Following another tragic horse death at this year’s annual Aintree Festival, the Mirror takes a look at the darker side of the glamorous sport, from harrowing abattoir findings to devastating suicides
For horse lovers, there are few more exciting events in the sporting calendar than the Grand National, but the iconic race has garnered some criticism over the years.
Although the number of horse fatalities on the track has indeed dropped, with the industry declaring racing to be safer than ever before, there are still deaths, with animal welfare organisations continuing to campaign for the sport to be outlawed altogether.
Four-year-old Willy De Houelle, ridden by Rachel Blackmore, suffered a fatal fall during the second race of this year’s Aintree Festival. An Aintree Racecourse spokesperson said: “Willy De Houelle was immediately attended by a team of expert veterinary professionals during the second race but sadly sustained an injury as a result of a fall.
“In their assessment, it was concluded that the best course of action for the horse’s welfare was for him to be humanely euthanised. Our heartfelt condolences are with his connections.”
Other horses, including Broadway Boy and Celebre D’Allen, suffered bad falls, but have thankfully survived. According to figures presented by Animal Aid, a total of 66 horses have died racing at the Aintree Festival since, 2000, with 16 horses suffering fatalities in the Grand National race itself.
As well as these sad deaths, the world of horse racing has also come under scrutiny on account of the horrifying number of suicides and mental health concerns among jockeys, as well as reports of terrible injuries and abuse inflicted on the horses themselves.
Here, the Mirror takes a look at the dark side of horse racing, including shocking abattoir findings…
Emma Judd, head of campaigns at League Against Cruel Sports, has previously stated: “Horses are being sacrificed for people’s entertainment and gambling, and one death is one too many.”
The charity’s biggest concerns include the safety of the horses and the use of the whip. Back in 2020, a petition was signed by 96 MPs to ensure the British Horse Racing Authority (BHA) banned the use of the whip for ‘encouragement’, but no progress has been made. Emma said, “this callous disregard for the welfare of the horse has no place in a caring animal loving Britain”.
Veterinarian James Given, head of equine safety at the BHA, admitted last year that there is “always more to do” to improve the safety of horses in the Grand National. He explained fewer runners would take place in the 2024 race – 34 down from 40 – as part of a drive to reduce the risk of horses dying.
But he said this drop will not please everyone, including fans of the race. Speaking on BBC Radio Lincolnshire, Mr Given said: “I always know I and my team have got more to do to improve the welfare outcomes and improve the safety.” He added that they try to reduce or “eradicate the avoidable risks and minimise as best we can the unavoidable risks”.
Animal charity PETA is also petitioning to stop companies from sponsoring the Grand National. Its website states: “At Becher’s Brook, aptly nicknamed the ‘killer fence’, horses have slammed face-first into the ground and collided with each other, breaking necks, backs and legs.” PETA highlights BBC One’s Panorama investigation in 2021, which “exposed the dark side of horse racing”.
The documentary claimed rules protecting animals from unnecessary suffering were being ignored in one of the UK’s biggest abattoirs. Using covert recordings, it claimed horses with career-ending injuries are slaughtered rather than being rehabilitated or retrained for life outside the sport.
A freedom of information request revealed that 4,000 former racehorses were slaughtered in Britain and Ireland between 2019 and 2021. This included illustrious winners who had made thousands of pounds over their careers and those who have been owned and trained by some of the biggest names in the industry.
Undercover cameras set up by Animal Aid, which has long campaigned for an end to horse racing, found shocking scenes in Drury and Sons, an abattoir in Swindon with a license to kill horses. Animal Aid spokesman Dene Stansall said: “When we looked at the footage we were absolutely astounded at the sheer volume of young thoroughbreds.”
The cameras captured dozens of racehorses being slaughtered, mostly young and from Ireland. Regulations state that every effort should be made to ensure a quick death for the horses and they should not be killed in sight of each other. However, the cameras found horses being shot together 26 times in four days.
Drury and Sons told the BBC it did not accept any form of animal abuse. A spokesperson said: “We take great care to maintain high welfare conditions and do not accept any form of animal abuse. All horses are humanely destroyed and on occasions where issues do occur, we take swift action to review and rectify.”
Three horses sent to be slaughtered were reportedly trained by three-time Grand National-winning trainer Gordon Elliott. He was temporarily banned from the sport earlier that year after being pictured sitting on a dead horse. Elliott told Panorma the three horses had retired due to injury and were not under his care when they were sent to the abattoir to be killed.
Following the programme, the BHA said in a statement: “No one in racing, and no one who loves horses, wants to see them caused distress or suffering at the end of their lives. If there has been a departure from approved abattoir practices and the welfare of the horses involved has been compromised, it is important this is addressed as a matter of urgency. This includes transporting horses over long distances to an abattoir, especially if these have injuries, which is not acceptable under the British racing industry’s guidelines for euthanasia.”
As well as the pressure on horses to perform, jockeys face tough physical and mental demands which “can be a recipe for disaster”. To ride horses professionally, you must maintain a low body weight, train hard, and face the dangers of riding thoroughbreds at high speed. Disordered eating is not uncommon within the sport as a jockey must typically weigh between 100 to 120lbs and be physically fit.
To keep their weight down, in extreme cases, athletes have avoided drinking fluids and resorted to diets of as little as 600 calories a day. The immense pressures have left some jockeys suffering in silence, and many athletes have expressed their concerns that racing is behind other sports in accepting the importance of mental health on the job.
According to experts who spoke to The Independent in 2023, an average of two jockeys die annually from racing, and 60 are paralysed by the sport. Recent research has also shown that nearly 80 per cent of jockeys have at least one common mental health disorder – but only a third have sought professional help.
Eurico Rosa da Silva, a retired jockey who raced for five years in his native Brazil, told the publication that during his victory in his 30s, he was fighting suicidal thoughts every day at home. He said: “I got to the point where I have no more choice but to go for help. I went [to seek professional support] because if I have no choice, I would kill myself.”
In 2023, two young jockeys devastatingly took their own lives less than six weeks apart – Avery Whisman, 23, and Alex Canchari, 29. American jockey Trevor McCarthy said it’s ‘proof’ that mental health “needs to be addressed”. He said: “We take a lot of beatings mentally and physically. With the mental and physical state when you mix both of them together, it can be a recipe for disaster.”
In July 2021, a young jockey took his own life with a “promising career ahead of him”. Michael Pitt was an amateur rider at Warren Greatrex’s yard and was tragically found dead aged 19. The son of racing trainer Tim Pitt had acquired an amateur jump jockey’s licence to compete before his death.
And in 2020, Grand National-winning jockey Liam Treadwell died aged 34 after taking a cocktail of strong drugs. A coroner concluded he could not be certain the rider had intended to take his own life. Treadwell died just four months after his friend, jockey James Banks, killed himself.
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