The AGCO Raises the Bar for Equine Welfare with New Rules Effective June 23

Aligned with ongoing efforts to enhance equine welfare and support industry sustainability, the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO) has updated the Thoroughbred Rules of Racing (and Quarter Horse Appendix), to strengthen racehorse health and safety.

Effective Date: June 23, 2025 (Thoroughbred), July 14, 2025 (Quarter Horse)

Note: There will be a transition period until July 14, 2025, for the Quarter Horse industry to understand these new requirements and come into compliance.

These enhanced rules are a result of extensive industry consultation and represent an important step towards the protection of equine health and the integrity of the sport. Those include:

• Greater veterinary oversight
• Closer monitoring of horses coming off the Veterinarians’ List
• Racing frequency restrictions for horses, and
• New regulations for the use of certain therapeutic treatments.

These changes will help ensure that only healthy horses are permitted to race, and that horses recovering from injury are provided the time and care they need to recover before returning to work.

Please see below for a summary of what is changing with the implementation of these welfare enhancements: 

Racetrack Operators Trainers/Owners 

Trainers/Owners + Veterinarians All Licensees

Please see the updated Thoroughbred Rules of Racing and Quarter Horse Appendix below.

The AGCO remains committed to safeguarding Ontario’s racehorses. These welfare enhancements represent an essential step toward long-term industry success and sustaining public confidence in the sport.

Additional support

Summary of Changes

Racetrack Operators

• Increased veterinary oversight – Racetracks will be required to create a plan for an Official Veterinarian to be present to observe during each race day and during peak training activities. (TB 3.05.05)

This change strengthens horse welfare and safety by ensuring Official Veterinarian oversight during critical periods during race days and training activities.

Trainers/Owners

• Expanded medical history requirement – Horse medical records must now include drug names and dosage information for added transparency for new owners.  Owners and Trainers may now request horse medical records of intra-articular injections when a horse transfers ownership. (TB 15.09.04 (iii))

These changes strengthen medical record transparency, allowing new owners to request expanded medical information from previous owners.

Trainers/Owners + Veterinarians

• Expansion and clarity of current process for removal from the Veterinarians’ List – Horses working to come off the Veterinarians’ List are required to be examined by the Official Veterinarian prior to an official workout. A trainer must schedule an appointment with an Official Veterinarian for removal at least 24 hours in advance of the official workout. Before the appointment, the trainer and private veterinarian must declare the horse is fit to work and co-sign a Veterinarian Statement of Fitness and submit a Regulatory Submission in iAGCO. If the Commission or Official Veterinarian identifies a horse as lame when it is presented to work off the Veterinarians’ List, it may be placed on the Veterinarians’ List for an additional 28 days and may require further diagnostics. (TB 27.09, QH 27.09)
• Faster communication – After examining a horse, veterinarians must inform trainers/owners, as soon as reasonably possible, whether a horse must remain on the Veterinarians’ List or when it can be removed from the List and resume racing. (TB 27.11)
• Mandatory reporting – Private veterinarians must report all intra-articular injections of the fetlock joint using the Veterinarian Medical Record Regulatory Submission in iAGCO. (TB 27.16.01(f))
• Temporary workout restriction – Horses scratched or placed on the Veterinarians’ List by a veterinarian must wait two days before participating in an official workout. (TB 27.09.01)

These changes improve clarity and streamline the process for managing horses on the Veterinarians' List, ensuring the welfare of horses remains a priority. Additionally, the changes enhance transparency of medical records and horse status, as well as providing the AGCO with accurate documentation of any horse that has received an intra-articular injection of the fetlock joint.

