R 431.4285 Trainers; licensing.

Rule 4285. (1) An applicant for a trainer's license shall satisfy the stewards, in the manner as they may prescribe, that he or she complies with all of the following requirements: (a) Has not less than 2 years of experience under a recognized trainer and has demonstrated the ability to train. (b) Is knowledgeable of, and conversant in, the training of harness horses. (c) Is familiar with the rules pertaining to trainers and training. (2) A person applying for a trainer's license shall be 18 years of age and shall submit satisfactory proof of having successfully completed a written United States Trotting Association examination or an examination given by the stewards. (3) A person applying for a trainer's license for the purpose of training only horses he or she owns or in which he or she has an interest may be issued a trainer's license without being subject to the requirement of having 2 years' experience under a recognized trainer as set forth in subrule (1) of this rule. (4) A licensed trainer may employ persons other than grooms to assist him or her in the care and training of horses in his or her stable. The assistant trainer shall be licensed and may perform all of the duties of a trainer, except that the trainer remains the absolute insurer of the condition of a horse. (5) A horse shall not start unless the trainer and the owner are licensed by the executive director. A trainer and assistant trainer who are absent from his or her stable or from the grounds where his or her horses are racing for more than 2 consecutive days, and whose horses are entered or are to be entered, shall provide a licensed trainer to assume complete responsibility for the horses being entered or running. The licensed trainer shall sign, in the presence of the stewards, a form furnished by the executive director accepting complete responsibility for the horses entered or running.