200 Horse Grooms Take Part in Training Seminar

Approximately 200 horse-racing grooms received training on Thursday (October 8), at the fourth annual Jamaica Racing Commission (JRC) Groom Training Seminar, aimed at maintaining a safe, fair and credible racing industry.

The seminar, held at the Caymanas Golf Club in St. Catherine under the theme ‘Grooming Excellence’, focused on strengthening the grooms’ knowledge of horse-related care, veterinary practices, racing rules and professional responsibilities.

Delivering a speech from Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Mining, Hon. Floyd Green, Chief Veterinary Officer in the Ministry, Dr. Trudi Stewart-Gaynor, emphasised the Government’s commitment to deepening the relationship between equine welfare and the horse-racing industry into its core agricultural framework.

“We believe that horse racing is agriculture. A thoroughbred is a live animal – it is bred, fed, housed, handled and protected from disease and cared for, and that is a daily business of livestock,” the Minister said.

“The feed that goes into the horse, the land that supports the stable, the veterinary care that keeps it sound and the breeding programme that produces the next generation all sit squarely in the world of agriculture,” he added.

Highlighting the pivotal role grooms play, the Minister referred to them as the “foundation of the racing industry” and the country’s first line of defence against equine diseases.

“The veterinarians may visit the horses once a day, once a week or when they’re called, but you grooms are with the horses every single day. You notice their change in appetite, the unusual cough, the fever, the swelling or that the horse is simply not itself. When you report that quickly, you protect that horse, the horses next to it and the entire equine industry,” Mr. Green reasoned.

The Ministry pledged closer communication with the JRC and other industry stakeholders to ensure that the equine community receives consistent support on issues related to animal health, importation standards, and including the racing and equestrian community in planning.

Meanwhile, JRC General Manager, Richard Longmore, underscored the Commission’s drive towards long-term social safety net for grooms, specifically announcing steps towards a dedicated pension plan.

“It is full time that there is some form of pension-scheme arrangement being made for the grooms, wherein when they retire, they can say, ‘I have a little something to get’,” Mr. Longmore said.

He disclosed that initial talks are under way with industry partners and the Sagicor Group to make the pension scheme a reality.

Mr. Longmore also urged horse grooms and trainers to audit their existing life insurance policies to prevent administrative delays following sudden losses.

The seminar included skills training, live demonstration of horse care, health checks, courtesy of the Ministry of Health and Wellness, and banking and pension services from the Sagicor Group.