The U.S. Thoroughbred racing industry would be best served by a multidisciplinary approach to data collection and record keeping, recognizing that with every injury report, the collective industry could help improve safety for jockeys and exercise riders at the track. This was the take-home message from a pair of presenters at the inaugural Horse Industry Safety Summit, held April 23 at University of Kentucky’s Spindletop Hall, in Lexington.

Kelly Ryan, DO, CAQSM, is a primary care sports medicine physician for MedStar Sports Medicine, faculty member at the MedStar Franklin Square Medical Center Department of Family Medicine, a sports racing provider for Laurel and Pimlico racetracks in Maryland, and an assistant professor at the Georgetown University School of Medicine. Gabrielle Garruppo, BS, BA, is a Master of Health Science candidate at Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health.

The pair said reporting should include but not be limited to medical professionals, epidemiologists/researchers, jockey representatives, track engineers and specialists, and regulators. They also recommended that all jockey researchers utilize the European Consensus Statement for data standardization and ease of data collection, processing, and comparison.

Garruppo shared how the Maryland Horsemen’s Health System, in coordination with MedStar Sports Medicine, collects data using a sports medicine model