The HSUS believes risks can be minimized in a number of ways, including more selective and conservative breeding, changing the starting age of racehorses, and limiting the number of races a horse competes in per season.

Additionally, the tracks themselves can also contribute to injuries, though in recent years, the development of synthetic tracks has been explored as a safer alternative. Diana Pikulski, executive director for the Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation, notes, "The debate about synthetic surfaces versus dirt tracks is still fairly new and experts are still trying to determine if an artificial surface is better than a dirt surface. Most would agree that a well-maintained dirt track can be just as safe as a synthetic track. Itâ??s the base of the dirt track that is most important and is most difficult to maintain. Some tracks that have switched to a synthetic surface have seen improvement. Those in the industry agree that itâ??s important to find the most absolute safest way to race horses and more research is being conducted."

According to the HSUS, Polytrack is one of the most well-known brands of synthetic racetrack materials and is already being used at a number of tracks across the United States, including Turfway Park (Florence, Ky.), Arlington Park (Arlington Heights, Ill.), Del Mar Racetrack (Del Mar, Calif.), Keeneland Race Course (Lexington, Ky.), as well as several tracks in England, Canada and Ireland. Other forms of synthetic footing include Cushion Track, Pro-Ride and Tapeta, which can be found at tracks like Santa Anita (Arcadia, Calif.), Hollywood Park (Inglewood, Calif.), Golden Gate Fields (Albany, Calif.) and Presque Isle Downs (Erie, Penn.).