Yes, you will find plenty of information about a career in racing here

There are various jobs you can have in the industry that don’t involve riding. From working at the racecourse, to working in the office to working at the BHA there’s plenty of job roles out there.

Careers in Racing can assist with work experience requests. If you complete this form or get in touch with the team on [email protected]

Yes. If a registered horse from the EU is imported using documentation that proves when it left the EU, it will be able to utilise the specific export health certificate for re-entry into the union. This precludes the need for blood tests, residency or isolation. Whilst these horses are eligible for entry without documentation (or with a DOCOM if coming from France) without a veterinary attestation they won’t be able to make benefit of this simplified return process.

No. HHS is an industry led proposal of which Government is supportive. It’s for the EU to decide whether to accept the proposal or not but in any event it will not come in on day one. Once we leave the EU, all equines will have follow the same processes, regardless of which EU country they are travelling to.

Equines registered with a national branch of an international body for sporting or competition purposes will be able to travel using existing industry issued ID documents. All other equines will require a Government issued ID each time they move from the UK to the EU. This will change if the EU recognises the UK’s studbooks and breed societies.

You will apply for your Government issued ID from APHA at the same time as your export health certificate. Details of this process are available on Gov.uk.  

Official Veterinarian (OV) is the term used to describe veterinarians who perform work on behalf of the governments. In Great Britain they are also private practice vets. EU law requires that they sign export health certificates to authorise that the relevant animal health requirements have been met ahead of export.  OVs are authorised by the Government for the specific work they undertake on its behalf.

If you need to find an OV you can:

• Check the list of professionals who can certify export health certificates
• ask at your local veterinary practice or vet
• email [email protected] (if you’re in Northern Ireland contact DAERA

For each journey the Export Health Certificate should clearly show the equine’s country of destination if this is different to the country of entry.

The EHC will replace the Intra Trade Animal Health Certificate (ITAHC) for exports to EU countries.

Before an EHC can be issued, equines will need to have been tested and found free of certain disease (see above).

For full details on Export Health Certificates and how to get one visit gov.uk.

Before exporting, businesses must:

• register for an Economic Operator Register and Identification (EORI) number (if you have not been assigned one automatically).
• be aware of potential EU trade tariff changes
• find out the commodity code for your goods
• choose the correct customs procedure code (CPC) for your goods
• check the wider HMRC guidance for exporters

You will need to follow all relevant EU customs procedures in the event of no deal. The HMRC guidance for exporters provides links to the relevant EU information on these systems.

In order to comply with pre-export isolation requirements for permeant exports or the temporary export of unregistered horses, owners will need to ensure that their equine is kept apart from other equines not of an equivalent health status for 30 days before export.

Owners are unlikely to be able to know with any certainty whether other equines attending a competition are of equivalent health status or not. You should therefore avoid these situations to ensure that isolation requirements are met and an export health certificate can be issued.

These requirements do not need to be met to temporarily export a horse registered with a national branch of an international body for sporting or competition purposes for less than 90 days.

Yes. The requirement would apply to all equines entering the EU, including movements to Ireland and France previously made under the TPA. This is because this is a current EU requirement for all equines entering the EU from a third country.

Yes. The requirement would apply to all equines entering the EU, including movements to Ireland and France previously made under the TPA. This is because this is a current EU requirement for all equines entering the EU from a third country.

No. Sampling can be carried out by any qualified veterinarian. But blood samples should be sent to the APHA laboratory in Weybridge for analysis.

However, only an Official Vet can authorise your equine for travel and issue the documentation needed for travel.

It is advised that you contact a vet at least six weeks before you intend to move your equine to the EU to allow sufficient time to prepare.

APHA has undertaken recruitment to ensure that sufficient resource is in place to maintain current testing times for EVA and EIA, as well as the additional diseases that might need to be tested for should the UK be assigned to sanitary group B. APHA Weybridge will endeavour to put all submissions up to test on the next available test run. The maximum turnaround time for EVA testing is 12 working days and for the current EIA test (Coggins test) the maximum turnaround time is 5 working days.  These maximum times are to allow for re-testing where necessary.

This will depend upon the blood test. Tests must be taken within a certain number of days of travel, dependent on the type of move being undertaken. If an equine travels from the UK to the EU again within this time period, tests will not need to be re-taken.

The Commission listed the UK in Sanitary Group A in preparation for a no deal exit on April 12^th. Although the UK’s listed status will need to be voted on again ahead of a no deal exit on October 31st, placement in Sanitary Group A would mean equines would need tests for:

• equine infectious anaemia within 30 days of travel for permanent moves
• equine infectious anaemia within 90 days of travel for temporary moves under 90 days of equines registered with a national branch of an international body for sporting and competition purposes
• equine viral arteritis within 21 days of travel for uncastrated male equines older than 180 days, unless they meet other specific vaccination requirements specified in the Model Health Certificate. These can be found in EU Commission Implementing Regulation 2018/659.

The testing requirements and additional veterinary time needed to prepare an equine for travel are likely to result in additional costs for owners. Exact costs will vary between vet practices.

There will be no cost for the identification document, where this is needed.

There is no charge for the Export Health Certificate, but you’ll need to pay for your vet’s services.

Importers will also need to comply with UK customs procedures. In some cases importers may want to register for simplified import procedures. Information from HMRC on customs procedures in the event of a no deal exit from the EU are available here.

Owners regularly moving the same equine between the UK and EU may wish to consider applying for an ATA Carnet to further streamline customs procedures. More information is available here.

The UK remains a part of the TPA during this period. Equines will continue to be able to
travel between the UK and Ireland with only an equine ID document. Commercial
documents (DOCOMS) will continue to be applicable for the movement of high health
status horses between the UK and France.

The Stewards role is to ensure that the BHA Rules and Instructions are adhered to. They watch each race live or on screens in the Stewards’ room, then afterwards review the action from all the various camera angles. In particular they are looking for breaches of the Rules on interference, the whip, and horses not being run on their merits. The Stewards also decide which horses should be tested for banned substances.

As of January 2019 the Stewards panel for most meetings consists of three people – one unpaid (Stewards Panel Chair) and two Stipendiary Stewards (one will have the role of Chief Steward), employed by the BHA (for a Premier meeting such as Royal Ascot or Cheltenham there are three of each). In addition to these, there is an Assistant Steward, who deals with all of the administration and a Raceday Assistant. The unpaid Stewards are approved and trained by the BHA.

The panel has access to at least five camera angles of each race to review what takes place and how horses are ridden. The views are: head-on, side-on, close-up side on and two “ scout” or “remote” cameras, one of which is in the back straight and one giving a rear view up the home straight. If they consider that the Rules may have been broken they interview the jockeys/trainers involved in a Stewards’ Enquiry after the race. If interference has taken place and they feel it has affected the finishing positions of some of the runners they have the power to amend the result.

The panel hears the evidence and reviews relevant recordings. After the witnesses have left the room, the Stewards deliberate, and after they have reached a decision get the jockeys/trainers back in to the room to inform them of the outcome. A report of their findings is produced and relayed to the public.

It is mandatory for jockeys and trainers to report to the Stewards anything which has happened in a race which might have adversely affected the performance of a runner that they ride/train. Examples of this include: a horse suffering interference in running, losing a shoe, or finishing lame. This means that Stewards and the public are aware of any reason which possibly explains a horse’s disappointing performance, which may account for any subsequent improvement in form.

Interference enquiries often only take a few minutes, but cannot start until the jockeys have returned to the weighing room and, if necessary, have weighed out for the following race. This can result in a delay.

Anyone found in breach of a Rule by the racecourse Stewards has the right to appeal to the Disciplinary Panel. Appeals are heard by the Disciplinary Panel at BHA offices in London.

Results of all Stewards Enquiries are published in the Stewards Reports section. They are also Tweeted. On the racecourse Enquiries of significance are broadcast over the public address system.

Stewards come from a wide variety of backgrounds. All  have demonstrated a strong knowledge of, and interest in, racing. A number of the Stewards team rode as professionals, either on the Flat or over jumps, and between them won many premier races. We also recruit Graduate Trainee Stewards, who come from a variety of backgrounds without the same level of practical experience but with the ability to acquire the necessary level of knowledge.

We have a mixture of paid and unpaid Stewards on our panels on the racecourse. When there is a vacancy paid position an advertisement will be placed on CareersinRacing, BHA Vacancies page and some publications including the Racing Post.

Sometimes horses refuse to enter the stalls and will be withdrawn from the race. Horses can also be withdrawn from the race if they become fractious or unruly in the stalls. The Starter will always have horses’ welfare in mind. If a horse has been upset by an unruly horse in a nearby stall, the animal will be checked over by a vet.

If a horse has been unruly in the stalls it may have an injury that is not readily apparent and the Starter will officially withdraw the horse and an announcement will be made over the PA system.

As there are no Stalls Handlers over the jumps, the Starter and his/her Assistant(s) will check the horses’ girths themselves, before informing the jockeys when there’s half a minute to go before the off. They can pull their goggles down and prepare themselves for racing. During this time, the horses will be circling in a defined area behind the Start itself.

If Jockeys line up and commence to move forward before the Starter raises his/her flag or approach the start at faster than a jig jog before the tape is released and flag lowered, the Starter will wave their flag to indicate that the race will not be started and the field must pull up. The Advance Flag Operator (AFO) will also wave their flag to enable riders furthest away from the Starter to understand that the race will not be started.

Should the field be unable to pull up, the tape may be released for safety reasons but the Starter will continue to wave his/her flag and declare a false start which will be reciprocated by the AFO.

If the race is not started at the first attempt, the field will regroup at the marker poles and a standing start to the satisfaction of the Starter will be effected by tape and flag. There will not be a further attempt at a walk-in start and runners will not be sent back further than is necessary to regroup at the marker poles.

No. HHS is an industry led proposal of which Government is supportive. It’s for the EU to decide whether to accept the proposal or not but in any event it will not come in on day one. Once we leave the EU, all equines will have follow the same processes, regardless of which EU country they are travelling to.

Yes. UK issued transport documentation will still be valid for transport within the UK.

You should consult the latest information published by HMRC for detail on the changes to travel for individuals in the event of no deal.

No, but commercial movements are broadly defined. If the activity being undertaken involves any direct or indirect financial activity then a permit is likely to be required.

ECMT permits are required by third country hauliers to operate within the EU. DfT’s expectation is that hauliers should not need an ECMT permit to continue doing a range of business in all, or much of the EU, even in the event of no deal. The Government has put in place a scheme to allocate these permits, as detailed under the Haulage Permits and Trailer Registration Act 2018. UK hauliers have been applying for ECMT permits and the Government announced the initial results of the allocation to UK hauliers on 8 February.

As DfT expects UK hauliers to have other means of ensuing market access to the EU, hauliers will be allowed a period of time before these permits need to be formally taken and paid for. This approach has been agreed with road haulage stakeholders. The 2018 Act provides appropriate arrangements for distributing any new permits which may be required under any future bilateral arrangements, if these are needed.

Currently, when transporting equines within the EU, transporters are required to hold the following documentation:

• Valid Transporter Authorisation (Renewed every 5 years)
• Valid Certificate of Competence (Valid for life)
• Valid Vehicle Authorisation (Renewed every 5 years)
• Have logged a ‘Journey log’ (Required for every international movement but not for registered horses)

Vehicle Authorisations and Driver Certificates of Competence need to be obtained before a transporter is issued with an Authorisation.

In January 2018, the European Commission confirmed that in the event of a no deal scenario when the UK exits the EU, they will no longer accept Transporter Authorisation, Certificates of Competence or Vehicle Approval Certificates issued by the UK authority.

Any transporter wishing to transport live animals into the EU will need to obtain new transport documentation issued by one of the EU27 Members States, which will then be valid in all Member States’ territories. The length of time it will take to obtain authorisations will vary between Member States though in the UK a fully completed application is processed within 10 days.

– UK transporters wishing to transport live animals in the EU would need to appoint a representative within an EU country and apply to their relevant government department to obtain a valid Transporter Authorisation, Certificate of Competence, Vehicle Approval Certificate and, where necessary, a Journey Log;

– If Journey logs are required, they would need to be obtained from both APHA and the EU country that is the initial point of entry into the EU for export. Exporters would need to present their transport documentation at a Border Inspection Post in the EU;

– UK-issued transport documentation would remain valid for transport within the UK only.

