Horse welfare in the spotlight
AS we enter the coming competition season in earnest, the writing clearly on the wall spells out horse welfare, an issue well-documented in this column and one to which I take no pleasure in saying, ‘I told you so’.
There is no doubt that social media is the conduit through which the fire is being fuelled and sadly the serious issues of neglect as well as poor equine management and care are being marginalised. Public perception rather than knowledge and experience seems to be the driver so it is worrying that the big picture is being missed due to misunderstanding and ignorance. Rightly or wrongly it is all the more reason why equestrians should be constantly mindful of the image they present to the public.
It is little wonder that the organisers of this year’s Grand National, have gone to exceptional measures to make this year’s event as safe and as fair to horses and riders as it possibly can be. For a start, it has reduced the number of horses taking part from 40 to 34, the first reduction in the card for forty years while at the same time raising the capability of horses eligible to compete from an a rating of 125 to 130.
The mad dash to the first of the thirty fences will be avoided by the operation of a standing start and the distance to the first fence reduced by 60 yards; hopefully both measures will bring fewer mistakes and fewer falls early in the race. Some of the fences have been made easier with the big open ditch less high and the landing sides at fences such as Beecher’s Brook closer to the level of the take-off side; foam and rubber toe boards have also been added.
Would the race have evolved in this way naturally? I doubt it but there is no question that it has been forced into doing something in order to secure its future and to avoid the hostile scenes created by animal rights activists at last year’s event.
Time will tell this weekend if the improvements work.
With current weather conditions, it is hard to imagine that the going will improve much in the days leading up to the ‘big race’ however the organisers hope the earlier start in the programme should help. Heavy to soft going slows down the horses considerably so it may reduce the pace sufficiently to make things safer; such conditions should suit the pre-race favourite, Corach Rambler, last year’s winner. This popular race horse is trained near Milnathort by equally popular Lucinda Russell and her partner
Peter Scudamore, the former champion jockey, who is also Rambler’s regular exercise rider.
Lucinda is an active campaigner for horse racing and is keen to educate the public on a raft of issues which address horse welfare within the industry. By raising the level of the debate and by profiling excellent horse management and care within the industry through transparency and tackling issues head on.
Her views are mirrored by a very recent initiative introduced by the British Horse Racing Authority that actively targets the building of public trust around horse welfare. The HorsePWR initiative (PWR representing ‘purpose, welfare and responsibility) is a campaign comprising of a new website with facts about the sport, plus posters with simple messaging around welfare.
They say that actions speak louder than words and there can be little doubt that the public have responded warmly to the ‘new’ whip rules that came in some time ago. Racing’s controllers gained ‘brownie points’ from the critics for that move although they had little option due to public pressure.
Knowledge isn’t necessarily better than experience so scientists don’t always help the situation especially when research data is pulled out of the hat and used as a definite as opposed to a maybe. My own experience turns to the trimming of muzzles, the banning of which I accept and follow. However my own experience of trimming literally hundreds of ponies over the years has not led me to the negative conclusions that researchers have observed while studying a relatively small number.
From muzzles to hooves in the case of the Clydesdale breed, which has been subject to a form of shoeing historically akin to a bygone age and not in keeping with current standards set down by the Worshipful Company of Farriers. It has been argued that the method known as ‘couping’, where there is a raised outside heel and a short shoe length to the inner created an imbalance which effectively enforced a closeness of the hind legs.
The reason given was attributed to working in a furrow but given that there aren’t any around any more, there can’t be a good reason for continuing with the trend. The National Stallion Show, guided by Scotland’s leading farriers Alan Ferrie and Jim Balfour, banned the practice from its 2024 event. It’s a wise move for the breed as it no longer will attract attention form the ‘welfare’ lobby provided that other shows come on board and more critically the judges, who can make sure that couping disappears forever.
I was also delighted to read the chairman’s letter from the British Show Pony Society which advised members to be ‘mindful of your posts on social media’ as concerns had been raised about images not showing the sport in good light He made particular reference to ponies too small for their riders and the use of gadgets, two issues very close to my own heart. While the appointment of a welfare officer by the BSPS on the look-out for these and other issues is welcomed, one person is unlikely to have a meaningful effect although any presence is better than none. There was no mention of actions to be taken against those found breaking the rules nor, significantly, instructions to the Society’s judges about handling such situations in the show ring. In the meantime I applaud the BSPS for finally coming on board.
There is a real worry that the need to be seen to react to social media becomes a driver and I hope that does not become the case. In this respect I reserve judgement on the action taken against well-known Scottish show jumper, James Smith from Kirkcudbright, who was suspended by British Showjumping as of March 16 following welfare concerns relating to photographs taken at an FEI event in Spain which appeared on social media.
Working in close liaison with both the British Equestrian Federation and the FEI, this talented and highly successful rider, a former Junior European British Team gold medal winner, is prevented from competing at international or national events until further notice. With news of this action reported throughout Britain and across the world, this comes as a severe blow to the rider’s reputation, income, and future as a professional sportsman. The rider has been accused of jumping a horse which was allegedly being ‘rapped’, a training method involving lifting a pole or stick which deliberately comes into contact with the hind legs of the horse with the intention of making it jump higher during consequent jumping efforts. This training method is far from new but contravenes the rules and regulations and has ‘no place in the sport’ according to three aligned groups in a statement that stresses that ‘horse welfare is the highest priority and that equine welfare and well-being are both respected and enforced.’
While in no way passing judgement on the actions being taken nor James Smith’s guilt or innocence, it concerns me that, according to a statement from British Showjumping, ‘the images and circumstances of the incident are being investigated’. Curiously no conclusion has been reached after several weeks have passed which leads me to the conclusion that the legal position on the action is questionable and currently the lawyers are having a field day battling out a conclusion behind the scenes. Time will tell if it is decided that James Smith does have a welfare case to answer and whether or not it was wise for such draconian action to be taken in response to sound, unverified evidence. A British Showjumping response to a recent request for a case update simply states, ‘we are unable to comment any further at the moment.’