California board moves to ban pin-firing, blistering in racing

California horse racing is tightening the line on outdated treatment methods that regulators now view as off-limits: pin-firing, blistering, freeze-firing of shins and injections meant to create inflammation or a counterirritant effect. The California Horse Racing Board approved the regulatory amendment, known as Rule 1867, at its May 13 meeting in Sacramento, a move that changes what trainers and veterinarians can do across every breed racing under the state’s jurisdiction.

The practical effect is immediate in the regulatory pipeline. The board’s action now goes through a 45-day notice period before possible implementation around Oct. 1, giving horsemen, veterinarians and regulators a short runway to adjust stable protocols, recordkeeping and treatment decisions. The shift matters because these practices have long sat in the gray zone between old-school horse care and modern welfare standards, and California is now making clear that any procedure intended to mask injury or desensitize tissue has no place in its racing program.

The board meeting was chaired by Gregory Ferraro and included Vice Chair Oscar Gonzales and Commissioners Dennis Alfieri, Damascus Castellanos, Brenda Washington Davis and Peter Stern. The amendment lands in a broader national context as the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority continues to enforce uniform integrity and safety rules for Thoroughbred racing, including bans on practices that can hide pain or numb limb and musculoskeletal structures. California’s move aligns state oversight more tightly with that national framework and could add pressure on other jurisdictions that still tolerate a looser standard.

That was not the only change coming out of the meeting. The board approved the Los Angeles County Fair’s license application for a meet at Los Alamitos Race Course from June 19 through July 5, with the fair meet running alongside the track’s familiar daytime Thoroughbred program and nighttime quarter horse races. Los Alamitos marketing director Orlando Gutierrez also said the track plans to expand in-house simulcast coverage with more cameras and staff beginning July 3 as FanDuel TV cuts back and moves toward elimination in 2028.

Vice Chair Gonzales read a letter from the National Turf Writers and Broadcasters urging FanDuel TV to reconsider the phase-out, a reminder that the broadcast fight is now part of racing’s business future as much as its racing calendar. The board also approved Del Mar Thoroughbred Club’s July 17 through Sept. 7 meet, while Del Mar continued pushing incentives for a deeper entry box with $100,000 open maiden races for 2-year-olds and special-condition auction races for horses purchased for $150,000 or less. Against that backdrop, California’s welfare rule reads like more than a one-off ban. It is another sign that the state wants to set the pace, not follow it.