A “Responsible Person” is identified during a horse’s registration and is typically the horse’s trainer. A Responsible Person is subject to specific record-keeping and reporting requirements. test
The owner may be the Responsible Person prior to selecting a trainer, during an extended lay-off period, during a period in which one trainer is being replaced by another, and other similar situations. Otherwise, the trainer is the Responsible Person.
The Claims Clerk is responsible for changing the Responsible Person designation in the HISA system. The system is updated within minutes of the posting. After this happens, the Current Responsible Person will:
A step-by-step document explaining the process can be downloaded from the Resources page on the HISA website at www.hisaus.org.
The original owner is responsible for all costs if the claim is voided.
The veterinary treatment records submitted to HISA by the Attending Veterinarian are associated with the horse data record, and as such, they travel with the horse. As soon as the Designated Owner and/or Responsible Person are changed in the portal, the new Designated Owner and Responsible Person have access to the treatment records of the claimed horse.
However, trainer treatment records, which are only required to be maintained (and not submitted to HISA unless requested), must be transferred manually. The recommended process is for the previous trainer to give the records to the Regulatory Veterinarian, who will then give the records to the new trainer.
Yes, the Regulatory Vet must be made aware of and approve the administration of Lasix.
Yes, all shockwave machines must be registered with HISA.
No. At the end of the 30 days, horses that were treated with shockwave therapy automatically come off of the Veterinarians’ List.
The Regulatory Veterinarian has the sole authority to scratch a horse. However, Regulatory Veterinarians will notify the stewards of the scratch. The stewards cannot reverse the decision of the Regulatory Veterinarian to scratch a horse.
Being on the Veterinarians’ List will be recorded on the horse record in the HISA portal. The Responsible Person (typically the trainer) for the horse will receive a message through the HISA messaging system that the horse has been placed on the Veterinarians’ List.
Horses may not be released prior to the expiration of the 7-day stand down time after a scratch due to illness.
Yes, horses placed on the Vets’ List for unsoundness are required to have a blood test in addition to working for a Regulatory Veterinarian. There may also be other requirements to be determined by the Regulatory Veterinarian prior to the horse being removed from the Vets’ List.
Regulatory Veterinarians do have the discretion to order diagnostics at any time for any horse and may therefore require additional diagnostics when assessing a horse for unsoundness during a workout for removal from the Vets’ List.
Horses can work to get off the Vets’ List before the off-date, but cannot race until after the off-date.
Trainers and Responsible Persons are not required to submit horse treatment records to HISA, but they must maintain treatment and medication records and make them available if requested by HISA, stewards or Regulatory Veterinarians. HISA has developed templates that trainers may use to document their horses’ treatment and medications if they do not have a program in place.
For horses returning to the racetrack from a layup of 60 or more days, trainers must obtain records for the last 30 days of:
a) Treatment and rehabilitation procedures; and
b) Daily exercise activities that occurred during the layup.
HISA has developed templates that trainers may provide to layup/rehabilitation facility personnel to record required information.
Requiring this information will assist HISA in analyzing the factors associated with the high rate of catastrophic injuries that occur in horses soon after return from layup. For this purpose, the information will be treated anonymously (the identities of the trainer, horse, and layup/rehabilitation facility will not be disclosed).
Any veterinarian working on a Covered Horse must be registered as a Covered Person and must upload treatment records to the horse’s HISA portal.
Please note that the Responsible Person, typically the trainer, must cooperate with records requests and if a veterinarian has not reported treatments to HISA, may be asked to provide any veterinary treatment records related to the Covered Horse.
Trainers and Responsible Persons are not required to submit information to HISA, though they must maintain certain records and make them available if requested by HISA. HISA has developed templates that trainers may use to document their horse’s treatment records if they do not have a program in place.
Veterinary records will be maintained by HISA on its database and available to regulatory veterinarians for use in connection with pre-race inspections and other diagnostic and safety-related purposes. Access to the information in the HISA database will be limited to HISA officials for research purposes.
The preferred and most efficient method for Attending Veterinarians to submit examination findings to HISA is through the HISA portal or through one of HISA’s software integration options, but the information may be submitted by another method.
Equine catastrophic injuries will be entered in the Jockey Club’s Equine Injury Database (EID) as has been done in previous years.
