The Royal Veterinary College Partnership: £60m in Research Since 2000

British racing has invested over £60 million since 2000 in veterinary science, research, and education, primarily through partnership with the Royal Veterinary College and funding from the Horserace Betting Levy Board. This investment has funded nearly 500 individual research projects benefiting all breeds of horses.

The Racing Risk Models project, led by Professor Kristien Verheyen and Dr Sarah Allen at the RVC, exemplifies the partnership’s impact. Using 14 years of race data and advanced epidemiological techniques, the team identified risk factors for falls, injuries, and fatalities. Their work provided the evidence base for the padded hurdle rollout and continues to inform fence design, going management, and veterinary protocols.

Other research has investigated equine vision (which colours horses see best), jetlag effects on horses travelling internationally, injury risk factors across different race types and distances, disease prevention in training yards, and optimal recovery protocols post-racing.

The RVC’s independence is critical. As an academic institution with no commercial stake in racing outcomes, its research carries credibility that industry-funded internal studies cannot match. The partnership model is racing funds the research, RVC conducts it independently, results are published openly, it ensures scientific rigor while addressing racing-specific welfare questions.

The £60 million investment represents approximately £3 million annually over 20 years. In context, British racing generates over £3.5 billion in economic activity annually. The research investment is less than 0.1% of the sport’s economic footprint, yet it produces welfare improvements that protect the sport’s social licence and improve outcomes for thousands of horses.