President News, Editor in Chief
