- Email: [email protected]
Horse Racing and Veterinary Practices in New Jersey
Journal Pre-proof Horse Racing and Veterinary Practices in New Jersey Ellen M. Rankins, Karyn Malinowski PII:
S0737-0806(19)30628-8
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jevs.2019.102879
Reference:
YJEVS 102879
To appear in:
Journal of Equine Veterinary Science
Received Date: 1 July 2019 Revised Date:
18 September 2019
Accepted Date: 27 November 2019
Please cite this article as: Rankins EM, Malinowski K, Horse Racing and Veterinary Practices in New Jersey, Journal of Equine Veterinary Science (2020), doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jevs.2019.102879. This is a PDF file of an article that has undergone enhancements after acceptance, such as the addition of a cover page and metadata, and formatting for readability, but it is not yet the definitive version of record. This version will undergo additional copyediting, typesetting and review before it is published in its final form, but we are providing this version to give early visibility of the article. Please note that, during the production process, errors may be discovered which could affect the content, and all legal disclaimers that apply to the journal pertain. © 2019 Published by Elsevier Inc.
1
Horse Racing and Veterinary Practices in New Jersey
2
Ellen M. Rankinsa*, Karyn Malinowskia
3
a
Rutgers Equine Science Center and the Department of Animal Sciences, Rutgers, The State
4
University of New Jersey, New Brunswick, NJ, USA
5
Corresponding author at:
6
Ellen Rankins
7
Rutgers Equine Science Center
8
Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey
9
57 US Hwy 1
10
New Brunswick, NJ 08901
11
E-mail address: [email protected]
12 13
Abstract The New Jersey horse racing industry has declined over the last five years as indicated by
14
decreases in the number of racing days, stallions standing, mares bred, and foals registered.
15
These changes were hypothesized to have potential negative consequences for veterinary
16
practices. The objective of the survey was to investigate changes in veterinarian practice
17
revenue and staff over a five-year period. Members of the New Jersey Association of Equine
18
Practitioners completed a survey detailing their involvement in the horse racing industry and
19
breeding of racehorses. A response rate of 49% was achieved with 45% of respondents
20
indicating they were involved in the horse racing industry as a veterinarian. Respondents
21
indicated they decreased (44%), did not change (17%), or increased (39%) their number of staff
22
due to changes in the horse racing industry over the past five years. In a similar manner,
23
veterinarians reported decreases (48%), no change (22%), or increases (30%) in revenue.
24
Practice revenue from the breeding of racehorses and its associated components either decreased
25
(91%) or did not change (9%) over the past five years due to changes in the horse racing
26
industry. Results indicate declines in the horse racing industry had minimal impact on veterinary
27
practices involved in this sector of the industry. Veterinarians and practices involved in
28
racehorse breeding and its associated components, in contrast, were negatively impacted by
29
changes in the horse racing industry.
30 31 32
Keywords: horse racing; racehorse breeding; veterinarians; veterinary practices; revenue
33 34
Introduction In 2017, the equine industry generated an estimated $122 billion of economic impact in the
35
United States which increased from the estimated $102 billion of economic impact generated by
36
the equine industry in 2005 [1,2]. At a state level, the New Jersey equine industry generated
37
$1.1 billion of economic impact in 2007 with the greatest portion of this impact being generated
38
by racing-related operations [3]. The New Jersey Equine Industry 2007 Economic Impact report
39
highlighted the importance of the horse racing segment of the industry and thus, the need for
40
further monitoring of this sector of the industry. More recent updates on the state of the New
41
Jersey horse racing industry published in 2014 and 2019 indicate an overall decline in the horse
42
racing segment of the equine industry and racehorse breeding across this five-year period [4,5].
43
These declines raise concerns about other segments of the equine industry as the various
44
segments are interrelated. Changes in one segment such as the horse racing segment may have
45
profound impacts on other segments such as veterinarians or feed suppliers.
46
Thus, the objective of the survey was to assess the impact of recent changes in the New
47
Jersey horse racing industry on veterinary practices involved in horse racing or the breeding of
48
racehorses. Based on recent declines in horse racing and racehorse breeding in New Jersey, we
49
hypothesized equine veterinarians involved in the horse racing industry and racehorse breeding
50
would report they and their practices were negatively impacted over the last five-years.
51
1. Materials and Methods
52
The survey was conducted in October 2018. The New Jersey Association of Equine
53
Practitioners (NJAEP) distributed an online survey (Survey Monkey) to its members via email.
