Panorama: The Dark Side of Horseracing used covert recordings that showed that strict rules on animal welfare were regularly broken, causing pain and distress to the horses, many of which were once trained by some of the biggest names in the sport.
The scandal to hit the sport is a massive blow to the industry that is finally finding its feet after the financial impact of the Covid-19 outbreak. It’s also the second high-profile case of animal abuse in just over a year.
In February 2020, photos were circulated on Facebook, which showed leading Irish trainer Gordon Elliot making a peace sign while sitting on a dead horse. The three-time Grand National winner was condemned for his actions and was subsequently given a ban from the sport until September this year.
In the Elliot case, the British Horseracing Authority (BHA) said it was “appalled” and added: “People who work in our industry believe their values – of caring for and respecting our horses – have been deeply undermined by this behaviour. On their behalf, and on behalf of all horse-lovers, we say loudly that British horseracing finds this totally unacceptable.”
In the latest accusations against the industry, Panorama state that a freedom of information request revealed that since the beginning of 2019, 4000 former racehorses were slaughtered in Britain and Ireland.
Working with Animal Aid, the documentary makers set up hidden surveillance cameras at Drury and Sons, an abattoir in England that hold a licence to kill horses. They secretly recorded footage over four days from the end of 2019 and the beginning of 2020.
The footage showed dozens of former racing horses being killed, with many of them being young horses rather than old retired horses.
Dene Stansall, a spokesperson for Animal Aid, said: “When we looked at the footage, we were absolutely astounded at the sheer volume of young thoroughbreds,”
The footage used by Panorama showed three horses that Gordon Elliott had previously trained, causing more embarrassment for the trainer who won his first Grand National at the age of 29 with 33/1 outsider Silver Birch.
Elliot denied any of the horses were sent to at Drury and Sons by him and told the Panorama investigators that the horses had been retired from racing due to injury. He said that two of the horses had been sent to a horse dealer “to be rehomed if possible, and if not, to be humanely euthanised” as per the regulations.
He claims the third horse was given to another rider as the owner had requested this of the horse. Elliot added that the first he knew about the euthanisation of the horses was when Panorama contacted him and added that he had ensured the proper treatment and welfare of the animals while they were in his care. Also adding that he had rehomed many of the horses he had trained once they retired from racing.
More damaging for the industry is the footage used in the programme appears to show clear breaches of rules designed to ensure animal welfare and prevent cruelty.
Rules state that horses should not be killed in the line of sight of another horse. However, in just the four days of the secret recordings that were made, horses were killed together 26 times.
Professor Daniel Mills, a behavioural specialist from the University of Lincoln, said: “A gunshot going off is going to be startling, seeing another horse suddenly drop, these are all going to be very distressing for a horse in this situation.”
Another area of concern was the distance that often injured horses were transported to be euthanised. Some had travelled more than 350 miles from Ireland by road. Some experts, such as Veterinary expert Dr Hannah Donovan have called this unnecessary suffering and described it as “not a humane process”.
Panorama: The Dark Side of Horse Racing can be viewed via the BBC iPlayer.
