Equine welfare

Races at every level, enabling each horse to compete

Physical integrity and morale are key factors in a horse being able to give it their best. To maintain a level of long-term health and motivation in horses, it is crucial to enter them in races that are suitable to their abilities, where they can come up against opponents of comparable strength – after all, horses like to lead!

In France, there are lots of different races spread across various categories based on the age, sex and past performances of the runners. The number of races in each category and their timing throughout the year is set out by the parent companies to best meet the provisional needs of the horses in training both in terms of quantity and quality.

The work involved in putting together race cards enables trainers to find the right races for their horses based on their levels of form at the time, their age and their ability. There are races for every horse, despite their extremely diverse profiles… Once a race has been selected, the trainer can then meticulously prepare the horse for its goal, ensuring that it is ready to take on the competition when it arrives at the racetrack without exceeding its limits!

On race days, each horse may only run one race. It arrives at the racecourse several hours in advance accompanied by a stablehand who knows the horse by heart and how to get it into the best mental and physical state before the race. The stablehand will accompany the horse during the first part of the warm-up so that the horse can get settled in in its own time.

In trot races, the runner will take part in heats, one or two hours before the start – this is a series of warm-up races with the speed gradually increasing.
In flat races, horses are paraded for an extended period before the race to relax them and warm up their bodies little by little.

After this initial phase, the stablehand hands their protégé over to the jockey or the driver who will run the horse in the race. The latter will take them on a canter or short warm-up gallop to the starting line to get the horse to obey the reins and complete its physical preparation.

A horserace is a high-level sporting event. Led by their jockey or their driver, racehorses draw upon all of their resources to win a race. After such an effort, a recuperation phase is necessary.

Once it has crossed the finish line, the horse remains on the track for a couple of minutes where it continues to run at a reduced speed. This enables it to slow down its heartbeat progressively, return to a more regular breathing pattern, lower its body temperature and eliminate toxins.

Once off the track, if the horse has been placed, it will quickly go to the paddock. The stablehand then returns to take off the saddle and give the horse some water.

If it is hot, the horse is cooled down. Then it is taken on a long walk, given a shower, bandaged and allowed to rest before the team goes back on the road. It is monitored closely and treated if necessary. It then returns to its stable where it can start to prepare gently for its next meet, a few weeks away.

As is the case with any body which organises sporting events featuring high-level performers, the Institution is committed to ensuring the safety of the horses and the people who take part in horseraces. In 2019, the 2,275 race meets across 235 racetracks in France all complied with very exact guidelines in terms of infrastructure, facilities, safety and organisation.

At each racetrack, technical teams provide their expertise to give the horses the best possible conditions on race days. The tracks are maintained with the utmost care throughout the year to guarantee the kind of flexibility in the ground that horses need to put in their effort, and to ensure the safety of the runners. Any obstacles that are judged to be dangerous are adjusted (either in terms of the edges or the structure itself).

Over €15 million was invested between 2000 and 2020 to improve safety at racetracks. Most notably, flexible, shock-absorbing safety barriers were installed as well as new rails for obstacles made of shock-absorbing material to avoid injury and improve the safety of jockeys who suffer a fall.

In the event of inclement weather or a track that is deemed to be unfit for competition, races are postponed or called off.

The racetrack is a place where dozens of different horses come together on any one day from all around France and even on occasion from abroad. Everything therefore needs to be in place to maintain their health and avoid the spread of disease.

Reducing health risks to a minimum

• Vaccination is of course an important means of prevention, and racehorses have the most detailed vaccination protocols. Most notably, they have to be vaccinated at least once a year against flu and rhinopneumonitis. The vaccination card of each runner is systematically checked before the race and any horse that does not comply with this rule may be declared a non-runner.
• Furthermore, before each meet, all boxes are carefully disinfected before being filled with clean and comfortable straw to give each runner ideal health conditions.
• During outbreaks of animal diseases, the starting gates may also be disinfected.

The role of vets in races
Moreover, as at all high-level sporting events, horseraces have their own specialised medical staff capable of intervening at any moment during the competition to prevent or attend to health issues among the contestants. These are the trackside vets.

• Before the race, if called upon by a horse’s team or the race commissioners, the vet may inspect a runner to confirm that it is capable of going under starter’s orders. No risks may be taken with the health of horses which must be in absolutely prime form to take part in the race.
• During the race, the trackside vet is ready to intervene at any moment to treat and ease the pain of any horse that has been injured. If necessary, they can advise that a horse be sent to a specialised establishment.
• The trackside vet may also intervene after the race to check on any horses that seem to be suffering or having problems recuperating, or to administer treatment if necessary.

Medication of horses during the race: zero tolerance
Only horses that are in good health and running within their natural physical limits are allowed to take part in races;

• As such, no medication is authorised during races, as this is as much an issue of the safety of the horses as it of the integrity of the competition, as these substances may indicate the existence of a health issue for the horse or enable it to go beyond its physical limits by masking pain or artificially increasing its strength.
• Vets which are certified by the Fédération Nationale des Races Hippiques are on site to ensure that this rule is adhered to and they permit no exceptions.