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The brutal truth about the horse racing industry

Ward Young

by Ward Young

01 Nov 06:00am

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Filed under: Animal Cruelty, Horse Racing, Horses, Melbourne Cup, Spring Carnival, Steeple Racing

235 comments

The Spring Racing Carnival is well under way and the racing industry is doing its best to put on a brave face and pretend all is chipper.

A jockey and horse fall at the Grand National Steeplechase in England earlier this year. Picture: AP

But deep down in the racing industry, hidden behind the glamorous façade filled with celebrities, celebrations, fashion and booze, there looms a very dark secret that the industry is working hard to quell.

Racing lost its first line of defence when it negligently allowed jumps racing to continue in 2008 despite opposition dating back more than twenty years.

Racing Victoria had the perfect opportunity to kill this horribly cruel sport that maims and kills horses. And so the public saw something they’d never seen before: their first glimpse at racing’s dark side.

Images of dead horses were splashed across newspapers and evening television bulletins, with mounting pressure for the sport to be banned. And after a fierce campaign and thirteen horse deaths in 2009, Racing Victoria took a step forward, announcing the end of jumps racing in Victoria after 2010.

However it was too good to be true, and with one step forward, Racing Victoria decided to take two steps backwards. They allowed the sport to continue if it could meet three safety measures relating to falls, fatalities and number of horses in a race. As expected, the sport failed, only meeting the fatality criteria, which still allowed the deaths of two horses – a number drawn up by the RVL board, and a number that not one animal protection organisation agreed to.

And so an announcement was expected. But Racing Victoria decided that maybe, just maybe, they could sneak away with letting this cruel sport continue, and the public wouldn’t know. After all, they all thought it had been banned in 2009 when the big announcement was made. And as it stands, jumps racing will continue to publicly execute majestic creatures for three more years.

However the issue isn’t what you see on the racetrack. In fact you have to do some extensive research to really unveil racing’s dark side. And that is exactly what the Coalition for the Protection of Racehorses has done.

Prior to the jumps racing debacle, only those in the industry knew what happens to ex-racehorses. However while it has continued, it has effectively started to peel away the layers that hide racing’s biggest secret: the fate of ex-racehorses.  The fact that approximately 18,000 ex-racehorses are killed every year for dog meat is deplorable. These horses who have given so much and received so little, are the victims of racing’s throwaway culture.

The racing industry should be ashamed. However instead of trying to fix the problem, it hides it. This is where the racing industry is going wrong. It thinks it can still get away with these cheap shots that it has done for the past 150 years. And with politicians like Rob Hulls firmly placing the ball in their court, and trying to remain ‘independent,’ this farce continues.

Racing has a very hard lesson to learn: it is at the mercy of the court of public opinion. And the jury of this court has firmly ruled that there is no room for animal cruelty, as 87% of Victorians want jumps racing banned.

If the racing industry is serious about its future, it needs to clean up its act. First, jumps racing needs to go. It is holding back otherwise progressive states with something that should be condemned to the history books.

Second, the issue of breeding needs to be looked at very closely. Because the racing industry breeds so many horses, it makes it easier to discard them, which is why beautiful animals end up with bullets in their heads at knackeries. If we are going to stop the killing (which we can do), we must first stop the breeding.

The public floggings that occur on the racetracks render racehorses legally invisible. Racing seems to have a ‘get out of jail free’ card with regards to whip use, because no other person could lawfully thrash an animal within an inch of its life without repercussions. Nor would we want to.

Two-year-old racing, which is effectively the racing of baby horses, divides the racing industry like no other issue. The perceived benefit is that a horse can race sooner, thus earning money quicker. However the unreasonable physical exertion placed on under-developed skeletons is both selfish and irresponsible.

At this present time, you cannot love horses and support horseracing. Due to the widespread cruelty involved, there is no happy medium. However, if the racing industry really works hard to clean up its act, and starts to factor the horse’s welfare into the equation, we may one day be able to reach that happy medium.

The racing industry can no longer do as it pleases without repercussions, because if it does, racing will be the catalyst for its own demise.

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235 comments

Show oldest | newest first

    • Bob says:

      05:18am | 01/11/10

      Well, let’s face it, without the gambling and drinking culture and all that builds around that as far as employment is concerned, horse racing wouldn’t exist except as a very low profile pursuit. The economic pressure to continue it in all its forms remains very strong, so the cruelty will remain as long as a veneer of grace and tradition can be painted, and we can convince ourselves that it is the “sport of kings”....... Been a few despots as kings in thr past, so i believe.

      Reply

    • ben says:

      11:28am | 02/11/10

      If the horses hate jumping, why please tell me do they continue to race and jump after their jockey has fallen off?

      Keep them jumping

    • soraya says:

      12:38pm | 02/11/10

      @ ben, the horses continue to race and jump because they are heard animals that are being run full tilt down a race track. They are trained to do this.

      Most horses do enjoy a good run and a jump, but putting a heap together and rushing them at the jumps is a very unsafe way of doing it and it is unsurprising there are injuries and fatalities. Have a look at eventing for the safer alternative. This involves a controlled approach to the jumps on horses that have years of training to successfully negotiate the jumps well into old age.

      Why not try betting on something else?

    • Benito says:

      05:44pm | 03/11/10

      A great many parasites eg bookmakers live on horse racing. Horse racing was popular before all the big money and would be popular again.

      Jumps racing may be injurious to horses, but so is the brutal manner in which horses are trained.

      You only need to look at the attrition rate of each stable and the trainers to figure that out.

      I wonder, do horses enjoy the sport, they seem awfully big to do as a small man might tell them.

    • Super D says:

      07:14am | 01/11/10

      What is the problem with old racehorses going to pet food?  How is this somehow immoral?  What is the alternative?  All horses are required to die of natural causes?  What exactly then are our pampered pooches supposed to munch on?  Or is this part of a plan to make pet ownership more expensive to discourage it?  This really is the typical “all care and no responsibility”,  intellectually lightweight article that “progressive” thinking doesn’t question.

      Reply

    • Steve says:

      08:20am | 01/11/10

      If you read the article thoroughly you would clearly see the point is that horses ending up as pet food is a problem because of how the animals are treated in their life and then they are discarded in such a careless way. An animal which is forced to race and endure injuries for nothing more than making money should be well taken care of on retirement as a reward for their effort, we are human beings we should have compassion for all sentient beings. Are you saying guide dogs which have a career life of about eight years should also become food for other animals just because they can no longer serve the purpose they were trained for? This is the equivalent of killing someone because they have retired.

    • lv says:

      08:34am | 01/11/10

      Its not just old racehorses. Its the vast majority that don’t make the cut. Only a minority get to be old at all, they are the successful ones. Either way, these animals are bred for one reason only, and if they are not good enough they are discarded like rubbish.

    • Forde Montgomery says:

      08:35am | 01/11/10

      Except that when racehorses get ‘dogged’ they often aren’t old, they are killed because they aren’t fast enough.  Despite the fact they could still live for many years as pets/eventing horses.  As for ‘making pet ownership more expensive’ the horse meat goes to feeding greyhounds, not your pet.

