Seventeen years ago, Odilia Castillo, now 37, traveled north from her home in Chiapas, Mexico, to work as a “sexy walker” on the race tracks of Kentucky. Every morning, she wakes up at 3 a.m. and goes to the track at 4 a.m. to walk the horses, which need at least 30 to 45 minutes to cool down after training.
Castillo said she had a “connection with horses,” and that’s what drove her to care for the animals — until in 2021 she was no longer able to work due to a stomach pain. She said she didn’t know what the pain was, so she went to the Kentucky Racing Health Services Center. The Louisville clinic was founded in 2005 to serve the needs of what are known in the racing world as “backsides,” primarily migrant workers who care for horses that race at racetracks such as Churchill Downs.
The mother of two, married to another racetrack employee, had to take days off – a daunting challenge for these workers – many of whom are migrants from Mexico, Guatemala, Venezuela or other countries. Latin America – who head to the tracks six days a week to help keep Kentucky’s estimated $2.7 billion annual racing economy humming. They are the walkers, exercise riders, grooms and farriers needed to keep the state’s 238,027 horses in racing shape.
Many backcountry workers are undocumented — and don’t have job protections — but are essential to caring for the million-dollar horses racing Saturday in 2024. Kentucky Derbyknown for its fashionable hats, mint juleps and billionaire owners.
This is where the clinic comes in.
“A traveling workforce that must stay healthy”
Some backcountry workers are hired by trainers under the H-2B temporary work visa program, but many are undocumented because the demand for people to care for and feed the horses far outstrips visas delivered.
The average barn hires one person for every two horses, trainer William Jordan Blair told CBS News, and the workers in the background are “an integral part of every operation.” Backyard workers care for about five to six horses during their day. He said it’s difficult to find steady workers for his 30-horse stable, Jordan Blair Racing, and many others in the racing circuit, in part because of the transient nature of the business.
“It’s a transient job, not by choice, but that’s how our business works: It’s not easy to find workers,” Jordan said.
The workers, who are usually hired by the trainers and stables, typically travel with the horses three to four times a year to different race tracks in Florida, Kentucky, New York and other states, and each track is different. Many offer dormitories — in varying conditions, Jordan said — and some of the larger ones offer child care and sometimes health care.
“It’s easier to retain help when workers are younger,” said Jordan, who said when workers are younger, they don’t mind moving as much. “But when they have a family, it’s difficult to uproot them.” He said the loss of experienced workers made it difficult for horses and stables. Workers are paid an average of $13 an hour in Kentucky, he said, but can earn more — or sometimes less — in other states.
courtesy of Krista Roach
But for many workers, it’s a breeze, said nurse practitioner Krista Roach, who started working at the clinic in 2019.
“It’s hard when they leave for a few months,” Roach said. “It’s like starting from scratch when they come back.”
She said she has seen workers not receive medication or help for various illnesses, including illnesses such as diabetes and, occasionally, STIs.
A common refrain among workers is the fear of missing work, even for a day. There is worry inside: if they miss work, other migrants will come to replace them – or they will be fired.
“If you want a job the next day, you won’t take a day off. Unless you have an understanding boss, you’re there every day,” one worker told a researcher in a study on how these workers treat their health.
Unclaimed race tickets fund clinic
These are the challenges the clinic is trying to address for the back-of-house workers seeking help. Most workers come by word of mouth, because “news travels quickly from behind,” an often close-knit community, Roach said.
Unclaimed racing tickets collected by the state of Kentucky support the clinic to the tune of $700,000 a year – and dedicated nurses, bilingual doctors, physician assistants and administrators ensure workers get the services they need. they need.
Nurse Dedra Hayden, center director and associate professor at the University of Louisville School of Nursing, which hosts the clinic, has a policy on caring for the mostly Latino race track workers. State.
“I just don’t ask,” Hayden said, referring to patients’ immigration status.
Kentucky Racing Health Services Center
“We try to provide a safe environment for them,” Roach said. She remembers seeing a worker asking nurses to cut her toenails. He didn’t wear shoes on the tracks and his feet were in such bad shape he was afraid to touch them. The nurses cut his nails and bandaged his feet so he could return to work. “He was so grateful,” Roach said. Since Roach joined the clinic in 2019, she has worked to expand health care for female back-of-the-house workers who tend to use the clinic for services.
They saw 1,010 patients and expanded their services to include OB-GYN exams for women, cancer check-ups, and support for families and children. Castillo said she visited numerous doctors to find out what was wrong.
“During those years, I was afraid because I didn’t know what was wrong with me,” Castillo said – until she arrived at the clinic.
She underwent surgery and, after a month and a half, she was able to return to work to take care of the horses that she “feels in her soul.”
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