What are the animal welfare issues associated with horse jumps racing?

Jumps racing poses many welfare risks to racehorses which can result in significant pain, injury, distress and death. Thoroughbred jumps racing comprises either hurdle or steeple obstacles which are at least 1 metre in height. Jumps races are at least 3km long (at least 1km longer than flat races) and, in addition to clearing obstacles, horses are required to carry heavier weights than for flat races. Furthermore, jumping in a pack over obstacles also places horses at risk of collision with each other.

Jumps races are only held in Victoria and account for less than two percent of all Thoroughbred racing, with relatively few horses competing. For various reasons including poor performance and injuries, most horses have a very short career in jumps racing. Evidence shows that over three seasons (2012-2014) in Victoria and South Australia, horses competed in no more than three races with 22% competing in only one race [1].

The key welfare risks posed by jumps racing are:

Deaths due to catastrophic injuries

A catastrophic injury is a severe injury to the spine, skull, limbs, tendons and other bony structures such as the pelvis or shoulder which are either untreatable or result in extreme pain. Horses suffering such an injury on the racetrack are euthanased as soon as possible.

Of the known deaths in jumps racing in Australia, the majority of the cases required euthanasia due to a catastrophic injury. A recent Australian study of the 2022 and 2023 jumps racing seasons in Victoria showed that nearly 7% of starts (total number of horses competing in all races) resulted in an injury, with lameness, trauma (e.g. lacerations and abrasions) and bleeding in the lungs [2].

Based on Racing Victoria steward reports from 2009 to 2024, at least 66 horses have died from injuries sustained due to jumps racing but the death toll is believed to be much higher because the industry has not been compelled to publicly report all associated injuries and deaths.

Non-fatal injuries

Non-fatal injuries include those which do not require euthanasia, on humane grounds, within 24 hours of being sustained such as a minor fracture or ligament/tendon damage. Some horses also receive lacerations due to contact with jumps obstacles. Considerable pain can be experienced in relation to an acute injury as evidenced by lameness, as well as possible pain endured during the healing process and/or treatment regime. Detecting pain is difficult in prey animals such as horses, as they generally mask signs as a survival instinct to avoid being pursued by predators. Therefore, it is likely that a significant number of horses suffer from pain that is not alleviated.

Fatigue

In addition to being longer and having to jump obstacles, jumps horses are also required to carry heavy weights being a minimum of 64kg compared to 54kg for flat racing, which adds to the already huge demand placed on these horses. Fatigue is a significant factor resulting in a higher incidence of falls, injury and death, particularly in the latter part of a race [3]. Since 2009, jockeys are required to retire horses who are fatigued from the race but this may not always happen, placing tired horses at increased risk of injury. Horses who are behind the field and subsequently eased out of the race due to fatigue and exhaustion are also likely to be experiencing both reduced physical capacity and mental distress. Compelling and whipping horses to participate in such events where fatigue is likely to occur indicates a significant compromise to welfare, both physically and mentally.

Impact of falls and collisions

Being prey animals, horses rely on their speed and agility to escape danger. Any circumstance which impacts on a prey animal’s ability to flee is likely to induce stress. These include collision with another horse or obstacle, jumping or landing awkwardly or experiencing a fall – all common occurrences in jumps racing as demonstrated by the 3% fall rate reported for the 2022-2023 season in Victoria [2]. The percentage of horses hitting obstacles and/or landing awkwardly is higher than the fall rate. Thus, jumps racing exposes horses to many aversive experiences associated with falls and collisions which are likely to invoke fear and anxiety.

Use of whips

There is considerable public concern over the whipping of horses for the sake of sport, financial gain and entertainment. Of serious concern are the results from a study in the UK which showed that horses competing in hurdle and steeplechase races, who were being whipped and progressing through the race, were at least 7 times more likely to fall compared with horses not being whipped [4]. This evidence should have led the racing industry to introduce tighter whip rules with increased penalties for jumps racing and investigate whether the use of whips should continue. However, in 2017 whilst the maximum number of whip strikes prior to the last 100 metres of a race reduced from 10 to 5 for flat racing, Racing Victoria did not reduce this for jumps racing. There is no limit on the number of whip strikes in the last 100 metres of a flat or jumps race. Apart from clearing obstacles, jumps horses are required to run further and carry heavier weights than horses competing in flat races. To allow these horses to be whipped more is unacceptable.

Poor performers forced to race

There are several cases where horses are not adequately assessed to ensure they are fit and capable of participating in a jumps race safely. A review of the history of some of the horses who have died whilst competing in a jumps race indicates that either the assessment processes are inadequate or they have not been fully implemented [5]. More stringent requirements are needed to ensure that only fit and capable horses compete in jumps races to avoid further preventable deaths.

Jumps racing and the law

In 1991, a Senate Select Committee report on animal welfare recommended that governments in states where jumps races were still held should phase them out within three years. Queensland and WA have only held a few jumps races in the past, the NSW State Government banned jumps racing in 1997 under animal welfare legislation, Tasmania ceased jumps racing in 2007 and South Australia announced that jumps racing would be prohibited under animal welfare legislation from 2022. Victoria is the only state which continues to hold jumps races.

RSPCA policy

The RSPCA is opposed to jumps races because of the high probability of a horse suffering serious injury and death associated with this activity. RSPCA Victoria is calling for a ban on jumps racing – to find out more and give your support, please visit their website.