Equine Welfare At Carlisle Racecourse the health and safety of both the jockeys and horses is our number one priority. We take every conceivable step to minimise the chances of horses incurring an injury therefore increasing equine welfare. However, if a fall should occur we have the best vets and doctors on stand by with immediate medical care available. At every race meeting at Carlisle, there are three vets in attendance, who are responsible for looking after the equine welfare of all horses racing. Two vets follow the races in a vehicle, which means the response to an injury is immediate. The third vet is mobile to check on the welfare of all horses that have raced. In addition, British Horseracing Authority Veterinary Officers attend every race meeting and record all injuries to horses in order to monitor them in the future. This ensures an increase in equine welfare for future race meetings.
Carlisle Racecourse works together with the British Horseracing Authority, the RSPCA, trainers and jockeys, our own veterinary team and World Horse Welfare (formerly ILPH), to continue improving health and safety factors, reduce risks, assure the upmost in equine welfare and remain on track with the current downward trend of injuries to horses and jockeys. We are always analysing ways to minimise risks from the preparation of the ground prior to racing, to the design and placing of all the hurdles/fences. The area of landing and take-off before and after the fences is under constant revue and if a fall should occur we immediately enquire into the reasons. We currently have a new drainage project underway to improve the condition of the turf and are upgrading our watering system should we need to apply water to the course. All of these changes help to improve the turf and enhance the safety of the jockey and equine welfare. If a fall occurs the first priority is to make a diagnosis of any injury that has been sustained. To provide a calm environment to treat the horse, members of the ground staff team will set up green screens around any horse that requires attention. As soon as the assessment of the injury has been made, a horse ambulance will be called to the scene and will transport the horse back to the stable yard or to the local Equine Hospital, where further treatment can be undertaken. With the relocation of the stables there is now a safer area for horses to be unloaded and better access for horse transportation vehicles. Along with the new stables, Carlisle Racecourse has invested heavily in ‘state of the art’ equine vet facilities including a new vet treatment box and wash-down area. If a horse should sustain an injury we do as much as possible to treat the horse on site.
Like all racecourses in Great Britain, Carlisle Racecourse is licensed and regulated by the British Horseracing Authority (BHA). The BHA sets and polices the standards for Equine facilities and Veterinary care at all Racecourses in Britain. The BHA also provides their own Veterinary Officer at each meeting to ensure that these strict standards for racecourses – covering the number of Veterinary Surgeons on duty, the stabling and Veterinary facilities – are being met. Horseracing in Britain has its own charity specifically created to ascertain the well-being of the racehorse after its racing career has come to an end. The Retraining of Racehorses (RoR) is British Horseracing’s official charity for the welfare of horses who have retired from racing and its roles are: - To raise funds from within the Racing Industry to help support the charitable retraining and re-homing of former racehorses.
- Help provide facilities for the care, retraining and re-homing of former racehorses.
- Promote the adaptability of racehorses to other equestrian activities.
- To run a well established programme of competition sponsorship, and clinics to educate and improve riders handling of former racehorses.
The ultimate goal is to achieve a balance between the number of horses leaving Racing and the number of enthusiastic, and suitable, new homes. The RSPCA monitors all aspects of horseracing and maintains an active dialogue with the Horseracing Regulatory Authority (HRA), racecourse management, owners, trainers and jockeys. This stance has historically proven to be beneficial in improving our standards of equine welfare within the racing industry. Equine Nutrition Races can be won or lost by the tiniest of margins therefore everything possible is done to give the horse that little extra chance. Nutrition is an area where attention to detail is key and can prove to give a talented horse the ‘edge’ it needs, get this right and it could mean the difference between victory and defeat. The traditional racehorse diet consisted of hay and oats but due to the high energy requirements nutritionists are searching for new ways to provide that extra energy. A horse cannot be fed a diet too rich in cereals as this can cause a carbohydrate overload and eventually lead to life-threatening conditions such as colic and laminitis.
Racehorses today are fed a diet higher in fat content as opposed to high amounts of cereals. This also prevents a condition known as ‘tying-up’ syndrome, where there is a build up of lactic acid in the muscles after strenuous exercise which causes the muscles to ‘set too fast’. The racehorse will be fed a lot of highly digestible fibres and should be fed a minimum of 1.5% of its bodyweight per day of fibre as this is essential to good digestive health. Racehorses can commonly suffer from gastric ulceration however a diet which is high in fat and fibre can seriously reduce this. It is also possible to provide extra vitamins and minerals although most of these can be naturally synthesised by the horse when fed a diet with high fibre content. The main food type for a horse is of course grass and being out in the sunshine is also good due to the Vitamin D the horse will receive from the sunlight.
For further details on Equine Welfare please click on one of the links below;
British Equine Veterinary Association
Racing Welfare
World Horse Welfare
For a list of further links available please click here.
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