Jump Horse Safety: Reconciling Public Debate and Australian Thoroughbred Jump Racing Data, 2012-2014.

Karen Ruse,Aidan Davison,Kerry Bridle

doi:10.3390/ani5040399

Karen Ruse, Aidan Davison + Show 1 more

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https://doi.org/10.3390/ani5040399

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Abstract

Simple SummaryThis paper documents the dynamics of Australian thoroughbred jump racing in the 2012, 2013, and 2014 seasons with the aim of informing debate about risks to horses and the future of this activity. We conclude that the safety of Australian jump racing has improved in recent years but that steeplechases are considerably riskier for horses than hurdle races.Thoroughbred jump racing sits in the spotlight of contemporary welfare and ethical debates about horse racing. In Australia, jump racing comprises hurdle and steeplechase races and has ceased in all but two states, Victoria and South Australia. This paper documents the size, geography, composition, and dynamics of Australian jump racing for the 2012, 2013, and 2014 seasons with a focus on debate about risks to horses. We found that the majority of Australian jump racing is regional, based in Victoria, and involves a small group of experienced trainers and jockeys. Australian jump horses are on average 6.4 years of age. The jump career of the majority of horses involves participating in three or less hurdle races and over one season. Almost one quarter of Australian jump horses race only once. There were ten horse fatalities in races over the study period, with an overall fatality rate of 5.1 fatalities per 1000 horses starting in a jump race (0.51%). There was significant disparity between the fatality rate for hurdles, 0.75 fatalities per 1000 starts (0.075%) and steeplechases, 14 fatalities per 1000 starts (1.4%). Safety initiatives introduced by regulators in 2010 appear to have significantly decreased risks to horses in hurdles but have had little or no effect in steeplechases. Our discussion considers these data in light of public controversy, political debate, and industry regulation related to jump horse safety.

Highlights

Thoroughbred jump racing sits in the spotlight of contemporary welfare and ethical debates about horse racing [1,2]
This study found that catastrophic limb failure, the predominant cause of horseracing deaths, was approximately 18 times greater for Australian jump racing than flat racing, with cranial or vertebral injury 120 times greater and sudden death 3.5 times greater [22]
We conclude that the safety of Australian jump racing over the 2012, 2013, and 2014 seasons has improved significantly from the 2008 and 2009 seasons that provoked strong public opposition and led regulators to canvass the banning of this activity

Summary

Introduction

Thoroughbred jump racing sits in the spotlight of contemporary welfare and ethical debates about horse racing [1,2]. Debates about jump racing have been played out via mass media [6,7] and have relevance in ongoing cultural renegotiation of the meanings, norms, and governance of human-animal relationships in modern societies [8,9]. These debates fuse questions about defensible human-animal relations with those about the conduct of human entertainment, sport, and gambling [10]. While jump racing comprises only a small proportion of horse races and related gambling turnover and prize money, this activity has political, cultural, and economic importance in particular countries, regions and towns [2,11]

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