Ethical Issues for the Racetrack Practitioner: A Daily Requirement

Every day, racetrack practitioners face ethical challenges that are neither black nor white. The health and welfare of the horse, the safety of the riders, and the integrity of the sport, depend on each one of us making sound ethical decisions.

1. Introduction

The horse racing industry is currently under a tremendous amount of pressure from both outsiders and industry participants to answer perceived ethical failings at a time when racing is struggling to remain economically viable. The racetrack practitioner and their role is continually criticized as a cause of many of racing’s ethical failings as a contributor to overmedication, increased numbers of breakdowns, and major player in the demise of racing. Many of us feel as if we are being unfairly singled out as a profession and as individuals. Where is the truth? Is there some truth to the accusations made by owners, trainers, colleagues, and members of the general public?

Issues affecting the decline of horse racing are complex and multifactorial. As participants, we have an obligation to uphold ethical veterinary standards to protect the horse, first and foremost. The intent of this submission is not to be judgmental; rather, it is intended to stimulate thought and discussion regarding individual ethical practices at the racetrack. The time is always right to do what is right.¹ 

Key Points

Ethics, also known as moral philosophy, is a branch of philosophy that involves systematizing, defending, and recommending concepts of right and wrong behavior.¹

Ethics is also a common term to refer to or define e.g. code of conduct, honourable behaviours, virtues, just actions, etc. Examples are: Work ethics, humanitarian ethics for experimenting on animals, ethics of parenting, doctor-patient ethics, etc. Ethics may be either externally imposed (e.g. society, professional organizations, schools, law enforcement, etc.) or born from self-belief. This view of ethics has little to do with ethics as a branch of philosophical consideration. The core idea may be based on or require some deep analytical reasoning of why something is to be considered “right” or “wrong.” Or, it may have nothing to do with any deep thinking. For example, any deep philosophizing may be totally irrelevant since it may be simply decided by some practical wisdom. Overall, it is a futile effort and only a human conjecture and practicality, since there is no such a thing as absolute right or wrong.²

The material cited above is the definition of ethics taken from Wikipedia. It seems fairly simple and straightforward; however, the last line describes our dilemma: There is no such thing as absolute right or wrong. As racetrack practitioners, few of the ethical decisions we face every day are well defined. If we examine our individual morals and ethics with the goal of maintaining the health and welfare of the horse within the rules of the racing jurisdiction where you practice, the compass of right versus wrong becomes quite evident. Resources from American Veterinary Medical Association, American Association of Equine Practitioners, and the Society for Veterinary Medical Ethics among others are available and provide framework for ethical decisions for the practitioner.

Horse racing is not unique. Economics influences ethical decisions all the time whether it be investment bankers or veterinary practice. Pressure from trainers, owners, and colleagues to forego ethics for monetary gain seems an every day occurrence and quite exasperating. The use of illegally compounded medications, unnecessary medical procedures, administration of performance-enhancing medications, and illicit shock wave therapy treatment are some examples of requests made to the practicing veterinarian. Additionally, request to change billing items for a horse or bill another owner for medication that was prescribed to another horse is problematic and frustrating to the practitioner, to say the least.

The response often heard is “if I don’t do it, someone else will,” or “I have a family to feed, a business to run, and I can’t afford to lose this client.” The ethical choice seems simple, but in the reality of practice, it can be a hard line decision. Clients are lost and reputations suffer initially when tough decisions must be made. But ethical decisions have to be made for health of the horse, safety of the rider, and the integrity of the sport and veterinary profession.

As practitioners, we must continue to set a standard of ethics in horse racing that we hope will benefit the horse, the profession, and the industry in the future. It is sometimes difficult to draw a hard line, but in any event, ethical practice is most assuredly gratifying.

2. Conclusions

Ethical challenges present themselves in a variety of formats and styles in all walks of life. As racetrack practitioners, we are faced with specific challenges, whereby we base our decisions on the health and the welfare of the horse to meet those challenges. Discussion of sound ethical principles among colleagues is critical to their implementation. We must rely on our morals and character to help facilitate change in ethical practices on the racetrack. Leading by example is not the main thing in influencing others: It is the only thing.³

References

1. Martin Luther King Jr. Accessed March 8, 2012. Available online at http:josephsoninstitute.org
2. Available online at en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ethics

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