Sheila Lyon, DVM - Advocate For The Health And Safety Of Racehorses

Dr. Lyon testified at the Public Hearing on the Welfare of Racehorses in New York State before the Senate Standing Committee on Racing, Gaming and Wagering and the Senate Standing Committee on Domestic Animal Welfare on Wednesday, June 5, 2019. Dr. Lyons graduated from Tufts University Veterinary School, is an equine veterinarian, and is the founder and director of The American College of Veterinary Sports Medicine and Rehabilitation, Homecoming Farm, Inc. According to her testimony, race track veterinarians have abdicated their authority as medical professionals. These veterinarians do not perform physical examinations, make diagnoses, nor develop therapeutic plans. Race track veterinarians simply deliver drugs at trainers’ request. For example, giving an anti-inflammatory drug to a horse is appropriate treatment but only if it's in the context of that horse resting. What you can't do is give that drug and then say, "Keep training. Keep racing," but that's what happens at these tracks. Dr. Lyons has had owners' horses come to New York racetracks from her practice in Florida or Kentucky. Many of these horses had numerous drugs given to them within days of arriving. Drugs are not used therapeutically, which is illegal, and which absolutely contributes to the completely unacceptable development of injuries. She advocates for a new type of CT-scan, developed for humans, that can detect tiny fractures not seen on an X-ray, to be used at every race track on every racehorse to identify preexisting conditions and to avoid breakdowns. The American College of Veterinary Sports Medicine and Rehabilitation, Homecoming Farm - http://www.acvsmr.org/