Audit

In 2024 we conducted an audit into the publicly available information on horse falls, fatalities and injuries in Victorian jumps racing.

What we found is no surprise – serious animal welfare concerns, inconsistent and poorly reported data, and a lack of transparency, all of which paint a picture of an industry is unable to mitigate the inherent danger of jumps racing for the horses involved.

In 2025 we have followed the season closely and found that despite yet another review and more safety measures, the fatality, fall and injury rates for horses participating in jumps races have not bucked the long-term trends.

Key findings

The 2024 jumps racing season saw devastating outcomes for horses, with one of the highest fatality rates on record.

  • 1 in every 24 horses died during a jumps race
  • 1 in every 10 horse starts in a jumps race resulted in an injury
  • Approximately 1 in every 7 horses experienced a fall during a jumps race

Approximately 1 in every 5 horse falls resulted in death. Based on the publicly available information, including the results of the 2025 season:

  • The risk to horse welfare is inherent in the activity. There has been little improvement in fatality, fall and injury rates in the last decades, and these rates are substantially higher than in flats racing
  • Only 35% of complete Jumps Review Panel racing reports were publicly available from Racing Victoria, before they were completely removed from their website in 2025
  • There’s no information on the financial or participatory status of jumps racing available from the last 15 years.

Furthermore, the Racing Australia Fact Book stated jumps racing makes up only 1.6% of all thoroughbred racing in Victoria.

Read the full audit hereRead the 2025 addendum here

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