A Voice for the Voiceless Athletes

Horse racing is at a crossroads, and a Saint sees a better track forward.

Abby Trinkle '26 can still remember unwrapping one of the best gifts of her life. She wasn't quite four years old, and it was a brand new, beautiful... wheelbarrow.

"What kid wants to shovel horse poop? I did! My parents couldn't keep me out of the stall. We've had horses my whole life, and I just always wanted to be with them. I was tiny and my parents were always worried I would get trampled."

Trinkle mucked to her heart's content, and as she got older, her passion for horses only grew. She's now an accomplished dressage rider, and she's found more ways (beyond filling wheelbarrows) to care for the animals she loves.

Last year, the entrepreneurship and sport management major wrote a paper for Adam Pfleegor, Ph.D., associate professor of management. Pfleegor was impressed and approached Trinkle about an independent research project that, if all went well, could be presented at February's Applied Sport Management Association (ASMA) conference in Philadelphia. Trinkle leapt at the opportunity and produced "Racing at a Crossroads: Governance Reform & the Ethics of Equine Welfare."

Trinkle's project took on the alarming rise in horse fatalities in the sport of thoroughbred racing, and she explored ways to protect the athletes that, as Trinkle puts it, "do not have an autonomous decision in their participation." Thoroughbreds start racing at just two years old, and intuitively, it might seem like that's the problem. But, Trinkle's research uncovered a different truth.

"Two-year-old horses are racing on underdeveloped bones and you wouldn't want a five-year-old boy playing tackle football. But veterinarians have determined that horses bred to race must start training young to remodel their bones and tendons to withstand the rigors of racing. Starting later isn't the answer, but perhaps horses can train at two, but not race that young."

Following abstract submissions, nine undergraduates from across the country, including Trinkle, were chosen to present as finalists at the conference. Trinkle finished in second place.

"I was surprised at how much interest my poster drew. It's an unconventional topic, so I think it stood out. The top three winners were all women. I thought that was really cool in a field that is predominantly men."

"It becomes clear very quickly when you talk with Abby just how passionate and driven she is," said Pfleegor (below, left, with Trinkle and four other students who traveled to the conference). "She's an exceptional student and an even better person. For ASMA, she focused on a topic that is extremely meaningful to her and developed a professional, applied project with potential real-world implications. The judges recognized her passion and expertise, and her second-pace finish was well deserved. I'm excited to continue working with Abby as she completes her manuscript on the project this semester and look forward to seeing the impact she will make on the horse industry following graduation."

Trinkle also plans on turning pro in dressage, a move that could lead to a relocation to either Florida, Virginia, or Kentucky. She'll also continue to advocate for the animals that she loves and has always maintained a pragmatic mindset. Loving and caring for horses and enjoying horse racing aren't mutually exclusive positions.

"My opinion hasn't changed as a result of this project. We have to acknowledge there is risk in every sport. If we wanted to eliminate risk, sports wouldn't exist. But we have a responsibility to eliminate as much possible risk as we can. Science has advanced far enough that we can reduce the risk quite a bit if we try."