Waldrop, NTRA details Reform, Invites Support

Kasept · #1 10-15-2008, 09:55 AM

Pledge and A Plan to Reform

When I penned the essay entitled "A New Way Forward" earlier this year calling for more fan involvement in solving the problems facing the horse industry, little did I know how quickly that idea would come to fruition and how critically important it would become. Six months and thousands of e-mails and blog comments later, and after a very trying period for our sport following a turbulent Triple Crown season, the NTRA is set to announce in a few minutes a series of sweeping human and equine health and safety reforms adopted by virtually every segment of the industry.

The reforms are the result of many months of meetings and collaboration with virtually all industry stake holders including fans. The reforms fall into five key categories: medication and testing, injury reporting and prevention, a safer racing environment, safety research, and aftercare for our retired racehorses.

As an industry, we know our shortcomings well. What has been lacking is the will and the capability to implement uniform, nationwide change. Today the NTRA will assume responsibility, along with a long list of like-minded tracks, horsemen, horseplayers, sales companies, owners, breeders, trainers, jockeys, regulators, veterinarians, and other industry stakeholders, for uniform, nationwide implementation of these reforms.

To accomplish this implementation plan, we will establish the NTRA Safety and Integrity Alliance. The fundamental premise of the Alliance is simply this: The health and safety of our human and equine athletes and the integrity of our sport are our highest priorities. The Alliance will certify those who implement the reforms and regularly measure compliance with the reforms using an independent monitor-four term Wisconsin Governor and former Secretary of Health and Human Services, Tommy Thompson. The Alliance will also work cooperatively with state regulators across the country to enact uniform state rules relating to the conduct of racing.

Horseplayers can play a key role in the reform movement, in the following ways:

First and foremost, we encourage you to support those racetracks and horsemen who implement the reforms. There is no greater leverage than the message you send with your wagering dollars. The revenue from your betting handle fuels the economics of the sport, and nothing will help alter the behavior of the industry faster than a change in the bottom line.

Second, comment on the reforms. If you wish, you may also endorse them.

And third, hold us accountable in terms of fulfilling the objectives set forth in the Alliance.

As an industry, we have had more than our fair share of internal finger pointing and divisiveness. As one of our Board members reminded me recently, there is no facet of our industry that is solely responsible for where we are now, but it is the collective responsibility of the entire industry to embrace reform and determine where we are headed. As of today, it will be a new way forward, indeed, for us at the NTRA and the industry as a whole.

I ask that you forward this e-mail to five fellow horseplayers to help spread the word that today is the beginning of a new era for our sport and industry. We hope you and many others will come along with us on this journey.

Alex Waldrop
President and CEO, NTRA
AlexWaldrop@ntra.com