Champion trainer Dan Skelton

Dan Skelton calls on BHA to crack down on social media abuse

Horse Racing

Sun May 10, 2026 · 5d ago

Dan Skelton has called on the British Horseracing Authority (BHA) to do more to tackle abuse on social media.

In a wide ranging interview on Racing TV's Luck On Sunday, the Champion Trainer told viewers that he still received numerous personal attacks on social media platforms.

“It’s disgusting," he said. "We are professionals, doing our best, with families. You’re not venting into an open space; you might be doing it to a broken heart.

“It’s water off a duck’s back for me, but it’s not acceptable. The BHA need to be strong - I know the people who are trying and I fully support them - but they need to be 100 times stronger.”

Skelton, not surprisingly, had no time for social media users hiding behind monikers, continuing: "All these people [doing it] have no identity - put your name next to it, stop making it anonymous, you know who I am and where I live.

“Jockeyhater27, how do you think your family would feel about what you’re doing?”

Reflecting on a game changing season that saw him claim the trainers' crown for the first time as well as breaking the £5 million prize money barrier, he said: "It was a day I will never, ever forget. Sometimes you can't remember what something feels and smells like but I remember every second at Sandown.

"As boring as it sounds, there's been a lot of handshaking and back slapping, all the niceties but you wake up and it’s just another day. That's something we all enjoy, being outside and working with the horses; it’s grounding.

"It’s a great industry to work in, I’m proud to work in it.

"I don’t want to be a one-time Champion Trainer, I want to push on, find new boundaries. I’ve got some things in my head that I’d like to try.

"I want to push harder and see where else we can get to. I'm at the perfect level of horses right now. All the ducks are in a row, the right number of staff, horses, stable; it's all manageable.

"The next point is upping the quality. Ultimately, you need the horses and the people on top of the horses. Human and equine talent is what it’s about.

"We need to do something that is different again. We aren’t afraid to look outside of the norm, to look everywhere."

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