Marginal drop in equine fatality rates recorded in British racing last year

Fatality rates in British racing marginally dropped last year compared to the previous year, with the five-year rolling average for equine deaths falling after rising in 2021 and 2022.

Horses who died at the racecourse, or within 48 hours of running as a direct result of the injuries they sustained, are recorded by the BHA for the purposes of measuring the fatality rate. It is regarded as a key metric for measuring the health of the sport.

Last year, the BHA recorded 158 deaths from 87,619 runners, equating to a fatality rate of 0.18 per cent. In 2022, 169 horses died from 86,419 runners, a fatality rate of 0.20 per cent. The drop in deaths in 2023 resulted in the five-year rolling average for fatalities falling to 0.20 per cent after it had risen from that level to 0.21 per cent in the two preceding years.

The rate of jumps fatalities was the joint-lowest this century with 112 deaths recorded from 29,947 runners, a rate of 0.37 per cent, the same as 2020 and 2017. The percentage of jumps deaths as a total of equine fatalities in 2023 was 71 per cent, the second lowest in the last five years.

While the five-year rolling average for jumps fatalities dropped to 0.42 per cent from 0.43 per cent, the percentage of horses classed as having long-term injuries increased for the fourth year in a row to 0.49 per cent from 0.48 per cent. This is the highest average since 2020, but remains lower than the average of long-term injuries in the period before the coronavirus pandemic.

The BHA expressed satisfaction with the drop in the fatality rate, stating the figures "reflect the unwavering focus on welfare and the outstanding care afforded to horses by stable staff, veterinary surgeons and many others up and down the country each day".

In an effort to "remain a global equine welfare leader", the BHA said it was increasing the number of fixtures requiring horses to have pre-race examinations and reducing the number of runners in the Grand National to 34 from 40 after cross-industry consultation, while the Horse Welfare Board was trialling an enhanced process for reviewing equine fatalities at the racecourse.

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