Iowa Admin. Code r. 491-10.2
Current through Register Vol. 47, No. 11, December 11, 2024
Rule 491-10.2 - Facilities' responsibilities(1)Stalls. The facility shall ensure that racing animals are stabled in individual box stalls; that the stables and immediate surrounding area are maintained in approved sanitary condition at all times; that satisfactory drainage is provided; and that manure and other refuse are kept in separate boxes or containers at locations distant from living quarters and promptly and properly removed.(2)Paddocks and equipment. The facility shall ensure that paddocks, starting gates, and other equipment subject to contact by different animals are kept in a clean condition and free of dangerous surfaces.(3)Receiving barn and stalls. Each facility shall provide a conveniently located receiving barn or stalls for the use of horses arriving during the meeting. The barn shall have adequate stable room and facilities, hot and cold water, and stall bedding. The facility shall employ attendants to operate and maintain the receiving barn or stalls in a clean and healthy condition.(4)Fire protection. The facility shall develop and implement a program for fire prevention on facility premises in accordance with applicable state fire codes. The facility shall instruct employees working on facility premises in procedures for fire prevention and evacuation. The facility shall, in accordance with state fire codes, prohibit the following:a. Smoking in horse stalls, feed and tack rooms, and in the alleyways.b. Sleeping in feed rooms or stalls.c. Open fires and oil- or gasoline-burning lanterns or lamps in the stable area.d. Leaving any electrical appliance unattended or in unsafe proximity to walls, beds, or furnishings.e. Keeping flammable materials, including cleaning fluids or solvents, in the stable area. f. Locking a stall which is occupied by a horse. The facility shall post a notice in the stable area which lists the prohibitions outlined in 10.2(4)"a" to "f" above.
(5)Starting gate.a. During racing hours a facility shall provide at least two operable padded starting gates that have been approved by the commission.b. During designated training hours a facility shall make at least one starting gate and qualified starting gate employee available for schooling.c. If a race is started at a place other than in a chute, the facility shall provide and maintain in good operating condition backup equipment for moving the starting gate. The backup equipment must be immediately available to replace the primary moving equipment in the event of failure.(6)Distance markers.a. A facility shall provide and maintain starting point markers and distance poles in a size and position that can be clearly seen from the steward's stand.b. The starting point markers and distance poles must be marked as follows: 1/4 poles | red and white horizontal stripes |
1/8 poles | green and white horizontal stripes |
1/16 poles | black and white horizontal stripes |
220 yards | green and white |
250 yards | blue |
300 yards | yellow |
330 yards | black and white |
350 yards | red |
400 yards | black |
440 yards | red and white |
550 yards | black and white horizontal stripes |
660 yards | green and white horizontal stripes |
770 yards | black and white horizontal stripes |
870 yards | blue and white horizontal stripes |
(7)Detention enclosure. Each facility shall maintain a detention enclosure for use by the commission for securing samples of urine, saliva, blood, hair, or other bodily substances or tissues for chemical analysis from horses that have run in a race. The enclosure shall include a wash rack, commission veterinarian office, a walking ring, at least four stalls, workroom for the sample collectors with hot and cold running water, and glass observation windows for viewing of the horses from the office and workroom. An owner, trainer, or designated representative licensed by the commission shall be with a horse in the detention barn at all times.(8)Ambulance. A facility shall maintain, on the premises during every day that its track is open for racing or exercising, an ambulance for humans and an ambulance for horses, equipped according to prevailing standards and staffed by medical doctors, paramedics, or other personnel trained to operate them. When an ambulance is used for transfer of a horse or patient to medical facilities, a replacement ambulance must be furnished by the facility to comply with this rule.(9)Helmets and vests. Any person on horseback on facility grounds shall wear a protective helmet and safety vest. a. A jockey participating in a race shall have a helmet that is not altered and complies with one of the following standards:(1) American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM 1163).(2) European Standards (EN-1384 or PAS-015 or VG1).(3) Australian/New Zealand Standards (AS/NZ 3838).(5) Snell Equestrian Standard 2001.b. A jockey participating in a race shall have a vest that is not altered and complies with one of the following minimum safety standards: (1) British Equestrian Trade Association (BETA) 2000 Level 1.(2) Euro Norm (EN) 13158:2000 Level 1.(3) American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) F2681-08 or F1937.(4) Shoe and Allied Trade Research Association (SATRA) Jockey Vest Document M6 Issue 3.(5) Australian Racing Board (ARB) Standard 1.1998.(10)Racetrack.a. The surface of a racetrack, including cushion, subsurface, and base, must be designed, constructed, and maintained to provide for the safety of the jockeys and racing animals.b. Distances to be run shall be measured from the starting line at a distance three feet out from the inside rail.c. A facility shall provide an adequate drainage system for the racetrack.d. A facility shall provide adequate equipment and personnel to maintain the track surface in a safe training and racing condition. The facility shall provide backup equipment for maintaining the track surface. A facility that conducts races on a turf track shall: (1) Maintain an adequate stockpile of growing medium; and(2) Provide a system capable of adequately watering the entire turf course evenly.e. Rails. (1) Racetracks, including turf tracks, shall have inside and outside rails, including gap rails, designed, constructed, and maintained to provide for the safety of jockeys and horses. The design and construction of rails must be approved by the commission prior to the first race meeting at the track.(2) The top of the rail must be at least 38 inches but not more than 44 inches above the top of the cushion. The inside rail shall have no less than a 24-inch overhang with a continuous smooth cover.(3) All rails must be constructed of materials designed to withstand the impact of a horse running at a gallop.(11)Patrol films or video recordings. Each facility shall provide: a. A video recording system approved by the commission. Cameras must be located to provide clear panoramic and head-on views of each race. Separate monitors, which simultaneously display the images received from each camera and are capable of simultaneously displaying a synchronized view of the recordings of each race for review, shall be provided in the stewards' stand. The location and construction of video towers must be approved by the commission.b. One camera, designated by the commission, to record the prerace loading of all horses into the starting gate and to continue to record until the field is dispatched by the starter.c. One camera, designated by the commission, to record the apparent winner of each race from the finish line until the horse has returned, the jockey has dismounted, and the equipment has been removed from the horse.d. At the discretion of the stewards, video camera operators to record the activities of any horses or persons handling horses prior to, during, or following a race.e. That races run on an oval track be recorded by at least three video cameras. Races run on a straight course must be recorded by at least two video cameras. f. Upon request of the commission, without cost, a copy of a video recording of a race.g. That video recordings recorded prior to, during, and following each race be maintained by the facility for not less than six months after the end of the race meeting, or such other period as may be requested by the stewards or the commission.h. A viewing room in which, on approval by the stewards, an owner, trainer, jockey, or other interested individual may view a video recording of a race.i. Following any race in which there is an inquiry or objection, the video recorded replays of the incident in question which were utilized by the stewards in making their decision. The facility shall display to the public these video recorded replays on designated monitors.(12)Communications.a. Each facility shall provide and maintain in good working order a communication system between: (9) The video camera locations;(11) The racing veterinarian;(12) The track announcer;(13) The location of the ambulances (equine and human); and(14) Other locations and persons designated by the commission.b. A facility shall provide and maintain a public address system capable of clearly transmitting announcements to the patrons and to the stable area.Iowa Admin. Code r. 491-10.2
Amended by IAB March 30, 2016/Volume XXXVIII, Number 20, effective 5/4/2016Amended by IAB December 19, 2018/Volume XLI, Number 13, effective 1/23/2019Amended by IAB February 10, 2021/Volume XLIII, Number 17, effective 3/17/2021