Horses shipping from the state of Louisiana to tracks under the jurisdiction of the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority will be required to be placed on the vets’ list beginning on June 9, according to a memo HISA sent to tracks and racing officials on Wednesday. HISA announced the policy in advance of new medication rules set to go into effect in Louisiana on June 8. The new medication rules, which were passed on an emergency basis in April, pose “significant risks to both equine welfare and the integrity of Thoroughbred racing,” HISA said in the memo. Last week, HISA officials had said that they were considering the requirement after the new set of rules began to be publicized. The rules – which were partially walked back by the Louisiana Racing Commission on Tuesday – allow much more liberal administrations of many therapeutic medications than the rules currently enforced by HISA. :: Bet the races with a $200 First Deposit Match + FREE All Access PPs! Join DRF Bets. “Some of the changes contemplated in the emergency rule contradict both the weight of scientific evidence and long-established industry standards for medication controls,” the memo said. Horses placed on the vets’ list must perform a workout under the supervision of a regulatory veterinarian and test clear of any medications before being allowed to enter a race.  HISA said that trainers in Louisiana who intend to ship to a HISA-covered track can notify the regulatory veterinarian in the track’s state in order to initiate the protocol. The memo also said that racing offices must scratch any horses entered in their races coming from Louisiana that have not gone through the vets’ list protocols. The Louisiana rules have drawn intense criticism both inside the racing industry and from outside animal-welfare groups. Officials for the Louisiana Racing Commission said the new rules, which cover only “controlled medications,” were devised in consultation with veterinarians in the state who said the more liberal rules would give vets more options to keep horses racing.  :: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.