PRESS RELEASE – MAY 14, 2026 –
Racing regulators from across North America who are members of the ARCI met today to
consider a new aggressive approach being utilized in Oklahoma to safeguard horses
utilizing “Emergency Protective Orders” to temporarily exclude horses in the care of
trainers whose horses have demonstrated an abnormal and materially elevated pattern of
severe post-race distress, including repeated incidents in which horses were unable to
safely leave the track under their own power.
To date three trainers have received such orders effectively excluding 171 horses by putting
them on the “Stewards List” temporarily. Affected horses are subject to testing, veterinary
examination, record production, and individualized regulatory review before they may be
considered for removal from that status. The orders provide for the nomination of a
“guardian ad litem” to conduct an independent investigation concerning the welfare of the
affected horses.
ARCI President Ed Martin said that “using the Stewards or Vets list to exclude a horse from
competition is not new, but Oklahoma’s use of “Emergency Protective Orders” to
temporarily exclude all horses managed by a particular trainer is.”
“This is an important new approach that all racing regulators should consider utilizing,”
Martin told the regulators.
In Oklahoma such orders are only issued after the Stewards reviewed evidence, reports,
video recordings, veterinary opinions, and other information concerning horses that
appeared in extreme distress after racing and have determined that there is an abnormal
and materially elevated pattern. Each Order states that the pattern was repeated,
documented, and sufficiently serious to require immediate regulatory intervention.
The regulators were briefed by Amanda English, Interim Executive Director of the Oklahoma
Racing Commission and the commission’s General Counsel Michael Copeland.
Ms. English told her colleagues that the Stewards relied on veterinary opinions from three
veterinarians who concluded that the condition shown by the horses was extreme,
unusual, not a normal post-race recovery pattern, materially adverse to equine welfare,
and inconsistent with the safe and humane participation of such horses in racing absent
further investigation and clearance.
“When horses show signs of extreme distress, we will not look away, we will not minimize
it, and we will not wait for another incident before taking action. These emergency
measures are designed to protect horses immediately, secure the evidence, and ensure
that no horse connected to this matter returns to competition unless and until the
Commission is satisfied that it is safe and humane for that horse to race,” she said.
The Order requires mandatory pre-race and out-of-competition testing, mandatory
veterinary examinations, immediate post-race examination of any horse showing abnormal
recovery or distress, production of veterinary and treatment records, and inspection of
relevant barns, stalls, tack rooms, treatment areas, and other enclosure locations. The
Order also preserves the Commission’s authority to pursue additional remedies if
warranted.
Under the Order, affected horses are subject to testing, veterinary examination, record
production, and individualized regulatory review before they may be considered for
removal from that status.
The Emergency Protective Order states that the Stewards found an abnormal and
materially elevated pattern of severe post-race distress among the affected horses,
including repeated incidents in which horses were unable to safely leave the track under
their own power and required transport from the racing surface. The Order further states
that the pattern was repeated, documented, and sufficiently serious to require immediate
regulatory intervention.
The Stewards also relied on veterinary opinions from three veterinarians who concluded
that the condition shown by the horses was extreme, unusual, not a normal post-race
recovery pattern, materially adverse to equine welfare, and inconsistent with the safe and
humane participation of such horses in racing absent further investigation and clearance.
“The protection of the horse comes first, and the Commission will act decisively when the
facts show a serious threat to equine welfare,” said Interim Executive Director Amanda
English. “When horses show signs of extreme distress, we will not look away, we will not
minimize it, and we will not wait for another incident before taking action. These emergency
measures are designed to protect horses immediately, secure the evidence, and ensure
that no horse connected to this matter returns to competition unless and until the
Commission is satisfied that it is safe and humane for that horse to race.”
by ASSOCIATION OF RACING COMMISSIONERS INTERNATIONAL