Official Veterinarian (OV) is the term used to describe veterinarians who perform work on behalf of the governments. In Great Britain they are also private practice vets. EU law requires that they sign export health certificates to authorise that the relevant animal health requirements have been met ahead of export.  OVs are authorised by the Government for the specific work they undertake on its behalf.

If you need to find an OV you can:

– Check the list of professionals who can certify export health certificates 

– ask at your local veterinary practice or vet

– email [email protected] (if you’re in Northern Ireland contact DAERA

Before exporting, businesses must:

– register for an Economic Operator Register and Identification (EORI) number

– be aware of potential EU trade tariff changes

– find out the commodity code for your goods

– choose the correct customs procedure code (CPC) for your goods

– check the wider HMRC guidance for exporters

You will need to follow all relevant EU customs procedures in the event of no deal. The HMRC guidance for exporters provides links to the relevant EU information on these systems.

In order to comply with pre-export isolation requirements for permeant exports or the temporary export of unregistered horses, owners will need to ensure that their equine is kept apart from other equines not of an equivalent health status for 30 days before export.

Owners are unlikely to be able to know with any certainty whether other equines attending a competition are of equivalent health status or not. You should therefore avoid these situations to ensure that isolation requirements are met and an export health certificate can be issued.

These requirements do not need to be met to temporarily export a registered horse for less than 90 days.

This will depend upon the blood test. Tests must be taken within a certain number of days of travel, dependent on the type of move being undertaken and the sanitary group the UK is placed in. If an equine travels from the UK to the EU again within this time period, tests will not need to be re-taken.

Yes – UK issued documentation will be valid for transport within the UK only. For exporting live animals to the EU, you will need to obtain additional documentation which is valid for transport within the EU.

Yes. UK issued transport documentation will still be valid for transport within the UK.

The UK has applied to the EU for recognition of the UK’s studbooks. The EU has not provided recognition at this stage, and we do not anticipate that they will do so before April 12^th.

If UK studbooks are recognised, equines in those studbooks will no longer require Government issued ID documents in order to travel from the UK to the EU.

• What about export health certificates?

The EU has specific export health certificates for ‘registered horses.’ These health certificates have less onerous requirements than those for unregistered equines.

At the moment, only horses registered with a national branch of an international body for sporting and competition purposes are eligible for these certificates. If the EU recognises the UK’s studbooks, horses in these studbooks would become eligible to use the EHCs for ‘registered horses’ and benefit from the less onerous requirements.

Equines registered or a recognised studbook or with an international association or sporting body will be able to use current ID documents to travel.

You will be able to check on gov.uk whether your equine is registered or not.

No. All equines in the UK will still be required to have the equine passport, as now for
domestic identification purposes.

Most equines will also need a Government ID document in order to travel to the EU.
Those equines requiring Government issued ID will be required to travel to the EU with
both this document and their equine passport.

Equines registered with a national branch of an international body for sporting or competition purposes will be able to travel using existing industry issued ID documents. All other equines will require a Government issued ID each time they move from the UK to the EU. This will change if the EU recognises the UK’s studbooks and breed societies.

You will apply for your Government issued ID from APHA at the same time as your export health certificate. Details of this process are available on Gov.uk.  

For each journey the Export Health Certificate should clearly show the equine’s country of destination if this is different to the country of entry.

The EHC will replace the Intra Trade Animal Health Certificate (ITAHC) for exports to EU countries.

Before an EHC can be issued, equines will need to have been tested and found free of certain disease (see here for further information).

For full details on Export Health Certificates and how to get one visit gov.uk.

The Department for International Trade has published draft information on the tariffs that will be levied on imports from the EU in the event of no deal. This information confirms that it is not the Government’s intention to levy any tariffs on equines entering the UK from the EU.

You should consult the HMRC guidance for exporters for information on other changes to process such as VAT.

Yes. The requirement would apply to all equines entering the EU, including movements to Ireland and France previously made under the TPA. This is because this is a current EU requirement for all equines entering the EU from a third country.

No. Sampling can be carried out by any qualified veterinarian. But blood samples must be sent to the APHA laboratory in Weybridge for analysis.

However, only an Official Vet can authorise your equine for travel and issue the documentation needed for travel.

It is advised that you contact a vet at least six weeks before you intend to move your equine to the EU to allow sufficient time to prepare.

The UK has been placed in Sanitary Group A. This means equines will need tests for:

– equine infectious anaemia within 30 days of travel for permanent moves

– equine infectious anaemia within 90 days of travel for temporary moves under 90 days of equines registered with a national branch of an international body for sporting and competition purposes

– equine viral arteritis within 21 days of travel for uncastrated male equines older than 180 days, unless they meet other specific vaccination requirements specified in the Model Health Certificate. These can be found in EU Commission Implementing Regulation 2018/659.

The testing requirements and additional veterinary time needed to prepare an equine for travel are likely to result in additional costs for owners. Exact costs will vary between vet practices.

There will be no cost for the identification document, where this is needed.

There is no charge for the Export Health Certificate, but you’ll need to pay for your vet’s services.

Horses being trained or participating in equine disciplines such as show jumping are among the best looked after in the UK. And this sort of training helps to keep them fit, healthy and alert.

Thoroughbred horses are bred to race and often their temperament means that they are most suited to an active life and the thrill of competition.

We make a huge effort to track horses once they leave racing, to protect and promote their continuing welfare.

Thoroughbred foals must be registered and micro-chipped within 30 days of birth, meaning that race horses can be tracked and identified throughout their life, including those that don’t succeed in competing at the highest level.

90% of horses leaving racing are accounted for – an impressive figure that the industry is constantly striving to improve. In addition, each year, British racing invests £750,000 in programmes to rehome and retrain former race horses. Also, many stay within the sport, either as part of the breeding industry, or still engaged in the sport at an amateur level, where there are still extremely strict welfare standards in place.

British racing takes incredibly seriously the welfare of horses that leave the sport, and has created its own charity with the sole purpose of ensuring that racehorses find fulfilling second careers after racing. In 2018, there are 13,000 race horses registered with Retraining of Racehorses as active in equine disciplines.

British racing’s owners – represented by the Racecourse Owners Association –  have recently agreed to further increase their prize money contribution to funding for rehoming and retraining of retired racehorses.

Running and jumping comes naturally to horses, and we see them doing both those things in the wild. It’s also interesting to note that when a horse unseats its rider during a race, it will continue to run and jump with the other horses.

We understand and respect that some people have concerns over animals being used in sport. That’s why we are committed to ensuring that the highest levels of animal care and welfare exist in British racing.

Roly Owers, chief executive of World Horse Welfare, states that his organisation “does not accept the claim that horses are unwilling participants in sport. The notion that sport is bad for horses needs to be challenged”.

Trainers and jockeys work closely with horses every day, from providing for their basic needs to conducting their training. They develop incredibly strong bonds with the horses and a deep understanding of their traits and moods. There is anecdotal evidence from jockeys that they can recognise physical and behavioural traits that signal the needs and desires of the horse.

Without horseracing there would be no thoroughbred racehorse. The care and the support structures that the 14,000 horses in training at any one time receive are superior to those available to almost all other domesticated animals. As a result, racing brings far more life to the horse population than it takes away. And the quality of those lives is astonishingly high.

It’s important to note that if a horse does not want to race, it won’t, and very occasionally we see a horse plant its feet and refuse to move. No horse can be made to race against its will. In the overwhelming majority of cases, horses happily take part in a race.

Most owners are involved in the sport because of a deep love for horses and a passion for racing. For most owners, racing is not a lucrative business and is usually funded by their successes in other business ventures. In any case, welfare of horses will always be prioritised over the narrow sporting or financial goals of a jockey, trainer or owner.

Certain factors remain constant for all horses – a high level of veterinary care, outstanding welfare and excellent training regimes. Among a population estimated to be around 1 million, all racehorses in Britain are among the healthiest and best looked after 2% of horses in the country. And the huge sums of money invested into veterinary research and science benefits all horses, no matter the level to which they compete.

The British Horseracing Authority (BHA) is the independent, government recognised body responsible for the regulation of horseracing. We demand the highest standards of welfare from all our licensed jockeys, trainers and racecourses. No fixtures can take place unless the BHA’s equine welfare criteria have been satisfied. These criteria by far exceed the requirements of animal welfare legislation, and are enforced by independent vets and officials at every fixture, alongside a team of racecourse inspectors, stable inspectors and investigating officers.

No trainer can hold a licence unless they are deemed suitable to care for horses, and the standards expected of licensed participants are upheld by a team of stable inspectors and investigative officers.

Over 6,000 people dedicate their lives to the welfare of the 14,000 horses in British horse racing, providing them with a level of care and a quality of life that is unsurpassed.

As with all elite sports and all activities involving horses, there is an element of risk, but it is the BHA’s responsibility to reduce that risk as much as possible. It is important to note that 99.58% of runners in British racing complete their race without incurring any long-term injury. Over the last twenty years, through investment in equine science and welfare, the fatality rate in British racing has reduced in the last twenty years by 1/3 to just 0.18% of runners.

The primary concern of everyone involved in the sport is ensuring that horses finish their careers safely. There are lots of things we do to make sure that that happens.

No racing can take place at any UK course unless all equine welfare standards, measures and criteria have been deemed to be met by the British Horseracing Authority. These criteria and standards far exceed those demanded by animal welfare legislation, and are overseen by the BHA’s team of independent vets and racecourse inspectors.

As soon as the race is finished, the vets meet the horses on their way back to the stables, to check for bumps and scrapes that might be causing them discomfort. If they spot a horse that is having problems walking, the animal can be put in a horse ambulance and taken back to the stables for treatment.

No trainer can hold a licence unless they are deemed suitable to care for horses, and the standards expected of licensed participants are upheld by a team of stable inspectors and investigative officers.

Jumps in horse racing are designed, first and foremost, to be as safe as possible, and allow horses to show off their natural athleticism. There are lots of ways that jumps are designed to pose a challenge to the horse and jockey, but at the same time minimise risk.

Horse racing is the second most popular spectator sport in the UK, enjoyed by 6 million people each year. Part of the enjoyment is seeing the finest horses competing at the highest level, testing themselves over jumps and fences. Jump racing accounts for around 1/3 of the racing industry, which has an economic impact of £3.5bn – mostly in rural economies – and provides employment for around 80,000 people.

Jumping comes naturally to horses, especially those that have trained especially for it. While flat racing is a wonderful spectator sport, jumps test these highly trained horses to another level, and allow us to appreciate these magnificent animals even more.

The whips used in British racing are foam-padded and energy-absorbing, and the thresholds for use are extremely low – the whip can be used only seven times in a flat race or eight times in a Jump race before the stewards will review the ride.
If used properly, there is no welfare problem associated with use of the energy-absorbing whip in Britain. Indeed Britain is among the world leaders in terms of the regulation of use of the whip in racing.
Due to the fact that the limits on use are set so low, and the padded design of the whip, only in the most extreme cases would a breach of our whip rules constitute a welfare issue.
Despite this, the sport continues to impose strict penalties on breaches of the whip rules, in order to act as a deterrent against misuse. In addition, a further review of our whip rules has recently been announced, to ensure that the rules and penalties are providing a sufficient deterrent to prevent rule breaches.

If a horse does have to be put down, it is done in a quick and painless way, by a trained veterinary surgeon. The usual method is by injection, but the vets will decide on the most appropriate course of action for the horse based on its specific circumstances. Any decision is taken by a team of veterinary surgeons; where appropriate this will be done in consultation with the owners and trainer of a horse.

If a horse is injured, it’s important that it is kept calm, and provided with some privacy. A screen helps create a calm environment around the horse and allows the vets to work safely and without distraction.

Owners and trainers love their horses and have invested huge amounts of time and care into looking after and training them. The last thing they want is to have to put down a horse. But horses have far more complex physiology than humans, and a broken leg can often cause damage to blood vessels and other tissue. Because horses can not stay off their feet for long periods, broken bones do not have a chance to heal, and so often sadly the kindest way to help a horse with a broken limb is to put it down.

The vets on the racecourse, in conjunction with the owner, will make a decision as to what is in the best interests of the horse. Racehorses enjoy a very high standard of care and quality of life when in training. Maintaining a comparable quality of life is a key consideration when considering future options for a horse that has had a serious injury or condition.

Owners and trainers love their horses and have invested huge amounts of time and care into looking after and training them. The last thing they want is to have to put down a horse. But horses have far more complex physiology than humans, and a broken leg can often cause damage to blood vessels and other tissue. Because horses can not stay off their feet for long periods, broken bones do not have a chance to heal, and so often sadly the kindest way to help a horse with a broken limb is to put it down.