    • Corsair says:

      08:47am | 01/11/10

      Steve - killing someone when they retired (or when they reach the age of ..say ...75/80) would do a lot to solve the problems that are caused (which we have seen through an increase in the retirement age, etc) by a population which has a higher birth rate than death rate. Sir Attenbrough (?) did a segment on TV that basically showed that the Earth cannot sustain even our current population - let alone a growing one.

    • Benrama says:

      09:20am | 01/11/10

      Corsair- By this reasoning Sir Attenborough, now aged 84, should have been culled years ago. There’s pragmatism, then there’s thinking before your fingers hit the keys.

    • Sam says:

      10:07am | 01/11/10

      There is no such thing as an ‘old’ racehorse. My mare was four years old when I bought her as a tried and tested failed racer. I bought her from her trainer (who was a lovely woman I should add). She was still growing at this point and many horses do not stop maturing until they are 7. Horses on average live between 25 to 30 years. Even a good racers career is over by the time they are about 7. They still have about 20 years left of ‘natural’ life. So the argument that they are old, or that jumps racing is a solution to failed horses having a home is completely flawed. Isn’t it abut time that the people breeding these animals have a duty of care about what happens in the future? Responsibility needs to be laid on the people breeding these animals. Thoroughbreds are dangerously over-bred, causing the quality of care to plummet. I know hundreds of people who have bought ex-racers (including myself), they make brilliant riding horses and companion animals as long as they have a base of quality care and good training. Sadly, many TBs do not get this chance and if they did, they’re competing with thousands of other TBs for the small amount of homes available.  It’s about time they stopped getting treated like an expendable commodity.

    • Brad of Bentleigh says:

      11:56am | 01/11/10

      This is so messed up… extending the logic, I guess we’d ban the cattle industry. I mean, these poor buggers are bred “just so they can be killed”... fair dinkum, I’m crying into my keyboard as I type.
      No fishing… these beings weren’t even bred, they just murdered in cold blood!
      Vegetables are borderline, I mean, you grow it, just to callously rip it out of the ground for something as useless as staying alive!

      What a complete load of rubbish this whole article, and a good portion of the subsequent discussion is. Noone likes to see a creature suffer, and so if jumps racing was banned, then fine by me. But the supposed argument as set out above is complete tish!

      PS: I didn’t think it would be long befrore someone raised the culling of old humans… they do say that many a true word is spoken in jest. WHat are so called “progressives” such totalitarian monstors?

    • Lidija says:

      12:54pm | 01/11/10

      The alternative is BAN HORSE RACING - duh!!!!

    • rudy says:

      01:21pm | 01/11/10

      We humans are the masters of the world. Animals are here to be our food, our pets, our beasts of burden or a source of entertainment and amusement. There is no duty owed to them except to keep them in good enough condition to perform these services to us and to avoid useless cruelty.

    • Lauren Hall says:

      02:29pm | 01/11/10

      Why is your beloved pet’s life more valuable than the once beloved race horse? Does an animal’s become less valuable because the particular animal is less useful to a human?

      All animals feel the same, have the same desire to live and to use them in this way and then kill them when they are no longer wanted is inhumane and unfair.

    • Ajent says:

      10:36am | 02/11/10

      I dont think that the horse breeding market is any less disturbing than the dog breeding one. Puppy farms and the terrible physical toll placed on our everyday pets by bredding for cosmetic traits is actually more horrendous. And I dont have a problem with the excess animals being sold for meat (or glue as I was told as a child). There’s a balance, and the key thing should be that the animals should be well cared for while they are alive and they should be destroyed humanely.

    • ibast says:

      07:27am | 01/11/10

      Your talking about an industry that takes food off the dinner table of families and the best you can come up with is a problem with a problem with jumps racing?

      Reply

    • MarK says:

      08:41am | 01/11/10

      You are kidding right?

      What about the flip side. Think about the industry as an employer and a group that supports many thousands of families putting food on their table.

    • Get Real says:

      09:03am | 01/11/10

      The industry doesn’t take food of families dinner table… gambling addiction does. If it’s not the horses, it’s the pokies or something else. People with this disease need to get help for the well being of their loved ones.

    • Nicole says:

      09:22am | 01/11/10

      Disagree entirely with you ibast. Having been involved in the industry most of my life, it’s put food on my table and many people I know. I shall agree with the author on the jumps. I hate them and I wish they were banned. The rest is all bullsh!t.

    • Daz says:

      10:02am | 01/11/10

      Nicole, how can you say the rest is bull? Do you support people whipping animals? Imagine if you saw someone whipping a dog or even a cow (which is roughly the same size as a horse). Wouldn’t that upset you? Well whipping horses upsets a LOT of people - the ones who aren’t drunk at the track.

    • Nicole says:

      11:17am | 01/11/10

      @Daz, no I don’t, but these new whips don’t hurt. The whips must now be padded.  There are strict rules in relation to using a whip http://www.racingvictoria.net.au/p_New_Australian_Whip_Rules.aspx
      There are always a handful of jockeys who will ignore the rules, but a decent one won’t.

    • Adam says:

      12:55pm | 01/11/10

      Nicole- the point of whipping is to make the horse run faster yes? And this is done by having something behind it that hurts to spur it on - so even if the whips are padded it still doesn’t mean it doesn’t hurt the horse, maybe you should try being whipped by one of them, padded or not? Besides racing is only popular because of gambling it wouldn’t survive without it and so yes it does take more away from people than it gives

    • Nicole says:

      05:20pm | 01/11/10

      @Adam, been whipped many times by both old and new whips. The new whips DON’T hurt. Seriously, you know nothing about horse racing, and you know nothing about horses.

    • Ashlee says:

      12:04pm | 02/11/10

      @Nicole - Totally agree with you. The whips dont hurt and i’ve grown up in this industry and Im a full blown animal lover…cheak out my fb page on ashlee’s pet caring. I volunteer with animals, work with animals and study animals. Racing does not need to be banned. Horses love running!!! and why not!! otherwise most of the time they would be locked in pens and ridden every couple of days. WHAT NEEDS TO CHANGE is the people training them and riding them!!!! These are the people that hurt animals and use whips. I know lots of riders that carry whips just as a useful tool to “tap” on the animals hind when mis behaving but would never flog or rarly use them in a race!!! I do believe there is probably no need for whips at all! But I dnt think putting a stop to racing is the answer.

    • Nick says:

      01:18pm | 10/11/10

      ibast… you probably don’t realise as you’re not from the racing industry… you need to make the distinction that horses don’t have skin… they have Hyde, which is entirely different. We’re talking about a light, padded whip, which is used on a 500kg animal.

      And Nicole referred to the good jockeys who don’t punish the animals by excessive whipping but it’s not even that… every jockey must abide by the whipping restrictions otherwise they are fined. And no small amount either hence the strict guidelines surrounding this.

      Sometimes it’s best for people who aren’t participating in the industry… to leave the arguments to the experts… some of us who have played big parts in the racing industry for 5 generations.

    • tori says:

      03:37am | 14/03/12

      I have a horse, whipping them doesnt hurt. it cant possibly hurt them. most horses are about 1200lbs and a little whipping cant hurt. trust me

    • Dave says:

      07:33am | 01/11/10

      If horses didn’t get turned into pet food, how would the RSPCA feed the animals at their shelters????

      Reply

    • Kiri says:

      09:20am | 01/11/10

      The RSPCA does not use horse meat to feed their animals at the shelter. They use Hills Science diet & other high quality foods for their animals. Do a bit of volunteering out there and you will see.

