Animal Aid is calling on the government to take action over the shockingly high fatality rate in British horse racing. Every year, around 200 horses are killed as a result of racing in Great Britain.
The national campaign group has created a government e-petition, which has been signed by more than 40,000 people. The petition reads:
The British Horseracing Authority is responsible for race horse welfare. But around 200 horses die each year due to racing in Britain. We urge the government to set up an independent regulatory body, with horse welfare as its only interest, which will take meaningful action to stop horses dying.
Animal Aid’s campaign has also received the backing of twelve celebrities, who signed an open letter to the press following the deaths of six horses at this year’s Cheltenham Festival. It was signed by Marc Abraham, Sam Carter, Sarah-Jane Crawford, Peter Egan, Ricky Gervais, Jasmine Harman, Dr Christian Jessen, Emma Milne, Sara Pascoe, Wendy Turner Webster, Dan Richardson and Carol Royle.
