Ten years ago today (31 July), the British Horseracing Authority (BHA) took over the reins of British horseracing’s governance and regulation. A decade of sporting action, business change, progress and challenges is being marked quietly today by the organisation and its current leadership team.
The BHA was formally founded on 31 July 2007 as the single, unified governing body for British Horseracing. Its role as defined at that time was to regulate, promote and represent the sport, taking on the roles of the British Horseracing Board and Horseracing Regulatory Authority.
In the ten years of the BHA’s existence the organisation has led on a number of key areas for the sport, not just on regulation and integrity matters, but also central funding, equine welfare, people development, training and welfare as well as international matters. During that time, our sport has continued to progress whilst also facing and dealing with several notable issues and challenges, many of which have shaped the way that the sport is regulated today. Read more about The 10 Events that Shaped the BHA through each of the organisation’s 10 years.
The last decade also saw the BHA preside over a changing landscape as the decisions made by the industry – and wider economic factors – have an impact on the size and scale of the sport. We’ve produced 10 Year Key Data and Trendscovering the sport’s most crucial key performance indicators and how they have changed since the organisation was founded.
We’ve also taken the opportunity, on a lighter note, to publish 10 Things You Might Not Know About the BHA.
Nick Rust, Chief Executive of the BHA said:
“When I joined the BHA I cited my lifelong passion for British racing and its future health and success as my motivation. After more than two and a half years here that passion has not dimmed one bit, and I believe our industry is making good progress.
“As with any governing body and regulator, we have to deal with some big issues and make tough decisions in the interests of our sport, our people and our horses. We haven’t always got everything right, and have faced some difficult times during that period, but we have also had the opportunity to contribute significantly towards some positive changes for the benefit of our wonderful sport.
“In addition to reflecting on the last ten years, today we look forward to a new era for the industry thanks to the replacement of the Levy and all the opportunities that stem from that. I am particularly excited about the BHA taking a leadership role alongside Horsemen and Racecourses in developing the sport’s updated strategy for growth this autumn.
“I would like to thank the team at the BHA, past and present but equally important, our members: Horsemen and Racecourses, and indeed all the organisations and individuals who have played their part in the sport‘s governance and regulation over the last 10 years, without whose cooperation we could not undertake our role. The sport has recently come together under the Members Agreement and it is in the spirit of this tripartite structure that we look forward to playing our part in growing the health of our sport over the next decade.”
The BHA’s strategic objectives, vision, mission, culture and values can be found here.
