Horses are sensitive and social beings who deserve our respect. Thatâs why, each week, weâll be sharing their stories to challenge industry narratives and help reconnect the British public with these remarkable individuals.
They are not âracehorsesâ. They are someone - and these are their stories.
High Expectations might have been given that name because thatâs what his keepers had for him. But when injuries meant he could no longer meet those expectations he found himself in a barren slaughterhouse. His name was replaced with the number 0707 crudely sprayed on his back. This is his story.
Best Mate won the Cheltenham Gold Cup three times. Hard work was demanded from him throughout his life, which was cut short in 2005. This is his story.
Side Glance was used for racing for years, but his retirement didnât liberate him from working for racing industry. This is his story.
In 2021 champion horse trainer Gordon Elliott was suspended after posing for a photo sitting on a horse who had died in his care in 2019. That horse was Morgan. This is his story.
Ironically named, Beneficial Quest went on a long journey over land and sea at just four years old. His âcareerâ was over, but he wasnât being sent to retirement, he was being sent to a slaughterhouse. This is his story.
Genealogy was a horse that many were watching, but at only four years old he had already had three trainers, two surgeries, and had suffered bleeding from the nose in two races. His fourteenth race was to be his last. This is his story.
Knightsbridge was only 6 years old when he was killed trying to jump a fence during a race at Newton Abbott. This is his story.
At five years old Reignman isnât yet fully grown, but heâs already âretiredâ from one âcareerâ through injury, and on to his next function â an advertising prop for the industry that hurt him. This is his story.
Hoare Abbey was four years old when he began training to be used for racing. Just over four years later he was âretiredâ. Before long he would be discovered broken, emaciated, and with his working days far from behind him, still being made to carry humans. This is his story.
Vyta Du Roc was a champion of British Racing, winning at courses like Ascot, Cheltenham over his 5 years in racing. He won over ÂŁ170,000 in prize money, but just 3 months after his last race, he was shot dead in an English slaughterhouse. This is his story.
Bow Echo just became the first horse since Frankel to complete the triple crown of wins in the 2,000 Guineas, St Jamesâs Palace Stakes and Sussex Stakes. His winnings now top ÂŁ1.5 million, but whatâs it like being the horse everyoneâs talking about? This is his story.
Shergar remains a household name 45 years after his last race. But he wasnât just a news story or a media sensation, he was someone whose life, and death, had meaning. This is his story.
Riaan just became the 100th horse to have been killed by racing this year - that we know of. Death is the only way out of this cruel industry for too many horses like him. This is his story.
95% of all modern raced horses are descended from one individual â The Darley Arabian. He was just 4 years old when shipped to England from Syria in 1704. This is his story.
Being a raced horse is hard work, often itâs too hard. Bella Perlaâs heart gave out in her last race, and she died at the track. Those who owned her and trained her have published no public statements about her death, and footage of her last race is suspiciously absent from replay sites. This is her story.
Aidan OâBrien has just celebrated 100 Royal Ascot winners. But what happens to âwinningâ horses when they leave the limelight? War Envoyâs story shows just how disposable horses are to those who profit from forcing them to race. This is his story.
Coumeenoole had not been raced for two years when he died at Newton Abbot in the midst of a heatwave. He was only 7 years old when he fell and died - all for a potential prize pot of ÂŁ10,000. This is his story.
In 2025, Rahiebb was one of four horses at the Royal Ascot Festival who were whipped beyond the limits set by the British Horseracing Authority. He is now a favourite in the Ascot Gold Cup this year, but what does it feel like to be a young horse like him? This is his story.
Harmonia was one of the most emaciated horses rescuers had ever seen. Now sheâs living a new life with friends at Redwings Horse Sanctuary. This is her story.
This yearâs favourite for the Epsom Derby, like many others before him, is just a child at three years old. This is his story.
How often do you see elderly horses? Probably not very often. Horses forced to race usually die young, but Handsome One is one of the lucky few. This is his story.
Once forced to race until her body gave out, Missy was then exploited for her 'champion bloodline' until her luck changed. This is her story.
Her name was Celestial Noir and she had just turned two. She was killed in her second ever race, killed before she'd even stopped growing - that should tell you everything. This is her story.
His name was My Mate Alfie. With a name like that, you'd think he was cherished, valued, loved. But he was treated like a machine his whole life. This is his story.
Kameko might not have faced the high fences of jump racing, but that doesn't mean his life's been any easier. This is his story.
Horses like Hailey being used in science experiments is a worldwide problem. This is her story.
Just days from turning 7 years old, he should have had his whole life ahead of him. But his body was broken in pursuit of profit at the infamous Grand National festival. This is his story.
I Am Maximus is called a Grand National 'favourite'. But what is life really like for the horse everyone is talking about? This is his story.
Nobody thought Celebre DâAllen would win the 2025 Grand National, at 13 he was more likely to die from it. They raced him anyway, and he died a few days later. This is his story.
Once forced to race, Lady was then used to breed more horses for the same purpose. Then she found sanctuary at Springwood. This is her story.
When they saddled him up to race that day, they knew it would be his last. They intended to let him retire, but the race killed him before he had the chance. This is his story.
In a sport that exploited his body, a game was made of his mind as well. Would he lose his nerve and fall over hurdles again? This time, would he survive? This is his story.
Once forced to race, Nelson tells his story of being truly seen for the first time. This is his story.
They called him Siberian Star and his story is all too familiar: raced, beaten, and jumped until death. This is his story.
Once forced to race until her body gave out, Missy was then exploited for her 'champion bloodline' until her luck changed. This is her story.
Forcing horses to race has been cleverly marketed as the 'sport of kings' but behind this glossy veneer is a dark and disturbing reality. Since 2007, more than 3,000 horses have been killed and they are still the only animal who can legally be beaten for entertainment.
