National Racehorse Week: True stars of the show are celebrated

It is National Racehorse Week in Britain, with hundreds of free events being staged to promote racing and, in particular, shine a light on the high levels of care thoroughbreds get in the industry.

The week, currently in its fourth year, was started in response to growing campaigns from activists to have racing banned.

Publications such as Horse & Hound, Country Life and Racing Post are predictably firmly behind an initiative that allows the public – and particularly people who know little about racing – a unique behind-the-scenes look at a racehorse’s life.

Unsurprisingly, the animal rights groups have seized on the week to promote their views.

Community involvement

Some 132 venues across the UK, including nine studs, 10 retraining centres and 91 training yards – such as champion Nicky Henderson’s in Berkshire and Charlie and Mark Johnston’s in Yorkshire – are hosting events from intimate tours to open days for up to 800 people.

In addition to the chance to watch live exercise gallops, there are farrier, equine swimming and schooling demonstrations.

Racehorses are also being taken to visit schools, hospitals, charities and community groups. Racecourses are throwing open their doors to all comers; jockeys are giving talks.

Youth and charity groups closely involved include Autism in Racing, Unique Kidz, BHS Changing Lives, West Sussex Minds, Urban Equinz and others.

The week, running from 7 to 15 September, was launched at Media City innovation hub near Manchester on Friday, by 15-year-old, six-time winning galloper Chase The Wind, who was accompanied by his trainer Jo Foster, TV personality Chris Hughes, a National Racehorse Week ambassador, and social media star and farrier Sam Dracott.

Racing Great Britain says its research shows 94% of people who came to an open day last year now have a positive impression of equine welfare, and 92% of those who were new to racing or not regular racegoers said their opinion had been positively changed by the experience.

Animal welfare

It’s a bit motherhood and apple pie, but Racing Post does warn there is still much to do to accommodate modern sensitivities about animal welfare. It says trainers and stable staff can be proud of the high standards of care and attention paid to their horses, but the industry should “remind ourselves that the best is still be to come for former racehorses”.

Racing Post mentioned how a case involving Irish trainer Shark Hanlon had cast a small shadow on the start of National Racehorse Week. Hanlon was banned for 10 months and fined for allowing a horse carcass to be transported uncovered on a truck on a public road.

Campaigning group Animal Aid popped up with the statistic that 107 horses with British racing passports had been taken to abattoirs for slaughter in the past year.

The riposte was that there were 14,000 horses in training so the “problem” was not out of hand and, anyway, human consumption of horse meat is common in many places, including nearby France.

For anyone involved with racing, this week sounds like a great idea to celebrate the stars of the show and draw people into a fascinating, but often hidden, world. It should be replicated elsewhere – such as in South Africa.

The British one is funded by The Racing Foundation, the Betting Levy Board, Racing Post and mega Arab ownership Godolphin. In SA it would have to be private funders to the rescue – yet again.