54
A repeat contact strategy was used in which two emails were sent requesting members to
55
complete the survey. Emails were sent two weeks apart. De-identified data was provided to the
56
researchers by the NJAEP. The questionnaire consisted of ten multiple choice questions
57
pertaining to the veterinary practice’s involvement in and revenue from the horse racing and
58
racehorse breeding segments of the New Jersey equine industry. Data were exported to
59
Microsoft Excel© and summarized using frequency counts and descriptive statistics.
60
2. Results
61
Of the 105 licensed equine veterinarians in the state of New Jersey, fifty-one responded to
62
the survey for a response rate of 49%. Fifty-five percent of respondents indicated they were not
63
involved in the horse racing industry as a veterinarian.
64
2.1.
65
Thoroughbred and Standardbred Horse Racing
The remaining respondents (45%, n=23) were involved in the Thoroughbred (6%),
66
Standardbred (18%), or both the Thoroughbred and Standardbred (21%) segments of the horse
67
racing industry. The percentage of the practice involving the horse racing industry ranged from
68
0-10% (4%) to 81-100% (52%) (Figure 1). The majority of respondents (74%) indicated horse
69
racing clients accounted for more than 60% of their business (Figure 1). Forty-four percent of
70
practices decreased their number of staff due to changes in the horse racing industry over the past
71
five years while 17% reported no change in the number of staff members. The remaining 39%
72
reported an increase in the number of staff due to changes in the horse racing industry.
73
In a similar manner, 48% of practices saw a decrease in revenue over the past five years
74
because of changes in the horse racing industry while 22% experienced no change in revenue.
75
The remaining 30% had an increase in revenue over the past five years. Of practices reporting a
76
decrease in revenue over the past five years, 17% reported a 0-10% decrease, 17% reported an
77
11-20% decrease, 25% reported a 21-30% decrease, and 42% reported a 31-40% decrease in
78
revenue. Of practices reporting an increase in revenue, 33% reported a 0-10% increase, 50%
79
reported an 11-20% increase, and 17% reported a 21-30% increase in revenue.
80
2.2.
81
Breeding of Racehorses
Fifty-two percent of veterinarians who responded were not involved in the breeding of
82
racehorses and its associated components while the remaining 48% were. Veterinarians involved
83
in racehorse breeding reported that practice revenue either decreased (91%) or did not change
84
(9%) over the past five years due to changes in the horse racing industry (Table 1). Of
85
respondents indicating practice revenue derived from racehorse breeding and its associated
86
components decreased, 9% reported a 0-10% decrease, 18% reported a 21-30% decrease, 36%
87
reported a 31-40% decrease, 9% reported a 41-50% decrease, 9% reported a 51-60% decrease,
88
9% reported a 71-80% decrease, and 9% reported an 81-90% decrease in revenue over the past
89
five years (Table 1).
90 91 92
Table 1. Changes in revenue for veterinary practices involved in racehorse breeding and its associated components due to changes in the horse racing industry over the past five years.
Respondents (%)
No Change in Revenue
Decrease in Revenue of: 0-10%
9
18
11-20% 21-30% 41-50% 71-80% 81-90% 36
9
9
9
9
93 94 95
3. Discussion This survey revealed a substantial portion of the New Jersey veterinarian community were
96
involved in the racehorse sector. Surprisingly, veterinarians and practices involved in the horse
97
racing industry reported relatively little change in their revenue or staff because of the changes in
98
the horse racing industry over the past five years. The relative stability reported is surprising
99
because the number of race days and breeding of racehorses declined in New Jersey over this
100
five-year period [4,5]. These results suggest veterinarians are continuing to treat and provide
101
services for racehorses even if these horses are not racing in New Jersey. The unique
102
geographical location of New Jersey makes such a possibility plausible as horses may be housed
103
in New Jersey, but raced in neighboring states. Similarly, veterinarians practicing in New Jersey
104
may also be treating and seeing horses residing in other states.
105
In contrast to findings regarding veterinarians whose practices involve racehorses, those
106
whose practices are involved in breeding of racehorses and its associated components reported
107
substantial decreases in revenue over the five-year period. This finding was expected as the
108
number of stallions standing, mares bred, and foals registered in the state of New Jersey
109
decreased over the five-year period [4,5]. Overall, these results provide support for the concept
110
of interrelatedness in the equine industry and demonstrate how changes in one sector of the
111
industry, in this case, the horse racing sector may have profound effects on other aspects of the
112
industry, in this case the equine veterinarian industry. This study highlights the importance of
113
considering findings in one segment of the industry in the context of the equine industry as a
114
whole.
