The Ontario Racing Commission has enacted stiff regulation changes related to owner and trainer responsibility, including an automatic 90-day suspension for any horse testing positive for a non-therapeutic drug.

The automatic three-month suspension will apply to any horse testing positive for Class 1, 2, or 3 banned substances or for exceeding the permitted level of total carbon dioxide.

“A number of obvious situations have arisen where an owner has had a number of his/her horses test positive for a banned substance,” the commission says in a fact sheet on the new measures. “The current suite of rules does not provide any burden of responsibility on the owner for the positive tests incurred by his/her horses. … The purpose of these rules is to encourage owners to conduct proper due diligence in selecting their trainers.”

The commission clarified its position on the responsibility of trainers for medication violations, citing a previous rule inconsistency.

“Currently under the rules, if a trainer is able to demonstrate that he/she took all reasonable care of the horse, there can in certain circumstances be a finding of no responsibility,” the commission said. “In the end there is no establishment of who was responsible, while there remains the condition of a horse that obtained a positive. … Establishing trainer responsibility for the condition of his/her horse as an absolute liability offense will provide certainty in the eyes of the public and the industry that someone maintains ultimate responsibility.”

The commission also established new guidelines for the use of shock wave therapy and launched a phasing-in of a requirement of the use of safety reins in training and racing.

Among other measures in a sweeping list of reforms effective January 31 is a rule that will allow only licensed veterinarians to administer medication to racehorses in the province.

The commission also will be moving toward the establishment of a horse passport that will require former owners to make the medical history of a horse available on request of the new owner within 72 hours. The request for medical records must be made within one week of the date of transfer.

“I am confident these efforts to protect the horse, the participant, and the public confidence send a strong message to the public: that through measures such as these, our sport continues to operate at the highest level of integrity,” commission Chairman Rod Seiling said.

For details on each of the regulatory measures taken by the ORC, click here.