A successful Standardbred trainer has found himself in hot water. An alleged incident which took place this past August has resulted in a police investigation and the possibility of charges. The horse racing commission overseeing the jurisdiction is also reportedly recommending a 15-year license suspension and a fine of $40,000.
According to an article by The Herald Bulletin, trainer Bobby Brower is fighting allegations that he beat a horse (B Abland) after it had collapsed at Pace Setter Farm, which is located in Anderson, Indiana.
Brower has said that the five-year-old had trained at the farm that day "and he slipped and fell on the wet pavement." The trainer states that a whip was used once on the gelding’s rear in order to get him up. B Abland did get up, but fell once again. Brower said that others were helping him try to get the horse up by jumping and stomping around him (in an effort to get B Abland to get up). "A horse will just lay there and hurt itself," said Brower, who also went on to state that the charges were due to jealousy within the industry. "The incident has really been blown out of proportion," he said, adding, "I'm going to fight this to the max."
Brower has also been accused tampering with witnesses in relation to the alleged incident. Madison County Prosecutor Rodney Cummings has requested that the Indiana State Police begin an investigation into the whole situation. Cummings has said that investigators will look into the allegations, which include animal cruelty, threatening witnesses, and tampering. He has said that Level 6 felonies or misdemeanour charge could be the result, depending on the findings.
"There was never a criminal investigation,” Cummings has told FOX 59. “The allegation is ran the horse (sic) until it collapsed and beat and kicked the horse after it was down that sounds, the allegation is pretty severe so it's worthy of at least the police looking into it.”
An earlier article on the situation by The Herald Bulletin had inaccurately stated that the incident had occurred on the property of Hoosier Park Racing & Casino. The original article was then retracted due to inaccuracy. Hoosier Park officials are cooperating with the ongoing investigation being conducted by the Indiana Horse Racing Commission.
"We maintain a high level of integrity with expert security protocols in place," Rick Moore, Hoosier Park's vice president and general manager of racing, has said via release. "The safety of our human and equine athletes is Hoosier Park's No. 1 priority."
In addition to on-track security measures, Hoosier Park is a loyal advocate for animal welfare and supports a wide array of organizations related to the well being of animals.
"From supporting the Animal Protection League right here in our own community to New Vocations Racehorse Adoption Program, which gives racehorses a bright future once their time on the track is complete, we avidly share the responsibility of promoting the care and well being of all animals," said Moore. "Our job is never done and we will continue to find new ways to support these efforts."
(With files from The Herald Bulletin, FOX 59 and Hoosier Park)