With the 2017 Racing Season starting off this Sunday at Portmarnock, The Veterinary and Welfare Commission (Integrity Committee of the IHRA) has some important updates to bring to you that will help to enhance the Integrity of the sport of Standardbred Racing in Ireland.
The Veterinary and Welfare Commission (VWC) is the subcommittee set up by the governing body of harness racing in Ireland (IHRA), to oversee and govern all aspects of Integrity, Horse Welfare and Veterinary issues involved in the sport of Harness Racing in this Country.
The Veterinary and Welfare Commission (committee of 7 persons currently) is made up of independent co-opted (that make up the majority of the committee) coupled with a lesser number of Irish Harness Racing board members (who are always in the minority on this body). This Veterinary and Welfare Commission oversees the formulation and implementation of the rules (as laid out by the IHRA board and the Commission in tandem), as well as all procedures and protocols that would have any connection with the overall public perceptive of integrity within this rapidly growing sport.
Current and new members of the VWC are as listed below.
Recent activities of the Veterinary and Welfare Commission(VWC)
- We are delighted to announce, that following representation on behalf of the sport, the Department of Agriculture has freed up some Government funding to go towards the provision of equipment and services at the racetracks in Portmarnock, Annaghmore and Cork. The concrete apron for the stables at Portmarnock has already been poured and the stables and Veterinary office will be in place in the very near future. Pre- and post-race sampling of horses will soon be carried out in these much-needed facilities and will allow the testing of blood as well as of urine depending on what is appropriate at the time.
- In addition to the above, the Department of Agriculture has also agreed to fund two blood sampling analysers which will allow for track-side sampling of horses before and after racing. This will mean that on-the-spot testing of normal and abnormal blood parameters, including blood-gas parameters, can be carried out at the racetrack. This sort of sampling would in its infancy days have been called “the black box”, but now has improved in its efficacy and accuracy to much more than what was possible in the past. In fact the “black box” is now a white laboratory machine and is calibrated and control-tested to laboratory standard. This could mean that certain pre-race tests could show an abnormal reading and could lead to the withdrawal of a horse from a race on Veterinary grounds. (this will be introduced shortly and will be explained in full to all participants to allow all participants to remain within the rules of harness racing)
- The VWC (along with IHRA chairman and members of Horse Sport Ireland) met with the Turf Club (Integrity board of Thoroughbred Racing) at the Turf Club offices in the Curragh, Co. Kildare recently. The Turf Club is keen to work in collaboration with the VWC in its work on anti-doping measures in the equestrian sport of harness racing. Both parties wished to share information on procedures and protocols involved with this aspect of both codes of horse racing. Ms. Lynn Hyllier. MRCVS. Chief Veterinary Officer with the Turf Club has asked to be included in our deliberations and purchasing of our blood sample analysers and expressed an interest in working with the Thoroughbred and Standardbred racing worlds cooperating together. This will help both regulatory bodies grow in their knowledge and experience of track-side sampling. The Turf Club are proud to follow our lead on this (they are also on verge of going this route themselves) and also to share the experience gained by Ms. Hyllier of her many years working such analysers in the UK thoroughbred racing world. As members of the VWC, we are proud to announce to the Standardbred fraternity that the sharing of knowledge and experience with our thoroughbred counterparts is something that we will embrace wholeheartedly. The integrity of the sport will be greatly enhanced with this approach and by inference, the entire sport will benefit accordingly.
Fortified integrity of Harness Racing, means public confidence in the sport will rise accordingly.
- The addition of Marcus Swail DVM. Veterinary Surgeon to the VWC will greatly widen the knowledge, expertise and independence of this Integrity Body of the IHRA and will also add to outside confidence in the sport.
- The addition (last year) of Val Good and Julie Anne Skelly to the VWC gives an independence to this important committee and allows harness racing participants and the public alike, to feel that the sport is gaining better governance as each day passes. Confidence in the sport is something that requires constant work and attention and needs continued and increased investment year on year. The IHRA governing body has agreed to the setting up of the VWC (integrity board of harness racing) last year and to the ring-fencing of a percentage of the sports income for use in the upkeep of integrity in harness racing in Ireland.
