A LIFE WELL LIVED
BRITISH RACING’S COMMITMENT TO THE HORSE
“A Life Well Lived sets out an ambition for British racing to lead the world on Horse Welfare. The sport has made important progress in recent years, but welfare can never be an area where we stand still. Our responsibility is not simply to establish good welfare standards and maintain them. But to be able to continue to optimise and measure tangible benefits for our racehorses.”
Baroness Minette Batters, Independent Chair of the Horse Welfare Board
WELFARE STRATEGY
In recent years, British racing and its community has taken important steps to strengthen its commitment to ensuring a whole life well lived for every racehorse. Improvements in safety, advances in traceability, clearer communication of welfare standards, and enhanced support for horses after racing all reflect meaningful progress and a strong foundation for the future.
Building on the progress made through A Life Well Lived, the next iteration of the strategy sets out an ambitious but practical direction for the continued improvement of equine welfare across racing. It builds on the work already underway, extending successful workstreams, while introducing new areas of focus where there is an opportunity to make a further difference for horses. Four area of focus will continue to drive the sport’s work: Quality of Life, Lifetime Responsibility, Safety, and Trust.
The welfare of the horse is central to the integrity, reputation, and long-term success of British racing and is a collaborative effort involving every part of the sport.
Progress to date
2019
Racing establishes its first independently chaired Horse Welfare Board to oversee welfare and develop an ambitious, industry-wide strategy.
2020
The HWB launches A Life Well Lived, racing’s first unified welfare strategy, setting four core outcomes and 26 projects to improve welfare standards.
2021
Aftercare Funding Review: Recommendations published to improve support for former racehorses.
Safety improvements: Obstacle markers change from orange to white, informed by equine vision science supported by the Horserace Betting Levy Board.
National Racehorse Week: Launches as an annual public event showcasing yards, studs and aftercare centres.
Euthanasia Guidelines: Published to support the best outcomes for horses in racing.
2022
£3m investment: Racing Foundation funds the HWB over three years to deliver A Life Well Lived projects and outcomes.
Centralised data unit: Established within the BHA to inform welfare, safety, traceability and aftercare initiatives.
Equine Safety Group: Formed with industry-wide representation to drive improvements in equine safety.
2023
RVC partnership: Established to reduce risk and improve racing safety.
Racing Risk Model: RVC model developed to reduce fatalities, falls and long-term injuries.
Equine MediRecords: Piloted at major Festivals, becoming standard practice in 2024.
Whip Review: Published with strengthened measures governing whip use.
2024
Fatality reviews: Comprehensive reviews introduced for every racecourse fatality.
Thoroughbred Census: Findings provide insights into former racehorses’ lives and inform traceability improvements.
Retraining of Racehorses (RoR) Aftercare Strategy: Three-year industry-backed strategy launched to improve outcomes for former racehorses.
HorsePWR: First cross-industry welfare campaign and digital hub launched.
2025
Extended mandate: HWB receives a further six-year mandate to build on progress and improve horse welfare.
New leadership: Baroness Minette Batters appointed Independent Chair, with greater independent representation on the Board.
Ongoing investment: Racing Foundation awards further funding to deliver continued welfare improvements for horses.
2026
Traceability Working Group: Established to develop an action plan to improve Thoroughbred traceability.
Turf Performance Quality Standard (PQS): Rolled out to support racecourse turf management and maintenance, with a Synthetic PQS in development.
Charter for the Horse: BHA signed the BEF pledge promoting equine welfare, wellbeing and ethics.
Retrainer Approval Scheme: RoR scheme launched to ensure horses receive appropriate care and support after racing, and joined BEF as Associate Member.
Horse Welfare Board
The Horse Welfare Board is made up of four representatives from across British racing alongside an Independent Chair and three independent members who contribute vital external expertise and insight. It is supported by a dedicated horse welfare programme team working in collaboration with the industry to deliver projects.
QUALITY OF LIFE
The welfare strategy aims to improve the understanding of horses’ physical and mental wellbeing throughout their lives. Work will include long-term veterinary and welfare research, and the gathering of stronger welfare data from the training environment and early years, along with consideration of factors affecting the resilience and longevity of the Thoroughbred.
THE FOCUS: A consideration for the whole health of the horse, recognising that their quality of life depends on supporting positive experiences alongside reducing negative outcomes. This includes improving knowledge and practice around nutrition, behaviour, social contact, environment, training and early-years management.
THE IMPACT: Horses bred for racing will experience a better quality of life supported by the latest scientific evidence.
PRIORITIES
Collecting and analysing enhanced data to improve horses’ quality of life
Industry-wide collaboration to continuously improve horse welfare standards.
Prioritise veterinary research into factors affecting horses’ quality of life, from health and injury prevention to recovery and retirement.