The vets on the racecourse, in conjunction with the owner, will make a decision as to what is in the best interests of the horse. Racehorses enjoy a very high standard of care and quality of life when in training. Maintaining a comparable quality of life is a key consideration when considering future options for a horse that has had a serious injury or condition.

As with any sport, those taking part do sometimes suffer injury, but it is important to note that 99.58% of runners in British racing complete their race without incurring any long-term injury.

Despite British Racing’s excellent safety record, we never rest on our laurels, constantly investing in research and education into welfare. Over the last twenty years, concerted efforts across the sport has seen an already low equine fatality rate drop by a further third to just 0.18%.

Since the year 2000, British Racing has invested £35 million in veterinary research and education. For example, recent BHA funded research has resulted in the introduction of padded hurdles, which are being rolled out across British racecourse and have proven to further reduce faller rates and injury rates.

It’s also important to note that studies have shown that sport horses are at no greater risk of injury when running and jumping than when turned out in the field – a recent study by Liverpool University found that 62% of traumatic injuries in sport horses occurred in the field, compared to 13% while being ridden in competition.

If you have previously held either an Apprentice or Conditional Licence and have had 25 wins or less, you are eligible to apply for an Amateur Rider’s Permit.  However, if you have ridden more than 25 winners, or have held a full professional Flat or Jump Jockey’s Licence, you are no longer eligible to revert to Amateur status.

If you have a betting query or complaint, please contact The Gambling Comission. If you have exhausted all avenues through the individual bookmaker you may wish to contact the Independent Betting Adjudication Service (IBAS). IBAS acts as an impartial adjudicator on disputes that arise between betting operators and their customers.

Everyone involved in horseracing has responsibility towards the welfare of racehorses. This ranges from the trainers who look after their needs on a daily basis through to the Racecourse Managing Executives who provide the facilities and staff to ensure that the raceday environment is the best it can be for the racehorse. The British Horseracing Authority (BHA) is the Government recognised body responsible for the regulation of horseracing in Great Britain and these regulations ensure that the welfare of the horse comes first.

British Racing is among the world’s best-regulated animal activities. The standards demanded within the sport far exceed existing national animal welfare legislation. Together with the RSPCA and World Horse Welfare, BHA is a leading signatory of the National Equine Welfare Protocol.

More information on equine welfare in British Racing can be found HERE.

The sport employs over 6,500 people to provide first class care and attention for the 14,000 horses in training, providing them with a level of care and a quality of life that is virtually unsurpassed by any other domesticated animal.

The highest standards of horse welfare are demanded of all jockeys, trainers and racecourses. None of the 1,400+ fixtures held annually in Britain can take place unless key BHA equine welfare criteria have been satisfied.

Find out more: www.thehorsecomesfirst.com

British Racing is committed to providing the best possible standards of veterinary care for its horses and has invested, via the Horserace Betting Levy Board, over £27 million since 2000 in Veterinary Research and Education.

The sport’s substantial investment in Veterinary Research and Education brings benefits for all breeds of horse in Britain.

Racecourses employ experienced veterinary surgeons and have state-of-the-art horse ambulances available to ensure the very best treatment of any injury.

More information can be found at: www.thehorsecomesfirst.com

Most racehorses are born between January and April in the Northern hemisphere. All racehorses are considered to turn a year older on the 1^st January each year.

The age and type of race a thoroughbred is eligible to race in is dependent on a number of factors, these are outlined in more detail in the Rules of Racing.  In brief, a horse bred to race on the flat may not race until the start of the flat season in the year of its second birthday, whereas horses who are bred to race over jumps can’t race, at the earliest until 1^st May in the year of its third birthday. There are certain age restrictions on the type of jumps race a horse is eligible to start in therefore many horses will be older than 3yrs old when they race for the first time.

There is strong scientific evidence to support controlled exercise at a young age in thoroughbreds. It has been shown that exercise has a positive effect on the musculoskeletal system because it encourages adaption with a resultant increase in strength and density of bones. An adult level of tissue maturity has been shown to have been attained in racehorses before their two year old racing career usually commences.

The evidence shows that horses that raced as two-year olds had significantly more race starts during their careers from three-years old upwards than those who did not race until they were  three-years old or older.

(1)  BEVA press release – New evidence suggests early exercise in Thoroughbreds may help musculoskeletal health

New Zealand Policy – Racing of two year old horses

The British Horseracing Authority is committed to reducing the risk in racing for both horse and jockey. However, as with all sports, including any equestrian activity, there is an inherent risk for the participants.

British Racing is open and transparent about the risks involved. Over the last 15 years, the equine fatality rate in British Racing has fallen by one-third (from 0.3% to 0.2% of runners). In recent years the average number of runners per annum is in excess of 90,000.

Horses are at risk of serious injury throughout their lives, regardless of the type of equestrian activity they participate in, even when turned out in a field, exercising at home or doing what they were bred to do, namely racing on the track. A study by Liverpool University found that 62% of “traumatic injuries” (ranging from grazes to fractures) suffered by a sample of leisure and competition horses occurred when turned out in the field, compared to only 13% during ridden exercise.

In the event of an incident on a racecourse:

Any horse affected will receive immediate attention and treatment from the racecourse veterinary team.

Qualified paramedics and doctors are also on hand in the case of any incident involving a jockey.

If necessary, horses and riders will be transported from the course to receive further treatment at the most appropriate equine hospital or Accident & Emergency hospital.

More information about what British Racing does for our equine participants: www.thehorsecomesfirst.com

BHA takes its responsibility for equine welfare very seriously and constantly reviews statistics and trends regarding racecourse facilities and racing surfaces, particularly if there is concern regarding horse safety.

All injuries and fatalities incurred on the racecourse are recorded and monitored to provide a benchmark from which the industry can continually strive to reduce injury rates. The data enables the BHA Veterinary Officers and officials to critically assess any situations were injury or fatality levels increase and to put in in place measures to safeguard horse welfare.

Yes. Thanks to continued research and enforcement of strict standards, the number of injuries and fatalities has fallen. The equine fatality rate in British Racing has fallen by one-third (from 0.3% to 0.2% of all runners in the last 15 years.  More information and statistics about injuries and fatalities can be found in the Horse Welfare Info section of our Resource Centre.

There are a number of veterinary personnel present on the racecourse every raceday, these personnel fit into three broad categories.

(1)  Veterinary Officers

There is at least one British Horseracing Authority (BHA) Veterinary Officers on duty at every race meeting. One of the Veterinary Officers’ key responsibilities is overseeing horse welfare and ensuring that the standards laid down by BHA are maintained. Veterinary Officers monitor all horses on the racecourse, including in the stable area and parade ring prior to racing and as they return from the course post-race.

(2)  Racecourse Veterinary Surgeons

All racecourses appoint specialist equine veterinary surgeons (Racecourse Veterinary Surgeons) who attend each race meeting to provide immediate first aid and veterinary treatment to any horse.

(3)  Horse ambulance personnel

A horse ambulance is available on site to ensure prompt and safe transport of an injured horse to either the on-course veterinary treatment facilities or a near-by equine referral centre.

The most serious type of injury sustained by racehorses are bone fractures. With advances in veterinary medicine a number of fractures sustained by horses can now be repaired, often allowing the horse to continue with either its racing career or another career, however, there are difficulties in repairing certain fractures that are not comparable to humans.

One of the biggest challenges for veterinary surgeons when treating all breeds of horses is not repairing the fracture per se, but the post-surgical complications and rehabilitation of a 500kg animal. Recuperation of a horse is a major welfare challenge, as horses do not adapt well to sustained periods of inactivity during convalescence. Additionally horses are not functionally adapted to or capable of spending large periods of time ‘lying down’ or having a limb put in a sling to prevent weight-bearing and consequently numerous life-threatening complications can result. Complicated, unstable fractures cannot withstand immediate weight-bearing and this means many fractures cannot be repaired. In such circumstances, the most humane measure is to put the horse down.

Additionally the risk of infection after injury, where the skin has been broken, is very high in horses partly due to their physiology and partly due to environmental contamination. Soft tissue injury that accompanies bone fractures in horses can further complicate repair after injury.

An article in The Guardian discussed in more detail the reasons horses have to be euthanased after sustaining certain injuries regardless of how much their owners and carers wish to save them.

Humane euthanasia is defined by the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons as ‘painless killing to relieve suffering’. There are a number of criteria that must be fulfilled, according to BEVA guidelines for humane euthanasia to be carried out. Another type of euthanasia is elective euthanasia which is where after consultation with the owner or his/her representative on welfare and/or economic grounds a horse may be euthanized where BEVA criteria are not met.

Racehorses enjoy a very high standard of care and quality of life when in training. Maintaining a comparable quality of life is a key consideration when considering future options for a horse that has had a serious injury or condition.

The British Horseracing Authority take very seriously what happens to racehorses when they leave the sport, British Racing’s duty of care to its racehorses extends beyond the end of their racing careers. Thoroughbred racehorses registered in Britain are microchipped so it is possible to track what happens to them when they leave Racing.

Retraining of Racehorses (ROR) is British Racing’s official charity for the welfare of retired racehorses and is funded by prize money and the sport donates in all, over £600,000 each year facilitating the rehoming and retraining of racehorses. Racehorse owners are the largest contributors followed by racecourses, trainers and many more members of the industry.

An increasing number of racehorses go on to successful second careers after retiring from the track, there are currently over 11,000 horses registered with Retraining of Racehorses as active in other equine disciplines outside of racing, including Polo, Showing, Dressage and Eventing.

The racing industry set up the charity ‘Retraining of Racehorses’ in 2000. Funding for this comes directly from the racing industry through licence and registration fees and it also receives voluntary donations.  In addition, we are working to raise the profile of ex-racehorses within the wider equestrian world to advertise their adaptability to other occupations.

There is no evidence that the majority of rehomed racehorses result in welfare cases. The BHA works closely with the RSPCA when necessary assisting with when concerns are raised and the number of cases which require the BHA / RoR’s emergency relief fund to be used to assist former racehorses faced with welfare issues is exceptionally low.

Testing is carried out to ensure that racing is fair and safe for all its participants and to safeguard the integrity of the sport. BHA increasingly conducts pre-race and out-of- competition testing. This allows it to act quickly on intelligence received and provides a major deterrent to the extremely small minority of people in the sport who would deliberately attempt to influence the outcome of a race via the use of prohibited substances.  BHA uses a targeted, intelligence led approach combined with raceday sampling that is process led.

For practical reasons pre-race testing and out-of-competition testing is normally undertaken via a blood sample, as opposed to a urine sample, which is usually collected for post-race testing. However other samples such as hair are collected as required.

When used, targeted testing will be done based on established objective procedures. BHA uses an intelligence system based on the Police National Intelligence Model, which set standards for process, professionalism, fairness and confidentiality.

There is a robust chain of custody from the place of sampling to the laboratory, and within the laboratory there are rigorous procedures to ensure sample integrity.

There are no unannounced changes in the sensitivity of drug tests performed for BHA where the drug is a therapeutic agent.  BHA’s contract with its analytical laboratory, LGC, contains these specific requirements. No change to the Performance Specification (for the detection of substances, including capability to detect (weight/volume) and any regulatory or other screening limit (weight/volume)] will be made at any stage of analysis without the specific and informed consent of BHA. LGC must consider the impact of changes in instrument sensitivity, changes to methods such as extraction from a matrix and changes resulting from malfunction of an instrument so as to assure BHA that Performance Specification outputs are not inadvertently changed.

Implementation of any changes to methodology, including effects on analytical sensitivity, must be agreed in advance with BHA. If such change is made at LGC’s instigation then BHA may require, at no additional cost to BHA, a period of ‘parallel running’ of the proposed change against the existing screening methodology. For clarity, these requirements may apply equally to changes dictated by changes in the Laboratory Standards (the quality control systems in place).

BHA’s Internal Procedures include the requirement to notify change.

There is a formal procedure for consideration and notification on any proposed change to the analytical testing methodology used to detect drugs in racehorses, such that any changes must be approved by the BHA Board.

A risk based assessment is made of the need for change. A transition period is set for old and new tests. During this time they are run in parallel, and any disciplinary action taken based on the old test. At the end of any transition period an assessment is made to confirm the need for change.

Before implementing any changes in analytical sensitivity for medications used for treatment BHA consults with the National Trainers Federation (NTF). This consultation will generally be based around new or changed Detection Times. Veterinary organisations will also be involved as required. The NTF is notified when changes are put into effect.

