Ireland every year. Oh, my god. What a gorgeous horse. Oh, no. Whats he about to do then . And we reveal how horses once trained by some of the biggest names in the industry have ended up here, in an abattoir, where theyre slaughtered. Theres been quite a lot of animals that im concerned have not been killed well. If Thats Representative of how theyre being killed, then weve got a really serious problem. I come from Horse Country County kildare in ireland. Growing up here, i know how much both the british and irish love their racehorses. Many of the animals trained here go on to the biggest stages in racing. Voiceover the defining stage. 300 years in the making. This is the glamorous image racing likes to portray. Its a £5 billion industry in the uk and ireland. Some of the most successful horses in racing are trained at the Cullentra Stables in county meath, promoted here by now disgraced trainer Gordon Elliott. The Dead Horse he was pictured sitting on was a seven year old called morgan. He says it died of an apparent Heart Attack on the gallops. Gordon elliott was suspended from the sport and widely condemned. Now he says his world is crumbling in front of him. Shocking, ithink, is probably the first emotion that came to mind. The fear is that years of hard work have been undermined. Gordon elliott apologised and said the welfare of each and every horse under his care is paramount and has been central to his success. 21 yea rs old 21 years old and he is going to live his life here. He is. He is not going anywhere else. But Campaign Group Animal Aid, which is calling for an end to Horse Racing, says the picture raises serious questions for the whole industry. What concerned me was not particularly Gordon Elliott being an idiot, but the fact theres a dead young horse below him. What were the reasons for that horse dying in training . How many horses are dying in training . The horse was owned by Ryanair Boss Michael olearys stud farm. Its partnership with Gordon Elliott has been one of the most successful in racing history, culminating in michael Olearys Dream of winning the Grand National. I went into my first Bookie Shop and put a bet on the Grand National without my mother knowing. And now, to win it is a dream come true. One of the biggest names injump racing, Michael Oleary is now winding down his racing empire. His horses are looked after by a variety of trainers. Since 2015, of the 500 horses owned by his stud 86 have died thats more than one in six. Is that a Death Rate thats inevitable forjump horses with tough Racing Careers . Dr Hannah Donovan is a veterinary expert. No. Where we have the veterinary care we have and the developments we have to be able to look after horses in the high standard that we have in britain and ireland, then no, you wouldnt expect that. Michael 0leary says the horses that died suffered serious or life threatening injuries either in training or on the racecourse, so rehab was not an option. Many animals live long and happy lives when they leave racing. So what are the rules when a horses Racing Career Ends . Daniel mills is a professor of equine behaviour. The industrys own regulations recommend that you should make provision for all the animals that youre responsible for. According to the guidelines, the onus is on trainers and owners to find lifelong care for their horses. And that duty of care extends to racehorses forced to stop racing due to injury. Euthanasia is not ruled out but should only be used, on a vets advice, to prevent a horse from suffering. Does a Career Ending Injury necessarily mean that the horse should be euthanased . No, it doesnt. It completely depends on the individual injury and situation. Some horses, if they have an injury, you can put time and often money into them to help rehabilitate them, heal whatever has gone wrong. This is an Ex Racehorse who is receiving some treatment from kate, our full time physiotherapist. Mary frances runs the moorcroft equine rehabilitation centre. Shes nursed injured racehorses back to health. So he has arrived with some Back Pain and hes been with us a while and hes receiving just further treatment. He is in work now and he is much more comfortable than he was. Around 7,000 horses leave british racing each year. Mary says shes inundated with requests to help injured racehorses like Lord Kennedy here. The phone rings here every day and i get two or three requests per day to take in an Ex Racehorse. Theyre signed over to the charity and we take full responsibility for them and thats a big commitment financially and otherwise. Were having to beg, steal and borrow funding from other areas and we do very much worry for the future. The british Racing Industry gives £1. 