DECEMBER is usually taken up with reflection on the past and planning for the future. It has been an eventful year, with various challenges and lots of progress. A year in which, for the first time, the British champion trainer, both Flat and National Hunt is Irish-based, in which the Epsom Derby and Oaks fell to separate Irish yards for only the second time, in which demand for Irish-bred and Irish-raced stock hit new heights, there were times it felt like a crisis. These are the best of times, but also the worst of times.

Highlights for the HRI Equine Welfare department included a very successful symposium in May, the launch of the Equine Safety Racecourse Capital Development project, the publication of the Equine Injury in Irish Racing Risk Reduction report, a fatal-injury rate trending downwards, an eight-figure financial commitment by Government and its agencies to a redevelopment of the Irish Equine Centre, ongoing investment in track watering capability, and progress on traceability. We funded the presentation by Dr Chris Whitton on bone injury and its mitigation. We engaged with the Irish Equine Vets Association at their annual conference.