- The Irish Equine Centre, one of the few world-accredited labs involved in forensic sampling in equestrian sports, has reconfirmed its commitment to harness racing. The analysis of the samples taken on behalf of the IHRA and sent to the Equine Centre, are tested for over a thousand different parameters. They are continuously cross-referenced to other world class labs in Hong Kong, UK and France via a cross-sharing mechanism of facilities and calibrations. They tell us that the sampling standards for blood parameters are so good nowadays that urine sampling is no longer considered superior to blood sampling. This was confirmed by the Turf Club at our recent meeting, and we were told that thoroughbred racing is considering changing to blood sampling as opposed to urine testing at all races in the future. This will be done slowly and over time in the sport of TB racing.
- So, just as we are improving our facilities at Portmarnock to enable for urine sampling, it appears the advice we had from our laboratory advisors all along was sound and pertinent. Blood sampling is so forensically good now, that urine sampling is no longer required. Good to know.
- We will be carrying out Cobalt testing sampling as an add-on to our range of items in the future and will publish results as found from that analysis. More anon.
That’s all as update for now. We will be in touch as more information unfolds.
Happy and safe driving for 2017.
Peadar Ó Scanaill. MVB.
Chairman Veterinary and Welfare Commission (Integrity Committee of IHRA)
Current and new members of the Veterinary and Welfare Commission
Independent Members of VWC (4)
- Val Good. Independent co-opted. Carriage Driving enthusiast with a lifetime experience of breaking and driving horses in the sport of cross-country carriage driving. Castleknock Dublin.
- Julianne Skelly. The Ward. Nth. Co. Dublin. Independent co-opted. Lifetime involvement with ridden and driven horses and a wealth of experience in showing horses and Connemara ponies in the RDS and all around the country. Involved in hunting with the Ward Union and Fingal Harriers Hunt as well as cross-country, show jumping and Pony Club competitions across all parts of Ireland.
- Marcus Swail. DVM. Veterinary Surgeon. The Curragh, Co. Kildare. Team Vet for the Irish International Eventing Team and formerly International Irish Show jumping Team Vet. A wealth of experience in Veterinary care of top-performance horses at National and International equestrian events. Extensive knowledge and experience of medicines and anti-doping criteria of these top-class performance horses as well as their care and treatment at the highest level. (Marcus’ brother Conor, is an Irish International Show jumper)
- Peadar Ó Scanaill. MVB. Veterinary Surgeon. Ashbourne, Co. Meath. Past-President of Veterinary Ireland and currently the Deputy President of The Veterinary Council of Ireland. Over twenty five years as one of the RDS Vets for the Dublin Horse Show as well as Racecourse duty Vet at Fairyhouse, Leopardstown and Navan racecourse. Currently Chairman of the Veterinary and Welfare Commission of the IHRA.
IHRA Members of VWC(3)
- James Levis. Ballydehob West Cork. Known to you all for his (and all three IHRA members of the VWC) stalwart work in stewarding and overseeing all aspects of the races over the years as the sport developed at home and at Portmarnock. Currently updating the rule book for all our benefit. Needs no introduction and not possible to list all the works carried out on behalf of the sport in this short paper.
- James O Sullivan. Ballygarvan Co. Cork. Same as above. No introduction required and the unstinting work done on behalf of Standardbred racing will never be truly known by those involved in the sport.
- Peter Clarke. Belfast. Same as his two co-compatriots above whose lifetime dedication to the sport will benefit Standardbred Racing in Ireland for generations to come.
All of the above VWC members have no connections to training or driving Standardbred horses and the independent members are from an equestrian background that don’t own, breed, train, drive, or keep any Standardbred horses themselves. This ‘arms-length’ distancing from racing is to give confidence to the participants in the sport as well as to the public at large, that all things integrity, and horse care, welfare and veterinary in nature, are overseen by a body that stand up to internal and external scrutiny of the highest standard of governance in any sport.