Whilst the majority of substances in which BHA have an interest are medicines for treatment, it does also have a responsibility to control substances misused for doping which have no place in racing. Here the analytical approach is robust identification and not any control of sensitivity. Consultation here is, by necessity, more limited and BHA may not consult before action is taken.

No.

Any advice given is simply to highlight if there are any particular issues in relation to a particular product and its use under the BHA Rules of Racing. BHA may advise trainers and their veterinary surgeons or feed supplement manufactures if a particular ingredient is a Prohibited Substance. BHA’s advice must not be quoted on any product literature, but feed supplement manufacturers can refer to BHA’s written advice, if given in full, in direct dialogue with trainers and their veterinary surgeons.

Please note the Jockey Club no longer regulates British horseracing, so reference to approval by the Jockey Club or similar, or indeed approved by racing authorities, have no meaning.

Yes, in accordance with the Veterinary Medicines Regulations if they make medicinal claims to treat and/or prevent disease on labels, packaging or in advertising and/or if administration modifies physiological functions by exerting a pharmacological, immunological or metabolic action.

No, the statistics and details of the Disciplinary results show that BHA is clearly not prosecuting every trainer on every raceday for the minute traces of herbs, which may support and maintain normal function, that are found in normal feedstuffs. However it does take action when herbal treatments are administered in direct contravention of BHA rules.

Trainers are reminded of several other key considerations:

i) A Person must not administer a Prohibited Substance to a horse, attempt to do so, allow or cause a Prohibited Substance to be administered to a horse, or connive at the administration of a Prohibited Substance to a horse, with the intention to affect the performance of the horse in a race or with knowledge that its performance in a race could be affected.
ii) The requirement to keep records of medication and this must include herbal treatments.
iii) The need to consider whether a herbal product has been assessed for its safety in horses.
iv) The need to consider whether the use of a herbal product may interact with other medicines being used at the same time.

Yes. The chemicals contained in herbs that are the source of the effect of the herb on the body can be detected in the same way as other medications.

In order for the Equine Health and Welfare Department ([email protected]) to be able to offer advice about the administration of  any herbal product we would require the manufacturer to provide a quantitative analysis of the composition of the product and what it claims to do. This advice can only relate to the Rules of Racing.

No it cannot.

“BHA does not endorse or warrant particular products, and unequivocally disassociates itself from such claims”.

The ingredients in a feed supplement should be for maintaining normal body function by nutrition. Thus a feed supplement claiming to be a treatment in labelling or advertising, and/or that contains substances in amounts that may be restoring, correcting or modifying physiological functions by exerting a pharmacological, immunological or metabolic action is likely to result, under the Rules of Racing as being considered as a treatment containing Prohibited Substances and its administration, as well as its detection, may lead to disciplinary sanctions.

Interpretation of the difference between a feeding stuff and a treatment must therefore be a question of informed context and judgment. BHA would assess the claims made for the product, the substance present using authoritative scientific information and the amounts of active substance present.

BHA supports both innovation and welfare enhancements, however, BHA does not wish to expose trainers and owners to the risk of a positive, however caused, or to using devices that are against the Rules for fair racing. Trainers, veterinary surgeons, racecourses and commercial enterprises should feel free to seek advice from BHA about particular treatments or therapies before use or promotion.

In the case of any product the manufacturer must first decide if it is a Veterinary Medicinal Product in which case it must be the subject of a valid Marketing Authorisation (MA), issued by the VMD. There are clear definitions for Veterinary Medicinal Products.

In these Regulations (Veterinary Medicines Regulations) ‘Veterinary Medicinal Product’ means-
(a) any substance or combination of substances presented as having properties for treating or preventing disease in animals; or
(b) any substance or combination of substances that may be used in, or administered to, animals with a view either to restoring, correcting or modifying physiological functions by exerting a pharmacological, immunological or metabolic action, or to making a medical diagnosis.

However the Rules of Racing do not apply just to the use of authorised Veterinary Medicinal Products, but more widely, therefore even for a supplement we would require the manufacturer to provide a quantitative analysis of the composition of the product and what it claims to do to offer advice. Our advice can only relate to the Rules of Racing. Any such request should be sent by email to the Equine Health and Welfare Department at [email protected]

Please note BHA regulates horseracing and point to pointing in Great Britain. It also approves Rules for Pony and Arab racing. It does not comment on specific matters relating to sports it does not regulate. These are a matter for the regulator of that sport. For equestrian sport, this is the role of the FEI, which has a dedicated website on medication control: FEI Clean Sport.

No it cannot.

“BHA does not endorse or warrant particular products, and unequivocally disassociates itself from such claims”.

Prescription Only Medicine – Veterinarian (POM-V): Can only be supplied by a veterinary surgeon or a pharmacist in accordance with a prescription from a veterinary surgeon.

Prescription Only Medicine – Veterinarian, Pharmacist, Suitably Qualified Person (POM-VPS): Can only be supplied by a veterinary surgeon, pharmacist or suitably qualified person in accordance with a prescription from one of those persons. (NFA-VPS – Not applicable to horses as horses are considered food producing species)

Authorised Veterinary Medicine – General Sales List (AVM -GSL): There are no restrictions on the supply of AVM – GSL products.

More information can be found from DEFRA.

An authorised veterinary medicine is one that has a Marketing Authorisation (MA) from the Veterinary Medicines Directorate (VMD). The active ingredients and MA number must be listed on the label (VMD – Information contained on a label) and the product will be listed as a UK authorised ‘Veterinary Medical Product’ on the VMD Product Information Database. 

Veterinary Medicinal Products areany substance or combination of substances presented as having properties for treating or preventing disease in animals. In addition;  any substance or combination of substances that may be used in, or administered to, animals with a view either to restoring, correcting or modifying physiological functions by exerting a pharmacological, immunological or metabolic action, or to making a medical diagnosis are also defined as veterinary medicinal products and must have a Marketing Authorisation.

UK authorised Veterinary Medicinal Products can be identified by the prefix Vm, EU or Vh followed by numbers.

Yes, provided it has a UK Marketing Authorisation. Orders for POM-V products purchased through the internet must be accompanied by a valid veterinary prescription. If the medicine you wish to purchase requires a veterinary prescription, all reputable sites will ask for this prescription to be provided. Sales of POM-VPS medicines (such as horse wormers) should be based on the suitability of the product for the horse. For the internet seller to fulfil their legal obligations they should be asked for information about the horse before completing the purchase of these medicines. AVM-GSL medicines can be sold with no interaction.

A simple way to achieve this when buying medicines online is to only use a retailer that is enrolled in the VMD Accredited Retailer Scheme. This scheme was established in May 2012 and Internet Retailers who have met the accreditation scheme’s requirements are issued with a logo to indicate their accreditation. The logo contains a unique number and customers can confirm accreditation by clicking on the logo to access the Internet Retailer database on the VMD’s website. The image below shows the logo:

An authorised medicine must only be used for the species and specific purpose indicated on the labelling except under the direction of your veterinary surgeon. Only a veterinary surgeon can prescribe a product for use under the ‘cascade’ and this is done to address the lack of availability of an authorised product to treat a particular condition. You should be asked for your informed consent under these circumstances. Once prescribed, the product can be purchased from the prescribing veterinary surgeon or from a different veterinary surgeon or a pharmacist including through the internet on presentation of a written prescription.

Any medicine supplied and used in horses under the ‘cascade’ must be dispensed in accordance’s with the Veterinary Medicines Regulations.

You should recognise that a product that claims to treat and/or if administered modifies physiological functions by exerting a pharmacological, immunological or metabolic action but has no Marketing Authorisation is in breach of the Veterinary Medicines Regulations and can carry no claim of safety or efficacy. Possession or supply, or administration to animals of unauthorised medicines is illegal under the Veterinary Medicines Regulations. It may put your horse at undefined risk, and may also place you in breach of the Rules of Racing.

You should inform your veterinary surgeon if you are so approached, or the VMD.

Yes, if a veterinary surgeon has decided that the use of such medicinal product is appropriate under the rules of the cascade for animal welfare reasons, he/she can prescribe the medicine to that particular animal. In this case the medicine may be legally imported into the UK through the VMD’s import scheme. Details on how to use the scheme may be found here: http://www.vmd.defra.gov.uk/pdf/vmgn/vmgnote13.pdf

You will be asked for your informed consent under these circumstances.

Product labels give guidance on how to store the product. Trainers need to be mindful of the security and integrity of the product. In most cases drugs are best stored or contained in a locked cupboard or, if storage at lower temperatures is specifically indicated, in a secure fridge.

A ‘Detection Time’ is defined as the interval between the time of the last drug administration and the time at which the observed urine (and plasma) concentrations, in horses during an experiment conducted according to European Horseracing Scientific Liaison Committee (EHLSC) recommendations, are below the harmonised International Screening Limit (ISL) as obtained with the routine analytical method.

The logic behind determining Detection Times is to more accurately record the time taken for a particular substance to pass through the horse’s system and for the levels of the substance to become so low that they are recognised as having ‘no effect’. This data is currently available for a number of frequently used medications in horses. Detection Time studies have been coordinated for several years by a cooperation of European Racing Authorities coming together as the European Horseracing Scientific Liaison Committee (EHSLC); in order to ensure that Detection Times are harmonised across Europe.

A ‘Withdrawal Time’ is basically a Detection Time with an additional length of time added on by a vet using their own discretion and knowledge of the individual situation to allow the substance to take effect and then pass through the horse. It’s very important to remember that all horses are different, and there are no guarantees that a substance will be completely out of a horse’s system even if the drug was given well in advance of the known Detection Time – if a substance is given to a horse at least this far in advance of an intended race, there is a greatly reduced chance of a positive test occurring.

A Detection Time is not equivalent to a Withdrawal Time.

The Withdrawal Time should be longer than a Detection Time to take into account the impact of all sources of animal variability such as age, sex, breed, and lifestyle in and those of the medicinal product actually administered such as formulation, route of administration, dosage regimen and duration of treatment.

A downloadable sheet is available in the Veterinary Notices & Policies section with the current list of published Detection Times which can be found on the BHA website under Veterinary Notices and Policies.

More information is available on the website of the European Horseracing Scientific Liaison Committee.

The research to produce Detection Times takes time and is expensive and therefore the medication involved must be relevant to the care and welfare of racehorses. BHA works, both in Britain and internationally via information sharing agreements, to  provide more Detection Times, but until we have the research available, BHA is not able to provide a Detection Time for a drug. Sharing this information and study results reduces the cost and increases the amount of information available.

There are no short cuts to an authoritative and robust Detection Time. Veterinary practice does have experience on estimating withdrawal times for a range of substances. If you are unsure please seek advice from the Equine Health and Welfare Department at [email protected]

A Screening Limit refers to the minimum amount of substance that the analytical laboratory’s machines are set to detect.  Screening Limits are decided taking in to account a variety of factors including a consideration of the risk to horseracing’s integrity, as well as the scientific information on levels at which the drug has no effect. Screening Limits are not changed without informing stakeholder representative bodies.

No, BHA publishes Detection Times. These, are used by Veterinary Surgeons to advise a Withdrawal Time. Screening Limits are instructions to laboratories which set a level above which medications are reported, in recognition that minuscule amount of medication have no effect. Screening Limits are both of little use to Veterinary Surgeons but more importantly publication would show the confidential assessments on integrity risks made by BHA.

Risk management is the process of weighting policy alternatives to accept, minimize or reduce the assessed risk and, on the basis of this process, to select and implement the appropriate option regarding prevention, control or regulation measures.

In this context the Screening Limit is therefore not quantitatively identical to the non-effect level of the medication but a value related to it, via an ordinal scale, that takes into account the specific factors considered in risk management in this situation. These factors include the extent of use of the drug in equine veterinary practice and its potential to affect the welfare of the horse or to improve its performance.

This process is a fundamentally different approach to simply permitting medication or particular drugs, but it still allows horse welfare and treatment needs to be considered in the context of assuring integrity.

You can, and BHA’s risk management for Detection Times includes assessment of both the risk from treating (integrity) and not treating (welfare) and makes an informed judgement to allow appropriate treatment.

The Rule (C) 28 – Veterinary treatment and medication state that a Trainer must ensure that all treatments and medication administered to a horse under his care or control are given in the interests of its best health and welfare.

These are recommended by the International Federation of Horseracing Authority’s Advisory Council on Prohibited Substances, after consultation with official analysts and veterinarians of signatory countries, and approved by the Federation.

