Horse racing involves significant injury and death risks, and evidence-based welfare reforms are demonstrating that racing can be made substantially safer without eliminating the sport.
Horse racing deaths are traumatic, public events that damage the social licence of the sport. The welfare of horses dying from catastrophic injuries on racecourses is one of the most acute welfare problems in equine sport, but the welfare of the many horses that sustain non-fatal injuries that cause chronic pain is less visible and potentially affects more animals. Evidence-based reforms including data analysis of track conditions, surfaces, and race schedules have identified modifiable risk factors that meaningful injury reductions can address. The implementation of these reforms demonstrates that welfare improvement and sport continuation are compatible goals, challenging the false choice often presented between racing welfare standards and the economic viability of the industry.