. . . and kennel inspections deter ‘Greyhound Trainers’
REGISTRATIONS of trainers with the GBGB are falling at a rate of 100 a year while the number of new greyhounds registered is also dropping.
Trainers, new or current, must apply for renewals at year end and, as was the case in 2010 when the drop was 105 compared with the previous 12 months, a similar drop is expected when the numbers for 2012 are counted.
GBGB registrar Dave Levy anticipates a similar fall off for the new year, although the final count won’t be known for a few weeks yet. “We give trainers a week or so’s grace to get their renewals in, some get lost in the post and the like, but it’s looking like the numbers will fall at a similar rate which would give us approximately 900 registrations for 2012,” he said.
REGISTRATIONS of trainers with the GBGB are falling at a rate of 100 a year while the number of new greyhounds registered is also dropping.
Trainers, new or current, must apply for renewals at year end and, as was the case in 2010 when the drop was 105 compared with the previous 12 months, a similar drop is expected when the numbers for 2012 are counted.
GBGB registrar Dave Levy anticipates a similar fall off for the new year, although the final count won’t be known for a few weeks yet. “We give trainers a week or so’s grace to get their renewals in, some get lost in the post and the like, but it’s looking like the numbers will fall at a similar rate which would give us approximately 900 registrations for 2012,” he said.
“We feel there will be a noticeable fall in the number of ‘Greyhound Trainers’ re-applying, some of whom haven’t had a dog in their kennel for years but just like to keep their licences going. However, these may fall away as we are aware that quite a few have been put off not so much by the cost of the veterinary inspections introduced this year but simply because they couldn’t be bothered to have the inspections carried out.”
The fall in trainers (15% of professional trainers are leaving each year) is a clear indication of the trough the sport is in at present and it could get worse before we dare think of things getting better. Ever-increasing costs of running a kennel, some tracks cutting out their midweek meetings and others occasionally staging five-dog races are all having a knock-on effect.
The bottom line is that so many trainers are now finding it impossible to make ends meet and consequently they are walking away from the sport. Levy reports that from 2009 to 2010 120 fewer greyhounds were registered with the ruling body but the figure for 2011 could rocket to 550, a huge decrease and a worry as much for promoters as it is for owners and trainers.
British breeding hasn’t quite come to a standstill but is getting perilously close while the story in Ireland isn’t much better!
The fall in trainers (15% of professional trainers are leaving each year) is a clear indication of the trough the sport is in at present and it could get worse before we dare think of things getting better. Ever-increasing costs of running a kennel, some tracks cutting out their midweek meetings and others occasionally staging five-dog races are all having a knock-on effect.
The bottom line is that so many trainers are now finding it impossible to make ends meet and consequently they are walking away from the sport. Levy reports that from 2009 to 2010 120 fewer greyhounds were registered with the ruling body but the figure for 2011 could rocket to 550, a huge decrease and a worry as much for promoters as it is for owners and trainers.
British breeding hasn’t quite come to a standstill but is getting perilously close while the story in Ireland isn’t much better!
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