Racing is leading the way on equine welfare - and it's vital we get that message out to the world at large

As other equestrian sports have their moment in the spotlight at the Olympics, it’s worth reflecting on the role racing now plays in the lives of horses everywhere.

Indeed, racing is the biggest funder of equine health, research and veterinary science across Britain. Almost £49 million has been invested by the Levy Board and the Racing Foundation into welfare projects over the last 22 years.

Over that time, we have seen crucial developments in medicines, orthopaedic techniques and the monitoring of diseases, to name just three. This means that it’s not just racehorses who have benefited from the sport’s determination to improve welfare standards – racing has been responsible for the increase in the overall health of the horse population. 

I’m senior veterinary surgeon at Ascot, Kempton, Sandown and Epsom, as well as being a veterinary adviser to the RCA and member of the Horse Welfare Board since its inception in 2019. And as a practising vet, I’ve seen first-hand the positive impact racing has had on the whole horse population.

There are still too few horses vaccinated against things like flu, tetanus and herpes but the work to increase those numbers is driven by racing, as is the work to develop better worming programmes for horses, which is essential for the health and wellbeing of all equines. We also have casualty management courses to train vets to treat trauma in all equine sports.

Racing should take credit for these developments and the determination of the Horse Welfare Board to act as a point of contact to drive better cooperation with all equestrian disciplines, not just thoroughbred racing, is really pleasing. We are all connected by the horse at the heart of our sports and need to work together.

So much good work is ongoing. Pre-race ‘trot-ups’ have improved welfare dramatically and have been adopted especially well by jumps trainers, while they are becoming accepted by Flat trainers too. It would be good to see more work done on suitability to race and better interaction with trainers, who should not be frightened to share their horses’ health history. 

It’s important we strengthen practices and develop preventative medicine to protect horses while they are racing or involved with any other activity. We are also looking at the reaction of horses’ action to different ground – horses are trained mostly on all-weather surfaces and then we run them on turf. 

But it’s no good doing all this work if you don’t tell people about it or pass on knowledge. That’s where education and communication come in, with events like National Racehorse Week playing such a major role. We need to educate people about what we’re trying to achieve and make sure our message is sung loud, far and wide.

Simon Knapp is a racecourse representative on the Horse Welfare Board

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