Celebrities call for urgent action over horse deaths at Cheltenham

Below is a copy of the letter, which has been sent to the press.

Dear Editor,

We were horrified to learn that six horses were killed at this year’s Cheltenham Festival, and that around 200 horses are killed as a result of racing on courses around the country every year. 

This shocking death toll has been allowed to continue, unchecked, and we strongly believe that it is time for the government to intervene.

The racing industry has failed in its duty to protect these animals, and we are calling on the government to establish a fully independent body which will have overall responsibility for race horse welfare.

A petition has been set up, which supports this important objective, and we urge animal lovers to add their names to it straight away. This can be done by visiting www.animalaid.org.uk/horse-petition   

Yours faithfully,

Marc Abraham BVM&S MRCVS

Sam Carter 

Sarah-Jane Crawford

Peter Egan

Ricky Gervais

Jasmine Harman

Dr Christian Jessen 

Emma Milne BVSc MRCVS

Sara Pascoe

Wendy Turner Webster

Dan Richardson

Carol Royle