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Instant Carma Download Printable PDFBy Marsha Naify It’s been three years since I was first elected to the board of the Thoroughbred Owners of California. As the saying goes, if I had known then what I know now, I might not have ever run for the board. But all in all, it has been a good three years. We’ve seen a lot of changes in those three years: TCO2 testing on all horses that race in California, the establishment of the California Jockeys Welfare Corporation and the installation of all weather tracks in California. It would take me this entire magazine to go through all the horse racing legislation that has been passed in the last three years or all the transformations that we have seen through rule changes in the CHRB alone. Sometimes change comes very slowly as in the CHRB rule change that has been under discussion and revision for the last two years on Medication Violations and Penalties. But we have our success stories.When the industry comes together for the good of horse racing, we can accomplish amazing things. One such achievement was the recent establishment of the California JockeysWelfare Corporation (CJWC). The formation of the CJWC ensures that California riders are guaranteed to receive health benefits, by riding a minimum number of mounts in California.While the National Jockey’s Guild has been plagued by problems and recently filed for bankruptcy, we came up with a plan to continue to take care of our jockeys in this state. I can think of no greater cause than the health and safety concerns of our riders, unless it is the health and safety of our horses. I guess the two go hand in hand. On March 20th, 2008, we held the first board meeting for CARMA, the California Retirement Management Account. CARMA is the funding organization TOC set up to ensure that horses that race primarily in California will be retired properly. It is our hope that California will be the first state to end the disgrace of the “unwanted horse.” The first board meeting for CARMA is really one of the most historical events to occur in horse racing in the last decade. For the first time, owners are stepping up to the plate and saying we need to take care of our horses – everyone’s horses. The recent rule change that will allow CARMA to collect up to three tenths of one percent from purse revenues is really a landmark event for our industry.And now, California owners are throwing down the gauntlet to challenge trainers, jockeys, and the tracks to join in on this worthwhile endeavor. By the end of the year, we would like to see plans from the California Thoroughbred Trainers, from California jockeys and from California race tracks on how they will contribute to equine retraining, rehabilitation and retirement in California. I want to take this opportunity, once again, to thank the TOC board of directors and staff for all the time and effort they have put in to make California racing the best in the nation. And I want to give a special thanks to board member Madeline Auerbach, who made equine retirement her own personal crusade, and is the first board chair for CARMA. Below, you will see the names of CARMA’s newly installed board of directors. A debt of gratitude is owed to each and every one of them for being part of this worthwhile cause. CARMA Board of Directors Madeline Auerbach, Chair Marsha Naify, Vice Chair Doug O’Neill, Chief Financial Officer Jennifer Hagan, Secretary Ron Charles, Director Drew J. Couto, Director Trevor Denman, Director Jan Hawthorne, Director Guy Lamothe, Director John Sadler, Director Samantha Siegel, Director Gary Stevens, Director |
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Serving the California Thoroughbred Racehorse Owner |