115
4. Conclusion
116
Changes in the New Jersey horse racing industry over the past five years appear to have had
117
little impact on veterinarians and veterinary practices involved in the horse racing industry as
118
both increases and decreases in number of staff and revenue have occurred. In contrast,
119
veterinary practices involved in the breeding of racehorses have been negatively impacted by
120
changes in the New Jersey horse racing industry as the revenue from racehorse breeding has
121
substantially declined over this period.
122
Acknowledgements
123
The authors would like to thank Dr. M.N. Fugaro and the New Jersey Association of Equine
124
Practitioners for collecting and supplying the data.
125
Funding: This research did not receive any specific grant from funding agencies in the public,
126
commercial, or not-for-profit sector
127
References
128
[1]
129 130
Industry. Washington, D.C.: American Horse Council; 2018. [2]
131 132
American Horse Council Foundation. 2005 Economic Impact Study of the U.S. Horse Industry. Washington, D.C.: American Horse Council; 2006.
[3]
133 134
American Horse Council Foundation. 2017 Economic Impact Study of the U.S. Horse
Rutgers Equine Science Center. The New Jersey Equine Industry 2007 Economic Impact. New Brunswick, NJ: 2007.
[4]
Malinowski K, Paul D. Gottlieb. 2014 State of the New Jersey Horse Racing Industry:
135
Post-Report of the Governor’s Advisory Commission on New Jersey Gaming, Sports and
136
Entertainment. New Brunswick, NJ: 2014.
137 138 139 140 141 142 143 144 145
[5]
Malinowski K. 2019 State of the New Jersey Horse Racing Industry. New Brunswick, NJ: 2019.
Figure and Table Captions Figure 1. Percentage of respondents indicating the percentage of their veterinary practice involved in the horse racing industry. The gray box encompasses the responses indicating the horse racing industry makes up greater than 60% of the practice’s clients. Table 1. Changes in revenue for veterinary practices involved in racehorse breeding and its associated components due to changes in the horse racing industry over the past five years.
60% 52%
% of Respondents
50% 40% 30% 22% 20% 13% 10%
9% 4%
0%
0-10%
11-30%
31-60%
61-80%
81-100%
% of Veterinary Practice Involved in the Horse Racing Industry
Highlights •
Veterinarians were minimally impacted by changes in the horse racing industry
•
Veterinarians were negatively impacted by changes in racehorse breeding
•
Changes in the equine industry present potential implications for other sectors
Ethical Statement This was a voluntary survey in which no animals were used.
Conflict of Interest Statement There were no conflicts of concern when conducting this survey.
S0737-0806(19)30628-8
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jevs.2019.102879
Reference:
YJEVS 102879
To appear in:
Journal of Equine Veterinary Science
Received Date: 1 July 2019 Revised Date:
18 September 2019
Accepted Date: 27 November 2019
Please cite this article as: Rankins EM, Malinowski K, Horse Racing and Veterinary Practices in New Jersey, Journal of Equine Veterinary Science (2020), doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jevs.2019.102879. This is a PDF file of an article that has undergone enhancements after acceptance, such as the addition of a cover page and metadata, and formatting for readability, but it is not yet the definitive version of record. This version will undergo additional copyediting, typesetting and review before it is published in its final form, but we are providing this version to give early visibility of the article. Please note that, during the production process, errors may be discovered which could affect the content, and all legal disclaimers that apply to the journal pertain. © 2019 Published by Elsevier Inc.
1
Horse Racing and Veterinary Practices in New Jersey
2
Ellen M. Rankinsa*, Karyn Malinowskia
3
a
Rutgers Equine Science Center and the Department of Animal Sciences, Rutgers, The State
4
University of New Jersey, New Brunswick, NJ, USA
5
Corresponding author at:
6
Ellen Rankins
7
Rutgers Equine Science Center
8
Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey
9
57 US Hwy 1
10
New Brunswick, NJ 08901
11
E-mail address: [email protected]
12 13
Abstract The New Jersey horse racing industry has declined over the last five years as indicated by
14
decreases in the number of racing days, stallions standing, mares bred, and foals registered.
15
These changes were hypothesized to have potential negative consequences for veterinary
16
practices. The objective of the survey was to investigate changes in veterinarian practice
17
revenue and staff over a five-year period. Members of the New Jersey Association of Equine
18
Practitioners completed a survey detailing their involvement in the horse racing industry and
19
breeding of racehorses. A response rate of 49% was achieved with 45% of respondents
20
indicating they were involved in the horse racing industry as a veterinarian. Respondents
21
indicated they decreased (44%), did not change (17%), or increased (39%) their number of staff
22
due to changes in the horse racing industry over the past five years. In a similar manner,
23
veterinarians reported decreases (48%), no change (22%), or increases (30%) in revenue.
