Ohio mandates safety reins

At its March 16 meeting, the Ohio State Racing Commission enacted rules 3769-6-25.1 and 3769-17-09.1, requiring that horses on the grounds of a facility under the jurisdiction of the commission must be equipped with safety reins.

A safety rein is a rein with a wire or nylon cord stitched into the traditional leather or nylon rein during the manufacturing process, and the safety cord is attached to the bit with a metal clasp.

In order to save horsemen the expense of replacing all of their current reins, the Commission determined that these rules will not be effective until July 1, 2008.

This phase-in period will allow jockeys and drivers the opportunity to be able to comply with the new rule by replacing existing reins with the new safety reins as their existing equipment wears out, which typically happens within a two-year period.

Any questions concerning these new rules can be referred to Executive Director Sam Zonak at (614) 466-2757. (OSRC)

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