23 Jun 2023
Researchers have partnered with the sport’s regulator and the Horse Welfare Board for a three-year project examining ways of improving safety and welfare.
Allister Webb
Job Title
Image © Gabriel Cassan / Adobe Stock
The RVC has announced plans for a major new study that it hopes will help to reduce the injury risks associated with horse racing.
The college has formed a partnership with the Horse Welfare Board and the sport’s regulator, the British Horseracing Authority (BHA), for the project, which will examine issues both on and off the track.
Researchers expect to publish their initial findings and recommendations next year, although the study will run for another two years after that.
The announcement of the study comes during the annual Royal Ascot meeting, which has been threatened with disruption by animal rights activists opposed to the sport.
Principal investigator Kristian Verheyen, professor of veterinary clinical epidemiology at the RVC, said: “We are delighted to support the Horse Welfare Board in delivering a key part of its strategy for improving the welfare of horses bred to race.
“By working together, this research will improve our understanding of the causes of injuries in racehorses and help the industry make scientifically informed changes that minimise injury risk and maximise equine safety and welfare.”
The two-stage project, which is being funded by the Racing Foundation, will initially focus on issues relating to National Hunt or jump racing.
Researchers will examine data routinely collected for each race in Great Britain, together with the records of fatal injuries occurring within 48 hours of racing, plus non-fatal injuries requiring veterinary attention on race days, in order to identify contributing risk factors and trends over time.
The second phase will then see data collected from a group of racehorse trainers to assess their practices and any injuries sustained by the horses in their care to help inform best practice.
Former trainer James Given, who is now the BHA’s director of equine regulation, safety and welfare, said the researchers’ input would be “invaluable”.
He added: “The appointment of the epidemiological team at the Royal Veterinary College to support the Jump Race Risk Model and other projects is a significant step forwards in our ongoing efforts to continuously minimise risk in British racing.
“The team’s work will develop models that will enable evidence-based decisions that will ultimately make a difference to the horses at the heart of our sport.”