    • BobbyDan says:

      09:28am | 01/11/10

      Tinned fish Dave, whales, farmed salmon, by-catch from asian netters, offal from John West, all mixed with some cerial and sold as Home Brand Pet Food.
      If meat mincers could talk they’d probably name a few druggies that ended up in the pet food too.

    • Greg says:

      10:30am | 01/11/10

      Farmed Salmon… Oh the cruelty..

    • tweety says:

      10:33am | 01/11/10

      All pet food has some form of animal in it. I agree that the way horses in this industry are treated is rather poor, but what about the trainers who treat there horses decently. they get slandered because of these comments. It seems just as in everyday life while there are people willing to stand up and say “thats not right” they refuse to come up with a single solution to the problem. Why not raise your hands and say “Give me the animal and i will take care of it”. But wait thats when you hear the excuses “How am i going to take care of them?” If people stopped crying poor about it and started coming up with a solution the problem would be solved

    • Brad of Bentleigh says:

      11:59am | 01/11/10

      Don’t forget wild kangaroo… I’ve shot at (and missed more often than not) the odd roo over the years. I know many professional roo shooters, and have loaded up the old remote cool room full of dead roos on many occasions.
      All goes into dog meat.

      Oh the cruelty, killing an animal just for food… the karma!

    • Jane Nicolle says:

      07:34am | 01/11/10

      Fantastic article! As a horse owner & pleasure rider who owns an OTTB this is an issue very close to my heart. My horse has all manner of health problems due to his short time on the track. People need to realize the throw away attitude of the industry. Very little effort is made to rehome these wonderful animals if they fail at the track, or if they are one of the increadibly small percentile that get to retire with grace.

      How can stalling an animal for 95% of its day, feeding it extremely high energy foods, and then locking it up be fair for animals that were born to run 30-40km per day? You see them on the racetrack - they are pure unadulterated bridled fear running around a track.

      Add to that the DISGUSTING shoeing methods, where they keep their toes long so they get more “dig” in the ground - at the cost of their natural confirmation & associated ligament / bone damage - we really have stuffed them up.

      When you know that a horses kneecaps don’t fully form until they are three - and they are raced as two year olds - it makes you sick.

      No wonder the horse industry has a 70% breakdown rate… but apparently thats ok?

      Reply

    • Amber says:

      08:08am | 01/11/10

      Great points Jane. You can also add to that all the psychological problems most OTTB have.

    • Tan says:

      09:00am | 01/11/10

      Jane, you are quite right with all your comments and I totally agree.  I have more to add regarding two year olds.  They are pumped up on steriods so they grow quicker and look like adult horses ready for racing.  The general public have no idea what a normal two year old should look like.  Horses should not be ridden until they are 3 years old as their bones are not fully developed.

      Jump racing is absolutely terrible.  The horses do not have enough time to judge their leap and landing when they are being flogged.  Humans certainly wouldn’t jump anything without seeing whats on the other side and wouldn’t like it if they were being whipped to do so.  Sadly I have seen what damage is caused to TB’s and most of them once injured/maimed are not cared for, except turned out in a paddock for resting or sent to the knackery.  The racehorse industry needs to be more accountable for the welfare of all racehorses even when they are retired.  I have spent hundreds of dollars of my own money on dumped injured racehorses that are not mine.  I cannot stand the attitude of racehorse owners who discard them and don’t give a damn.  I have had words with these people when I see them and tell them it is totally unacceptable.

      For the non-horse people out there, please take note that ALL racehorses you see on TV are basically Running for their Lives.  The longer they run and make money, the longer they will live.

    • Adam Diver says:

      09:45am | 01/11/10

      I agree guys, but I don’t think the author goes far enough. I think humans should not rely on animals at all.

      So I propose that we:

      -stop culling feral animals.
      -stop breeding animals for zoos
      -stop breeding animals for food (pigs, chickens, cows)
      -stop fishing
      -stop having pets
      -stop putting down pets without owners or behavior issues
      -stop spraying pesticides
      -fence all roads so there is no more road kill
      -amend the declaration of human rights so that it covers animals

      This whole argument is invalid unless you compare it to other animals that humans “use”. This whole animal cruelty in mainstream, regulated industries such as horse racing is a load of bullsh*t. Turn on to the discovery channel or national geographic and see the utter, cruelty of the animal kingdom.

      Being put down humanely after your purpose doesn’t even come close.

    • Brad of Bentleigh says:

      12:03pm | 01/11/10

      30-40km a day? I was always under the impression that horses were generally very lazy. Would only move if they needed to…

    • John says:

      02:13pm | 01/11/10

      Lazy?, no, economical, their primary defense mechanism is their speed, like the Zebra. The only way they’ve evolved is to outrun their predators, so they need to be in top physical condition, it’s an instinct thing. On the other hand, this is a short burst of speed, less than 1000m, because most predators can’t keep that up either. So when you’re watching the Melbourne Cup, realize that forcing a horse to run for 3200m is unnatural, and is therefore cruel.

    • Jane Nicolle says:

      04:04pm | 01/11/10

      They are designed to travel 30-40km a day as a minimum distance Food & water are very rarely located together, and they need to keep in front of the predators. Its why naturally their feet are so short - they wear them down with the constant travel. We come along, put them in a paddock, put food and water next to each other , watch them get fat and think we’re terrific at looking after our horses. They need to move - all the time, its why keeping them stalled all the time is so bad for them.

    • WarriSymbol says:

      09:14pm | 01/11/10

      Jane, do your horses travel 30-40km a day (minimum) everyday?
      ..........yeah, i didn’t think so.
      Do you let them run free or are they kept in a paddock?
      oh, but you said….....

    • Stephanie says:

      07:41am | 01/11/10

      I’m glad someone has finally spoken out.  We deplore animal cruelty against cats, dogs and other animals, but for some reason people’s empathy falls short for horses.

      Reply

    • Brad of Bentleigh says:

      12:04pm | 01/11/10

      and cows… and fish, and pigs… and elderly humans… ohhh, the poor chickens wink

    • jonathan b says:

      07:41am | 01/11/10

      I am very much against any form of sport or entertainment that abuses animals in the name of so called fun.  I never watch the Melbourne Cup anymore.  When the bull fights happen.  I always cheer for the bull.  When I was a kid I saw a bear hurt itself on a ladder in the Moscow Circus so since then I will never watch that cruel abuse of animals ever again.

      Reply

    • macca says:

      09:59am | 01/11/10

      I’m with you Jonathan, I have never watched a Melbourne Cup after I saw my first horse race when I was little and saw a poor horse fall down, later finding out it had died.  I also cheer for the bull and only support charities that assist animals.  I bought my RSPCA dog a week ago and he is absolutely fantastic, I love him so much and I would encourage all to adopt from there or the pount instead of buying from a store where it is then encouraging puppy farms.

    • greg says:

      10:36am | 01/11/10

      If you are so against it why on earth are you watching Bullfights. This says more about you than cruelty. I suggest you get help

    • Paul says:

      07:41am | 01/11/10

      Anyone else recall Roy & HG’s call for a new class of racing to be introduced whereby pregnant mares are placed backwards in the stalls and then squeezed, forcing the foals out the back onto the track at which point jockeys the size of Graham Richardson drop onto them and flog them around a 2 mile course until the winner falls over the line astride nothing but a bloodied beating heart?  There was something in that.