In addition to the necropsy, the Racetrack Risk Management Committee will conduct interviews with the deceased horse’s connections, including but not limited to the Responsible Person (typically the trainer), jockey or exercise rider, groom(s) and others participating in the care of the horse. The Racetrack Risk Management Committee may develop its own interview process, but HISA has provided guidelines/templates for interviews, documentation, and the recommended Postmortem Review process that racetracks can use or modify.
Racetracks may generate their own emergency drills to match racetrack-specific circumstances. HISA may develop sample drills for racetracks to use or modify.
HISA has a template of hazardous weather protocols that Racetracks can use and/or modify to match the Racetracks’ specific environmental circumstances and considerations.
Racetracks are welcome to develop their own protocols that align with racetrack specific considerations. HISA will provide biosecurity guidelines and templates online that racetracks can use or modify.
HISA has a document outlining necropsy guidelines that the racetracks (and diagnostic laboratories) can use and/or modify for their own circumstances. This can be found on the Resources page.
The HISA system checks the RCI and Equibase databases. The HISA system may not recognize a person’s name if:
When the system doesn’t find a match, it will display the message “you might be new to racing.” If you select “yes,” the system will allow you to continue with the registration process.
Breeders are only required to register if they are required to be licensed by their state racing commission. Licensure by a state racing commission is the threshold requirement for registration with HISA for all persons. If a breeder is not required to be licensed by their state racing commission, there is no requirement to register with HISA.
LLCs, corporations, or partnerships cannot register with HISA. One member of the LLC, partnership or corporation must register and become the “Designated Owner.” The Designated Owner will be able to share information about the horse with other registered Owners of the horse.
Stable names cannot register with HISA. The owner’s name must be identified as the Designated Owner for a horse. If there is more than one owner of a horse, the Designated Owner can share a horse’s information with the other owners once they are registered with HISA.
HISA does not regulate horses outside of the United States, and owners, trainers and horses outside of the U.S. do not have to register with HISA. However, if a horse that resides outside of the U.S. races at a Covered Racetrack in the U.S., the horse must be registered. The horse’s owners, trainers and jockeys are also required to register.
The person who registers the horse can enter the Coggins information, the Responsible Person can update the Coggins information after registration, and the Racing Office can enter the information into its system, which will update the HISA system.
If all owners are required to be licensed by a state racing commission, all must register with HISA, and one of the owners must register as the horse’s Designated Owner. The Designated Owner will have the ability to share access to the horse’s information with the other owners. Owners who are not required to be licensed by a state racing commission are not required to register with HISA. If a horse is in training, the Responsible Person is typically the trainer.
Yes, Racetrack Chaplains and Jockey’s Agents are required to register with HISA. Depending on the circumstances, horse racing industry association employees will probably not be required to register with HISA. Racetrack employees are required to register with HISA if they have a state racing commission license and are directly involved in horse racing.
However, racetrack employees or contractors who do not have access to restricted areas of a racetrack (the stable area or paddock, for example) in the ordinary course of carrying out their duties are exempted from registering. This means that if a racetrack employee’s job does not regularly require the employee to access the stable area in the normal course of work, the employee is not required to register. A few examples may help illustrate the registration exemption rule.
It is important to note that HISA registration does not affect barn and track access. State and racetrack rules continue to control access.
Once the legal ownership of the horse is settled, the current Designated Owner will select the function to change the owner designation. This will send a message to the new Designated Owner, who must accept the role in order for the transfer of the Designated Owner status to occur.
After the death of a Covered Horse?
When the current Designated Owner of a horse marks the horse as deceased, the Responsible Person and Designated Owner of the horse are set to blank.
After leaving a trainer’s facility and care for another trainer’s facility and care?
The Designated Owner must change the name of the trainer (Responsible Person) in the HISA system.
If a Covered Horse is sent to an equine hospital for elective or emergency care?
The trainer remains the Responsible Person for the horse, and is required to obtain the medical records or ensure the Attending Veterinarian obtains the medical records related to the elective or emergency care.
The Designated Owner can go into his or her account and “take back” the horse by becoming the trainer. The former trainer will not be able to prevent the owner from designating himself or herself as the trainer.