The Reality of Christmas for Those Working with Horses

By Holly Harte

Christmas Day is a time for relaxing and over-indulging for most people, but for racing folk it is no different from the other 364 days of the year. Horses still need to be fed, mucked out, exercised and cared for as part of their daily routine.

Most yards try to shorten the working day where possible, but that isn't always an option, particularly with major race meetings taking place over the Christmas period.

At present at Ballyshannon Stud, the mares are out in the paddocks at our satellite farm, while the weanlings are at home enjoying their freedom. We have relatively few horses in boxes, aside from a handful of newly purchased maiden mares and a couple of our own horses who are out of training and on a break.

That puts us in a fortunate position where we are able to give the team Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and St Stephen's Day off. During that time, we take care of the yard as a family, making the most of a rare period of quiet and bonding over my son's poor attempts at mucking out.

However, the calm is short-lived, and things will begin to pick up again for us in the second week of the New Year when all the barren and maiden mares come in and early foalers arrive at our foaling unit.

The Challenge of Time Off in the Industry

With the sheer volume of sales and race meetings across Ireland and the UK, taking time away while running a business has become increasingly difficult. The packed calendar also makes it extremely challenging to stagger staff holidays without clashing with key periods such as the breeding season, prep's and major racing festivals.

Increased Risk to Mental Health

Each year the media publishes many reports of deaths occurring among the stable staff population. Some are tragic accidents, while many others have been the result of suicide. There is rarely a direct cause given so one can only draw the conclusion that it must be a combination of factors.

Research and surveys of racing staff (including stable staff) have consistently shown very high levels of stress, anxiety and depression across the sector. For example, a mental health study in the UK reported a large percentage of stable staff experiencing significant stress and anxiety, factors that are associated with increased suicide risk if unaddressed.

A separate report identified pressures linked to long hours, low pay, injury risk and barriers to seeking help (e.g., feeling the need to "appear strong" and stigma around asking for support).

Article highlights:

• Many racing industry workers have no break even on Christmas Day, as horses require daily care
• Research shows high levels of stress, anxiety, and depression among stable staff
• Current mental health support systems exist but face challenges with awareness and accessibility
• Industry management courses lack formal training in identifying mental health issues among staff

What these pressures all add up to when combined can create an environment where staff are physically exhausted and psychologically taxed. Financial and job-security concerns weigh heavily, cultural stigma prevents help-seeking.

Injury and stress feed into each other, all increasing the risk of mental health crises. The tragic suicides reported are not isolated random events but occur in the context of systemic stressors, working conditions, and workplace cultures that even when unintentional heighten vulnerability.

Support Services and Their Limitations

Despite the availability of supports, several limitations and gaps remain. Awareness and uptake are ongoing challenges, as many stable staff may not know these services exist or how to access them, particularly where employers have not embedded wellbeing support into workplace culture.

What Could Improve Support?

Most contracts of employment will have clauses which references alcohol or substance abuse and perhaps even random drug testing. I have to wonder how many employers and managers have regular, or even occasional, workplace training on addiction and wellbeing.

If you're employing staff in the industry and asking should you be doing more? The answer is yes, especially in making help more visible and integrated so no one falls through the cracks.

The existing provisions are a solid foundation, but awareness, accessibility and connection with specialist addiction treatments remain key areas for improvement.

Educational Gaps

The publicly available course descriptions for the two main Thoroughbred specific Stud Management Courses in Ireland and the UK show no indication that mental health awareness, wellbeing, or addiction education is included as a formal module within these core programmes.

This means that new managers may graduate with excellent technical and welfare knowledge for horses, but without formal training to identify or respond to mental health and addiction issues among staff.

Industry support is available but not reaching everyone who needs it, especially at the grassroots level where awareness may be limited.

Industry support is available through Horse Racing Ireland (HRI)/Equuip. HRI's support is available across the racing and breeding industry, but is not always well publicised at grassroots or stable level, meaning some people are unaware help exists.

The Industry Assistance Programme (IAP) run by HRI's Equuip offers a confidential, 24/7 helpline covering emotional issues, counselling, legal and medical info, and support for issues including addiction.