      Reply

    • Wayne says:

      07:44am | 01/11/10

      Not to mention the ferals that work in the industry with no respect for the animals at all. In both horse racing codes, (gallops and harness), many horses are trained at private training tracks and injected with all sorts of substances that would not show up on race days, and flogged with whips, because nobody else can see the “training’ that is done on private property. But what about harness racing also?  Poorly policed by Stewards who are “too familar” with certain participants, with many offences “conveniently” going unnoticed.

      Reply

    • Barbara says:

      07:44am | 01/11/10

      Well written article by Ward Young, I only hope that the people who love horse races read this and condem it. Horses spines are not strong enough to carry any weight until they are 5 years of age and the two year old races are just one of the worst animal cruelty in the public. Most people havent got a clue about horse welfare and they should be more brave journalists writing whats going on in the life of Thoroughbreds.

      Reply

    • Nick says:

      07:45am | 01/11/10

      A random thought, without racing these horses would not have been born. If jump racing went away, what incentive would their be to breed horses who can jump - fox hunting? The motor car - assuming a one for one replacement - is responsible for about a million unborn horses in Australia each year. Is it better to live a short life and end up as dog food or never to live?

      Reply

    • Ella says:

      08:54am | 01/11/10

      If they were never born there would never be a horse to regret never having lived. Not coming into existence is not the same as dying.

      Besides even if they are born for horse racing we still owe them a duty of care. Imagine for a second if your parents beat you everyday while you were growing up and when ever you protested they said: we only had you so we could beat you so which would you rather have a life being beaten or never being born. Rightfully you would object, at least I think you should.

      If you create a life you have a responsibility to make sure that it is the best possible life, and that applies whether it be racehorses or children

    • Helen says:

      12:26pm | 01/11/10

      What, so their souls would kind of be circling the earth in limbo feeling bad because they hadn’t been born? Oh, I do love these “if we didn’t practice {insert abusive animal industry here} they never would have been born.

      To have fewer foals born = fewer go to slaughter = a feature, not a bug.

    • Stephanie says:

      07:47am | 01/11/10

      How can anyone think that climbing on to a horse and forcing it to run at high speeds is anything but cruel and abusive, especially when done for fun and money?

      Reply

    • MarK says:

      08:44am | 01/11/10

      Easily. have no problem with it at all.

      Thank you for your time.

    • Racing Fan says:

      07:47am | 01/11/10

      What a load of crap.  Research.  You state research but list no reference or source.  Unfounded claims backed by nothing, except for your wish to stroke your ego by being published.

      87% of Victorians,  where did this number come from, your imagination or some push polling.

      Have you ever actually been to the races, talked to trainers, owners, jockeys, or breeders?

      Reply

    • Get Real says:

      08:59am | 01/11/10

      Here here.

      Ward, they are not “flogged within an inch of their lives” at all.

      I second Racing Fan’s challenge… how many of you supporting this article have any direct experience of the industry? These horses LOVE to race. Ask anyone who has ever actually lived in the racing world. It is not abuse. Loving, caring relationships develop between the animals and their strappers and trainers.

      Your facts regarding how long they are stabled for is also unfounded and incorrect.

      Chardonnay Socialism, Ward. If this is an issue you genuinely care about, and are not just soap-boxing on, then get away from your narcissistic online world, away from your lattes and talk to real people who work, live and breathe horse racing. You might just learn something, and maybe pick up some integrity along the way.

    • Daphne says:

      10:20am | 01/11/10

      So tell me please Racing Fan and Get Real, if the owners and trainers develop a great relationship with their horses, how can they bear part with them, knowing they are going to be sent to their death?

    • Mike says:

      10:23am | 01/11/10

      Completely agree. This article came across as a baseless rant by someone who clearly does not know what he is talking about. Most people in the racing industry genuinely love horses. Most racehorses genuinely love racing.
      If racing has a dark side it is certainly not hidden from view. It is in the addiction with gambling this country has and the fact that to many people outside the industry these animals are simply numbers running around a track.
      Follow a horse back to its stable, away from the bright lights of the track and you would see the hidden soft side of racing. Dedicated people working all hours to care for their horses.

    • Mr T says:

      01:01pm | 01/11/10

      Sorry, but saying most people involved in racing genuinely love horses is just crap, they love them so long as they are winning, as soon as they are not they end up like this: http://www.edgarsmission.org.au/R_Horses_Georgia.htm

      Fortunately, there are some decent people out there, but they can’t save them all. There is no excuse for using any animals in ‘sport’ in this day and age.

      Racing, animal circuses, all need to go the way of the dodo. It’s about time humans started treating the other species on this planet with respect, but seems we can’t even treat each other that way so the poor animals have no hope.

      Unfortunately, many humans are still in the caveman stage. As long as they get their jollies out of it, it doesn’t matter what happens to the animals involved.

    • Racing Fan says:

      02:05pm | 01/11/10

      Daphne,  they can’t bear to part with thier horses.  I watched personaly the effect on my father when Christmas last year he had to put down one of his racing horses due to it being caught in a fence and breaking it’s leg, after it was chased by a dog owned by a tree hugging hippie.

      To say it was just brushed off would be insane.  He was completely affected and a dark cloud was over what is usually a fantastic day.

    • fairsfair says:

      04:16pm | 01/11/10

      When I was a child we had two race horses. My father was part owner and they continually came second. It was an investment, but it failed and we still loved the horses. The first one contracted foot rot after a particularly bad wet season and I remember my dad cried when he had to have him put down. He was buried in our back yard an as kids we used to put flowers on his grave. The second one was retired after a few years and ate his way into bliss in our back yard. After about a year it was decided that it was cruel for him to go to waste (beacuse he was still young and fit and dad wasn’t comfortable with us kids riding him) so he was sold to a larger property and we heard that he died of natural causes fifteen years later at age 23. Old and happy. Aren’t we assholes.

    • richo says:

      07:47am | 01/11/10

      Thank you for writing this article, I know a lot of people won’t agree with it, but it needs to be said. Horses are just a money making product to these people. Jumps racing should be banned, everywhere. It is just like the greyhounds once they stop making money they get put down. Cruelty to animals is not a sport.

      Reply

    • Tim says:

      07:50am | 01/11/10

      From Ward’s Bio:
      and has worked with various organisations both nationally and internationally, including time with People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals in the US.

      Sorry Son,

      your credibility just went down to zero.

      Why talk about some sort of happy medium with racing when it’s obvious from the emotive and false statements you use in your article that you won’t be satisfied until all racing or in fact any human use of animals is banned?

      Reply

    • Seen it all B4 says:

      08:15am | 01/11/10

      Yeah, that’s it. Attack the messenger and not the message. Instead of worrying about his credibility, why not rebut the argument.

    • Les says:

      08:37am | 01/11/10

      Does it really matter what the author’s background is? Blind Freddy can see that horse racing is a cruel sport that only exists for rich people to make money by feeding off suckers, and the poor horses, and the governments only allow it because they get a cut. Unlike sports where humans compete, the horses never agreed being raced did they! The sooner horse racing, and greyhound racing is banned the better. I say turn all tracks into motor racing speedways, and develop a motor racing series using sustainable fuels. Now that would interesting.