24
Practice revenue from the breeding of racehorses and its associated components either decreased
25
(91%) or did not change (9%) over the past five years due to changes in the horse racing
26
industry. Results indicate declines in the horse racing industry had minimal impact on veterinary
27
practices involved in this sector of the industry. Veterinarians and practices involved in
28
racehorse breeding and its associated components, in contrast, were negatively impacted by
29
changes in the horse racing industry.
30 31 32
Keywords: horse racing; racehorse breeding; veterinarians; veterinary practices; revenue
33 34
Introduction In 2017, the equine industry generated an estimated $122 billion of economic impact in the
35
United States which increased from the estimated $102 billion of economic impact generated by
36
the equine industry in 2005 [1,2]. At a state level, the New Jersey equine industry generated
37
$1.1 billion of economic impact in 2007 with the greatest portion of this impact being generated
38
by racing-related operations [3]. The New Jersey Equine Industry 2007 Economic Impact report
39
highlighted the importance of the horse racing segment of the industry and thus, the need for
40
further monitoring of this sector of the industry. More recent updates on the state of the New
41
Jersey horse racing industry published in 2014 and 2019 indicate an overall decline in the horse
42
racing segment of the equine industry and racehorse breeding across this five-year period [4,5].
43
These declines raise concerns about other segments of the equine industry as the various
44
segments are interrelated. Changes in one segment such as the horse racing segment may have
45
profound impacts on other segments such as veterinarians or feed suppliers.
46
Thus, the objective of the survey was to assess the impact of recent changes in the New
47
Jersey horse racing industry on veterinary practices involved in horse racing or the breeding of
48
racehorses. Based on recent declines in horse racing and racehorse breeding in New Jersey, we
49
hypothesized equine veterinarians involved in the horse racing industry and racehorse breeding
50
would report they and their practices were negatively impacted over the last five-years.
51
1. Materials and Methods
52
The survey was conducted in October 2018. The New Jersey Association of Equine
53
Practitioners (NJAEP) distributed an online survey (Survey Monkey) to its members via email.
54
A repeat contact strategy was used in which two emails were sent requesting members to
55
complete the survey. Emails were sent two weeks apart. De-identified data was provided to the
56
researchers by the NJAEP. The questionnaire consisted of ten multiple choice questions
57
pertaining to the veterinary practice’s involvement in and revenue from the horse racing and
58
racehorse breeding segments of the New Jersey equine industry. Data were exported to
59
Microsoft Excel© and summarized using frequency counts and descriptive statistics.
60
2. Results
61
Of the 105 licensed equine veterinarians in the state of New Jersey, fifty-one responded to
62
the survey for a response rate of 49%. Fifty-five percent of respondents indicated they were not
63
involved in the horse racing industry as a veterinarian.
64
2.1.
65
Thoroughbred and Standardbred Horse Racing
The remaining respondents (45%, n=23) were involved in the Thoroughbred (6%),
66
Standardbred (18%), or both the Thoroughbred and Standardbred (21%) segments of the horse
67
racing industry. The percentage of the practice involving the horse racing industry ranged from
68
0-10% (4%) to 81-100% (52%) (Figure 1). The majority of respondents (74%) indicated horse
69
racing clients accounted for more than 60% of their business (Figure 1). Forty-four percent of
70
practices decreased their number of staff due to changes in the horse racing industry over the past
71
five years while 17% reported no change in the number of staff members. The remaining 39%
72
reported an increase in the number of staff due to changes in the horse racing industry.
73
In a similar manner, 48% of practices saw a decrease in revenue over the past five years
74
because of changes in the horse racing industry while 22% experienced no change in revenue.
75
The remaining 30% had an increase in revenue over the past five years. Of practices reporting a
76
decrease in revenue over the past five years, 17% reported a 0-10% decrease, 17% reported an
77
11-20% decrease, 25% reported a 21-30% decrease, and 42% reported a 31-40% decrease in
78
revenue. Of practices reporting an increase in revenue, 33% reported a 0-10% increase, 50%
79
reported an 11-20% increase, and 17% reported a 21-30% increase in revenue.
80
2.2.
81
Breeding of Racehorses
Fifty-two percent of veterinarians who responded were not involved in the breeding of
82
racehorses and its associated components while the remaining 48% were. Veterinarians involved
83
in racehorse breeding reported that practice revenue either decreased (91%) or did not change
84
(9%) over the past five years due to changes in the horse racing industry (Table 1). Of
85
respondents indicating practice revenue derived from racehorse breeding and its associated
86
components decreased, 9% reported a 0-10% decrease, 18% reported a 21-30% decrease, 36%
87
reported a 31-40% decrease, 9% reported a 41-50% decrease, 9% reported a 51-60% decrease,
88
9% reported a 71-80% decrease, and 9% reported an 81-90% decrease in revenue over the past
89
five years (Table 1).