BHA maintains a policy of strict liability for the presence of any drug, including medications, on racedays. Screening Limits are instructions to laboratories which set a level above which medications are reported, in recognition that minuscule amount of medication have no effect.

Quantification of the amount of medication present in a positive sample is not necessary because there is no regulatory threshold for medications; the Screening Limit is a policy decision that recognises the analytical sensitivity of modern laboratory technology. It is more expensive to carry out quantitative analysis done therefore it doesn’t represent best value for the sport’s participants.

The detailed definition of a Prohibited Substance is given in the Guidance on Prohibited Substances section of the BHA website.

We don’t publish a list of banned or Prohibited Substances. The reason for this is because we believe it is clearer to have the general principle that we don’t allow anything to be present at levels that can affect performance on raceday. This avoids having to manage and update an extensive list of substances.

Nothing may be given to the horse on raceday other than normal food and water, which must be fed in the normal manner (i.e. in a bucket or feed manger, as opposed to in a syringe or any other means). More details are available on raceday restrictions on treatment in our Notices & Policies section.

The Rules of Racing don’t allow anything to be present at levels that could affect performance on raceday. There is no definitive list of individual substances; rather substances are classified based on their effect on the horse’s body systems. This ensures that both current and as yet undeveloped substances can be covered by the same Rules. In practical terms the laboratory testing protocols routinely applied in British horseracing use expertly developed databases that will detect around 2,000 different substances. These may be substances commonly used for therapeutic treatment or substances where we have intelligence of possible use or abuse. These databases are constantly being updated as new drugs or new uses of existing drugs are developed. So if a new or previously unidentified substance is found it will still be identified and action taken.

Action will still be taken. The laboratory testing approach is based on a number of extraction and purification steps carried out on each sample to isolate prohibited substances according to their broad chemical characteristics. These extracts are then analysed by chromatographic instruments linked to mass spectrometric detector systems. The information generated is first compared to the current databases of around 2,000 different substances.

A major advantage of mass spectrometry is that it provides information about a substance based on its unique molecular structure. One of the latest versions of the technique utilises high resolution accurate mass measurement. This technique is powerful enough to indicate the presence of an unusual substance, even if it is not currently in the database of known substances. Such a finding is then investigated, the substance identified and action taken if necessary. These advances in technology mean that intelligence about new substances can be generated and evaluated much quicker than would previously have been possible.

As it is important to complete any course of antibiotics to help prevent resistance developing within the bacteria we would not wish for a trainer to stop giving a course of antibiotics prescribed by a vet in order for the horse to be eligible to run in the future. We are confident that antibiotics do not improve performance on raceday. More details on detection of Anti-Infective Drugs can in the BHA Notices Section of the Rules Website and there are specific notices on:

• Procaine penicillin (white injection, looks like milk) is prohibited since procaine is a local anaesthetic
• Levamisole, a wormer used in farm animals, is prohibited in horses where it is sometimes used to stimulate the immune system
• Amantidine, a drug used to treat influenza and that may also alter behaviour

BHA recognises that therapeutic medications have a role to play in the treatment of injuries and disease in horses. There is not a ‘zero tolerance’ to use of medication in racehorses, however racehorses should perform on their inherent merits on raceday. Medication control aims to ensure, through science based information, that BHA, and so the wider public, can be assured that in a race any drug, or their metabolites, that remains from veterinary treatment given at any time before racing is at a level where it cannot affect performance.

Doping drugs such as cocaine, amphetamine or anabolic steroids that have the potential to be performance altering, are not permitted in racing or training at any concentration. There is a Zero Tolerance policy for these drugs.

Doping drugs that are primarily performance altering are not allowed in racing at any concentration.  There is zero tolerance to doping agents and the imposition of severe sanctions if used.

The rules relating to anti-doping and medication control are based on trying to create safe and fair racing. They take into account the following considerations:

• What is in the best interests of the health and welfare of the sport’s participants
• What is in the best interests of the integrity of the sport
• What is in the best interests of the thoroughbred breed in the long term
• Will it support international harmonisation of medication and doping rules
• Will it support the spirit of horseracing as a sport

A: Yes. A trainer of any horse they wish to race in the UK must adhere to BHA’s rules and policies regarding anti-doping and medication control.

No, a Permit Holder can only train horses owned by immediate family members.  These horses must be free of any lease or agreement from those whom you are not entitled to train.  Further information regarding the specific family members you can train for are detailed in both in the Guidance Notes which accompany the application form in the Licensing Forms section and in Rule (C)4 of the Rules of Racing.

No, there is currently no provision under the Rules of Racing for a Permit Holder to train horses for Flat Races from Starting Stalls.  A Permit Holder can train horses for National Hunt Flat, Hurdle and Steeplechase Races only.

As a Licensed Trainer, you are required to have a minimum of 3 horses in training through the licence period.

There is no minimum number for a Permit Holder.

Yes.  For the security and welfare of the horses in your care, BHA requires that you provide 24 hour cover at your training establishment in the event of an emergency, such as fire, or should a person try to access your premises to deliberately administer drugs to affect the performance of your horses.  In addition, the nature of working with horses involves early mornings and late nights for you and your staff and on site accommodation can make such hours more manageable.

 All new licence applicants are required to demonstrate the finances available to their business operation and also to provide their business plans for the consideration of BHA.  Full details of the commitment required are detailed in the Guidance Notes.  In addition, when a currently licensed Trainer has a change in circumstances, for example a change in employment status, a financial reference may be required.

All applications are accompanied by full and detailed Guidance Notes which can be found with the links for the application forms.  The Guidance Notes will provide you with information outlining the minimum standards an applicant is required to demonstrate to meet the established licensing criteria, including those requirements for gallops and schooling facilities.

If you have any concerns that your premises may not meet BHA’s requirements, it may be possible to arrange for a preliminary inspection to obtain advice and guidance, prior to you making an application.

With regard to general equine care (e.g. stabling), BHA is a member of the National Equine Welfare Council (NEWC) and as such, guidance in this regard can be found in the Equine Welfare Compendium available from the NEWC.

Yes.  The courses form part of the criteria for the Licence and therefore all applicants are required to complete the full modular programme.  The guide for the Modular Training Programme is available in the Licensing Forms section for your assistance.

Applications for either a Licence, or a Permit to Train are made using the online application and the links can be found in the Licensing Forms section.  All information you will need to apply is also provided with this link.  This includes the Guidance Notes (which should be read before attempting to complete an application form), the Guide for the Modular Training Programme for Trainers, the User Guide for the online application and the forms relevant to the application which should be completed and attached to the online form in the appropriate section.

No.  In order to ride in Point to Points you will need to hold a Riders Qualified Certificate issued by the Point to Point Authority.

It is not a mandatory requirement that you are a member of the AJA in order to hold an Amateur Riders Permit; however, it is a condition of many of the races restricted to Amateur Riders that you are a member.

Amateur Riders are generally required to have a medical and baseline every 5 years.  You will be advised by the Medical Team, should your personal situation require more regular medical updates.

An Amateur Rider who is entitled to ride in certain Jump Races which are also confined only to Amateurs is entitled to claim the following weight allowance;

7lb until they have won 5 races

5lb until they have won 10 races

3lb until they have won 20 races

If you have previously held either an Apprentice or Conditional Licence and have had less than 25 wins, you are eligible to apply for an Amateur Rider’s Permit.  However, if you have ridden 26 winners or more, or have held a full professional Flat or Jump Jockey’s Licence, you are no longer eligible to revert to Amateur status.

Prior to being granted a Category ‘B’ Permit you will need to gain experience riding under Rules and attend additional training and assessment.  The entry criteria for the Category ‘B’ Course is that you will need to have either completed 15 rides under the Rules of Racing (the majority of which should be over obstacles), completed 20 rides in Point-to-Point Steeplechases, or a combination of both.  Applications for the course are made to the Licensing Team.  A Category ‘B’ will not be granted without both successfully completing the course and experience criteria being met.

Yes.  To meet the criteria for a Category ‘A’, you will be required to attend a seminar day and an assessment day at a racing school.  To find out the dates and availability of the two days, please contact the BRS (Tel: 01638 665103) or NRC (Tel: 01302 861000) for information.

Apprentice and Conditional Licences are no longer valid either when they turn 26, or when the jockey has ridden out their claim, i.e. an Apprentice has ridden 95 winners and a Conditional 75.  Individuals will be required to apply for a full professional licence, either 6 months after riding out their claim, or at the end of the period for which their licence is valid, whichever comes first.

To compensate for an initial lack of experience at the beginning of their careers, Conditionals are entitled to a weight allowance when riding against full professional Jockeys.  The ‘claim’ will depend on how many winners the Conditional has ridden (Rule (F)141):

7lb until they have won 20 races

5lb until they have won 40 races

3lb until they have won 75 races

A Conditional can claim an additional 3lb when riding for their employing Trainer in certain races, if they have ridden less than 5 winners.

To compensate for an initial lack of experience at the beginning of their careers, Apprentices are entitled to a weight allowance when riding against full professional Jockeys.  The ‘claim’ will depend on how many winners the Apprentice has ridden (Rule (F)140):

7lb until they have won 20 races

5lb until they have won 50 races

3lb until they have won 95 races

If the recommendation by the Chief Medical Advisor to the Licensing Team is that a Jockey has not been passed as ‘fit to ride’ during the consideration of a licence, the application will be refused.  If your application is refused on medical grounds, you may be able to apply for a Medical Review.  This is administered by the Licensing Team and full details of this procedure would be provided in these instances.

All Professional Jockeys are generally required to have a medical every 5 years and a baseline each year.  In addition, if you are an Apprentice or Conditional who has reached the time to make a full Professional Licence application, you will be required to complete a 4 page medical with your GP as part of the process.  Professional Jockeys will, later on in their careers (or upon specific request), be required to have annual medicals and attend an appointment with the BHA Chief Medical Advisor to assess their fitness to ride.

You would need to meet the same licensing criteria as any other applicant (see Guidance Notes in Licensing Forms section).

Additionally, if you are from any country outside the European Economic Area (EEA), you will require a visa in order to work in Great Britain as a Jockey.  Specific guidance with regard to visas is available on the Work Visas and Immigration page. You will need to provide evidence to the BHA that you have the appropriate visa to work in Great Britain as a Jockey, prior to the approval of your application.

Yes.  The courses are, in part, an assessment as to your fitness, your ability to ride in a race and your knowledge of racing generally.  The course reports provided by the racing schools to the Licensing Team are considered with your application as to your suitability to hold a Jockey’s Licence.

Apprentice and Conditional Licences are a joint application made by the Trainer and the potential jockey (and guardian if the Jockey is under the age of 18). Both Apprentices and Conditionals are required to be in the full-time paid employment of the Trainer who holds their licence. An Apprentice application is initiated by the Licensed Trainer via the new Racing Administration site.  The User Guide for the online application can be found in the Forms and Information page of this website.

To warrant the approval of a full Professional Jockey’s Licence, BHA must be satisfied that you are able to ride competitively and at the same standard of others who hold a professional Flat Jockey’s Licence.  Additionally, there must be a demand for your services, i.e. that you are race riding regularly.  For a Professional Jockey’s Licence to be considered for further renewal, an applicant should be having a minimum of 25 rides per season.  If a full professional licence is granted, the applicant will no longer be eligible to revert to Amateur status, in the event that a professional career is not progressing.

You can ride on your British Licence for a period of up to 30 days from when you leave Great Britain, as this is the period for which your insurance through the Professional Riders Insurance Scheme covers you.  Prior to riding abroad, you will need to obtain a clearance from BHA to ride overseas and you will need to confirm to the Licensing Team how long you will be abroad, if you are travelling for more than a few days.

Yes, so long as you are still eligible, to claim an allowance in accordance with Rules (F)140 or (F)141 of the Rules of Racing.

Please allow at least three weeks for a new Jockey’s Licence application or Amateur Rider’s Permit to be processed and at least two months for a Licence or Permit to Train.

The decision as to whether an application for Licence, Permit, or Registration is granted or refused rests with BHA.  However, applications may be referred to the Licensing Committee for consideration, in accordance with Schedule (A)9 of the Rules of Racing.  Examples of such cases include applicants who have been refused, but have asked for the Committee for a review of BHA’s decision, or applicants whom BHA has suitability concerns regarding.

No.  Applications are now submitted online using the new Racing Administration System. Please refer to the Forms and Information page for more information.

