HISA appoints farrier to Racetrack Safety Standing Committee

Patrick Reilly, a former practicing farrier who is the chief of farrier services at the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine’s Department of Clinical Studies at the New Bolton Center, has been appointed to fill a vacated seat on the Racetrack Safety Standing Committee of the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority, according to HISA.

Reilly will take the seat vacated by Peter Hester when he resigned from the committee earlier this year after HISA hired him as its national medical director. Reilly was appointed as an independent member of the committee, which devises and recommends policies on safety standards at U.S. racetracks, including regulations on the use of traction devices.

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HISA’s rules on traction devices have been amended several times in the past year due to feedback from Thoroughbred farriers. The safety committee had not previously had a farrier among its members.

“Farriers play an important role in the welfare of horses and I am excited that HISA has included the farrier industry in supporting its mission,” said Reilly, in a release announcing the appointment. “Our goal is to shoe horses as safely as possible and have the rules evenly enforced.”

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