Allen Sarah E, Taylor Sally, Given James, Verheyen Kristien L
Department of Pathobiology and Population Sciences, Royal Veterinary College, Hatfield, Hertfordshire, UK.
British Horseracing Authority, London, UK.
Equine Vet J. 2025 Jul;57(4):870-877. doi: 10.1111/evj.14450. Epub 2024 Dec 12.
The British horseracing industry is committed to reducing equine fatalities in jump racing. Race-related fatalities are a major welfare concern and threaten the sport's social licence to operate.
To describe the risk of, and determine risk factors for, fatality in British jump racing.
Retrospective cohort.
Analyses included all starts made in British jump races between January 2010 and April 2023. Available information for each horse, race, racecourse, trainer and jockey was collated and combined with details of all fatalities recorded by official veterinary officers in a central database. A fatality was defined as any post-start veterinary event that resulted in the sudden death or euthanasia of a horse within 48 h of racing. Risk factors (n = 101) were evaluated using mixed-effects logistic regression. Data for steeplechase and hurdle starts were analysed separately.
The overall fatality rate was 5.9 per 1000 steeplechase starts (n = 836/141 922; 95% CI 5.5-6.3) and 4.5 per 1000 hurdle starts (n = 1096/242 486; 95% CI 4.3-4.8). In both race types, fallers (steeplechase: OR 28.7, 95% CI 23.0-35.8; hurdle: OR 41.4, 95% CI 32.9-52.0) and older horses (steeplechase: OR 1.1 per extra year, 95% CI 1.1-1.2; hurdle: OR 1.2 per extra year, 95% CI 1.1-1.2) had higher odds of fatality. In steeplechase racing, starts made in summer (OR 1.2, 95% CI 1.0-1.5) and by non-GB trained horses (OR 2.0, 95% CI 1.4-3.0) experienced higher fatality odds. In hurdling, maiden races (OR 1.3, 95% CI 1.0-1.6) were at higher odds of fatality. In both race types, softer going decreased the odds of fatality. Approximately half of the unexplained variation in fatality odds was attributable to horse.
Analysis was restricted to routinely recorded race-day factors and performance history.
Reducing the risk of falling and racing on softer ground could substantially decrease fatalities in jump racing.
英国赛马行业致力于减少障碍赛中的马匹死亡事件。与比赛相关的死亡是一个主要的福利问题，并威胁到这项运动的运营社会许可。
描述英国障碍赛中死亡的风险，并确定死亡的风险因素。
回顾性队列研究。
分析包括2010年1月至2023年4月在英国障碍赛中的所有参赛情况。整理了每匹马、每场比赛、赛马场、驯马师和骑师的可用信息，并与官方兽医在中央数据库中记录的所有死亡细节相结合。死亡定义为任何赛后兽医事件，导致马匹在比赛后48小时内突然死亡或安乐死。使用混合效应逻辑回归评估风险因素（n = 101）。分别分析了障碍赛和平地赛的参赛数据。
障碍赛的总体死亡率为每1000次参赛5.9例（n = 836/141922；95%CI 5.5 - 6.3），平地赛为每1000次参赛4.5例（n = 1096/242486；95%CI 4.3 - 4.8）。在这两种比赛类型中，摔倒的马（障碍赛：OR 28.7，95%CI 23.0 - 35.8；平地赛：OR 41.4，95%CI 32.9 - 52.0）和年龄较大的马（障碍赛：每增加一岁OR 1.1，95%CI 1.1 - 1.2；平地赛：每增加一岁OR 1.2，95%CI 1.1 - 1.2）死亡几率更高。在障碍赛中，夏季参赛（OR 1.2，95%CI 1.0 - 1.5）和非英国训练的马匹参赛（OR 2.0，95%CI 1.4 - 3.0）的死亡几率更高。在平地赛中，初马赛（OR 1.3，95%CI 1.0 - 1.6）的死亡几率更高。在这两种比赛类型中，地面较软会降低死亡几率。死亡几率中约一半无法解释的变异可归因于马匹。
分析仅限于常规记录的比赛日因素和表现历史。
降低摔倒风险和在较软地面上比赛可大幅降低障碍赛中的死亡率。