Whether you wish to apply to become a Trainer, Professional Jockey, Amateur Rider, or to act as a Rider’s Agent, the relevant application is available to be completed and submitted online from the Licensing Forms section of the Resource Centre.  If you wish to apply for an Apprentice or Conditional Jockey’s Licence, your application will be made via your employing trainer.

The following applications are only available from the Licensing Team directly:

•  Master and Assistant Jockeys’ Valets Licences
• Application for a Certificate of Approval for an Equine Pool

There are often scenarios in which Frost Covers are not an appropriate tool for Clerks of the Course to use. If the ground is already frozen, or has been subjected to significant wear and tear that has opened up the turf during previous fixtures, covering up the track is likely to merely insulate the cold that’s already inside the soil profile and be of no use whatsoever. Equally, weather forecasts can change from hour to hour in the run up to a fixture.  Consequently, as there can be no guarantee of success, it remains very much a judgement call rather than an exact science as to whether a racecourse uses Frost Covers.

Typically, it costs around £8,000 to £10,000 per fixture to cover the whole of an average sized racecourse with Frost Covers.  For this reason they tend only to be used at higher profile fixtures, where key races are being run and are likely to be part of the broadcast schedule for terrestrial television.

The word “About” is used in every jump race distance description as the running rail on bends in particular are moved or “dolled out” from time to time during the jumps season.  This is especially true in winter when there is no grass growth and ground has to be managed to avoid poached areas and produce the safest going for horse and rider.

The official distances (measured with a measuring wheel along the centre line of each jump hurdle/chase track) are all rounded to the nearest half furlong. So a race described as “abt 3 miles” will have fallen between the parameters of 2m 7f and 166yds and 3m and 55yds when measured to the exact yardage.

Racecourses now ensure they highlight any slight distance changes arising from moving the running rail on bends between fixtures.  They advertise these changes in their routine going report updates.

Where a racecourse creates a brand new starting position the racecourse must use a professional surveyor to survey in the start. The start is then formally marked on the ground to ensure starting stalls are always placed in the correct position. All Flat starts are measured to the nearest yard.

Fences may vary in height from a minimum (at the time of pre-season BHA inspection) of 4 feet 6 inches measured on the take-off side. All the fences on any one course are to be of the same materials; these may be:

a) all birch, or;

b) birch with the bottom brought out with spruce, or other material approved by the Inspector of Courses, to a maximum of 3 feet 6 inches up the face of the fence.

Fences are to be built on a base between 6 feet and 6 feet 6 inches in depth measured from the front of the take-off board to a point on the ground directly below the extreme back of the fence. The slope of the fence, with or without an apron, must reduce the thickness at the top to not less than 1 foot 6 inches (at the time of pre-season inspection). The top of the fence may be slightly rounded off from the take-off side. Take-off boards are painted light matt orange.

Timber Hurdles are to be not less than 3 feet 6 inches from the top bar to the bottom bar. Hurdles are driven into the ground so that the bottom bar rests on the ground. The angle of the hurdle is such that the top bar is 37 inches above ground and the overlay from the top bar in the direction of racing is 20 inches beyond the bottom bar. Each flight of timber hurdles must be at least 30 feet in width.

The risk of extreme ground resulting from a combination of watering and rainfall is always a possibility. However, racecourses (particularly those staging Jump fixtures May – September) are always strongly encouraged to irrigate to achieve the going aims specified in BHAGI 3.2 (ie Good for Jumps racing; Good to Firm for Flat racing) rather than hope to rely on the possibility of rainfall to achieve those going criteria.

BHA stipulates that watering is inadvisable within 24 hours of racing when there is a danger that rainfall could result in extreme ground in the period immediately prior to the meeting.

The decision to water a track is the responsibility of the Managing Executive. Factors such as the likely weather pattern (particularly summer daylight temperatures and wind speed), the soil structure and drainage capabilities of the racecourse are considered when determining whether and how much water should be applied. It is essential that the optimum moisture level is maintained in order to avoid dry, impermeable ground.

The purpose of watering is to maintain the moisture level essential for good turf husbandry in order to achieve optimum resilience and a suitable, consistent racing surface for the horse and its welfare. Racecourse Managing Executives invest in irrigation systems that apply water consistency whilst meeting the flow/delivery requirements of BHA’s General Instruction (BHAGI) 3.2.

If racecourses did not irrigate their track, or were ever prevented from doing so for a fixed number of days before racing on the basis of some sort of BHA Rule or Instruction, the quality of the track would be affected, more fixtures would be abandoned, field sizes would diminish and the welfare of the participants would be compromised.

We have set out a list of numbers below for the best people to contact depending on the nature of your query:

• Investigation Stage Queries – contact a member of the Integrity team on 020 7152 0172
• Disciplinary Panel/Appeal Board procedural queries – contact the Secretariat on 020 7152 0114
• Hearing Queries for specific cases –

For appeals and referrals from the racecourse, contact a member of the Disciplinary team on 020 7152 0128

For other Hearings or appeals, contact a member of the Compliance team on 020 7152 0167

BHA works with a number of partners to uphold the integrity of horseracing and to ensure good governance of the sport.  As a result, BHA works with a range of organisations, including the Gambling Commission, the police, HM Revenue & Customs and the RSPCA.  If your breach of the Rules of Racing is relevant to the operations of any of those partners, then BHA may refer your case to one of these organisations on conclusion of the Hearing.

The Appeal Board will be made up of three people – a Chairman (who will ordinarily be a member of Queen’s Counsel) and two lay people.  These individuals will be selected from a panel of eight people.  The members of the Appeal Board have previously served on the Disciplinary Panel.

If you wish to appeal the decision of the Disciplinary Panel, you must lodge a notice of appeal addressed to the Secretary to the Appeal Board at BHA’s offices within seven days of the date of notification of the decision appealed against.  The Notice of Appeal must state the following information:

• The specific decision being appealed;
• The grounds of any appeal and substantive injustice of allowing the original decision to stand; and
• The facts upon which the appeal is based.

The Notice of Appeal must be accompanied by a deposit of £800.

An Appeal Board hearing will be convened and reasonable notice will be given of the date, time and venue of the appeal.

BHA will publish the outcome of the Hearing and the reasons of the Disciplinary Panel in the Disciplinary Results section of the website.  The BHA will also reveal the outcome of each Hearing on the Twitter feed and also may issue a press release.

The scope of penalties that the Disciplinary Panel may impose is set out in the Guide to Procedures and Penalties.  The Guide is divided into sections for Racecourse penalties and Disciplinary Panel penalties.  Under each individual Rule breach, the Guide sets out the range of penalties available to the Disciplinary Panel together with a recommended entry point. In most cases the Stewards and the Panel will follow the range indicated in the Guide, although they can give a higher or lower penalty if they have good reason to do so in that particular case.

Yes, as provided for in Rule (A)45. However, there may be circumstances where, BHA, upon request, agrees for the Hearing to proceed in your absence. This will be decided on a case-by-case basis and will be dependent on your response to the BHA case, i.e. your plea and the nature of the case you wish for the Panel to consider. Please note, BHA are unlikely to agree to your absence from the Hearing if you intend on disputing the charge.

Yes. If you instruct legal representation, all correspondence regarding the Hearing will be with your legal representative as they will be acting on your behalf.

Yes. Whether you admit or dispute BHA’s case, you will always have an opportunity to present your case to the Panel and respond to any aspect of BHA’s case. Please note that BHA and/or the Panel may wish to question you on any evidence you provide at the Hearing.

Yes. The evidence that BHA seek to reply upon in the Hearing will be sent to you prior to the Hearing with sufficient time for you to prepare your case.

A letter containing details of the charges that you face will be sent outlining the next steps in the process. Accompanying this letter usually is a case summary and a set of case papers containing the evidence on which the BHA relies. A Schedule (A)6 form is also enclosed with the papers which allows the charged person the opportunity to outline the case that they wish to put before the Disciplinary Panel.

If an investigation concerns you, it is highly likely that you will be seen or interviewed as part of the investigative process. It would be impossible to ascertain a chain of events without seeking an explanation from the individual concerned. However, in the event that there is no need for an individual to be seen, they would be contacted by a member of the Integrity team before any charges are issued.

A case starts out as an investigation that is conducted by the Integrity team. Depending on the incident or issue, an Investigating Officer will conduct enquiries, including interviews and visits to licensed premises to ascertain whether or not there has been a breach of the Rules of Racing. If it transpires that there may have been a breach, the Investigating Officers will compile all of the evidence from their enquiries and pass it over to the Compliance team who will do a full review of all of the evidence to ensure that there is enough evidence to support a potential breach of one or more Rules. Once the Compliance team have prepared the necessary paperwork, charges are then sent out.  An independent Disciplinary Officer is involved throughout the investigative and compliance process to ensure that the BHA do not act outside of the remit of their jurisdiction, or unfairly when pursuing potential charges. Once charges have been issued, a date is set for the case to come before the Disciplinary Panel.

Anybody wishing to appeal a decision from the racecourse must submit written grounds within seven days, or 48 hours if the suspension of a jockey is involved.  The written grounds must be accompanied by a deposit of £500 (£250 if it is an apprentice or conditional jockey), which will be forfeited should the Disciplinary Panel dismiss the appeal and find ‘no reasonable grounds’ for its submission.  As with any other person appearing before the Disciplinary Panel, the appellant has the right to be legally represented.

If the Stewards on the day do not feel that they are able to deal with an incident, or that it is outside the remit of the powers afforded to them by the Rules, they will refer to the case to be heard in front of a Disciplinary Panel at the BHA London Office.

A Stewards Enquiry is held as necessary after a race, at the racecourse. It takes place during the intervals between the races and usually does not last longer than the interval allows. It may be re-convened after the next race has taken place but does not last longer than a given race day. A Disciplinary Panel Hearing is held at BHA’s head office in London and can take hours or even days depending on how complicated a matter is and how many people are involved. A Stewards Enquiry will concern incidents that have happened on a racecourse on a raceday, whereas a Disciplinary Panel Hearing could concern any breach of the Rules of Racing. A Disciplinary Panel Hearing will usually come before the Disciplinary Panel after a referral from the Stewards Enquiry, an appeal of the Stewards Enquiry decision, or an investigation has been conducted by the Integrity team.

A Stewards Enquiry is an enquiry held at the racecourse on a race day after any given race. The Panel is advised by the Stipendiary Steward, who presents the case to the Panel and questions the jockey and/or trainer in connection to a potential breach of the Rules of Racing. As well as asking questions, the Panel have available to them at least four camera angles of the race so they are able to watch it back. For further details, visit the Stewards Room FAQs in the Raceday Operations section.

No. However, BHA would never do anything that would compromise the identity of a source, and emails to the intelligence email address can only be accessed by the dedicated intelligence team.

BHA  has a number of protocols in place which protects both sources, and their information; via a fully resourced intelligence system which has been in place since 2005.

You can do this by e-mailing the designated intelligence e-mail address [email protected]

However, if you are a registered/licensed individual, you are required to disclose any conduct which may lead to a breach of Rules.

The information is securely passed to the Integrity Department of BHA, this department has the powers to investigate any wrongdoing in the sport of horseracing. This information will be kept confidential and secure at all times.

The Integrity Department will thoroughly research the information that is given in order to act accordingly.

It may take some time for BHA to act on this information, for example, it may form part of a larger investigation.

Remember, all information is important, no matter how big or small.

RaceWISE wants your information and not your name. You will be asked questions about the information you are giving – but you will not be asked your name, address, or anything that may identify you.

The call operators are not allowed to let the BHA know anything about you which may reveal your identity, e.g. if the call is about a neighbour of yours they will not disclose this.

RaceWISE want to work with the Industry in helping to keep it clean. To do that they need as much information as possible from you in order to pass useful data onto the Integrity Department. This means that the call operator will ask you questions about what you know. This helps check that your information can be acted upon by the Integrity team – the more detail that is provided, the more likely action will be taken.

Never put yourself at risk, or abuse a position of trust, to discover information about wrongdoing.

RaceWise is British Racing’s anonymous reporting service, developed with the British Horseracing Authority (BHA) to identify, deter and report breaches of the BHA’s Rules of Racing. Specific areas of concern to the BHA include:

• the Welfare of racehorses
• protecting the Integrity of the sport
• addressing Safeguarding and welfare concerns
• maintaining Equality for everyone

The entry point for a breach of (J)16 (passing information for reward) by a Rider, Trainer, Owner, Authorised Riders’ Agent, Stable Employees or Service Providers (such as vets, farriers and feedmen), is three years disqualification, with a disqualification range of eighteen months to five years.

