Despite ongoing regional inequalities and horse fatalities, federal regulation is having a discernible effect on equine safety in thoroughbred racing in the United States. The 2024 Annual Metrics Report from the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority (HISA) states that last year’s fatality rate at the tracks under its control decreased by 27% from 2023 to 0.90 per 1,000 starts. According to HISA, that statistic represents the lowest fatality rate since the industry started keeping track of it in 2009, when it was 2.0 per 1,000 starts.
Chelsea Perez, senior program manager for equine protection at Humane World for Animals, a global non-profit organization dedicated to animal welfare, said, “HISA has done a lot of work in bringing everybody along and creating a proof of concept that federal regulations can be effective, that they can be good for the participants in the industry, not only the horses, but the people as well.” The data provides perspective and progress. Although the decrease implies that HISA’s federal supervision may be contributing to fewer track-related fatalities, the sport still entails inherent risk, and the larger national picture is still divided.
