11/02/2026
The crisis in Italian horse racing is no longer an abstract issue confined to the balance sheets of management companies. Recent news from Rome and Trieste clearly shows that the racecourse system is going through a structural crisis despite continued injections of public funds (the latest Budget Law alone allocated €140 million per year for the three-year period 2026–2028 in support of the sector).
Rome, Capannelle: a management deal that never starts
In Rome, the historic Capannelle racecourse is experiencing days of high tension. The anticipated signing of the 2026 management contract with the company Marsicana srl has not taken place. A real “black smoke” moment at City Hall now forces the municipal administration to seek alternative solutions to prevent operations from grinding to a halt.
For IHP, Capannelle represents the emblem of a model that is now in structural crisis, above all because of cultural changes that—also thanks to its ongoing outreach efforts—are leading ever larger segments of the population to refuse to witness systematic exploitation that pushes horses to exhaustion and even death for the sake of profit.
Trieste, Montebello: the system comes to a halt
Even clearer is the situation in Trieste, where a formal act has marked a point of no return. The Montebello racecourse has had its 2026 recognition revoked from the managing company Nordest Ippodromi, effectively making it impossible to carry out official racing activities.
We are facing an irreversible national crisis. Above all, the welfare and protection of horses find no space in public debate. While the races stop, the horses remain—and with them remains the unresolved central question: who takes responsibility for them? With what instruments? With what obligations?
The difficulties faced by some Italian racecourses stem from revised classification criteria introduced through a decree issued last February by the Ministry of Agriculture (Masaf). It is a stark snapshot of reality that IHP has strongly contested, because none of the criteria adopted to distribute public funds refer to animal welfare. The decree contains no reference to adequate space, grazing areas, or the possibility of free movement.
Funding for horse racing, zero guarantees for horses
The cases of Rome and Trieste are part of a deeply contradictory national context. On the one hand, the State continues to allocate substantial public resources to the horse racing sector; on the other, there are no binding mechanisms to protect horses, either during competitive activity or—above all—at the end of their careers or in the event of facility closures. In fact, a bill currently before Parliament in support of horse breeding proposes increasing the number of horses raised—but for what purpose?
As IHP has been denouncing for years, the racing system is financed without mandatory funds for rehoming, real traceability, and rehabilitation of the animals. This regulatory and cultural vacuum emerges most clearly in times of crisis: when a racecourse falters or shuts down, the horse becomes the invisible shock absorber of failure.
A crisis demanding a paradigm shift
The “carousel of racecourses” tells the story of a sector struggling to survive amid temporary management arrangements, revoked recognitions, and announced conversions. It reflects an ethical crisis.
For IHP, the issue is to place responsibility toward horses back at the center, recognizing them as individuals—not as tools or disposable by-products of a system in irreversible decline. RELATED ARTICLES In the budget, 140 million euros are allocated for horse racing, but zero euros for the horses