'We're not pandering to extremists' BHA chief Julie Harrington insists during welfare debate

Julie Harrington has insisted on the importance of discussing racing's welfare record in public and denied that doing so amounts to "pandering to the extremists". The BHA chief executive was taking part in a discussion organised by World Horse Welfare on the subject of the social licence to involve horses in sport.

Wednesday's event began with news of research conducted by YouGov showing that 20 per cent of the public "do not support the continued involvement of horses in sport under any circumstances". A further 42 per cent would only give their support if the welfare of horses involved was improved.

WHW said those numbers were consistent with a smaller poll conducted last year. The main difference was said to be an increase from 16 per cent to 24 per cent in those who felt their confidence in the protection of horse welfare in sport had been impacted negatively over the past two to three years.

Harrington said she was aware of some in racing who "would accuse all of us, even for having this event, for – their words, not mine – 'Pandering to the extremists'. There are some people whose ideology we will never change but all of this work is about the silent majority whose perception of a sport can be swayed by what they see in the media.

"We just have to be confident we're doing this for the right reasons, because we love our respective sports and we want to be confident they're still going to exist for the enjoyment of future generations."

Harrington spoke of the importance of building up a "strong body of evidence" about the effectiveness of racing's measures to reduce risk. She said there had been a significant decline in the risk of potentially fatal injuries at the Cheltenham Festival in recent years, thanks to "pre-race checks, fitness to race, changes to the obstacles, focus on the ground".

Rishi Persad: racing's message needs to be conveyed better to the publicCredit: Edward Whitaker

The broadcaster Rishi Persad, also on the panel alongside figures from other equestrian sports, spoke of the difficulties in getting racing's message across to the public. "A lot of the time, the public don't have an idea of what is involved in terms of what we provide for the welfare of horses," he said. "Were they to have at least part-knowledge of the amount of work and care that goes into looking after these animals, that would help.

"There is more we can do in conveying that but we have to use the right opportunity and when we have an opportunity with a big audience, like the Grand National, unfortunately that coincides with people criticising the sport and the race for its existence, which cancel each other out."

Persad alluded to a notorious recent occasion when an Animal Rising spokesperson envisaged a future "where perhaps the thoroughbred isn't around". "Thankfully for us, the thoroughbred is part of our lives," Persad continued. "These majestic, beautiful animals, we give them purpose by what they do and we remove as much of the risk as we can.

"Those horses don't go out to jump a fence, untrained. They are prepared as professional athletes and given the best training possible. There are always improvements to be made but the majority of our horses are given a great life."

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