All Licensees

• Expanded examination authority – A Commission or Official Veterinarian can now examine any horse at the racetrack and inform the trainer/owner of findings as soon as reasonably possible. (TB 27.12)
• Mandatory rest period after fetlock injections – Horses receiving intra-articular fetlock injections must remain on the Veterinarians’ List for 14 days before competing (TB 27.03); and cannot perform an official work to come off the Veterinarians’ List for 14 days following the injection. (TB 27.09, QH 27.09)  

• Mandatory rest period for horses (Thoroughbred) – Two-year-old horses that raced twice within 28 days, and three-year-old and older horses that raced twice within 21 days are restricted from racing in that period. (TB 6.01.01)
• Clarified race entry regulations – A horse may be entered in a race as long as it is eligible to come off the Veterinarians’ List by post time. (TB 27.08)

These rule changes increase veterinary oversight and strengthen equine health protections, with a particular focus on younger horses and horses that received fetlock joint injections. Scientific evidence supports a restriction on high-speed furlongs to allow rest periods between races.

Additionally, the changes allow flexibility for race entry while still prioritizing horse welfare.

Additional support

• Regulatory Submission – Veterinarian Medical Records
• Regulatory Submission – Veterinarian Statement of Fitness

Questions 

For question about the changes to the Rules of Racing and your obligations, please see the Race Day Contact List .

For questions specific to the Veterinarians’ List, please contact AGCO Veterinary Services:

• 1-855-261-6821
• vetclerks@agco.ca 

For questions about regulatory submissions in iAGCO, please contact AGCO Customer Service:

• 416-326-8700 or 1-800-522-2876 (toll-free in Ontario)
• Monday - Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. (EST)
• customer.service@agco.ca
• Ask a question through iAGCO

Thoroughbred (and Quarter Horse) Rules of Racing

New rule added in Chapter 3: Racing Associations , of the Thoroughbred Rules of Racing stating:  

3.05.05 An Association shall create a risk-based plan, to the satisfaction of the Registrar, to ensure that an Official Veterinarian is present to observe throughout each race day and during peak training periods, and also during certain other training periods occurring anywhere on Association grounds.

New rule added in Chapter 6: Entries and Subscriptions , of the Thoroughbred Rules of Racing stating:  

6.01.01 A horse shall be permitted to enter but cannot start unless: 

1. The horse has not received an intra-articular fetlock injection in the previous fourteen (14) calendar days.
2. A horse that is two (2) years of age has raced no more than twice in the previous twenty-eight (28) calendar days.
3. A horse that is three (3) years of age or older has raced no more than twice in the previous twenty-one (21) calendar days.  

Updates made in Chapter 12: Claiming Races , of the Thoroughbred Rules of Racing stating:  

12.32.01(e)(i) i.    The Commission Veterinarian or Official Veterinarian places the horse on the Veterinarian's Veterinarians’ List

Updates made in Chapter 15: Misconduct, Needles, Syringes and Searches , of the Thoroughbred Rules of Racing stating:  

15.09.04 (iii) For the purposes of Rule 15.09.03, the medical history of the horse shall include the records of administration, including drug, brand, dosage and date for:

1. Vaccinations
2. Dewormings
3. Intra-articular injections within the past 12 months.

15.40.02 A horse requiring a workout to come off the Veterinarian’s Veterinarians’ List shall not test positive for any corticosteroid, analgesic. non-steroidal anti-inflammatory, or local anesthetic, including but not limited to, those substances that Canadian Pari-Mutuel Agency has listed an Elimination Guideline. Violation of this rule shall result in:   

1. A minimum $500 monetary penalty at the discretion of the Stewards and;
2. The horse shall have its workout removed and be placed back on the Veterinarian’s Veterinarians’ List with the same number of days and requirements it had for removal, prior to being eligible to come off the list.

Updates and new rules added in Chapter 27: Commission Veterinarians, Official Veterinarians and Other Veterinarians , of the Thoroughbred Rules of Racing stating:  

27.03 Any horse scratched or that is determined to be unfit to race by the Commission Veterinarian or Official Veterinarian or a licensed Veterinarian may be placed on the Veterinarians’ List for a minimum of seven (7) days. Horses that have received an intra-articular fetlock injection will be placed to the Veterinarians’ List for 14 days. Any horse that has been placed on the Veterinarian’s Veterinarians’ List may be required to work one half (1/2) mile at the discretion of the Commission Veterinarian or Official Veterinarian. On the eighth day, the horse shall be eligible to be removed from the Veterinarian’s List and entered. Where entries are taken more than 72 hours in advance, a horse with the permission of the Commission Veterinarian may be entered. Any horse that has been on the Veterinarian’s Veterinarians’ List twice in a 30 day span shall be placed on the Veterinarian’s List and it shall be mandatory for the horse may be required to work one half (1/2) mile to the satisfaction of the Commission Veterinarian or Official Veterinarian, no matter how long the horse has been on the Veterinarian’s Veterinarians’ List or turned out.