    • Tim says:

      09:20am | 01/11/10

      Well seeing as PETA is an organisation that uses blackmail to get it’s way, promotes zero use of animals by humans and kills thousands of animals in their care, I think it’s relevant to know that the author has worked with them.
      This article is purporting to be about finding a “happy medium” with the racing industry when it is no such thing.

      With respect to the article, he says that horses end up at knackeries? So what? Cows end up on my dinner plate, what’s so special about horses?
      Wade says: “because no other person could lawfully thrash an animal within an inch of its life without repercussions”
      Really, has he ever been to a race meeting? I’ve been to hundreds and can’t say i’ve ever seen a horse thrashed to an inch of it’s life.

      As racing fan says abouve, the majority of people in the industry care for their horses extremely well.

    • Cori says:

      09:29am | 01/11/10

      The mistruths and crap that is written in that piece is a disgrace. Most people I have met in the industry have nothing but the uptmost care and respect for the horse.

    • Unbelievable says:

      09:39am | 01/11/10

      Hey Les,

      But what if a driver dies in that sustainable fuel race of yours?
      What about all the unloved abused corn that is used to make said sustainable fuel?
      Ummm, would you believe horses like to run??  What do you think they do in the wild?
      And for goodness sake, a crack on the hind with a whip is hardly “flogged to within an inch of its life” - comic brilliance!
      By the way, if you love a steak, what about the poor cow?  Or is a cow a lesser animal than a horse and less worthy of your pity?

    • Brad of Bentleigh says:

      12:32pm | 01/11/10

      Don’t forget all the poor people that now need starve due to their fields being taken up for bio-fuel production…
      I’d suggest, Seen it all B4, that you read up on PETA, anyone linked to this mob should be ignored.

    • DougB says:

      07:50am | 01/11/10

      In no way can anyone condone the mis-treatment and flogging of horses.  Jumps racing I think should definitely be banned, but I feel that flat track racing is acceptable. Even wild horses will run for sport.

      What I really disagree with is the statement “The fact that approximately 18,000 ex-racehorses are killed every year for dog meat is deplorable.” What is the alternative? Sell them to children who are in no way euipped to handle a fully grown race horse? Let the suffer ill treatment in paddocks hidden away because no one really wants them?

      Mans best friend has to eat too, and horse meat provides a great nutrious meat for our pets.  I also support human consumption of horse meat, I mean, I love cows, they are very cute, but they taste great too.

      Time to get a grip on needs and reality people. Better a tasty death than a slow lingering painful life.

      Reply

    • Jane Nicolle says:

      08:11am | 01/11/10

      You need to realize that we currently have a 7 year supply of dog food. You still think thats OK? We need to take responsibility for the consequences of our actions - you can’t just “throw them away” once your done. Horses - by nature are not the crazy monsters that you see come off the track once their racing days are over. they are gentle creatures, herd animals - prey animals. We. Make. Them. Crazy.

      Stall them 23 hours a day, feed them ridiculous amounts of high energy food, and then flogg them around a racetrack. We send them crazy - and that is why they are unsafe for children. We created this problem, and we should own it, take responibility for it, and make some changes to ensure our “throw away” attitude is bought to an end.

    • Seen it all B4 says:

      08:21am | 01/11/10

      The message of the statement is that horses are considered disposable by the horse racing industry.

      Instead of glorifying horse racing as the sport of kings (and when did you last see a king at a horse race; “sport of bogans” doesn’t have the same ring about it though), why don’t we start with stopping subsidies, grants and other perks they receive. Then start enforcing the animal cruelty laws that apply to other animals.

      We all know that’ll never happen because governments love their take from wagers.

    • Brett says:

      09:04am | 01/11/10

      Better yet stop protesting horse meat for human consumption and we can eat some race horse instead of the dogs. Its a sweet meat, very tasty and eaten all around the world. Why don’t we eat it?

    • ajay says:

      07:53am | 01/11/10

      What a load of trollop.

      I suppose next it will be stop the slaughter of sheep, beef and pigs as they are just killed for human food.

      I think W Young should spend a few days at a stable and see how well horses are treated. As for the “no other person could lawfully thrash an animal within an inch of its life without repercussions” what a joke, the padded whips now used don’t even leave a mark on my bum…If a horse was not keen to race it won’t.

      Reply

    • Charlie says:

      07:53am | 01/11/10

      I have to agree and disagree with this article. I disagree that if you love horses you cant work in the industry. I do and have since I was very young. The reason is because of all the bad things that happen if I can save one horse or change one trainers thoughts I have won. Dont get me wrong I have seen some disgusting things trainers do, or wont do to there horses. It is why I currently dont work for a trainer at the moment. If the public really knew what went on, there would be no Melb. Cup run tomorrow. Why is the racing industry untouchable by the RSPCA? That is a question I have been asking myself for 20yrs. Cruelty is not just confined to racing. Some things I have seen done to 10yo ponies at pony club, or bucking horses and bulls at rodeos. Because no one really cares about Joe Blow beating the crap out of poor old Toby because he wont walk in a puddle do they!

      Reply

    • Caroline says:

      01:57pm | 01/11/10

      Here Here Charlie.  There are many a neglected horse and pony in many paddocks all over Australia because the little girl who loved her pony has now grown and is into boys instead.  Pony is just left to starve to death in the paddock and the RSPCA don’t do a thing to help.  But oh we have to ban the whip don’t we.  If you have ever felt what the whip actually does, you would not complain, it is little more than a light slap.  I would rather these horses be put down humanely than the alternative as quoted above.  It is also not just Racehorses that are bred in the thousands every year.  Look at the backyard breeders who will have 50 odd horses running in a paddock with inbreeding so horrific that then the ‘loving’ owner will truck of the babies straight to the saleyards which are then purchased by the knackeries.  Or the animal hoarders like the vet in Lara.  She ‘loved’ her horses which were all starving to death, and the only reason th RSPCA got involved is because to the protesting by the horse community.  All wasted lives, these are the people that need to be stopped.

    • Adam Diver says:

      07:54am | 01/11/10

      Killing horses for dogmeat after they race. Well it seems to me that is a better life than say a chicken, cow or pig.

      “lawfully thrash an animal within an inch of its life” that is disgraceful hyperbole, I doubt a horse within an inch of losing its life, will trot back to its enclosure and then race the next week.

      Agree that jumps are unneccessary, and undecided on the 2 year old issue but try to tone it down a bit otherwise people will have an emotive response and never listen to your argument.

      Reply

    • Jim says:

      07:58am | 01/11/10

      Ward, the racing industry contributes literally billions, yes that is BILLIONS to the economy every year. The whipping of horses has been heavily modified over the last couple of years, with the introduction of padded whips, not being able to whip a horse in consecutive strides, and the outlaw of whipping a horse that is not in a position to run a place. Without jumps racing these horses would be retired from flat racing and would end up at the knackeries years earlier anyway. It is ignorant ‘activists’ such as you that wheel out this unresearched, propaganda the day before cup day to try and damage the industry. What I suggest you do Ward is go and speak to actual participants of the industry: trainers, jockey’s and owners and you will then see the passion and love they have for these animals.

