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Veterinary

IHRB Veterinary Officers are responsible for regulatory clinical examination of horses, equine anti-doping procedures and the provision of advice on veterinary matters to the Raceday Stewards on the racecourse.

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Veterinary Information

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Veterinary Department

On a Raceday, the IHRB Veterinary Officers are responsible for regulatory clinical examination of horses, equine anti-doping procedures and the provision of advice on veterinary matters to the Raceday Stewards on the racecourse.

The IHRB veterinary team work alongside Racecourse Veterinary Surgeons (RVS), who are employed by the Racecourse for a race meeting. There must be at least two RVS's on duty at a racemeeting and the meeting cannot go ahead without them under the Rules of Racing. As well as needing to be licensed to practice via membership of the Veterinary Council of Ireland/the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons, many RVS's are also members of the Association of Irish Racecourse Veterinary Surgeons (AIRVS) who provide training and further education in this specialist area of veterinary medicine. 

Administration Team

The veterinary department are experienced horse people steeped in knowledge of horseracing and equestrian sport and integrally involved in both. They support the Senior Veterinary Team in the main programmes of work run by the department, in particular the Equine Injury in Irish Racing Risk Reduction Programme, Suitability to Race Programme, Post-Licensing Stable Inspection and Out of Competition Testing Programme as well as the wider field-based team in their day-to-day work on track and off it.  

Managing the logistics of sample transport to the IHRB’s contracted laboratory, LGC, administering the IHRB’s Veterinary and Equine Welfare Committee and the eight department training days per year are other key responsibilities. 

IHRB Veterinary Officers

IHRB Veterinary Officers are responsible on raceday for the regulatory examination of horses before, during and after racing; responsibility for the equine anti-doping procedures; and the provision of expert assessment of veterinary matters to the Raceday Stewards and other members of the IHRB team. 

As part of monitoring the health and welfare of racehorses on raceday, Veterinary Officers will conduct pre-race veterinary inspections and support and ensure appropriate veterinary treatment during racing and in follow up as needed.  Any injuries sustained are documented for review and to provide to the trainer and their veterinary surgeon as appropriate.  This compliments the department’s work away from the racecourse, leading the post licensing stable inspection programme. Veterinary Officers also lead the sampling, observations, recording and reporting undertaken during Out of Competition Testing (OOCT).  

All IHRB Veterinary Officers are authorised officers under the Veterinary Medicinal Products, Medicated Feed and Fertilisers Regulations Act 2023 with some also authorised under the Animal Health and Welfare Act 2013. 

IHRB Veterinary Assistants

IHRB Veterinary Assistants are responsible for a range of regulatory activities all relating to horses, both on and off the racetrack.  These include: 

  • Identification of horses via microchip and/or markings. 
  • Taking equine anti-doping samples of hair, blood and urine. 
  • Participating in pre-race testing and inspections. 
  • Monitoring the health and welfare of racehorses on the racecourse by assisting with post-race examinations and racecourse stable yard monitoring. 
  • Contributing to the wider veterinary team to develop its integrity and welfare function. 
  • Conducting post-licensing stable inspections and other testing and welfare monitoring activities as authorised officers under the Veterinary Medicinal Products, Medicated Feed and Fertilisers Regulations Act 2023.

Authorised Officers

The IHRB have a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) through which the Minister of Agriculture, Food and the Marine appoints IHRB officials as authorised officers under the Veterinary Medicinal Products, Medicated Feed and Fertilisers Regulations Act 2023.  This MoU, signed in 2020, places responsibility on the IHRB to ensure that any staff acting as authorised officers are suitably trained in order to fulfil their responsibilities under the legislation. Our team of authorised officers come predominantly from a background of equine expertise but also have experience and expert knowledge of investigations, working with authorised officers from other agencies including the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine Investigations Division, the Food Safety Authority of Ireland, Greyhound Racing Ireland, the Veterinary Council of Ireland. Working as authorised officers enables our team to access any Thoroughbred in the Republic of Ireland at any time in any location.  This allows follow up of Thoroughbreds at any stage of their life in the ‘racing pool’ through inspections of licensed and unlicensed premises, such as those run by pre-trainers, point-to-point handlers, breeze-up consignors, store horse consignors and yearling consignors.  It is a means of accessing Thoroughbreds for any matter around the use or misuse of medicinal products. 

Some of the IHRB Veterinary Officers are also authorised under a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) through which the Minister of Agriculture, Food and the Marine appoints them as authorised officers under the Animal Health and Welfare Act 2013. This enables the team to follow up potential welfare concerns with well defined courses of action including but not limited to the issuance of Improvement Notices, requiring specific actions to be undertaken by the person responsible for the horse(s). 

Frequently Asked Questions

  • Veterinary certificates relating to non runners as a result of being in season, illness, stress or injury must be sent to [email protected]. In accordance with Rule 194, when a horse is withdrawn due to the reasons outlined above, no fine will be imposed provided a veterinary certificate is lodged within three business days of the race to the office of the IHRB. Failure to lodge a certificate within three such days will render the Trainer liable to a fine of €200. 

  • Veterinary certificates relating to non runners must be sent to [email protected].

    If a certificate is related to STR or HIA an email will be issued outlining the contact details of where the information must be returned to. 

  • Please contact Weatherbys on 045 879979 for assistance in using the App. 

  • Please provide the passport and vaccination details of the companion Horse you are requesting to bring to the races to [email protected] at the time of Declaration and notify the racecourse management to check on the availabity of stables. 

  • It is a requirement under Rule 83 to notify the IHRB when a mare is in foal. Please email [email protected] to notify the Veterinary Department. 

  • Any non-thoroughbreds entering the racecourse must be vaccinated in compliance with Rule 91. A copy of the vaccination details and Microchip number for ID purposes will be checked and cleared by a member of the IHRB Veterinary Department. 

  • A pregnant mare is permitted to run up to 120 days from the day of covering. 

  • It is a requirement that all Horses are vaccinated when entering a Racecourse. When a Horse is entered into a race on RÁS, the vaccination will appear green if vaccination details are in order and red if the vaccination has expired. 

  • To amend incorrect details on the Weatherbys App email [email protected] with details of the vaccination given and a photo of the passport including the correct vaccination details and the horses passport number.