11 million a year for the aftercare of racehorses. Mary thinks theres more that could be done. Sadly, so many of them come to us with injuries and ailments that need time and need, without a doubt, a large amount of funding. Theres no question there is money available its not a poor industry, there is money available but there doesnt seem to be the understanding or the desire to put the money where it is needed. The british Horse Racing authority says more than 300 british and irish horses died at the racecourse in the last full year of racing. The british Horseracing Authority says Horse Racing is getting safer. But away from the track, its not easy to find out what happens to racehorses when their careers end. Scouring publicly available information and putting the pieces together, ive discovered that thousands of racehorses, often young, die every year. Campaign group Animal Aid has been investigating Racehorse Deaths for years. It thinks its found out what happens to some of them. It set up covert cameras at an Abattoir Drury and sons one of the few licensed to slaughter horses in england. We wanted to see what actually happening there. What were the type of horses going through . What were the ages of these horses . When we looked at the footage, we were absolutely astounded at the sheer volume of young thoroughbreds. The footage was shot on four days at The End of 2019 and early 2020. Many of the horses seen being slaughtered were aged between two and ten. Much of the footage is too distressing to show. Sort of two, three, four years old, you know . Very, very young, immature animals. They werent mature animals. How long would they live normally . A thoroughbred could live 25, even 30 years. So theyve got a long life ahead of them, potentially. Yet, its being cut short very early. Theres something fundamentally wrong here. Some horses were beautiful, fabulous looking horses. And we were saying, why are these horses going for slaughter . I show the footage to independent experts, dr Hannah Donovan. That horse is terrified. And Professor Daniel mills. Euthanasia means a good death. And what ive seen has been quite a lot of animals that im concerned have not been killed well. I mean, some of these look really beautiful horses. You know, it surprises me that nothing can be done for these horses. I would have thought some of these, you know, they looked like they could be rehabilitated and sold on. The vast majority of horses being slaughtered in britain and ireland come from irish owners and trainers, and the overall figure is staggering. From the start of 2019 to The End of 2020 alone, 4,000 racehorses were slaughtered in uk and irish abattoirs. Its not hard to construct an argument that the routine slaughter of thousands of Race Horses brings shame on the Racing Industry. One thing is certain its not Something Racing boasts about. While the covert cameras were recording at drury� s abattoir, this horse turned up. According to its documents, its a Racehorse Called Tammys hill. White flag is raised and they were off and running. Thousands watched as he raced in the irish Grand National in 2015. Tammys hill is in contention, but at the fourth from last fence, he rears up, with a leg injury. We see him struggling in the background. He was put down his death widely reported. So how come, almost five years later, he seems to have turned up here . The answer may lie in the international Horse Meat industry. Although not popular in the uk, there is a sizeable Export Market for Horse Meat in europe. To make sure humans dont eat Horse Meat contaminated with veterinary drugs like the anti inflammatory bute, every horse must have a microchip and matching passport. Passports for horses are really important because Medication Theyve had should be listed in their passport. If any horse has ever had bute, they cant go into the human Food Chain. Residues can cause problems in humans later down the line, causing an issue with humans� blood. But there have been criminal attempts to sell Horse Meat unfit for Human Consumption using bogus documents. The Passport And Microchip of every horse entering an abattoir should be checked on site by a vet seen here wearing green working for the food Standards Agency or fsa, to ensure correct identification. Ingrid, good morning. Ingrid kragl is an expert in food fraud. So what do the fraudsters do to trick the system . If you have a horse that is unfit for consumption, but you want to sell it anyway to make as much money as you can, you need to get around the rules. And for doing that, there is quite a simple way to do it is you need to falsify the passport. Fraudulently introducing this horse into the Food Chain can bring in a considerable amount of money. So does this explain why a horse going by the name of Tammys Hill has turned up . Tammys hill did die at the irish Grand National. His owners told us they followed all the correct procedures and dont know what happened next. But Tammys Hills microchip has turned up in the neck of this horse an imposter. Was it to cover up that the horse had been given bute . The Fsa Vet discovered the horse had two Microchips 0ne belonging to Tammys Hill and one to another horse. It was stopped from being sold for food. But this wasnt the only time a horse turned up at drury� s with bogus paperwork. Weve obtained these confidential documents and in here, there is evidence that over 20 days, there were at least a0 attempts to get Horse Meat into the human Food Chain with dubious documentation. These attempts were all spotted by the Fsa Vet. The abattoir says horses that are not compliant with current regulations are rejected and do not enter the human Food