Project to improve safety in British horseracing

The Royal Veterinary College (RVC) has partnered with the Horse Welfare Board and British Horseracing Authority, to deliver a three-year project exploring ways to help the industry improve the safety and welfare of racehorses.

Fatal and non-fatal injuries sustained during racing and in training are a significant welfare concern. Also they can lead to economic losses and, jeopardise the sport’s social licence to continue operating.

In order to reduce risk, the racing industry has partnered with the RVC to generate an evidence-based understanding of current risk factors for injury and fatality in Thoroughbreds racing and training in Great Britain.

This research, funded by the Racing Foundation, will be led by principal investigator, Professor Kristien Verheyen, Professor of Veterinary Clinical Epidemiology at the RVC, and Dr Sarah Allen, Lecturer in Veterinary Clinical Epidemiology, also at the RVC.

With two main focusses, the work will evaluate first the risk factors associated with injury and falls in jump racing in Great Britain (Jump Racing Risk Models). Data will include that routinely recorded for each race start made in Great Britain including; details of the horse and its competition history, trainer and jockey-level data, and racecourse and race-level information such as distance and number of runners.

Additionally, records of all fatal injuries occurring within 48 hours of racing and, non-fatal injuries requiring veterinary attendance on race day will be examined. This data will be combined and analysed using advanced statistical modelling to identify risk factors for injury and fatality, and monitor trends over time.

The second project will focus on the risk factors associated with injury during training. For this, the team will collect data from racehorse trainers assessing their training practices and, any injuries sustained. The data will be analysed using statistical modelling approaches and findings will help inform ‘best practices’.

Professor Kristien 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.”