The British Horseracing Authority (BHA) has announced the launch of ten new e-learning modules focused on horse welfare - developed in collaboration with the Horse Welfare Board, veterinary specialists and the BHA's welfare and education teams.
The resources are free to access for anyone working within British racing or the thoroughbred breeding industry, providing additional training for the more than 10,000 people employed in equine-related roles across the country.
The initiative forms part of the industry's wider "A Life Well Lived" strategy - a five-year plan launched in 2020 that emphasises quality of life, lifetime responsibility, safety and building public trust.
The new modules, available on the Racing2Learn platform, cover a wide range of subjects: worming, ulcers, rehoming, heat stress, behaviour management, water provision, equine body language and euthanasia.
The Racing Foundation, which awarded the Horse Welfare Board £3m ($4.1m) in 2022 to support welfare projects, has provided the funding for the e-learning modules.
By making them freely available, the BHA hopes to ensure that employees across stables, racecourses and breeding operations are equipped with consistent, up-to-date knowledge of horse care.
Baroness Minette Batters, Independent Chair of the Horse Welfare Board, said the project reflected the industry's need to adapt continuously, stating: "Welfare doesn't sit still, so it is vital we keep everyone in the sport up to date with the latest in equine care and wellbeing. This wouldn't be possible without the generous support of the Racing Foundation, to whom we are immensely grateful."
Tansy Challis, CEO at the Racing Foundation, added: "Ensuring the highest possible standards of care for racehorses is a key priority for all stakeholders within British racing and this project, along with others from the 'A Life Well Lived' strategy, will contribute to achieving this aim."
The launch comes at a time when welfare remains one of the sport's most pressing challenges in terms of public perception.
Earlier this month, the BHA published findings from its Project Beacon study, which surveyed over 7,500 people in the UK and Ireland. The research showed that 27% of potential customers cited concerns about horse welfare as a reason they did not engage with the sport, making it the single biggest barrier to attracting new audiences.
Project Beacon also identified that 34% of respondents could be classified as potential fans and 33% as casual fans, highlighting scope for growth.
However, welfare concerns, along with a lack of emotional connection to horses and competition from other sports, remain significant hurdles. The BHA has responded by setting out six priority areas for growth, including addressing welfare perceptions, simplifying the sport for newcomers and improving the race-day experience.
Recent industrial action has further underlined the complexity of the issues facing British racing. On 10 September, the sport staged its first-ever modern strike in opposition to proposed government tax reforms that would raise the duty on sports betting to 21%.
While the protest focused primarily on financial sustainability and jobs, industry leaders also highlighted the importance of maintaining funding for welfare programmes, which rely in part on levy contributions from betting.
For stakeholders, the rollout of the new e-learning modules hopes to demonstrate a practical step in addressing welfare concerns while reinforcing the message that horse care remains central to the industry's future. Whether these efforts will help shift public perceptions - and attract new fans to racing - will likely depend on how effectively they are implemented alongside broader reforms in governance, funding and fan engagement.