27.08 A Commission Veterinarians Veterinarian or Official Veterinarians Veterinarian shall keep a list to be called the Commission Veterinarians’ or Official Veterinarians’ List (otherwise referred to as the Vets’ List) upon which shall be entered the name of any horse which any Commission Veterinarian or Official Veterinarian considers unfit, unsound or not ready for racing. During the time a horse’s name is on such list, it shall not race in Ontario., nor shall it be entered in any race, except that it may be nominated in a stakes race. A horse on the Veterinarians’ List may be entered to race and/or nominated in a stakes race, provided it is eligible to race by post time. Only a Commission Veterinarian or Official Veterinarian shall remove a horse’s name from the Vets’ Veterinarians’ List and shall do so only when, in their opinion, the horse is fit, sound and ready for racing.

27.09 Any owner or trainer whose horse has been placed on the Commission Veterinarians’ or Official Veterinarians’ List may apply at any time to a Commission Veterinarian or Official Veterinarian for their examination of such horse, and such examination shall be conducted within 24 hours of the request for it, provided that the horse is stabled at a convenient track.

Removal of Horse from the Veterinarians’ List:

a) A horse that has been placed on the Veterinarians’ List without the requirement for an examination, official workout and/or diagnostics, may be removed after 7 days, or such other number of days, as directed by the Commission Veterinarian or Official Veterinarian. 

b) A horse that has been placed on the Veterinarians’ List with the requirement for an examination and/or diagnostics may be removed from the Veterinarians’ List if the Commission Veterinarian or Official Veterinarian is satisfied that the horse is fit and ready for racing.   

c) A horse that has been placed on the Veterinarians’ List with the requirement for an official workout may be removed from the Veterinarians’ List upon the satisfaction of all the following:  

1. A trainer and private veterinarian, after observing the horse jogging, must co-sign and file a statement that the horse is fit to perform an official workout. If the statement satisfies the Commission Veterinarian, the official workout must occur within 4 days after the statement is dated, or a new statement will be required.
2. Any additional diagnostics requested when the horse was placed on the Veterinarians’ List must be produced by the trainer and any diagnostic criteria must satisfy the Commission Veterinarian or Official Veterinarian before requesting permission to work the horse.
3. An owner or trainer must apply to a Commission Veterinarian or Official Veterinarian for permission to work at least 24 hours in advance of the official workout.
4. The horse must be examined by a Commission Veterinarian or Official Veterinarian immediately prior to the official workout and be declared fit to proceed with the official workout.
5. A horse cannot perform the official workout if it has received an intra-articular fetlock injection in the last 14 days.
6. The horse may be required to perform the official workout under supervision of a Commission Veterinarian or Official Veterinarian and demonstrate that the horse is fit to race.  
7. A blood sample may be collected from the horse following the official workout.
8. If at any time before, during, or after the official workout, the Commission Veterinarian or Official Veterinarian identifies a horse as lame, the horse may be placed on the Veterinarians’ List for an additional 28 days and further diagnostics may be required.

27.09.01 A horse scratched from the official race program by a veterinarian and/or placed on the Commission Veterinarian’s Veterinarians’ List is ineligible to record prohibited from participating in an official workout within two days of having been a veterinarian scratch placed on the Veterinarians’ List without the permission of the an Official Veterinarian or Commission Veterinarian or the Stewards.

27.11 Such horse shall be observed at the end of the work, if any, and cooling out, and the The Commission Veterinarian or Official Veterinarian shall then inform the horseperson trainer or person in charge of the horse, as soon as reasonably possible, after an examination, that their horse is to remain on the Commission Veterinarians’ or Official Veterinarians’ List or when it will may be removed from this list., as the case may be.

