National Racehorse Week

Celebrating the racehorse

This year’s National Racehorse Week takes place 9-17th September 2023

Originating from an idea from trainer Richard Phillips in 2019, National Racehorse Week is designed for racing to open its doors to the public for them to see and enjoy the magnificent horses and the care and love they receive every day.

Racing Together is a proud National Racehorse Week partner, developing community engagement as a key focus of the week-long celebration of the racehorse.

“We had a fantastic day with a huge number of people coming to the yard, many of whom were new to racing.” Richard Phillips

This year’s community visits

With core funding provided by the Racing Foundation, National Racehorse Week is able to put a significant focus this year on community outreach and engagement. Over 50 dedicated community events are scheduled to take place across the country, supported by Racing Together and Racing to School, with more than 500 people from schools, charities, urban equestrian centres and community groups getting involved to have their first experience behind the scenes of racing. And where people are not able to attend a yard visit, racehorses were taken to them.

Community visits include…

- Seriously ill young people and their families visiting Dan Skelton

- Jo Foster taking racehorse Sigurd to schools alongside two care homes and a Mind Charity group in West Yorkshire

- Paul Nicholls OBE hosts a special visit for NHS and Emergency Service workers and Dame Kelly Holmes Trust beneficiaries

- Godolphin took a retired racehorse to Newmarket Academy as part of the Newmarket Godolphin Beacon Project

- Oliver Greenall and Josh Guerriero hosted children with serious illnesses from the Barrie Well’s Trust Box4Kids initiative and Jo Davis and Susan Corbett both horses Blue Light Tickets beneficiaries
- Ilka Gansera Leveque, Emma Lavelle and Nick Alexander host Tickets4Troops beneficiaries
- BTRC, HEROS and Greatwood aftercare centres took racehorse ambassadors to care homes, as part of the growing trend for thoroughbred equine therapy in the community

Get involved

If you’d like to coordinate a community or charity group visit as part of this year’s National Racehorse Week, you can get started using the guide below. Contact us at lucy@racingtogether.co.uk for further ideas, support and to discuss your plans.

How-To Guide – Community Visits NRW

Visit National Racehorse Week

The official National Racehorse Week website is below, where you can view and pre-book your free space to visit an open yard.

Discover more

About National Racehorse Week