Animal Aid to protest at high equine death toll at Southwell Racecourse

Wearing black and carrying banners that list the names of the horses who have died at the course, supporters of the national campaign group will be asking punters not to give their betting or attendance money to the racecourse.

• Date: 15 November 2016
• Time: photocall at midday
• Location: Southwell Racecourse (please phone for precise location)

Since June 2007, no fewer than 70 horses have died at the venue: 24 on the All Weather course and 46 on the Jumps course. In 2015, the racecourse was rated the most lethal in the country, with seven known deaths at the venue.

That death toll has already been surpassed in 2016 with eight horses killed at the Nottinghamshire course – the most recent fatality occurred on 31 August. Kingscourt Native (IRE), ridden by Richard Johnson, suffered an horrific fall and broke his neck.

Says Animal Aid’s Horseracing Consultant Dene Stansall:

‘Southwell Racecourse has consistently appeared in the list of the most lethal racecourses in the country, yet the racecourse officials and the British Horseracing Authority have failed to reduce the number of horse deaths at the course. Racegoers have the right to know about the high equine death toll so that they can decide whether they want to support the industry or, as we would urge, boycott it.’

Notes to editors

• To find out more, or to arrange an interview, please call Dene Stansall on 01732 364546 or send him an email
• Visit Race Horse Deathwatch, our online database of on-course Thoroughbred fatalities in Britain.

Animal Aid will be showing the following film:

Since this film was made, the number of horses who die on British racecourses each year is now around 200. A similar number die in training or are killed when they are no longer viable investments. Altogether, around 1,000 horses from racing are sent to abattoirs each year