27.12 In the interest of equine health,, and in connection with horses being shipped into any Ontario race track, a Commission Veterinarian or Official Veterinarian may examine any horse at their discretion after advising the trainer or person in charge of such horse of their intention to do so.  on the Association grounds, regardless of entry status. The Commission Veterinarian or Official Veterinarian will advise the trainer or person in charge of the horse, as soon as reasonably possible, that the horse was examined and the results of the examination.

27.16.01 (f) Report to the Commission, in the required form, within 24 hours of any time a horse receives an intra-articular fetlock injection.

Quarter Horse Appendix

New rule added in Chapter 6: Entries and Subscriptions , of the Quarter Horse Appendix stating:  

6.01.01 A horse shall be permitted to enter but cannot start unless:   

1. The horse has not received an intra-articular fetlock injection in the previous fourteen (14) calendar days.

Updates, deletions, and new rules added in Chapter 27: Commission Veterinarians, Official Veterinarians and Other Veterinarians , of the Quarter Horse Appendix stating:  

27.03 Any horse scratched or that is determined to be unfit to race by the Commission Veterinarian or Official Veterinarian or a licensed Veterinarian may be placed on a (7) day list the Veterinarians’ List for a minimum of 7 days. Horses that have received an intra-articular fetlock injection will be placed on the Veterinarians’ List for 14 days. Any horse that has been placed on the Veterinarian’s Veterinarians’ List may be required to work 220 yards at the discretion of the attending Veterinarian approved by the Commission. Commission Veterinarian or Official Veterinarian. On the 8th day, the horse shall be eligible to be removed from the Veterinarians’ List and entered. Any horse that has been on the Veterinarian’s Veterinarians’ List twice in a 30 day span shall be placed on the Veterinarians’ List and it shall be mandatory the horse may be required to work 220 yards to the satisfaction of the Commission Veterinarian or Official Veterinarian, no matter how long the horse has been on the Veterinarians’ List.

27.05 An Official Veterinarian shall inspect all horses in the paddock and at the starting point of each race. If in his/her opinion, any horse is not fit, sound and ready for racing, he/she shall recommend to the Stewards that it be scratched and the Stewards shall take such action as they deem fit.

27.09 Removal of Horse from the Veterinarians’ List: 

a) A horse that has been placed on the Veterinarians’ List without the requirement for an examination, official workout and/or diagnostics, may be removed after 7 days, or such other number of days, as directed by the Commission Veterinarian or Official Veterinarian. 

b) A horse that has been placed on the Veterinarians’ List with the requirement for an examination and/or diagnostics may be removed from the Veterinarians’ List if the Commission Veterinarian or Official Veterinarian is satisfied that the horse is fit and ready for racing.   

c) A horse that has been placed on the Veterinarians’ List with the requirement for an official workout may be removed from the Veterinarians’ List upon the satisfaction of all the following:  

1. A trainer and private Veterinarian, after observing the horse jogging, must co-sign and file a statement that the horse is fit to perform an official workout. If the statement satisfies the Commission Veterinarian, the official workout must occur within 4 days after the statement is dated, or a new statement will be required, unless otherwise permitted by the Commission Vet.
2. Any additional diagnostics requested when the horse was placed on the Veterinarians’ List must be produced by the trainer and any diagnostic criteria must satisfy the Commission Veterinarian or Official Veterinarian before requesting permission to work the horse.
3. An owner or trainer must apply to a Commission Veterinarian or Official Veterinarian for permission to work at least 24 hours in advance of the official workout.   
4. The horse must be examined by a Commission Veterinarian or Official Veterinarian immediately prior to the official workout and be declared fit to proceed with the official workout.
5. A horse cannot perform the official workout if it has received an intra-articular fetlock injection in the last 14 days.
6. The horse may be required to perform the official workout under supervision of a Commission Veterinarian or Official Veterinarian and demonstrate that the horse is fit to race.
7. A blood sample may be collected from the horse following the official workout.
8. If at any time before, during, or after the official workout, the Commission Veterinarian or Official Veterinarian identifies a horse as lame, the horse may be placed on the Veterinarians’ List for an additional 28 days and further diagnostics may be required.