Four horses have died so far this year at Cheltenham Festival and many more have lost their lives over the years.
The prestigious festival, one of the highlights of the horse racing calendar, has seen punters come from all over as they tried to beat the bookies while watching some of the UK's finest racing talent in action.
Many more followed it at home as the runners and riders bid for glory in several high-profile races at Prestbury Park, including the world-famous Gold Cup on Friday, March 18. The meeting is also well-known for its significant prize money, which is second only to the Grand National.
However, while thousands of punters have descended on Cheltenham this week, the festival has come under fire in recent years for its record of horse deaths, which animal right activists have said is "horrific and unacceptable".
But how many horses have died at the festival, and what is causing these deaths?
How many horses have died at Cheltenham Festival in total?
Since 2000, a total of 73 horses have lost their lives as a result of racing at Cheltenham.
Four have died so far during the 2022 festival - Shallwehaveonemore, Mindsmadeup, Born Patriot and Ginto - leading animal groups to renew their calls for an end to the world-famous festival.
Over the last five festivals, 15 horses have died, while there were 11 deaths in a single week back in 2006 - including a record six in one day of racing. The number of deaths each year since 2000 is as follows:
- 2022 - 34
- 2021 - 1
- 2020 - 1
- 2019 - 3
- 2018 - 7
- 2017 - 4
- 2016 - 7
- 2015 - 2
- 2014 - 5
- 2013 - 1
- 2012 - 5
- 2011 - 1
- 2010 - 4
- 2009 - 1
- 2008 - 1
- 2007 - 2
- 2006 - 11
- 2005 - 3
- 2004 - 3
- 2003 - 3
- 2002 - 3
- 2001 - Abandoned
- 2000 - 1
Call for Cheltenham Festival to end
Chris Luffingham, director of external affairs at leading animal welfare charity the League Against Cruel Sports, said: "The death of Ginto, the fourth fatality in four days, shows the appalling safety record of the racing industry and the Cheltenham Festival. Enough is enough. This appalling death toll is simply unacceptable and we need change fast to ensure that the racing industry makes animal welfare its priority. We need new and much tighter safety measures to be implemented and we are calling for an independent regulatory body to be created with horse welfare as its only concern. There should also be a ban on the whip which forces horses to go beyond what they are comfortably able to do resulting in stress, injuries, and deaths."
Dene Stansall, horse racing consultant for Animal Aid: "Seeing Shallwehaveonemore fall was a tragedy that is repeated year-on-year at this notorious so-called festival. Far from being a festival, it exudes the worst in animal cruelty with a blatant disregard for the suffering it causes – horse deaths, agonising injuries and the brutality of whipping animals in public. An end to horse racing would stop this horror show – the Cheltenham Festival should be the first on that agenda."
What is the reason for horse deaths at Cheltenham Festival?
A 2014 study by animal rights organisation Animal Aid revealed that many aspects of the racecourse had resulted in the death of horses including crowded races, extreme race distances and stiff fences. The challenging racing ground and use of novice horses in demanding events were also cited as contributing factors in horses' deaths.
In January 2017, racehorse Many Clouds - who had won the Grand National two years earlier - collapsed and died after winning a gruelling race at Cheltenham. Months earlier, it had been widely reported that Many Clouds suffered physically during his races and needed oxygen to recover, leading Animal Aid to warn the British Horseracing Authority that he could die if he was not retired. However, the champion racehorse continued to race in challenging events, and ultimately lost his life.
A statement posted on the Animal Aid website reads: "The Cheltenham Festival is held every March and is a relentless killer of race horses who die, undeniably, in the most horrific of circumstances. Cheltenham is one of the most dangerous racecourses in the world for a horse to step foot upon. Racing’s welfare regulator, the British Horseracing Authority (BHA) and the Racecourse – which is owned by the Jockey Club – must take responsibility for the deaths. Between them, they have failed race horses on a huge scale. As such, they should be replaced by a singular independent welfare body that would take meaningful action to stop horses from losing their lives."
Chris Luffingham, campaigns director at the League Against Cruel Sports, echoes those calls for an independent welfare body: "We need an independent regulatory body with horse welfare as its only concern and an end to the use of the whip which forces the horse to go beyond what it is comfortably able to do resulting in death, injuries and stress."
What has been done to try and protect horses?
Racing authorities have been working to reduce the injuries suffered by horses amid public pressure. The racecourse has installed a horse weighing machine, built an equine hospital on site, as well as an X-ray machine at every meeting. Other changes include having cooling fans in the unsaddling enclosure, a refurbished veterinary treatment box, 99 new stables, an equine solarium and rubberised horse walk stables in the pre-parade ring
