THE WRC ruling against Ballydoyle which held that racing does not fall under the agricultural sector for the purpose of employment law, has left the industry facing a double-edged sword.

On one hand, it is easy to categorise racing as an agricultural activity. It concerns taking care of animals, and indeed we consider it a profession in which a huge amount of time is given freely beyond what can be measured in cents and euros.

But it is now defined as a ‘normal’ business and is subject to the same conditions in the workplace as most other occupations in terms of working hours and rest periods. Training establishments will find it impossible to abide by the rulings without the burden of increasing their staff. If those outside the bigger stables can find the extra staff.

The breeding and sales seasons see staff required for long parts of the day also, but breeding is still regarded as ‘agriculture’ so there is more flexibility for stud farms. Our Big Interview this week features Tony Mullins, who is closer to the coalface than most of us who write on the subject. It is a grave situation.

But on the other side, put racing back in agriculture and there is a danger that the long and anti-social hours will discourage new recruits to an industry where there is already a staffing issue. Many farms are family run, not so for racing yard. It will not help replace those who have, through the years, gone beyond what might have been reasonably expected and given more of their time to horse care and racing. It’s a lose-lose situation.

Getting up and about this week was tough enough in the dark depths of January. There you are, driving through the bad weather, listening to new car advertisements boasting of heated seats, no less. Sleet in the face in sub-zero temperatures from the back of a horse will appeal to very few.

Snowy scenes at Tattersalls December Foal Sale Photo Tattersalls

The excellent Luck on Sunday show on Racing UK brings together the right blend of current issues with a touch of nostalgia. In recent weeks it featured guests who made their living in the game from over 20 years ago.

Jenny Pitman appeared over the Christmas period. It was a different era, and some of the comments might be considered harsh in these days of instant gratification and excessive politeness, but they came, in Pitman’s case from someone who carved a succesful career in extremely tough times. These were her comments from someone brought up in racing and used to tough times.

“Kids these days don’t want to work. They don’t want to work outside in the freezing cold, that’s for sure. If they can’t be I.T. somethings, they just sit there tapping away ...” The stats say we are becoming more sedentary in our lifestyles.

In the UK, the trainers and stable staff associations are working towards providing a 40-hour working week for staff, in the face of competition from other industries.

Finding staff is the horse industry’s most pressing problem, but, taking away that initial indignation that it’s people in offices telling those who work outdoors how they should run their affairs, you can’t be sure that leaving things as they were is a solution either.