Horses' welfare under scrutiny

British horse racing has been under the spotlight this week following the investigation and subsequent ban meted out to trainer Howard Johnson. The winner of the Ladbrokes World Hurdle three times in four years was charged with welfare abuse.

These latest steps taken by the British Horseracing Authority (BHA) to demonstrate the responsibility and care they show to the horses comes on the back of a review earlier this year concerning the use of the whip by jockeys.

The main charge against Johnson was that he raced a horse eight times after sending the animal for palmar neurectomy surgery. This operation involves severing the nervous connection to the lower leg in order to cause numbness. Until a few years ago this was a common treatment for ‘normal’ horses to ease the pain they may feel from corns and other lower limb injuries that may cause them discomfort.

However, this surgery is strictly forbidden in racing circles due to the risks associated with racing a horse with no feeling in its feet and lower limbs. The logic reasons that, if it blocks all feeling and a horse cannot feel pain, there is a risk of unnatural movement and furthermore it cannot prevent itself from doing serious damage, potentially placing the rider in great peril.

The intrigue surrounding this case emanates from the fact that the BHA is unable to actually test horses to determine whether they have been ‘de-nerved’. Johnson’s crime was only established in a post-mortem after his horse, Striking Article (aptly named given the recent publicity), was put down following a race at Musselburgh on February 7, 2010. The operation was discovered to have been carried out in April 2008.

Johnson claims that by racing Striking Article eight times after the operation proved he was ‘OK’. Graham Wylie, SAGE computer magnate and owner of one of the largest portfolio of race horses in the UK and a loyal backer of Johnson, called the ban a ‘disgusting decision’. He will now be forced to find homes for many of these horses, with rumours abounding that these will either be sold or spread between yards in Ireland or the Paul Nicholls stable.
 
Others argue that, by not being able to feel the damage being done by the impact of racing at 50kph over four foot hurdles, caused the injuries that resulted in the racehorse being put down.

Johnson has also been found guilty of administering anabolic steroids to three other horses and was banned for a year in relation to these charges, resulting in a total four-year ban. This is considered to be sufficient to ensure that Johnson is unable to maintain his contacts and easily return to racing.

The BHA stated that the exclusion had been a significant and appropriate sanction for two different but very serious offences, having ‘shown a reckless disregard for the rules and falling short of the standard expected of a licensed trainer’.

Johnson, aged 58, is now expected to retire. He is also banned from entering any licensed premises under the control of any racing board including training yards and racecourses.

The decision was welcomed by the World Horse Welfare Charity whose chief executive, Roly Owers, described Johnson’s actions as ‘reprehensible, clearly crossing the line between the acceptable and unacceptable use of horses in sport’. This case clearly sends a message to everyone involved in racing that the welfare of the horse has to come first, not the need to win at any cost.

The Charity and the BHA have also been involved in a study to evaluate the use of the whip in racing to encourage the horse to run faster. This fundamental aspect of racing is under scrutiny like never before following the high-profile banning of Grand National winning jockey, Jason Maguire, for five days. His horse, Ballabriggs, required oxygen after crossing the line after Macguire was found to have excessively used his whip in the closing stages.

The BHA claims that the use of the whip is not cruel and highlights the recently designed whips that are softer. However, welfare groups are concerned that tired horses are forced beyond their limits towards the end of races.

There is also a growing sense that sections of the public are turning away from racing due to an act of perceived violence.

The BHA is keen to embrace all public opinion in positioning the sport while balancing various interests and is now in the middle of its most wide-ranging survey ever commissioned.