Horse Welfare

The John Smith’s Grand National meeting is the biggest show in town and the stars, of course, are the horses.

It is the welfare of these horses which is the primary concern for the Aintree management and they are the reason why the course has invested heavily in veterinary facilities over the years.

The John Smith’s Grand National meeting is perhaps the most scrutinised of all sporting events, with intense focus on animal welfare issues.

The Grand National fences, though used for only three of the 21 races at the meeting, have long been a topic of debate but, while some of the attention is well meaning, much is uninformed as any rational review of Aintree’s commitment to horse welfare reveals.

The biggest advance in facilities came before the 2006 John Smith’s Grand National meeting. Improvements included the construction of a new veterinary surgery in the stable yard which has two treatment boxes and an x-ray unit, plus an equine solarium and sandpit facilities.

It is clear that any horse who comes into the care of the veterinary staff at Aintree could not be in better hands.

Chris Proudman, Professor of Equine Studies at the University of Liverpool, is part of the sevenstrong team of veterinary specialists at Aintree. This year will be his 12th at the John Smith’s Grand National meeting, and he is complimentary about the facilities at the track.

“The new veterinary clinic at Aintree is undoubtedly a huge improvement,” he explained.

One facet is that two vets are now able to work side by side, dealing with any injuries that horses may pick up.

“The big difference with the set-up is that we are now able to give horses the attention they need more rapidly and in better surroundings. It basically means that we can do a better job.

“It’s a really nice facility and Aintree has done a great job in fitting it out to the highest possible standard. The course consulted us on how we wanted the surgery laid out and a television and video for our use was also provided.

“We often get horses in who have fallen so we are now able to have a look at the fall in detail, using slow motion to see exactly what happened. We can identify the problem and give the appropriate treatment. I would say that Aintree has some of the best facilities anywhere in the country for dealing with horses.”

The Philip Leverhulme Equine Hospital at Leahurst, part of the veterinary faculty at the University of Liverpool, is close to Aintree if any horse requires further specialist care.

Horse ambulances are on hand in case any runners need to be transported to Aintree’s veterinary unit or to Leahurst’s hospital. The hospital is well known for its life-saving treatment of such stars as Danoli, Moorcroft Boy and
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Proudman acknowledges that Aintree can be a hectic environment to work in yet he is confident that the veterinary team can offer horses at the John Smith’s Grand National meeting the care and attention they deserve.

He continued: “It’s normally pedal to the metal from the first race. It can be very busy, but there is a very good team spirit among the veterinary team, which is vital. We also now have the best conditions in which to work with the horses.

“There are always pressures when working at the Grand National meeting. It’s a tough three days and often very challenging.

“But we do it because we feel we can offer a very good service to the horses and to Aintree racecourse.”

All possible details are looked into. For example, oxygen is available in the horse ambulances by the final fence and where the horses pull up after finishing a race in case of problems and a mobile X-ray machine is available to allow the rapid diagnosis of leg injuries. Andrew Tulloch, the clerk of the course at Aintree, echoes Proudman’s sentiments regarding the success of the veterinary facilities at the track. He commented: “I am very pleased with the facilities in our veterinary surgery. We used digital x-ray equipment on site for the first time in 2006 and this enabled us to assess the
horses immediately when they came in.

“If any horse needs to have further treatment at Leahurst we can send over the x-ray photos so they know in advance what they are going to be dealing with. It is these kinds of innovations, alongside the new TV and video facility, which show how Aintree is committed to providing the highest possible standards of equine care.”

The Grand National meeting sees a whole army of specialist staff on duty. They look after the needs of both horses and jockeys, as well as the racegoers who flock to the three days every year.

Excellent preparation, planning and co-operation are needed to ensure that the event runs as smoothly as possible. Tulloch added: “With so many medical and veterinary personnel working at Aintree, we always have a thorough debrief meeting after each Grand National meeting.

“We also have an extensive briefing prior to the meeting itself, which includes running through things such as procedures and rehearsals. We go through the various scenarios that could arise to ensure that we are, as far as we possibly can be, equipped for every eventuality.

“Of course, there are always events which happen that cannot be foreseen. But we all work as hard as possible to ensure that any problems that arise are dealt with efficiently and professionally.”

Aintree also has a close and strong relationship with the RSPCA, whose advice and consultation are greatly appreciated by course officials.

Horse welfare was a paramount consideration when the latest redevelopment programme was planned.

The RSPCA’s equine consultant David Muir is enthusiastic about the facilities: “What they have done is superb. They have implemented a new veterinary structure to deal with all course incidents. The new facility provides for the immediate medical needs of horses to an extremely high standard.

“The surgery has the correct facilities, with treatment boxes that are the right size and structure. Everything is very pro-equine welfare and the on-course x-ray facility they now have is superb. From a diagnostic point of view, it takes away any doubt.”

The emergency back-up is impressive as already detailed above, as are the preventative measures. Aintree, in consultation with welfare groups, has made alterations to the Grand National course over the years. For example, fences have been modified and Becher’s Brook, while still a challenge, is no longer quite the test it once was, with the brook covered and the landing side raised.

Screening at the Canal Turn prevents horses being able to see the sharp left hand turn and encourages jockeys to spread out along the fence, rather than take the tight left side route.

A new initiative to be progressively introduced from this year is the smoothing of the core post infrastructure of the fences with the addition of protective padding to reduce impact where horses come into contact with the fence.

Muir continued: “The Grand National is a testing race and logistically there is a higher risk to horses. Therefore, the RSPCA continues to maintain a close dialogue with racecourse management. Although many improvements have been made to the course including fences such as Becher’s Brook, the drop jump element of such obstacles will always be an area of concern to the society.”