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Equine veterinary journal2025; 58(2); 497-507; doi: 10.1111/evj.70126

Spatiotemporal patterns in British racing and equestrian sports: Implications for pathogen transmission.

Abstract: The widespread assumption that there is minimal potential for pathogen transmission between British racehorse and sport horse populations remains unverified by empirical evidence. Objective: To characterise spatiotemporal patterns of horse attendance at racing and other sport events in Great Britain in 2018. Methods: Spatiotemporal analysis. Methods: Publicly available data from British Horseracing Authority, British Dressage, British Eventing, Endurance GB, and British Showjumping events in Great Britain during 2018 were analysed. Horse attendance was summarised by discipline, month, and season. Venue density was mapped with kernel density estimation. Sport venues within 5 km of racecourses with horse attendance within 24 h of racing were identified and Kulldorff's spatial scan statistic was used to detect significant time-space clustering of venue use. Results: Excluding showjumpers, 49,012 horses competed in 8314 events across 598 venues during 2018, generating over 400,000 horse-venue attendances. Most horses (97.2%; n = 47,635/49,012) competed in a single discipline. Venue attendances peaked in summer and were concentrated in southeast England. There were five significant space-time clusters of venue-events within 5 km and 24 h of each other involving 5 racecourses and 8 sport venues. The most likely cluster was in the southeast of England, between January and July, with a relative risk of 62.54. Conclusions: Inconsistent horse identification precluded horse-level analysis of showjumping data. Conclusions: Racehorse and sport horse populations competing in Great Britain are largely separate, but limited opportunities for local or indirect pathogen spread do exist during peak seasons in areas with high venue density.
© 2025 The Author(s). Equine Veterinary Journal published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of EVJ Ltd.
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Publication Date: 2025-12-05 PubMed ID: 41351275PubMed Central: PMC12892370DOI: 10.1111/evj.70126Google Scholar: Lookup
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  • Journal Article

Summary

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Overview

  • This study analyzed the patterns of horse participation in racing and equestrian sport events in Great Britain during 2018 to understand the potential for pathogen transmission between racehorse and sport horse populations.
  • The research mapped horse attendance across disciplines, locations, and times, identifying where and when horses from different equestrian activities might come into contact, thereby posing risks for disease spread.

Introduction and Background

  • There is a common assumption that British racehorses and sport horses (used in disciplines such as dressage, eventing, endurance, and showjumping) have limited interaction, thus minimal risk of pathogen transmission between these populations.
  • Empirical evidence supporting or refuting this assumption had been lacking prior to this study.

Objectives

  • To characterize the spatiotemporal (space and time) attendance patterns of horses at racing and other sport events across Great Britain in 2018.
  • To assess the implications of these patterns for potential pathogen transmission between different horse populations.

Methods

  • Data Sources:
    • Used publicly available data from relevant authorities governing various equestrian disciplines: British Horseracing Authority, British Dressage, British Eventing, Endurance GB, and British Showjumping.
    • Included all events held in Great Britain within the calendar year 2018.
  • Data Analysis:
    • Summarized horse attendance by discipline, month, and season to identify temporal trends.
    • Mapped venue density using kernel density estimation to visualize geographic clustering.
    • Identified sport venues located within 5 km of racecourses with horse attendance occurring within 24 hours of racing events to detect possible close spatiotemporal overlap.
    • Used Kulldorff’s spatial scan statistic to detect significant space-time clusters of venue use, indicating places and times where horses from different disciplines might be in close contact.

Results

  • Scope of Data:
    • A total of 49,012 horses (excluding showjumpers) competed in 8,314 events across 598 venues.
    • These events generated over 400,000 individual horse-venue attendances.
  • Discipline Participation:
    • The majority of horses (97.2%) competed exclusively in a single discipline, suggesting limited cross-discipline horse movement.
    • Showjumping data could not be analyzed at the horse level due to inconsistent horse identification.
  • Temporal Patterns:
    • Venue attendance peaked during summer months, indicating heightened activity and possible increased disease transmission risk during this season.
  • Spatial Patterns:
    • Attendance was geographically concentrated in southeast England, a region with many venues close to one another.
    • Five significant space-time clusters of venues were detected where racecourses and sport venues were within 5 km and had horse attendance within 24 hours of each other.
    • The most prominent cluster occurred from January to July in southeast England with a high relative risk (62.54) indicating strong co-occurrence and potential for disease transmission.

Conclusions and Implications

  • Racehorse and sport horse populations in Great Britain generally remain separate, minimizing widespread pathogen transmission between these groups.
  • Despite this, the presence of space-time clusters near densely packed venues creates limited but concrete opportunities for indirect or local pathogen spread.
  • These risk periods mostly correlate with peak competition seasons in regions with high venue density, particularly in the southeast of England.
  • Inconsistent horse identification, especially in showjumping data, presents challenges to detailed analysis and tracking of horse movement across disciplines.
  • Understanding these patterns can help improve disease control measures by targeting specific venues and timeframes where cross-population transmission risk is higher.

Cite This Article

APA
McGilvray TA, Stevens KB, Spence KL, Rosanowski SM, Slater J, Cardwell JM. (2025). Spatiotemporal patterns in British racing and equestrian sports: Implications for pathogen transmission. Equine Vet J, 58(2), 497-507. https://doi.org/10.1111/evj.70126

Publication

Equine veterinary journal
ISSN: 2042-3306
NlmUniqueID: 0173320
Country: United States
Language: English
Volume: 58
Issue: 2
Pages: 497-507

Researcher Affiliations

McGilvray, Tegan A
  • Royal Veterinary College, London, UK.
Stevens, Kim B
  • Royal Veterinary College, London, UK.
Spence, Kelsey L
  • Royal Veterinary College, London, UK.
  • University of Guelph, Ontario, Canada.
Rosanowski, Sarah M
  • Equine Veterinary Consultants (EVC) Limited, Hong Kong, Hong Kong.
Slater, Josh
  • Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary and Agricultural Sciences, University of Melbourne, Werribee, Victoria, Australia.
Cardwell, Jacqueline M
  • Royal Veterinary College, London, UK.

MeSH Terms

  • Animals
  • Horses
  • United Kingdom / epidemiology
  • Sports / statistics & numerical data
  • Horse Diseases / transmission
  • Horse Diseases / epidemiology
  • Horse Diseases / microbiology
  • Spatio-Temporal Analysis
  • Seasons

Grant Funding

  • SPrj039 / Horserace Betting Levy Board
  • G3021 / The Horse Trust

Conflict of Interest Statement

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

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