Implement projects to support the whole health of the horse.
Safeguard the future of the Thoroughbred athlete by ensuring a robust and resilient breed.
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LIFETIME RESPONSIBILITY
Lifetime responsibility is focused on ensuring accountability for Thoroughbreds throughout their lives, improving traceability and supporting their welfare before, during and after racing.
THE FOCUS: Strengthening traceability, closing information gaps, improving support when horses leave racing and move into new careers and developing a blueprint for an entirely digital traceability system.
THE IMPACT: Bringing the sport closer to its ambition of 100% lifetime traceability for all horses bred for racing.
PRIORITIES
Establish accountability and advocate for stronger legislation in traceability.
Continuous improvement of data held for all stages of the Thoroughbred’s life.
Strengthen understanding of the lifecycle and outcomes for British racehorses.
Use traceability data to support a horse’s first step out of racing and beyond.
Support best outcomes for all horses bred for racing.
SAFETY
British racing has a clear commitment to reducing avoidable risk within the sport in both flat and jump racing. Continuous improvement in safety, driven by advances in data, technology and scientific research will be at the centre of this work as well as the ongoing development of the sport’s Racing Risk Model.
THE FOCUS: The new strategy will significantly broaden the focus beyond race day to achieve better data collection and analysis from the training environment and across a horse’s life. Advanced technologies such as gait analysis software, artificial intelligence, and wearable technology are also being explored to help identify risk.
THE IMPACT: Identifying and preventing risk to horses will make racing the safest it can be for horses both on and off the racecourse.
PRIORITIES
Partner with world-leading experts to help identify and manage potential risk factors on and off the racecourse
Advance racing’s risk modelling capabilities
Continue to identify and reduce avoidable risk on the racecourse
Gather data to identify and reduce avoidable risk of off the racecourse
Ongoing obstacle design improvements and management
Improve training and CPD provision around training surfaces
Explore and trial new technology to support earlier interventions
Connect research, knowledge, and practice to advance safety
For more detail on progress made during 2025 read the safety report here.
TRUST
Trust is focused on building confidence in British racing’s commitment to horse welfare through meaningful action, and open communication about progress, data, and the challenges the sport is addressing.
THE FOCUS: Communicating more openly and consistently, increasing transparency and strengthening independent oversight of welfare activity, providing opportunities for people to come behind the scenes of the sport both physically and digitally.
THE IMPACT: Openness about welfare standards, areas for improvement, progress and the impact of investment will enable British racing to thrive as a responsible, trusted, and sustainable sport.
PRIORITIES
Review and strengthen the sport’s approach to communicating on horse welfare
Improve transparency around how racing addresses public concerns and ensure these are reflected in its governance and decision making
Expand core programmes including National Racehorse Week and HorsePWR
Engage with external experts and welfare organisations to provide independent oversight of actions and accountability
Further understanding of the whip for safety and encouragement
Innovations have the potential to give us a more holistic view of the horse and its wellbeing, helping us predict and diagnose injury far earlier, enabling more precise treatment and supporting improved rehab.
Technology & Innovation
From wearable technologies, ground management devices, and data analytics through to advances in veterinary science and research, innovation is providing new opportunities to monitor, assess and enhance the welfare of racehorses. These tools can help generate deeper insights into equine health, behaviour and performance, supporting more informed decision-making and earlier interventions where needed.
By embracing new technologies at the heart of the sport and supporting ongoing research, British racing can continue to build a stronger evidence base to identify and implement welfare improvements.
Traceability
Strengthening traceability is a key priority over the next five years, supporting the industry’s ambition of 100% lifetime traceability for all horses bred for racing.
Building on progress to date, the industry will work towards a long-term digital solution that improves understanding of the pathways Thoroughbreds take and outcomes throughout their lives. Better traceability will strengthen accountability, close data gaps, and support welfare decision-making. This will help ensure horses can be better understood and supported beyond their racing careers while delivering benefits across the wider equestrian sector.
A continued close partnership with Retraining of Racehorses (RoR), racing’s official aftercare charity, is central to delivering this ambition. RoR’s 2027-2031 strategy aligns closely with these priorities, strengthening the sport’s commitment to lifetime responsibility. See RoR’s new strategy here www.ror.org.uk/strategy
100%
All foals are required to have a 30 day foal notification to the BHA to be eligible to race
100%
All horses retired have the details of their first keeper recorded on their first step out of racing
82%
At least 82% of horses bred to race go into training in Britain or abroad by six years of age
71%
At least 71% of horses bred for racing are raced in Britain or overseas by the age of six
26.5%
The number of females bred to race registered as broodmares by the age of six
80%
Of former racehorses were active and identifiable in the 2023 Thoroughbred Census
