World Horse Welfare Statement in response to the Grand National 2024

It’s certainly good news that all horses made it home safely in the Grand National. Today was a true spectacle for all the right reasons, and showed that responsible riding and the changes Aintree made to improve safety did not detract from the race. While it will obviously take a few years to be able to truly assess the impact of the latest changes, today was an encouraging start.

As independent welfare advisors to the British Horseracing Authority, we support Aintree in making evidence-based changes, but the tragic deaths of Giovinco and Pikar on Friday are a clear reminder of the importance of the Jump Race Risk Model to lead further changes to make this and other jump races safer.

No fatality can ever be accepted as a consequence of racing and it is in racing’s power to continually and vigorously pursue improvements, and we look forward to supporting them in this where we can. 

Roly Owers, Chief Executive of World Horse Welfare