Minnesota Horse Racing-Related Deaths Below National Average

More than 3,000 horses died during racing or training from 2009-11 according to a New York Times survey of 29 racing states.

At  last year, four horses died, according to Jeff Maday, spokesman for Canterbury Park. According to the survey, Minnesota is below the average for the number of horses that died and is a state where there are pre-race inspections of horses and post-mortem inspections on horses that die while racing or training. The Minnesota Racing Commission regulates the state's horse racing industry.

"We do have safety procedures in place and Minnesota's are an industry leader," Maday said. "For example, for 28 years, no horse has raced without jogging in front of a state vet."

When it comes to the medications and the amounts of medications horses are allowed take before a race, Maday says they follow guidelines and have a zero tolerance policies in place for those violating the rules.

"We make the expectations clear to horsemen who want to work on our racetrack and we punish (for) any (drug) violations."

All this doesn't mean there isn't room for improvement, Maday added. To that end, Canterbury Park has been accredited through the National Thoroughbred Racing Association Safety and Integrity Alliance, since it formed in 2008. Canterbury is currently going through the reaccredidation process.

He also said nationwide regulations might be needed, but added it will take a long time to get people to agree on what those should be. 

In the meantime, he said he believes in states without strict regulations, the racetrack should be doing it on their own.

"The safety of the horse also means the safety of the humans," Maday said. "We owe it to the horse, the people that work with them, and to the fans. It's something we take extremely seriously."