Animal Aid Horse Consultant Dene Stansall has strongly advised the government to rethink its welfare remit after two horses die at the Cheltenham Festival.
After three days of jump racing, two horses have fallen to their deaths. Hansard suffered a fatal injury in the Singer Arkle Challenge Trophy Novices’ Chase, whilst HMS Seahorse died after a fall in the BetMGM Cup Handicap Hurdle on Wednesday.
Hansard is dead at Cheltenham festival – the cost of “entertainment” paid in blood. How many more have to die before this ends? pic.twitter.com/BJVyf8nDUf
— PETA UK (@PETAUK) March 10, 2026
In a press release shared before the start of the Festival, the Jockey Club said the sport had invested more than £63m in equine welfare since 2000. Despite the investment, the death of HMS Seahorse was the 80th horse fatality at Cheltenham since the turn of the century.
“When I originally heard the news that Hansard had died, I was obviously distressed because it was the life of a young horse taken, in my view, unnecessarily. But it was not unexpected,” Animal Aid’s Dene Stansall began.
“We’ve seen year after year horses die at the Cheltenham Festival, we see horses die almost every other day of the week on British race courses.
“This is a problem that’s not been resolved for years and years by the racing industry. It is brushed off, not dealt with; the horses are not given respect.
“They were both just other victims of the thousands of horses that have gone to the wall as a result of the racing industries, what I would say is actually neglect of their welfare.”
Very sad news from Cheltenham.
— At The Races (@AtTheRaces) March 11, 2026
Rest in peace, HMS Seahorse 💔 pic.twitter.com/uicX2GKdwh
Cheltenham Racecourse published two press releases after their deaths, offering “heartfelt condolences” to connections close to the respective horses. They are the 20th and 21st horses to die on UK racecourses in 2026 so far.
The death toll concerns Stansall, who has advocated for horse welfare for the majority of his life. “Clearly, horses dying at Cheltenham or horses dying on Jockey Club race courses is acceptable to the industry, because it’s continuing.
“Their welfare remit and strategy, if they’ve got one, needs to be questioned in a serious way from government, from the Department of Culture, Media and Sport, I think.
“And until those departments in government actually step up and question and analyse, and ask for transparency from the industry, then I think it will be very difficult to get change.”
A full day of racing remains at the Cheltenham Festival, with the featured Gold Cup taking place on Friday at 4 PM, attracting thousands of punters to the Cotswolds.
Keep up with the latest updates across Park Life Sport throughout the final day.