      Reply

    • Amber says:

      08:44am | 01/11/10

      Jim, a lot of activists who are anti racing come from either the racing industry or are very experienced horse people who have done the research. From the trainers, jockeys and owners I’ve been in contact with, the vast majority of their dialogue is about how much the horse has won or can win rather than the ‘love’ of the animal. And just because it contributes “BILLIONS” (your words) to the economy doesn’t mean it’s right. I’m sure human slavery contributed to the economy but we all know that it’s wrong….

    • daveo says:

      09:37am | 01/11/10

      The racing industry does not actually contribute anything to the economy, all it does is transfer money from the pockets of people into another industry. There is no value making here, and those ‘billions’ would still go into the economy without the horse racing industry

    • Karen says:

      07:58am | 01/11/10

      I love horses, and I have bred a race winning horse.  The problem is that so many foals are born, and those that do not make it are discarded - particularly geldings (castrated males).  They often end up at slaughter, where in fact they could probably make a good child’s companion etc.  A bounty needs to be set on racing and breeders to care for those discarded horses.  But racing is fun and it isn’t a hardship to the horses to race.  It is sad that some get killed along the way, but where horses were the backbone of transport and invention now they have been discarded and would probably become extinct if it wasn’t for racing.  So think of the debt that is owed the magnificent animals and work from there.

      Reply

    • Amber says:

      08:49am | 01/11/10

      Horses would become extinct if it wasn’t for racing???? I don’t think so! What about all of the hundreds of thousands of horses owned by non-racing people in Australia? TB are a breed that’s been designed to specifically run fast for short periods of time - they are a far cry from the horses used for transport of days gone by. Racing isn’t fun for the horses.

    • kp says:

      07:59am | 01/11/10

      Well thank you for letting me know about this “evil and dispicable” dark side of the racing industry.  This has just made up my mind not to place a bet tomorrow or EVER !!!!!!!!!!!!!  Anyone who does this is supporting the cruelty of these beautiful animals.

      Reply

    • Amber says:

      08:01am | 01/11/10

      I agree. I had to stable riding horses in a well known racing facility once and was shocked and horrified at how the trainers and jockeys treated the horses - like machines. They were only interested in how much money they could make them and when they weren’t performing well, they were sent away and a new batch were brought in. I was laughed at a ridiculed as I was ‘too soft’ on my horses but at least mine didn’t bolt to the back of the stable when I entered it. I’m not saying all trainers are like this, but this is my experience. Horse racing is not about the horses, I believe the industry sees them as disposable units and if they really cared about the animals, jumps racing, the use of whips and racing 2 year olds would be banned. For all those people who think racing is fine, maybe you should do some research into the welfare aspect and what happens to the horses after their ‘careers’ are over.

      Reply

    • Steve says:

      08:02am | 01/11/10

      Hey, dogs have to eat to. What do you have against dogs? You’re saying it’s not ok to treat horses badly but that dogs shouldnt be allowed to eat?

      Go hug a tree or something.

      Reply

    • Jane Nicolle says:

      09:02am | 01/11/10

      Every animal has its place in the food cycle, and I don’t have a problem with horses being used for dogfood. - The problem is - the attitude the racing industry has towards its “throw away” horses. there is very little attempt made to rehome - their attitude is just dog it, shoot it, get rid of it. Its immoral, dishonest, and considering these majestic creatures make people very very very rich - they should do more to give them the retirement /life they deserve! Half of them would avoid the doggers if better care was taken of their feet / training - if they were perhaps started later, and allowed to be turned out - there would a massive reduction in the number of horses at the doggers

    • Daphne says:

      10:32am | 01/11/10

      Hi Steve, just in case you’re interested, a dog can live a full and healthy life on a vegetarian diet.

    • Amber says:

      11:52am | 01/11/10

      Steve - Dogs can live a very healthy life on a vegan diet. Cats are the only true carnivores that need meat for Taurine but VeganPet has devised a food with synthetic Taurine so even cats can be vegan. There is no excuse to use horses for food.

    • Tim says:

      11:55am | 01/11/10

      Daphne,
      would a dog eat a vegetarian diet in the wild?
      If not you’re abusing your dog by not letting it exist in it’s natural state.
      Making a dog eat a vegetarian diet is animal cruelty.

    • Amber says:

      07:42am | 02/11/10

      Tim - dogs are omnivores not carnivores so could survive on a vegetarian diet in the wild. It is not animal cruelty to omit meat from a dog’s diet. A dog can be fed a balanced diet with or without meat.

    • Megan says:

      08:03am | 01/11/10

      Thanks Ward, for this fantastic article; you yourself will be flogged for it by some, but it’s all true, as anyone in the industry knows in their hearts. Bringing these issues to the public’s attention is the only way to engender change so ignore the mental and moral vacuums are knocking you.

      Reply

    • Horses for Courses says:

      08:05am | 01/11/10

      Here we go again…....

      Ward, if you had ever worked in a racehorse stable you would know that those horses are treated better than “kings”. When they finish their career they either go off to stud, a comfortable paddock for the rest of their life or sold/given away to someone needing a nice horse (temperament permitting). Sure some head off to the knackery - that is hardly news mate.

      Cruelty? Sure there may be some unscrupulous or unkind owners but that is the exception rather than the rule.

      I can’t believe this debate has risen its ugly head again. Are you that desperate for a different take on the Cup?

      Reply

    • Shaz says:

      10:10am | 01/11/10

      You have been duped. I used to work in racing stables - if you think most racehorses retire to comfortable paddocks, you are deluding yourself. It’s a massive production line - they get bred, broken, trained, trialled, (maybe) raced, and then sent to the doggers at age 3 or 4. The ones who are allowed to live into retirement are the exception. Even fewer are ‘successful’ and sent to stud to churn out more foals for the production line.

    • Sez says:

      10:15am | 01/11/10

      You are missing the point - what about the horses that don’t make the cut; who aren’t fast enough and who are no longer considered economically viable?

      They do not live their lives as kings.  They are shot in the head.

    • Horses for Courses says:

      12:23pm | 01/11/10

      No Sez,

      Again if YOU had worked in a racing stable or an agistment property you would know…

      Depending on the owner, or trainer’s recommendation, if no breeding value, most head out to pasture or given away or sold. If no interest (and the net is cast wide) only then the knackery. It is not as ruthless as you have been led to believe.

      Two of mine, ex racehorses, are now eventers. A third (a G1 winner)  has such a lovely temperament that even small children can ride her outside of breeding time.

      I’d grab Saintly in a heartbeat but Bart won’t part with him….  smile

    • simon says:

      08:08am | 01/11/10

      “The public floggings that occur on the racetracks render racehorses legally invisible. Racing seems to have a ‘get out of jail free’ card with regards to whip use, because no other person could lawfully thrash an animal within an inch of its life without repercussions”

      Yes, at the end of each race every horse is lying on the ground barely able to breathe. Just a quivering bit of mince meat after those big mean jockeys have hacked them to bits with their chainsaw-tipped whips.

      Reply

    • Frank says:

      08:09am | 01/11/10

      Cows are killed to make into human food! How cruel is that and they aren’t even given the chance to play sport!

      Agree with most of Doug B’s comment. Except why don’t we all look at it this way: Darwin’s theory of evolution - survival of the fittest. If a horse isn’t good enough to just a low obstruction, it jsut isn’t good enough to live. This is only weening out the dud horses that are no use anyway

      Reply

    • Kent says:

      08:09am | 01/11/10

      Nice work! Great to see an article like this appearing on the front page this close to Melbourne Cup.

