Charity ‘deeply saddened’ and says ‘lessons must be learned’
Commenting on the death of racehorse HMS Seahorse following a fatal injury in the third race of the second day (11 March) of the 2026 Cheltenham Festival, an RSPCA spokesperson said: “We are deeply saddened to learn a second horse in as many days has died at the Cheltenham Festival. HMS Seahorse’s death – further to a fatal injury at the final hurdle in Wednesday’s third race – means 21 horses have lost their lives in competitive racing this year alone, and we are not even one fifth of the way through 2026. We reiterate that lessons must be learned from any tragedy like this – including what caused it, decision making during the race, and future means of prevention.We have spoken with the British Horseracing Authority today, and welcome that they have assessed the footage of this fatality in detail and identified what caused the catastrophic injury to HMS Seahorse. They’ve committed to further investigations, which will be vital to better understand all background factors that may have contributed to this tragic incident..The RSPCA will keep campaigning for the introduction of greater safety measures to the sport, and improvements for equine welfare both on and off the track.”
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