Chain. But its critical of the passport system, and says it does not support the production of safe meat. The fsa says, together with government, its working with the industry to review the equine passport system. When a horse is slaughtered, there are strict rules designed to limit its suffering. Back with drury and sons, covertly recorded footage raises other issues. Lame or injured Horses Shouldnt be transported to slaughter if its likely to cause unnecessary suffering. Drury� s should know this. They were fined thousands of pounds after transporting a lame horse from Northern Ireland for slaughter in 2018. The covert footage filmed a year later reveals a severely lame horse at a farm owned by drury� s. That horse was non weight bearing, so could not put the left Hind Leg down at all, which indicates or suggests a very severe injury or pain. This horse is suffering, and this horse either needs immediate Pain Relief intravenously or to consider euthanasia definitely on the yard at the site. The footage appears to show the horse remained in that condition for at least a week. And it seems the welfare issues dont stop there. The scenes are so upsetting we cant show most of them. So weve got two horses that have come in together into the room, which seems quite unusual. The regulations are that an animal should not be slaughtered in sight of another. A gunshot going off is going to be startling, seeing another horse suddenly drop. Is he not about to do them . Oh, no. Horses do respond very much to the behaviour of other horses around them. We see this clear breach of the rules 26 times. But even more concerning the cameras reveal how the kill is sometimes far from instant. When you slaughter a horse, what youre looking to do is get the bullet so that it destroys the brain stem, which is where the consciousnesses is and kills. Stops the heart and the breathing as well. Youve got to get the Angle Right in order to hit that bit of the brain. And the easiest way to do it is to be right up close and then you get the angle quite right. Here the slaughterman shoots the horses from across the room. While the covert cameras were filming, 91 horses were shot from a distance. On this occasion, it doesnt look like the shot has been accurate. It doesnt look like the horse is even stunned. I mean certainly the bullet has not been effective. You can see its turning its head. It seems to have got some control actually over its head and neck. The first few seconds, it looks like a horse is still conscious. Taking a shot from a distance at a horse, to me, thats completely out of order. If youre going to euthanize a horse, youve got to get a bullet in the right place. And, you know, shooting a horse from afar as if youre on safari is not the way to do it. If Thats Representative of how theyre being killed, then weve got a really serious problem. The abattoir says it takes great care to maintain high Welfare Conditions and does not accept any form of animal abuse. It says, where issues arise, it takes Swift Action To Review And Rectify them. All horses are humanely destroyed under the control of Fsa Vets who are present on the Slaughter Line at all times. So, should the fsa be intervening . I think also whats shocking there is it looks like theres an official veterinary surgeon in place as well. And they have a responsibility as well to ensure that the law is upheld. The food Standards Agency says it works closely with slaughterhouses to ensure Animal Welfare is maintained at all stages of food production. The government is currently looking at what can be done to improve Enforcement And Control at slaughterhouses. Across four days, we see 261 horses, ponies and thoroughbreds killed at the abattoir. Some of the racehorses who faced the Slaughtermans Gun had illustrious pasts. A number had been under the recent care of some of the most respected names in the sport. This video showcases Cheltenham Champion Hurdle winning trainer gavin cromwell� s facilities. Hes on the board of the irish racehorse trainers association. And this is beneficial quest. Hed been trained by Mr Cromwell. Here he is being led to the kill room. We asked Mr Cromwell if he was still the Horses Trainer at the time and knew about its slaughter. He told us he didnt want to answer our questions. Remember Gordon Elliott . The prize winning trainer suspended for sitting on a Dead Horse. Hes trained more than 1,300 horses. He says the animals in his possession are treated appropriately, he operates at all times under the advice of veterinary surgeons and that he has rehomed a substantial number of horses. Well, youre about to see what happened to three horses that had recently been trained at his yard. High expectations won £43,000 in Prize Money while racing. High expectations for Gordon Elliott winning this lucrative prize. Vyta Du Roc was even more successful. Earning his owners more than £170,000 at courses like cheltenham and ascot. And this is Kiss Me Kayf, Who Gamely struggled in the few races she was entered in. But it was when these horses developed Career Ending injuries that things started to go badly wrong for them. Gordon elliott says, in line with the owners� wishes, he gave Vyta Du Roc to