      I’d like to think more people will take it onboard, but hey if it makes one person re-evaluate their spending on the industry, it’s done a good job!

      Reply

    • Chris says:

      08:16am | 01/11/10

      Ill informed arguement, especially around 2 year old racing.  Why don’t we ban little athletics for children. As far as I can see there bodies are still growing and would fit into the boat of selfish and irresponsible. Add kids football, tennis and any other sport where children are expected to exert physical exertion.  Come back to me on stats for Showjumping.  Don’t horses die in that sport.  How many have died? - and yet this is an Olympic Sport. I hope the AFL is ashamed for promoting Auskick to children who are still growing.

      Reply

    • Megan says:

      09:39am | 01/11/10

      Chris, you’re the ill-informed one I’m afraid. Comparing 2 year old horse racing to little athletics shows your shocking ignorance on this topic. A 2 year old horse’s knees and fetlocks haven’t even finished growing and are often then damaged for having been put under too much stress at too young an age. Don’t comment if you don’t know the facts.

    • Chris says:

      10:15am | 01/11/10

      Dear Megan,

      Tell me the difference between putting children and horse’s knees under stress at a young age? What’s the difference?  Some horses don’t mature to they’re 4 or 5 so racing a horse 2, 3 or 4 can have the same impact.  No different to a kid running at a young age for an extended period of time.  Happy to hear the facts, just not from one side all the time.

    • Catherine says:

      08:18am | 01/11/10

      What a poorly written article. I’m an advocate for animal welfare and I disagree with jumps racing however to attack the entire racing industry is completely melodramatic. Yes many horses are used for meat at the end of their career, do you also have a problem with the beef industry? Yes horses are whipped, however only on the home straight and new rules put in place restrict this. Whipping is now used by jockeys with digression, however according to the journalists standards, branding, ear-tagging and other normal animal husbandry practices should also be banned. The truth is racehorses other then domestic pets are the most well cared for animal. Every need is met to keep the animal in the best condition for performance. Like in every industry there are some cruelty cases and it would be ignorant to deny this. However it is a slim portion of the industry. Horse racing is a multi-million dollar industry in Australia. To print an article as biased as this before Melbourne Cup, an important part of Australia’s history, is disgraceful. I encourage the journalist in future to research both sides of the argument.

      Reply

    • Horse owner says:

      08:37am | 01/11/10

      Catherine, I agree with you 100%. I have owned race horses and know for a fact that they were treated well at all times. One had to be put down for her own comfort due to an accident and another is retired and living the life of riley.
      Just like all stories, there are 2 sides.
      This article is just plain ignorant and presumptuous.

    • Sez says:

      10:18am | 01/11/10

      You mean ‘successful’ racehorses are “the most well cared for animal” (your words).

      No mention here of what happens to the horses that don’t make the grade.  I guess it’s best not to think about that, hey?

    • TV Lark says:

      11:27am | 01/11/10

      Fantastic point. I was going to get angry about the amount of ignorant people agreeing with this melodramatic, self-obsessed twat who needs to work a couple of years in a stable to actually learn about the racing industry before he has any standing in the argument. And then I realised that there are far more educated people responding than people who have no idea.

      Sez, basically every horse in training - that I have come across - fast or slow is fed and looked after twenty times as much as your regular pony club horse. The people I have worked for ensure that the horses that don’t meet the grade who are suitable for a future, get that future with experienced and reliable owners. The horses who aren’t suitable may very well end up in a can of Pal - which is a much better outcome for all involved, including the horse. The last thing you want is for a dangerous animal to end up in the wrong hands. You may very well say that racing is what makes them dangerous, but many of them are that way inclined from birth.

      The animals I currently work with are only stabled at night, and are the happiest and most laidback horses I’ve come across. For people like us, our racehorses come before us - and house bills will go unpaid to pay for feed and vets, because believe it or not - for the most part, people who train horses hardly make a profit from it. We do it because we love the animal.

      You can fight about it all day, Young & Co., but who is going to listen? The twenty people you manage to scrape to the RVL headquarters? The Australian Government that really hates accepting $8 billion a year from the sport? Come on. Why don’t you do something useful and look at average pet owners who do not desex and microchip, and create a flood of unwanted strays in every capital city?

    • Tim says:

      01:52pm | 01/11/10

      Sez,
      so what if horses are sent to the knackery.
      Cows, Chickens, Pigs all are bred to be killed.
      Does that mean they are treated badly while they are alive? No.
      Why don’t you have the guts to come out with your real argument:
      That we should all become vegans.

      What about the suffering of vegetables? Don’t they deserve to live also?

    • Sez says:

      10:50am | 02/11/10

      Tim, I definitely believe we should all become vegans!!  It is a wonderful way of life.  And you shouldn’t knock it until you have tried it.

      And trust me, chances are that the animals you eat led an horrendous life in appalling conditions before they made their way to your plate.
      But keep on supporting the horseracing industry while you clog your artery walls with all animal fats, all in the name of your Darwinian convictions.

      For shame.

    • Tom says:

      08:19am | 01/11/10

      ‘At this present time, you cannot love horses and support horseracing’. One sided argument obviously written by someone who has an opinion but no interest or research into the industry.

      Reply

    • Graeme says:

      08:20am | 01/11/10

      What a biased and uninformed piece of trash written as news.
      If you are going to write this sort of article at least do some research !!!!!
      “The public floggings that occur on the racetracks render racehorses legally invisible. Racing seems to have a ‘get out of jail free’ card with regards to whip use, because no other person could lawfully thrash an animal within an inch of its life without repercussions. Nor would we want to.”
      This is as big a joke as anything. Have you been struck with the whips??? They do not hurt and are just noise makers.
      as for your “Two-year-old racing, which is effectively the racing of baby horses, divides the racing industry like no other issue. The perceived benefit is that a horse can race sooner, thus earning money quicker. However the unreasonable physical exertion placed on under-developed skeletons is both selfish and irresponsible.” remark.
      2yo horses arn’t started unless their bones are correct. Just need to look at the number of late 2yo races and early 3 yo races that are maiden and first starters.
      Jumping would of had a lot less falls and deaths if the goody goodies, that happen to write ill informed articles like this through arrogance and ignorance, had left the fences at the proper heights .
      Lowering fence heights increased speed over the fences. Hence , this led to jumping through the fences and tripping instead of over and clearing fences.
      Imagine if you will how many horses are injured in show jumping and cross country ???? These are olympic sports , but because they are not broadcast daily they are left to continue without prejudice.
      Racing is still the 4th largest employer in Australia. Ex-racehorses are commonly sold to the pony club and pleasure industry.
      Vic racing has a program in place for horses off the race track.
      So many incorrect statements in the above article and so many people still believe what the newspapers report, however untrue and flawed they may be.

      Reply

    • John says:

      08:21am | 01/11/10

      Get off your high horse - you are merely riding on the wave of interest generated by this carnival and have become the clown act. If you want ‘animal cruelty’ as a real topic, write about battery hens or sow stalls - visit the abottoirs and watch cattle and sheep being slaughtered in the tens of thousands with stun guns and being hamstrung and throat slit while still in tremors from the stun guns. You are a hypocrite, a parasite who makes their living feeding off public outrage that you really do not take on as a personal crusade. Sham! sham! sham!