90 91 92
Table 1. Changes in revenue for veterinary practices involved in racehorse breeding and its associated components due to changes in the horse racing industry over the past five years.
Respondents (%)
No Change in Revenue
Decrease in Revenue of: 0-10%
9
18
11-20% 21-30% 41-50% 71-80% 81-90% 36
9
9
9
9
93 94 95
3. Discussion This survey revealed a substantial portion of the New Jersey veterinarian community were
96
involved in the racehorse sector. Surprisingly, veterinarians and practices involved in the horse
97
racing industry reported relatively little change in their revenue or staff because of the changes in
98
the horse racing industry over the past five years. The relative stability reported is surprising
99
because the number of race days and breeding of racehorses declined in New Jersey over this
100
five-year period [4,5]. These results suggest veterinarians are continuing to treat and provide
101
services for racehorses even if these horses are not racing in New Jersey. The unique
102
geographical location of New Jersey makes such a possibility plausible as horses may be housed
103
in New Jersey, but raced in neighboring states. Similarly, veterinarians practicing in New Jersey
104
may also be treating and seeing horses residing in other states.
105
In contrast to findings regarding veterinarians whose practices involve racehorses, those
106
whose practices are involved in breeding of racehorses and its associated components reported
107
substantial decreases in revenue over the five-year period. This finding was expected as the
108
number of stallions standing, mares bred, and foals registered in the state of New Jersey
109
decreased over the five-year period [4,5]. Overall, these results provide support for the concept
110
of interrelatedness in the equine industry and demonstrate how changes in one sector of the
111
industry, in this case, the horse racing sector may have profound effects on other aspects of the
112
industry, in this case the equine veterinarian industry. This study highlights the importance of
113
considering findings in one segment of the industry in the context of the equine industry as a
114
whole.
115
4. Conclusion
116
Changes in the New Jersey horse racing industry over the past five years appear to have had
117
little impact on veterinarians and veterinary practices involved in the horse racing industry as
118
both increases and decreases in number of staff and revenue have occurred. In contrast,
119
veterinary practices involved in the breeding of racehorses have been negatively impacted by
120
changes in the New Jersey horse racing industry as the revenue from racehorse breeding has
121
substantially declined over this period.
122
Acknowledgements
123
The authors would like to thank Dr. M.N. Fugaro and the New Jersey Association of Equine
124
Practitioners for collecting and supplying the data.
125
Funding: This research did not receive any specific grant from funding agencies in the public,
126
commercial, or not-for-profit sector
127
References
128
[1]
129 130
Industry. Washington, D.C.: American Horse Council; 2018. [2]
131 132
American Horse Council Foundation. 2005 Economic Impact Study of the U.S. Horse Industry. Washington, D.C.: American Horse Council; 2006.
[3]
133 134
American Horse Council Foundation. 2017 Economic Impact Study of the U.S. Horse
Rutgers Equine Science Center. The New Jersey Equine Industry 2007 Economic Impact. New Brunswick, NJ: 2007.
[4]
Malinowski K, Paul D. Gottlieb. 2014 State of the New Jersey Horse Racing Industry:
135
Post-Report of the Governor’s Advisory Commission on New Jersey Gaming, Sports and
136
Entertainment. New Brunswick, NJ: 2014.
137 138 139 140 141 142 143 144 145
[5]
Malinowski K. 2019 State of the New Jersey Horse Racing Industry. New Brunswick, NJ: 2019.
Figure and Table Captions Figure 1. Percentage of respondents indicating the percentage of their veterinary practice involved in the horse racing industry. The gray box encompasses the responses indicating the horse racing industry makes up greater than 60% of the practice’s clients. Table 1. Changes in revenue for veterinary practices involved in racehorse breeding and its associated components due to changes in the horse racing industry over the past five years.
60% 52%
% of Respondents
50% 40% 30% 22% 20% 13% 10%
9% 4%
0%
0-10%
11-30%
31-60%
61-80%
81-100%
% of Veterinary Practice Involved in the Horse Racing Industry
Highlights •
Veterinarians were minimally impacted by changes in the horse racing industry
•
Veterinarians were negatively impacted by changes in racehorse breeding
•
Changes in the equine industry present potential implications for other sectors
Ethical Statement This was a voluntary survey in which no animals were used.
Conflict of Interest Statement There were no conflicts of concern when conducting this survey.