Workshop unites pathologists and regulators to advance racehorse safety

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Oct. 7, 2025) — More than 55 veterinarians, trainees and industry experts gathered in Lexington at the University of Kentucky Veterinary Diagnostic Lab (VDL) Sept. 18-20 for the 2025 Racehorse Necropsy Workshop designed to improve how racehorse fatality examinations are conducted and how findings are used to prevent future injuries.

The program brought together two key groups: veterinary pathologists who perform specialized racehorse necropsies and regulatory veterinarians who use those reports to guide safety policy at the track.

“Pathologists and regulators don’t always work in the same rooms, but we depend on each other,” said Laura Kennedy, D.V.M., head of the Kentucky Horseracing Postmortem Program at the VDL, a part of the Martin-Gatton College of Agriculture, Food and Environment. “Our goal was to teach the specialized exams and build a shared playbook so postmortem findings lead to effective prevention strategies at the track.”

To ground the training in day-to-day racetrack operations, the workshop opened with an orientation at Keeneland, where participants learned about the Thoroughbred racing industry and how programs and protocols implemented by racetracks can influence the safety and welfare of racehorses. Classroom and lab sessions followed, pairing case reviews with hands-on demonstrations and discussions led by both pathologists and regulatory veterinarians.

Everything, even the health of riders, ties back to the health and welfare of the horse.

“If we keep the horses upright, we keep the riders upright,” Kennedy said. “Protecting horses is the most direct way to protect jockeys and exercise riders. That’s why the work matters.”

Featured speakers included Kennedy and Bruno Menarim of the Maxwell H. Gluck Equine Research Center, along with Kentucky regulatory leaders and industry veterinarians Stuart Brown and Will Farmer. Additional presenters joined from California, Minnesota and Pennsylvania, and participants traveled from as far away as the United Kingdom, New Zealand and Chile, underscoring the international scope of the effort.

The workshop series began in 2022. This year marked the fourth edition and the first time the program has been hosted in Lexington. Organizers plan to return next year, citing the city’s central location and access to abundant industry resources.

While some view pathology as “too late,” the faculty framed it as the starting point for prevention. By analyzing past fatalities with standardized methods and shared terminology, participants aim to help private practitioners, state veterinarians, owners and trainers spot at-risk horses sooner, adjust training or medical care, and remove horses from competition when needed.

“This is about carrying knowledge forward,” Kennedy said. “Every carefully documented case gives the whole team — track veterinarians, regulators and horsemen — clearer signals to act on before the next race.”