Horse Welfare Board's landmark report

The Horse Welfare Board released a landmark report into welfare in British racing last week.

I personally thought it was a great idea that an independent welfare board, the Horse Welfare Board, was set up by the British Horseracing Authority (BHA) with people on the board representing most within our industry. There has been increasing pressure from outside racing – including the government – highlighting welfare issues. We needed to do more within our sport regarding welfare – and there was a real risk that it would become Government led i.e. with us being told what to do by people outside of racing. 

We need to change how racing is perceived and by doing that we need to change how we care for our horses, from birth to death, making it safer for them and healthier throughout their lives. 

I thought the recommendations were good – this is a five-year plan and it needs to start somewhere. We now need to all come together and change some of what we do as there is no doubt, we can improve things for the racehorse. On the whole, it has been well received by the racing community and hopefully the UK is setting a precedence for racing world-wide.

We can certainly start by banning the whip all together! 

Attached is a scan of the first page of the recommendations and to read it in full, follow the link here https://www.racingpost.com/news/horse-welfare-board-the-key-recommendations-in-full/424013