The death of a horse at this year’s Cheltenham Festival has reignited criticism of jump racing and prompted fresh calls for a public boycott and government intervention from leading animal welfare campaigners.
The horse, Hansard, died after sustaining a fatal injury during the festival, marking the first equine fatality at this year’s event. The incident adds to a growing toll that campaigners say highlights ongoing welfare concerns in the sport.
According to figures compiled by the charity Animal Aid, a total of 79 horses have died at the Cheltenham Festival since the year 2000, with at least one fatality recorded at every festival during that period.
Emma Slawinski, chief executive of the League Against Cruel Sports, said the death would deeply upset animal lovers but argued it was sadly predictable.
“The death of Hansard will sadden all animal lovers but tragically it’s not a surprise, as every year horses are raced to their deaths at the Cheltenham Festival,” she said.
“The death toll is staggering – we have now seen 79 horses die at the Cheltenham Festival since the turn of the century. We’re in the middle of the Winter Paralympics – if this death toll happened in any of those sports, there would be a huge outcry. Why should horses be any different?”
Campaigners also pointed to last year’s festival, where Springwell Bay was the first horse to die, followed by Corbetts Cross, which was fatally injured during the meeting’s flagship Gold Cup race.
Slawinski said the charity is urging members of the public to take action by refusing to support the event.
“We are calling on the public to boycott the Cheltenham Festival by staying away, not betting on the races or watching the ITV coverage and advertising which accompanies it,” she said.
She also called on the UK government to follow through on its pledges to strengthen animal welfare protections.
“The government promised the biggest boost for animal welfare in a generation and now it needs to deliver by tackling the terrible death toll at Cheltenham and introducing tighter safety measures in horse racing and banning the use of the whip.”
The Cheltenham Festival, one of the most prominent events in the National Hunt racing calendar, attracts tens of thousands of spectators each year and millions of viewers worldwide. However, fatalities during jump racing events have long been a point of controversy, with campaigners and industry figures divided over the risks involved and the adequacy of current safety measures.