BHA director of welfare James Given: how racing is harnessing data to reduce the inherent risk in the sport

Risk exists in all sports but at the start of every year it should be a key resolution for racing to reduce avoidable risk as far as possible. 

As the BHA’s director of equine regulation, safety and welfare, it is my job to make sure this happens, and that’s why I have been so encouraged by the excellent work being carried out to develop and harness the sport’s Race Risk Model (RRM).

In partnership with the Royal Veterinary College and led jointly by the BHA and Horse Welfare Board, experts have been using data spanning 14 years to identify patterns and spotlight risk areas that require deeper investigation. Using multi-variable analysis – basically, you take one variable and see the effect of that one variable discounting all the others – what you end up with, after this highly scientific and rigorous process has been completed, are the facts.

There are a huge number of variables in racing, from a horse’s age and experience to the race distance, ground and field size, as well as jockey and trainer experience, among many others. 

It is human nature to take random events happening in close proximity and assume there may be a correlation between them. It’s important not to assume there isn’t, but we do need to properly investigate every situation to make sure we’re not making assumptions one way or the other.

The RRM is already providing us with practical ways we can use the information to reduce risk in racing. It shows that 38 per cent of all fatalities in jump racing are associated with a fall; if we could reduce fallers, then we reduce fatalities. Replacing the traditional birch-filled hurdles with the 'one-fit' padded versions has reduced the risk of fallers by 11 per cent. 

We now do pre-race checks on as many horses as possible. These examinations – for all runners at the Cheltenham and Aintree festivals, and at other fixtures through the year – include trot-ups to make sure they are sound, listening to their hearts and an overall health check.

It is an important step and something we can do relatively simply. Data has shown that 50 per cent of risk is managed by what happens before the horse gets to the racecourse, through preparation, training and schooling, and by sharing data we can identify best practices and help trainers by providing benchmarks, so they can tweak their training methods where necessary. 

The RRM is a powerful tool that can help safeguard the future of our sport. We need to continually demonstrate our responsibility in improving horse welfare. Society won’t just allow racing to carry on without addressing the number of injuries and fatalities in our sport.

At the end of the day, it is the right thing to do.

James Given is the BHA’s director of equine regulation, safety and welfare

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