The BHA Board has approved several changes to the start Rules, following a review of stalls and starting procedures over a 12-month period.
The changes, which have been agreed following an extensive period of engagement and consultation, are described in full below and come into effect on the dates specified.
They have been developed following recommendations by the Starts Review Working Group, which has been tasked with reviewing all elements of the start, including stalls design, loading, and Jump start procedures. More information on the Starts Review Working Group is available below.
Adjustments to Late Load Requests
From 1 January 2024, the Rules around Late Load Requests – defined as raceday privilege requests made by a trainer for their horse to be loaded out of sequence – will be modified so that:
- Late Load Requests are restricted to horses that have demonstrated behavioural issues inside the starting stalls in a previous race in Great Britain
- Horses having their debut run will be ineligible for a Late Load Request unless they have taken a pre-race assessment that has specifically identified a behavioural concern inside the starting stalls.
In addition, the Rules around warnings for Late Load Requests and Stalls Tests will be adjusted, so that where a trainer has received three warnings for the same horse with respect to behaviour inside the stalls within a 12-month period:
- The horse will be required to complete one Stalls Test rather than the two needed under the current Rules
- Any further Late Load Request for that horse will not result in additional warnings for a 12-month period, rather than the current lifetime late load.
These Rule changes aim to reduce the number of Late Load Requests to help improve the safety and fairness of the Start and ensure that horses without behavioural issues are not disadvantaged.
The number of Late Load Requests has grown from 0.36% of runners in 2008 to 1.4% in 2022. These are requests made due to behaviour issues, but also increasingly for tactical reasons.
The changes, in particular those relating to the lifetime late loads, therefore seek to encourage increased schooling of less well-behaved horses and to discourage the tactical use of requests to achieve lifetime late load status. With the reduction of this timescale to 12 months, it has been agreed that only one Stalls Test due to warnings should trigger the Rule.
To help support trainers in adjusting to these Rule changes, stalls opportunities are available, including pre-assessments, with the potential for stalls training days or barrier trials if enough interest is received. Moreover, the changes also have the potential to reduce the Defined Percentage for Trainers.
For more information, please see the frequently asked questions below.
Rule F – the Race, Paragraphs 18 and 20 will be updated accordingly.
Loading process – Ear and Tail twitching / grabbing
Effective from 1 January 2024, grabbing or twitching a horse’s ear or tail during the loading process will only be permitted for safety purposes.
This is not a new Rule, but provides additional clarity around what may constitute an offence under the existing Rule D.2 – duty to promote welfare of horses. It also introduces a clearer and more specific penalty structure for managing any potential breaches.
It should be noted that BHA Stewards will take a pragmatic approach to enforcement and will always take into consideration that these techniques, when used proportionately, can be acceptable tools of good horsemanship and essential for safety purposes.
This might include gently holding an ear to help relax and placate a nervous or fractious horse during the loading process, or to ensure the welfare of the horse, jockey, and stalls handler by helping to settle a horse should they become unruly in the stalls.
However, in the rare instances where the Stewards consider these actions to go well beyond what is deemed necessary for the purposes of safety and horse welfare, they will have discretion to issue a caution for a first offence, followed by a Band A fine for any subsequent offences.
Separate guidance has been developed for both Jockeys and Stewards to provide clarity on what is considered acceptable practice.
Jump Starts without hunting crop
Effective immediately, BHA starters will no longer carry the hunting crop during jump starts. The hunting crop was previously used very sparingly, and the Starts Review Working Group felt there was no longer a need to continue to carry it during the starting process. There is no Rule or Code modification necessary for this procedural change.
Starts training for Trainer representatives
From 1 January 2024, all persons assisting at the start must have completed the BHA Trainer Representative – Starts Training Module. This is to help ensure that safety protocols are fully understood by everyone in and around the starts area.
Trainers and their representatives are required to have taken the online module prior to accompanying their horse to the Start. The module is available to complete now on Racing2Learn.
Rule 14. Starting Procedures Code, Paragraph 26 has been updated accordingly.
More information about the Starts Review Working Group
British Racing’s Horse Welfare Strategy – A life Well Lived – identified the need for the sport to conduct a short review of stalls and starting, including:
- Assessment of risk of injury to horses from stalls starts and jumps (tape and flip) starts to ensure risks are as low as possible. If risks are identified causes to be ascertained and addressed.
- Review to include consideration of stalls loading procedures and assessment of any real or perceived welfare issues with appropriate action to be taken as necessary.
As such, the Starts Review Working Group was established in September 2021 to consider all elements of the start, including stall design, stalls loading procedures and jumps starts procedures.
The group brought together Jockey, Trainer, racecourse, BHA and HWB representatives, who worked to develop a series of recommendations that aim to help reduce the risk and address any perception issues around starts and stalls.
In addition to the Rule changes set out above, areas of work that have been completed include workshops for starters, stewards and veterinary officers to review rules and procedures; a review of loading sequences and times; and a review of the penalty for being late to post.
Other items are still subject to engagement and consultation with industry stakeholders, with areas such as blindfold use and stalls design set to be considered in the coming months.
For any queries, please contact: [email protected]
