Worcester Racecourse: two horses die as vegans call for ban

Two horses died at the racecourse at Pitchcroft on Wednesday, June 26 which has led to activists calling for the sport to be stopped altogether as they criticise the death of equines across the UK.

Max Burgess of Worcestershire Vegans and Veggies, a group which organises regular protests at the gates of Worcester Racecourse, said: "Nearly every day horses are dying. It's unacceptable that so many horses are losing their lives just for entertainment. I would like to see it stopped completely."

CONDOLENCES: Worcester Racecourse saw the deaths of two horses on the same day last month

The 75-year-old drew attention to Race Horse Death Watch which monitors the deaths of horses at racecourses up and down the country.

Animal Aid's Race Horse Death Watch was launched during the 2007 Festival 'to expose and record every on-course thoroughbred fatality in Britain'.

The table shows that Gouazec was fatally injured and Think First fell dead at Worcester Racecourse on June 26.

A spokesperson for Animal Aid's Race Horse Death Watch said in an online statement: "The horse racing authorities have failed to put clear, unambiguous horse death information into the public domain, preferring to offer complex statistical data rather than specifying, as Death Watch does, the names of killed horses, where the fatality occurred, who was riding the horse and the nature of the injury.

PROTESTS: There have been a number of protests at Worcester Racecourse over the last decade with calls made to close Worcester Racecourse because of deaths of horses

"We have good reason to believe that the equine fatalities we are able to list on Death Watch, and which we have verified, fall some 30 per cent short of the true total."

Michael Thomas, general manager at Worcester Racecourse, said: "We extend our condolences to connections of the horses lost at Worcester. No one will be more affected than the trainers, owners and stable staff who have provided these horses with first-class care and attention throughout their lives.

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He added everyone in British racing strove to reduce avoidable risk.

He said: "Every incident is reviewed, alongside the racecourse and other bodies as part of a constant, ongoing process of assessment, analysis, and improvement. The BHA is transparent about our welfare record and each year publishes data on the sport’s fatal injury rate, defined as a horse being fatally injured as a direct result of their injuries on the raceday or within 48 hours of the raceday.

"In 2023, 87,619 runners competed in races in Britain, with a fatal injury rate of 0.18 per cent. The sport’s five-year rolling fatal injury rate is 0.20 per cent.

"Anybody who wishes to learn more about racing’s record and the work being undertaken to ensure we remain a global leader in equine welfare is encouraged to visit www.horsepwr.co.uk."