RESEARCHERS from the Royal Veterinary College (RVC) have determined several factors that could reduce the risk of fatality in jumps racing and substantially improve racehorse welfare. The findings were drawn from new risk factor models developed by the RVC, in collaboration with the British Horseracing Authority (BHA), to support better understanding of the reasons for and risk of horse fatalities and injuries in jump racing.

Undertaken as part of a project led by the BHA and the Horse Welfare Board (HWB), and funded by the Racing Foundation, this research will enable the industry to consider possible changes to improve the welfare of racehorses, with the models able to also determine the potential impact of those changes.

Racing history

Developing the new Racing Risk Models (RRMs), the researchers analysed data from all jump race starts made on British racecourses over the last 14 years. This included modelling information from nearly 400,000 horse performances, including factors such as a horse’s age, their racing history and the conditions of the race, along with trainer and jockey experience. This was then combined with data on any race-related fatalities over the same study period.

From these analyses, the RVC research team was able to identify areas of increased risk. These findings were then shared with British racing’s Equine Safety Group (ESG), a group comprised of racing industry experts tasked with combining the RRM’s findings with their deep practical knowledge to make evidence-based recommendations that will enhance the safety of the sport.

Several risk factors

The RVC’s work identified several risk factors for fatality, one of the key findings being that falling in a race heightened this risk. Whilst perhaps not surprising, quantifying this association has prompted the ESG to initiate further work to better understand why horses fall. Additional research into fallers included the development of RRMs for falls in jump racing, which has demonstrated that the risk of falling was lower for starts made over padded-style hurdles and has led to the recommendation that all birch hurdles be replaced with padded hurdles by October 2026. In addition, detailed analyses of video footage of all races in which a horse falls is being conducted to better understand how conditions within a race influence fall risk.

The RVC team also identified some horse-related factors associated with fatality risk, which has led to the introduction of enhanced pre-race veterinary inspections for horses that may potentially be at greater risk of injury or fatality.

Ground condition was also found to influence fatality risk, and further work is ongoing to better understand how weather factors and racecourse maintenance, including watering, play a role in this finding.

By identifying multiple risk factors for fatality, this work highlights the importance of adopting a multi-faceted approach to risk mitigation.