RSPCA expresses welfare concerns after four horse fatalities at Cheltenham

The RSPCA has reiterated its concerns about racehorse welfare following the deaths of four horses at the Cheltenham Festival.

Hansard suffered a fatal injury when pulled up in Tuesday’s Arkle, while HMS Seahorse and Saint Le Fort died following falls in Wednesday’s BetMGM Cup Handicap Hurdle and Friday’s Martin Pipe Conditional Jockeys’ Handicap Hurdle respectively.

Envoi Allen was also a fatality on the last day of the Festival, as the 12-year-old collapsed and died after safely negotiating the Cheltenham Gold Cup course.

A spokesperson said: “We are deeply saddened that four horses died at the Cheltenham Festival this year. The deaths of Hansard, HMS Seahorse, Envoi Allen and Saint Le Fort mean 24 horses have lost their lives in competitive racing in the UK this year alone.

“One death is too many – but the scale of fatalities reiterate the urgency that lessons must be learned – including what caused the loss of life, decision making during the race, and any future means of prevention.

“These incidents are clearly at odds with the UK’s status as a nation of animal lovers. The RSPCA remains concerned about racehorse welfare, so we continue to engage with the industry to advocate for further improvements, including the introduction of greater safety measures, and improvements for equine welfare both on and off the track.

“Given the wealth and expertise within the sector, we remain hopeful that there remains significant scope to do more to meaningfully improve equine welfare.

“Many of these events – like Cheltenham, and the Grand National – are massive economic drivers, and watched by hundreds of thousands of people. The very least the horses competing deserve in return is to have every possible step taken to improve their safety and welfare, and we have received welcome assurances from the BHA that this continues to be a priority for them too.

“We reassure our supporters we will keep engaging with the racing industry to encourage continual welfare improvements and explore further measures to protect horses from injury and death, and promote good welfare throughout their lives.”

The British Horseracing Authority’s director of equine regulation safety and welfare James Given described the deaths as devastating on Friday evening, with all subject to in depth examination as part of the regulator’s standard procedure.

He said: “As with any fatal injury, these incidents will now be looked at in detail through our fatality review process, which is part of the sport’s commitment to ongoing improvements in racehorse safety.

“Risk can never be entirely eliminated. British racing is transparent about the risks involved in the sport and publishes data regarding injury rates on its website at HorsePWR.co.uk.”