Three New Members for Horse Welfare Board

Sulekha Varma, Kate Sigsworth and Robin Mounsey have been appointed to British racing's Horse Welfare Board (HWB).

Varma, head of racing and clerk of the course at Aintree, joins as racecourse representative, while Sigsworth, who is the deputy chair of the Thoroughbred Breeders' Association (TBA), will represent  the Thoroughbred Group. Mounsey is head of communications for the British Horseracing Authority (BHA) and will represent that body on the board.

Projects undertaken as part of the sport's 'A Life Well Lived Strategy' include British racing's first Thoroughbred census, which was completed in December 2023. Work is ongoing to develop and improve hurdles and fences in jump racing, as well as research into multiple aspects of ground and going on racecourses, and ongoing support of the sport's charity, Retraining of Racehorses.

The HWB is supported by The Racing Foundation and Horserace Betting Levy Board (HBLB). Since its inception the Racing Foundation has awarded the HWB over £3.5 million and the HBLB has provided £2.2 million.

Barry Johnson, independent chair of the HWB, said, 'We're delighted to welcome Sulekha, Kate and Robin to the team at such a pivotal time for the board, with the culmination of several key projects this year. Their combined knowledge spans the entire sport and will be of huge value to us as we enter the final phase of our current five-year strategy.”