The Pennsylvania Horse Racing Commission approved a series of items Tuesday intended to address the safety of horses and reduce the number of avoidable fatalities occurring at the state’s three thoroughbred tracks.

The wide-ranging effort was produced by a working group of various stakeholders – representing the commission, racetracks, horsemen, and veterinarians – that studied the issue in the second half of 2021.

Thomas Chuckas, the commission’s director of thoroughbred racing, said that as “a starting point,” they developed an action plan using best practices from other racing states across the nation. Some of the items will be accomplished by regulations to take effect March 1, while others will be policies that can be adopted by the commission or the racetracks themselves.