• Information provided during interviews and/or presentations conducted in the course of television or radio broadcasting.
• Information provided during interviews to the press or other legitimate -news gathering organisations for the purposes of publications, eg. written articles, regular columns or websites.
• Information given to a specific group or groups eg, talks given to corporate sponsorship groups or in the context of corporate hospitality or stable yard public days.
• Information that is accessible to the public on Trainer’s or Owner’s telephone information line or website (whether for payment or not).

If information is available through one of these channels it is no longer classed as Inside Information and can be spoken about freely.

Inside information is where people who have close connections with a horse know how likely it is that the horse is going to run in a certain race, and if it does, how well it is likely to run.

It is information that is known by those who work closely with the horse such as an Owner, Trainer, Rider, Stable Employee or their Service Providers. Service providers are people like vets, farriers and feedmen that have provided services to do with the horse.

Inside Information is part of the sport. And everyone in the industry has some form of it. There’s nothing wrong with having Inside Information. You just need to be careful not to misuse it, for example, where the information is passed to others for their use in placing lay bets. It’s common sense. It’s remembering that careless talk and casual chat can get you into trouble.

The information that a service provider may be privy to will only be valid for a period of 21 days or until such times as the information is put into the public domain.

Inside Information is information about the likely participation or the likely performance of a horse in a race which is known by an Owner, Trainer, Rider, Stable Employee or their Service Providers as a result of acting as such, and is not information in the public domain

In 2020 the Department carried out 72 investigations for a range of alleged breaches of the Rules of Racing, these included enquiries into suspicious betting activity (including the misuse of inside information), positive drug tests on horses and jockeys, financial irregularities, equine welfare cases, altercations and a number of other general disputes.

Improving information sharing across the organisation and the industry in general has resulted in an increase in the number of intelligence reports received, of which there were over 1,500 in 2019.

Much of BHA’s key partnership work is with agencies outside of the industry.  As well as the Gambling Commission, close working relationships have also been developed with the Police, Trading Standards, National Crime Agency, HM Revenue & Customs, and the UK Border Agency.

The Department also gives advice and guidance to a number of other sports who are looking to develop intelligence and analytical capabilities to combat corruption in their sports.

Close liaison and co-operation between the Gambling Commission and the Integrity Department is important and BHA works closely with the Commission on all aspects of information sharing and integrity in sports betting.

The Commission’s primary purpose is to regulate all forms of gambling in Great Britain. While responsibility for maintaining the integrity of racing will remain with BHA, the Commission will become active where a threat to the integrity of a sport involves betting in Great Britain and particularly when the holder of a licence issued by the Commission may be involved.

Racing’s powers over non-licensed persons are limited. Everyone – whether licensed by BHA or not – needs to be aware of the criminal offence of ‘Cheat’ with possible prosecutions under Section 42 of the Gambling Act. Essentially this means that a person who cheats in betting is liable to prosecution under criminal law. BHA has no power to investigate criminal offences but will continue to regulate our sport under our Rules and refer matters to the Commission and the Police where it is deemed appropriate.

Working in partnership with the betting industry is crucial to our anti-corruption efforts.

BHA has good working relationships with the traditional bookmakers, who also want racing to be clean and will share information whenever they see suspicious activity.

BHA also works closely with the Betting Exchanges. The leading exchange firms are in constant communication with the Integrity Department, providing up-to-date information on the betting markets and, where necessary, accurate audit trails back to those attempting to cheat.

These close working relationships have undoubtedly increased BHA’s ability to investigate and discipline those involved in corruption and malpractice.

Racing was the first sport to have a ‘Memorandum of Understanding’ with the betting exchanges and traditional bookmakers and this voluntary sharing of information has played a significant part in the fight against corruption in racing.

This would immediately be reported to the duty BHA Veterinary Officer (VO) to follow up.  The Equine Welfare Integrity Officer (EWIO) would assist the VO with any examinations.

Dependent on the seriousness of the Injury a Veterinary Surgeon may be called for. Lameness may require a Farrier.

The Equine Welfare Integrity Officers (EWIOs) will carry out regular yard patrols, and monitor the Security Cameras that are placed strategically around the stable yard.

Visual recognition is part of the EWIO role, getting to know stable staff, recognising them and engaging with them. Information which may help with integrity or welfare regulation will also be gathered during a race meeting. Yard patrols are another opportunity to assess the welfare of the horses, both pre race and post race.

Integrity kit / vehicle searches may be carried out, usually as a random selection, to ensure the Integrity of the Stables and Horse’s welfare are being complied with, within the rules of Racing.

Only Stable Employees who are on their Trainer’s SER and have valid up to date accreditation may enter the yard. This is by means of their photographic Stable Employees I.D Card (stable pass)
The only exceptions to this are for the connections of Hunter Chasers who are not issued with passes. However they must prove identity with photographic Identification to the satisfaction of the Equine Welfare Integrity Officer before entering the stables.
Trainers on production of their Trainers accreditation pass card
A Trainer or Senior member of their stable staff may sign in the Registered Owner of their horse, and escort them in and out of the stables

All horses must be identified by having their microchips scanned and read when entering the stables.

Each horse has its own passport.  Checks are carried out on selected horses to ensure their recorded markings match the chip number recorded on the passport.  All horses having their first run on a racecourse will be checked, as will horses having their first run for a new Trainer.  Equine Influenza vaccination records are also checked to ensure they comply with the requirements set out in the rules.

If a horse’s microchip is unreadable / undetectable then the horse will be identified by the markings in its passport. A notification form will be issued by the Veterinary Officer, for the horse to be re-micro chipped.

On rare occasions a horse will be unable to be identified from its chip or passport. Should this happen, it will be reported to the Raceday Stewards and the horse will be prevented from running.

The first Equine Welfare Integrity Officer on duty will arrive no less than four hours before the time of the first race.  They will turn the security cameras on and check the perimeter fencing and gates to ensure that the yard is secure.

Scan and Identify any early or overnight arrivals.

They will then prepare the relevant paper work ready for the arrival of the raceday runners.

EWIOs, who work in teams, are responsible for the security and Integrity of the stable yard, and the monitoring of horse welfare at race meetings.

Basic duties include – the identification of all horses and persons entering the stable yard; the monitoring of horses as they arrive on course for any health or welfare issues; the checking of vaccination records of selected horses.

Scan / check out all horses pre-race, to ensure the right horses are going out to run in the right race.

Monitor and report back to the Veterinary Officer any Welfare observations post-race.

Carry out the collection of Anti-doping samples, pre and post race which will be analysed for prohibited substances; the checking of horses post race for any signs that give concern as to their welfare, or relevant details in regard to race performance.

The EWIO will also in the course of the day gather information that may assist in the regulation and good governance of racing.

In addition to the EWIO Raceday role, they will carry out duties at Point to Points, Out of Competition testing at Training Stables, and the Center of Racehorse Studies. Also assist with ‘off Course’ Integrity operations.

Training available to those in and out of the industry is extensive ranging from courses on clipping to an overview of British Racing as a whole.

To view all of the courses available visit the Courses & Training page on the Careers In Racing Website.

Anyone under the age of 19, under the Rules of Racing, has to study for the Level 2 Diploma in Work Based Racehorse Care and this includes those who want to pursue a career as a jockey. There are two dedicated Racing Schools offering qualifications and training courses for those who want to gain skills to work in the industry – the British Racing School in Newmarket and the National Horseracing College in Doncaster. Visit the careersinracing website for more information.

There’s plenty of content on the Careers in Racing YouTube Channel for you to enjoy and learn more about being a jockey and day to day life in the industry.

Anyone under the age of 19, under the Rules of Racing, has to study for the Level 2 Diploma in Work Based Racehorse Care and this includes those who want to pursue a career as a jockey. There are two dedicated Racing Schools offering qualifications and training courses for those who want to gain skills to work in the industry – the British Racing School in Newmarket and the Northern Racing College in Doncaster. Visit the careersinracing website for more information.

BHA has a dedicated website Careersinracing.com providing information on careers, training, and jobs in racing.  There is an A to Z of different careers and an A to Z of training courses available.

The British Horseracing Development Programme (formerly known as the British Horseracing Graduate Development Programme) is well known and highly regarded throughout the British Horseracing industry.

This is an early careers programme suitable for candidates with Degrees, Higher Apprenticeships or equivalent skills and capabilities, who are looking to develop a career in the horseracing industry. Candidates who are completing a degree or higher apprenticeship should be in their final year or have finished their studying. You can find out more by clicking here.

A length is a measurement of elapsed time as the horses cross the line and can vary on the size of the horse and its stride pattern, but in general would be about 8 to 9 feet.

All distances are a measurement of elapsed time but in real terms a nose is anywhere on the horse’s nostril, so can be as little as 1000th of a second, a couple of millimetres up to about 3 inches.

The Photo-Finish system records an elapsed time between each finisher and the Judge is responsible for ensuring that the correct Lengths Per Second scale is being used. If however the actual physical distance appears to be different from that calculated then the Judge has it within his powers to alter the distance to that which is physically seen. This would be done for the first three distances up to three lengths.

Distances are calculated on the elapsed time between each horse and then a scale known as the Lengths per Second Scale (Lps) is used dependent upon whether it is Flat or Jumps racing, the type of surface in use at the all-weather fixtures and the official going description issued on the day. The Scales used vary from four to five Lps for Jumps racing and from five to six Lps on the Flat. When the going description distinguishes between different parts of the course, the scale relating to the going in the straight is applied.  The table for the Lengths per Second Scale (Lps) can be viewed here. For more details view our Guide to Handicapping.

Using the Photofinish record of the race, the Judge then places and records all of the remaining finishers as they crossed the line. This full result is then distributed to Weatherbys, the Stewards and any applicable media present at the racecourse and Off Course via the Press Association as part of the ‘Official Return’ for the day.

As the first four horses cross the line (or first five if the race is a handicap of 16 or more runners), the Judge will identify and record the finishing order using the colour coding system they have put in place before the race. This is done primarily by eye but in doing so they will call for a Photofinish when the distance between two placed horses (especially where betting is involved) appears to be a head or less. The result is then confirmed with the photo-finish kit and operator and

once the result is determined, it is immediately announced to the public, giving the distances between the first three placed horses, as well as the official time of the winning horse for a Flat race or where electronic timing is in use over Jumps (all of which are electronically timed from the stalls opening or the lead horse crossing a break beam at the start over Jumps to the winner hitting the finishing line).

The result is then confirmed with the Stewards and to the Clerk of the Scales, who will weigh in returning jockeys as appropriate.

The Judge’s Box is located very close to the Photo Finish equipment and both the Judge and the Photo Finish Operator (PFO) ensure that all equipment is set up correctly so that evidence of the result will be accurately recorded, and that the correct ‘Lengths Per Second’ (which is used to calculate the distances between finishers) is in use, depending on the surface or going conditions of the day. The Judge calls for the evidence of a photo-finish from the PFO when the distance between two placed appears to be a head or less. The photo-finish image is not available to the Judge until the last horse has crossed the line and been recorded on the equipment. The Judge directs the PFO to place a time line on the leading part of each horse’s head (excluding the ears and the tongue) so usually on the point of the nose to determine the result.

The Judge prepares for each race by drawing up a colour coding system to help them identify the silks that each of the jockeys will be wearing. They will also note any distinguishing features that each horse might have, such as white markings on the face and/or items of headgear and tack.

Once the Judge has taken up position in the Judges’ Box (which is always situated exactly on the winning line), they will speak with the Starter via radio to confirm that they are in position and the race can begin.

The Judge is responsible for ensuring that anything relating to the result as the horses cross the line is correct. They ensure that all horses are correctly placed  in order at the finish of a race, and then give a reason for horses that do not finish. They ensure that evidence of the result is provided to The Stewards, and all other Stakeholders including Connections and Betting Partners via the BHA Website.

In recognising the importance of a fair Start – both for the sport itself and for those betting on it – the Starter is looking for a tightly bunched and controlled field walking forwards towards the Starting Gate. The Starter is not, however, in a position to interfere with the likely tactics of the participants. Sometimes, the rest of the field can be very happy to let a known front runner go on in front and set the pace of the race. Similarly, a horse that is known to want cover behind other horses might be asked to ‘drop in’ at the back of the field, seemingly off the main pace in the race. Whilst in these scenarios it can appear that horses are not starting in the optimum tight bunch, the Starter accepts that each participant is nevertheless happy with their starting position and is ready to begin the race.