another rider and high expectations and Kiss Me Kayf to a Horse Dealer with an instruction to either rehome or, if not possible, humanely euthanise them in line with the regulations. But weve discovered all three would eventually end up on a lorry bound for england. Despite being injured, including one with lameness, the horses were taken by ferry across the Irish Sea and driven to south west england. There were 13 more horses from elsewhere also on the lorry. If you have a lame horse or a lame animal at all, they shouldnt be transported. The Pain And Discomfort that they are feeling at the time will only, will definitely be exacerbated by travelling them, especially long journeys like that. The horses were then unloaded and put in a Barn On Drury and sons� farm. Theyre kept somewhere which is completely alien to them. This is going to be a very stressful situation. A week later, they were back on the lorry being driven the final journey to drury� s abattoir, where they were held overnight before being led into the kill room. This is Vyta Du Roc. What a gorgeous horse. Oh, my god, what a gorgeous horse. And this is Kiss Me Kayf. Oh, what a lovely, trusting horse. Look at that, coming away from the herd. How does she look to you . 0h, shes calling now. You see the ears there and trying to get out, worry. And this is not a one off. More horses from Gordon Elliotts yard were given to the same dealer on other occasions, and ended up slaughtered. No, that is not a humane process, being transported. 350 miles potentially carrying an injury is not a humane process. The Bottom Line is horses, if they are to be euthanized, could and should be euthanized at home. This is unnecessary suffering. Gordon elliot, whose suspension as a trainer is due to end in september, told us high expectations had Arthritic Knees and a Tendon Injury that was Career Ending and made him unsafe for riding. Kiss Me Kayf had Recurring Lameness that made her unsuitable for rehoming or riding. He says neither he nor the owners received any money, and no animals were sent by him to an abattoir. The first time he learned of their fate was when panorama contacted him. He says the dealer he gave them to was a longstanding and well recognised individual in the Racing Industry. The dealer told us that every horse he is given is treated with the utmost care and compassion. But not every horse is suitable for a life outside of racing. Those that have suffered injuries but are fit to travel are sent to be humanely euthanized. All passports are checked. Mr elliot says that in the case of these three particular horses, none had passports marked unfit for Human Consumption. So what about the owners of the horses . Vyta Du Roc� s owners said they were Shocked And Furious when we told them what happened. Theyd taken appropriate steps to ensure vyta would be rehomed with a caring new keeper. High expectations� owner did not reply. And the struggling Kiss Me Kayf . Well, she belonged to one of the biggest names in irish racing caren walsh. She� s on the board of Horse Racing ireland and its horse welfare committee. She is seen here promoting the sport. It� s something you always dream of when you have horses. For groups of people, friends, relatives, whatever, to group together to have a horse and get excited and have something to watch is very important, i think. Caren walsh says she understood that on the basis of veterinary advice, the horse was to be euthanized in ireland due to persistent lameness and her unsuitable temperament. She had no idea the horse was slaughtered at an abattoir in england. Horse racing ireland says it places great importance on the welfare of the horses in the industry and directly supports the irish horse welfare trust, which seeks to rehome and retrain thoroughbreds no longer active in racing. It did not respond to panorama� s questions regarding the number of racehorses being slaughtered. The british Horseracing Authority says it has demonstrated a clear commitment to improving already high standards of Care For Racehorses before, during and after racing, and that it would consider carefully any issues raised in the programme. I can understand why people are attracted to racing, because i was attracted to it myself. But because of the poor welfare record, the number of horses dying and being killed in slaughterhouses, i can no longer support that. And i think a lot of the public would feel the same way. Beneath the glamour of Horse Racing, there lies a dark side. Isn� t it time those who regulate the sport of kings ensure all horses are treated with Dignity And Care at The End of their Racing Careers . Welcome to bbc news. I� m rich preston. Our top stories the final countdown to the start of the delayed tokyo 0lympics. Anticipation rises, but so too do the covid cases and controversies. The Opening Ceremony is just hours away. I� m sarah mulkerrins, live in tokyo, where organisers are hoping the Sporting Action will boost the mood of the nation. Elsewhere, china deals with the devastating aftermath of catastrophic flooding. Thousands are evacuated from henan province. At least 33 people are confirmed dead. 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