CEA Weighs In on Puerto Rico's New Import Examination Order
Chrissy Laughlin
Puerto Rico's Gaming Commission has taken a meaningful step for horse welfare. CEA is committed to helping make it stick.
On June 8, 2026, Caribbean Equine Advocacy submitted a formal letter to Gaming Commission Executive Director Lcdo. Juan C. Santaella Marchan regarding Administrative Order OADE-NH-26-10 — a new regulation requiring a veterinary lameness examination for imported horses of racing age before they can be registered at Hipódromo Camarero.
We want to be unambiguous: CEA commends the Commission for this action. A pre-registration lameness requirement is a sound, welfare-forward step. It signals that Puerto Rico's regulators are paying attention to the standards that protect both horses and the sport's integrity. We have advocated for exactly this kind of structural safeguard, and we are glad to see it codified.
That said, our letter identifies five areas where the Order, as currently written, contains structural gaps that could allow the requirement to be circumvented in practice. We raise these concerns now — before the Order takes effect — because we believe the Commission shares our commitment to strong, enforceable protections, and because closing these gaps while the regulation is still in development is far easier than correcting them after problems arise.
Our ApproachCEA is pro-horse and pro-integrity — not anti-racing. Our letter is offered as a constructive partnership, not a challenge to the Commission's authority. We want this regulation to succeed, and we are prepared to provide technical assistance toward that end.
What the Order Gets Right
The requirement of a veterinary lameness examination prior to registration at Camarero is significant. Importation has historically been a vulnerability point in Caribbean racing: horses with pre-existing injuries are sometimes moved between jurisdictions, with condition obscured or undisclosed. Requiring a physical examination before a horse can be registered creates a meaningful checkpoint. It protects the horse, protects honest horsemen, and protects the public who wagers on these races.
The Commission deserves credit for acting. The Order reflects regulatory seriousness, and CEA's engagement is an expression of confidence that the Commission intends this to be real protection — not a box-checking exercise.
Where the Order Needs Strengthening
Our letter identifies five categories of concern. Each is correctable before the Order takes effect.
1. Define Key Terms
The Order applies to every horse of "racing age" that is "acquired" outside Puerto Rico — but neither term is defined. Without clear definitions, enforcement will be inconsistent at best and legally vulnerable at worst. Owners could exploit ambiguity to avoid the requirement entirely.
2. Require the Examination Before Transport
As written, the examination must occur "prior to registration" — not prior to the horse leaving its origin jurisdiction. This creates a loophole: a lame horse could endure the stress of transport, arrive in Puerto Rico, and only then be examined and denied registration. The Order should mandate examination before departure, or at minimum require documentation to be submitted before arrival.
3. Standardize the Examination Protocol
The Order states that the examination "ordinarily includes" certain components — but "ordinarily" is not a mandate. CEA recommends specifying required components (physical inspection at rest, dynamic evaluation in motion, joint flexion tests, imaging when indicated), setting a 30-day validity window, and defining minimum veterinarian qualifications. A standardized form should accompany every import order.
4. Prohibit Medication Masking
This is the most urgent gap in the Order. Nothing in the current text prevents an owner from administering powerful anti-inflammatory drugs or local anesthetics before the examination — causing a lame horse to pass inspection. The consequences are serious and foreseeable. Standard practice in major racing jurisdictions includes mandatory blood and urine sampling at the time of examination, and a signed owner affidavit disclosing all substances administered in the preceding 30 days.
5. Strengthen Enforcement and Fill Process Gaps
The Order does not prescribe a standardized submission format, does not define what happens when a horse fails inspection, and does not address scenarios involving claimed or resold horses. Penalty provisions may also be insufficient to deter non-compliance for owners of high-value horses. Each of these gaps has a straightforward solution, and we outline them in detail in our letter.
⚠ The Medication Gap: Why It Cannot Wait
Without an anti-masking provision, the lameness examination can be rendered meaningless before the horse ever sets foot in the examination area. An owner who administers NSAIDs, corticosteroids, or a nerve block hours before the exam can cause a clinically lame horse to appear sound. That horse could then be registered, placed into training, and break down on the track — or test positive for residues during its first race, triggering sanctions against a trainer who did not know the pre-registration drugging. Every major racing jurisdiction addresses this. Puerto Rico's Order must too.
"CEA wants this regulation to succeed — and we are prepared to provide technical assistance toward that end."
What Comes Next
Our letter has been submitted directly to Executive Director Santaella Marchan, with copies to the Board of Commissioners, the Negociado del Deporte Hípico, the Confederación Hípica de Puerto Rico, the Puerto Rico Horse Owners Association, the AAEP Working Committee, and Caribbean Thoroughbred Aftercare.
CEA has offered to meet with Commission staff at any time to discuss our recommendations in detail. These are not adversarial concerns — they are the kinds of technical questions any serious regulatory body would want answered before a new rule takes effect. We are confident that by working together, we can ensure this Order delivers the robust protections Puerto Rico's horses deserve.
We will continue to report on developments as the Commission considers its response.