When girths are checked, horses will walk around on the course some distance back from the Start. However, no start will be effected if the runners are too far back. It is envisaged that they will be approximately 25 – 30 yards maximum from the start line. When the Starter, who will be at the top of the rostrum, wishes the field to walk forward he/she will raise their flag to indicate this and give voice instructions to the riders. The AFO will simultaneously raise their flag which should also be visible to all Jockeys. Having raised the flag, only the Starter will issue instructions to the riders. The field must come forward at a walk and no faster than a jig jog.

The start will be effected by the simultaneous release of the tape and dropping of the flag when the field have approached the Starter in such a way that he is satisfied that the start will be safe and fair.

Races will not be started if the field line up and commence to move forward before the Starter raises his flag or approach the start at faster than a jig jog before the tape is released and flag lowered.

As there are no Stalls Handlers over the jumps, the Starter and his Assistant(s) will check the horses’ girths themselves, before informing the jockeys when there’s half a minute to go before the off. They can pull their goggles down and prepare themselves for racing. During this time, the horses will be circling in a defined area behind the Start itself.

Once the Starter is satisfied that all horses and riders are ready, he/she will alert the riders and press the button on his rostrum to open the stalls and start the race. Some horses are loaded with blindfolds and it is the responsibility of riders to remove them before the race is started. In starting the race the starter also activates the official timing system, which enables the Judge to record the time taken for each horse to complete the race.

The Stalls Handlers will check each of the horses’ girths to make sure that the saddle won’t slip during the race. When it’s time for the load to begin, the Starter calls out the draw, the horses go behind the Stalls, and the Stalls Handlers – under direction from the Starter – will begin to load them. The normal loading procedure is for horses drawn in the odd numbered stalls to go in first, followed by those drawn in the even numbered stalls. Generally, horses that need blindfolds are loaded first, and certain horses are given special dispensation to load late, due to their past behaviour.

The Starter will arrive down at the Start about ten minutes before the scheduled start time for the race.   For Flat races, they will test the Stalls, and brief the Stalls Handlers on any horses that are likely to need special equipment or handling.  This might mean using a blindfold on a horse, or putting it into the Stalls late on in the loading process.  For Jump races they test the Starting Gate.

As races are shorter on the Flat, it’s important that the participants begin in as straight a line as possible. For longer races (and that includes some long Flat races as well as all Jump races), riders often want to take up a tactical position that they believe offers their horse its best chance to perform well. For some, that might mean going out in front, whilst for others it might mean taking a lead from another horse or dropping in at the back of the field. The ground would often be too soft to move the Stalls around on at a jumps meeting.

The Starter is there to ensure that each race begins on time and as fairly as possible, with each horse and rider given the greatest possible opportunity of an equal start.

Should a rider weigh in more than one pound under the weight at which he weighed out, the Clerk of the Scales will lodge an objection with the Stewards, who will automatically hold an enquiry. The horse involved will be disqualified and the rider penalised.

If a rider weighs in two pounds or more over the weight that he weighed out, the Clerk of the Scales will report the rider to the Stewards and may be suspended. The one pound under and two pound over tolerances reflect the weight loss or gain a rider may incur dependant on weather conditions.

The Clerk of the Scales is required to ‘weigh in’ the riders of the winning and placed horses, and where extended prize money is allocated, as well as any other riders that he chooses to weigh in at his discretion. When the Stewards and the Clerk of the Scales are satisfied with the result of the race, and all riders have weighed in as required, the ‘weighed in’ announcement will be given over the public address system and winning bets may be collected.

If the rider is too heavy, he may be replaced by another rider, or be permitted to carry ‘overweight’, which will always be announced on the racecourse before a race begins. However, no rider is allowed to weigh out at four pounds or more over the weight he is set to carry. Once they have weighed out, riders are not allowed to change their equipment, and may be fined if they are found to be doing so.

Before going out to ride in a race, each jockey must ‘weigh out’. This involves standing, with the equipment he is going to carry in a race, on the digital scale in front of the Clerk of the Scales. The Clerk of the Scales will ensure that the rider is carrying at least the weight shown in the racecard (less any ‘claims’ they might be entitled to due to their levels of experience and/or numbers of winners ridden). In some cases, it may be necessary to add lead weights to the jockey’s equipment in order to achieve this.

The Clerk of the Scales is responsible for ensuring that each rider carries the correct weight when riding in a race. Using digital scales, they weigh the jockeys and their equipment before they go out to ride, before checking again that their weight is correct when they return back after the race. They also ensure that the riders wear the correct colours and horse’s carry the correct headgear (for example, blinkers or a visor) that a horse has been declared to wear during a race.

In exceptional circumstances, a key Jump fixture that would have been abandoned  is delayed so that it can take place 24 hours later, with weather conditions improving.  Also during a prolonged cold snap, all Jump racecourses could be contacted at the beginning of the week to ascertain whether the conditions in any part of the country are less extreme, thereby making it possible to stage a Jump fixture when no other Jump fixtures could be staged.  All decisions are taken in the best interests of the sport rather than individual racecourses.

The Racing Department invites all Jump racecourses to apply to stage these fixtures, if geographical considerations are not considered important. Following consultation with the Inspectorate, the fixtures are then allocated with a view to providing opportunities in those regions particularly impacted by abandonments, and/or those regions to which the greatest number of trainers are likely to have access. The programmes for these fixtures are put together with considerable care following a review of the latest relevant data and discussions with trainers.

With a view to providing the most competitive racing possible, the Racing Department scan the latest horses-in-training data and review recent races that have involved eliminating horses so that it can determine just how many additional fixtures could be facilitated and the particular races to programme. The main aim is to ensure that, during times of inclement weather, at least two afternoon fixtures take place on each week day and two or three on a Saturday of suitable quality for terrestrial TV coverage.

The Levy Board’s position is that it is keen to ensure that at least two fixtures take place each afternoon. Throughout the core winter period, one All Weather (AWT) fixture is scheduled every afternoon and, therefore, if Jump fixtures are (or look like) being abandoned, the Levy Board would usually make the finance available for a second AWT fixture to be programmed at short notice.

There are occasions when additional fixtures are created. These usually arise in one of two situations when either additional All Weather (AWT) fixtures, including “Jumpers’ Bumpers”, replace abandoned Jump fixtures or Jump replacement fixtures follow a spate of abandonments. In winter, when the outlook for Jumping appears bleak, the Levy Board is contacted with a view to providing financial support for additional AWT fixtures, or from time to time, Jump Fixtures in areas of the country no so affected by the prevailing weather.

To reschedule the race, it is usually imperative that the Levy Board provides additional funding to the new venue. This is not a straightforward decision for the Levy Board as this may require providing significantly greater support than will be generated in levy by the race itself, especially if it does not prove possible for the race to appear on terrestrial television. To that end, the Levy Board sometimes requires a minimum number of declarations for its financial support to be given.

Owners’ stakes are likely to be significantly reduced; the standard treatment in Group 1/Grade 1 races is to refund the stakes of those horses which opt not to enter the rescheduled race and, in the event of reduced prize money, to refund an appropriate percentage of stakes paid by those that are entered. In other races, the original stakes for all horses are generally refunded with the entrants for the new race charged a reduced stake (in line with the reduced prize money).

The position of the race sponsor varies, with some sponsors agreeing to retain their support for the race at the new venue, albeit sometimes at a reduced level. For most organisations, this is a commercially -based decision and will be affected by factors such as whether the rescheduled race will be televised, or if hospitality is available for guests or if there is a clash of sponsors at the new venue.

The biggest hurdle to overcome when rescheduling a major race invariably relates to securing sufficient funding. In order to get the race run, a pragmatic approach often has to be adopted when determining the prize money value at which the rescheduled event is to be staged. Regrettably this may involve an amount below the minimum value for the particular class of race. However, there is clearly a level below which the prize money on offer would be so low that the race is no longer viable.

In addressing these issues, the connections of the principal original entrants are consulted to establish their intentions and, more specifically, under what circumstances they would run in the rescheduled race. Discussions also take place at this stage with the possible venues for the rescheduled race, to ascertain whether they would be prepared to stage the race at its existing fixture; racecourses generally react positively to such proposals.

It is usually only commercially viable to stage a rescheduled race at a fixture that is already scheduled. In attempting to identify a possible venue, factors that are taken into consideration include the suitability of the racecourse for staging the race including similarity with the original venue (flat/undulating, left-handed/right-handed). The date of the fixture in proximity to the original race, weather forecast and likely going is also considered.

Pattern races are almost always the most likely candidates for rescheduling. The associated Black Type status can have a significant impact on the future value of horses, particularly on the Flat, whilst the co-ordinated programme of races within the Pattern means that it is highly unlikely that an alternative race of equal stature is pending.

When a major race is lost to the weather, the first question that is asked is whether the race is sufficiently important to render it worth rescheduling. This involves consideration of factors such as the longer-term significance of the race, the strength of runners in the original race and whether alternative options already exist in the near future for the affected horses.

Rescheduling requires concerted and coordinated efforts involving all parties associated with the staging of the race. This includes the BHA, the connections of the runners, the Levy Board, the original racecourse and its sponsor, potential new venues and broadcasters. To reschedule a major race, these parties must successfully address a number of issues within extremely tight timelines and an absence of support from just one of these parties may jeopardise the entire process.

The ratings file is updated every Tuesday morning to take account of horses performances from the previous Sunday to Saturday. The ratings can be found in BHA’s Official Ratings or find out more about what Handicappers do in What We Do.

A set of criteria has been agreed by the BHA, which governs which races will be permitted to divide and this may vary throughout the year. If there are multiple races on a day which could divide, the department will issue an order of preference based upon the number of entries received and alternative options at other venues. Priority will generally be given to developmental races for young unexposed horses which may not yet have qualified to run in handicaps.

Statistical research is used to ensure that the Fixture List and race programmes continue to reflect the needs of the racehorse population, including analysing the success of different types of races in terms of field sizes, the role they play for the horse population and the demand for types of races and fixtures from those within the industry.

Race times are planned four months in advance, with regular updates made in between to accommodate changes to broadcaster’s schedules or racecourse requests. Various elements are taken into account when compiling race times so that race clashes or overlaps are avoided and the various requirements of broadcasters, race sponsors and racecourses are taken into consideration.

The department identifies gaps and potential race clashes in the programme and analyses the success of, or demand for, certain types of races.  It then measures the performance of existing races in terms of the number of runners, entries and ratings for each type of race, to deem whether the race was a success.  All this has to take into account the budget available to the racecourse on any given day.

You should contact the BHA Licensing Department in the first instance or the Medical Department.

You should contact Dr Hill the Chief Medical Adviser at the BHA in the first instance.

You can check the Medical Standards for Fitness to Ride list of medical conditions, or if you are still unsure, call the Medical Department on 020 7152 0138.

A formal Medical Review procedure is in place and is administered by the Licensing Department.

Every five years. Please see here for details on medical examinations.

No.  However if you fail to turn up for your booked appointment, you will be charged £80.00 for the missed appointment.  There is also a 24 hour notice cancellation policy in operation.

You must ask the hospital A+E Department to give you a ‘Discharge Note’ (also called a Discharge Summary or GP letter) before you leave.

This can be done very quickly and a copy of the Discharge Note can then be sent by fax to the BHA Medical Department on 020 7152 0136 or by email to [email protected]. This will speed up your return to race riding

If your GP has prescribed medication which you need in order to recover/get well then you should follow your GP’s advice.

However a jockey must inform the Chief Medical Adviser’s office immediately of any notifiable medication prescribed.  If you are unsure, please check with the Medical Department on 020 7152 0138.

If you are taking any medication including over the counter medication, i.e for hayfever or pain relief, these should always be declared if you are chosen to be tested on a racecourse.

Note: you cannot ride in France on any medication.

For all professionals, amateurs, and Point to Point jockeys, please contact your GP.

Any jockey who is unable to race ride as a result of an injury or illness must notify the BHA Medical Department as soon as it is practically possible.

This is a mandatory requirement and applies to any injury, regardless of where or when it happened – schooling, car accident, playing soccer etc.

No you cannot ride with a Red Entry.

RED CMA – you can only be cleared by the BHA Chief Medical Adviser; contact the Medical Department on 020 7152 0138 for further guidance on clearance.

Red RMO – you will need to present yourself to the Racecourse Medical Officer on the racecourse or final clearance BEFORE you ride.