      Reply

    • Zane Bojack says:

      08:22am | 01/11/10

      Ward, there is no doubt that your article highlights the unseen elements of the racing industry but it does seem to be rich in the big statement, but short on facts.

      This industry you claim allows the legalised whipping of animals has been the subject of mass debate in recent years with both the size and shape of the jockey’s whip reformed to meet the demands of animal liberationists like you.

      The number of times a jockey can hit his animal has also been legislated so that if he hits it too many times he will automatically be suspended.

      What people like you don’t understand is the natural inclination of a horse itself. These brilliant animals love the stimulation of a jockey riding at the crest of their gallop giving them rhythm with the whip in hand.

      If you just ride a horse for pleasure you soon realise that the horse enjoys the rider guiding them with the reins, the stirrups and the maine. The jockey’s whip is just an extension of this.

      Plus the stewards are always on the lookout for any trainer, strapper etc who treat their horses inhumanely with the threat of suspension or expulsion a real prospect.

      In fact where I live in Townsville a high profile trainer was brought before the Queensland Racing judicial process on allegations of beating one of her horses.

      If you do an article like this, by all means put your views forth, but at least try to put some balance and perspective into your argument.

      Enjoyed your thought bubble smile

      Reply

    • Horses for Courses says:

      09:55am | 01/11/10

      Hands and heels.

      Stay away from the mane - unless you’re plaiting it. smile

    • John Forrest says:

      08:22am | 01/11/10

      Totally agree. To hurt or mistreat any type of animal is inhumane and reveals a darker side to a person’s mental composition.

      Reply

    • Cybacat says:

      08:22am | 01/11/10

      The horse lovers I know, all work in the racing industry and are passionate about animal welfare.  A bit of research wouldn’t hurt next time - this article if feigned outrage is light on facts.

      Reply

    • Steph says:

      08:25am | 01/11/10

      Great article. There’s gonna be those who dislike it, but there’s always the whingers and those who do “pious outrage” to any article posted (probably because they can) and this one has its many supporters (as I can see posted already). This is the truth - people go to the races and look at the fashions, the friendships, and the booze. Not the horses. Not as an animal - as a number to bet on, maybe, but never as an animal that’s worked to it’s utmost limit to provide betting agencies with more money. They don’t choose to race, and you sure can’t see them getting into any “spirit of competition”. You’d quit your job if the boss had the whip at your back, constantly telling you what you did wasn’t good enough and he was going to penalize you if you didn’t do more than your best. Unfortunately, they don’t get that option.

      Reply

    • Mardi says:

      08:27am | 01/11/10

      Before people question how many ex racehorses go to their death each year, perhaps you should do some research yourselves. These are not old racehorses, I currently have seven of them, all under ten years, that were rescued from death. There are hundreds of back yard breeders who are breeding in the hope of getting that one winner who will make the money. Breeding thoroughbreds should be done under special license, As for some of the so called trainers, some of them should be banned from going anywhere near a horse for life.  Racing two year olds should be banned, that would reduce the number of broken legs, hips, and tendon damage just for a start.

      Reply

    • Jodie says:

      08:32am | 01/11/10

      I think you will find the ‘horse lovers’ in the racing industry are more in love with money than their horses.

      Reply

    • Caroline says:

      02:12pm | 01/11/10

      Jodie I think you will find that most horse lovers who work in the racing industry get paid terribly for all the hard work they do.  So yes they do it for the love of the horses.  You may be talking about the actual owners of the horses/syndicates who are the ones that win all the money.  Most of the time if you didn’t point out which horse was theirs they wouldn’t be able to tell for themselves.

    • BobbyJ says:

      08:35am | 01/11/10

      Ah, it must be Melbourne Cup time ... horse racing is at the forefront of the news and now better time to give it “whipping”.

      Racing only employs scores of thousands of Australians and puts food on the table of for thousands of families. These “timely” articles are BS.

      1. Do you have a dining table? Is the made of wood? A tree suffered for that.
      2. Do you wear deodorant? On no, it’s been test on animals
      3. Do you wear cheap Chinese suits? Oops, made by someone earning $1 a day and could have been whipped too.
      4. Have you ever walked past a homeless person without giving money? Where’s your high-standard morals there.

      Ward - why don’t you focus your attention on issues that are important. Horse racing is one of the world’s oldest sports. Families losing their homes because of the GFC maybe?
      Horses have to be healthy to run, they are all vetted. Why don’t you call the RSPCA and have them investigate.

      This article is opportunist crap…

      @Megan - I enjoy living in my mental vacuum, it’s a nice escape from the 70 hours I work each week. I grew up on the land, far from the city and its un-informed go-gooders, we were surrounded by livestock ... some we even shot (oh no, with a gun) so we could eat them ... say it isn’t so!

      Reply

    • Sez says:

      10:23am | 01/11/10

      So your argument is that if you can’t solve all the ills of the world, why bother trying at all?

      I feel very sorry for you.  Passion is a wodnerful thing, and being passionate about advocating on behalf of animals - who cannot speak for themselves - is one of the most rewarding feelings of all.

    • Mike says:

      03:51pm | 01/11/10

      Did your Mom ever tell you about “two wrongs don’t make a right”?

    • Bill says:

      08:41am | 01/11/10

      The story of sending a horse to a glue factory is as old as the need for glue. Agriculture is about raising animals to use as food, you can’t put a living animal on a plate so it has to be killed.  Horses get amazingly well treated while they are alive, they have access to good water and good food in most cases in Australia. Compare that with the availability of food and water to most of the Homo sapiens children on the planet. Then there is the whole abortion issue, do you have the statistics on how many of our own species are sent off to the abortion clinic each day to be killed and sometimes harvested for “scientific research”. And then there is the daily road toll of native animals killed along our highways every night and the fate of the animals that are just left to wander off every time a new housing development is made.
      But no Punch needs to sell some advertising space and what better way than to bludge off someone else’s hard work with negative sensationalism out of the blue the day before the hard work comes to fruition. This article is just cheap journalism that cheapens all the causes it is supposed to support.

      Reply

    • Sam says:

      10:24am | 01/11/10

      Funnily enough, Thoroughbreds are bred to race, not to feed your family. If you are feeding your family or even your family pet some tasty failed racer, you should do a bit of research into the toxins that arise when you slaughter an animal for consumption that has not been raised for it. Horses are constantly put on all types of medical treatments not tested for safety of future consumption which can then find its way into your dogs meal and potentially cause all kinds of illness and often an early death. That native roadkill you drive past on the road would probably be a healthier meal and much better for the environment. You can’t justify one wrong by trying to cancel it out with the other wrongs in the world. Just because you care about one, does not mean you can’t care about other issues.

    • BobbyJ says:

      08:42am | 01/11/10

      More importantly, did any of you know there actually is a Coalition for the Protection of Racehorses?
      Are bookies in the coalition? I reckon they’d be odds-on!

      Reply

    • Sarah says:

      08:45am | 01/11/10

      2 & 3 year olds don’t have the bone structure to support the work they are in and as a result they break down with injuries that will result in them being lame for the rest of their lives. It’s not old horses going to the doggers its horse starting at just over 2 years old and most likely made mostly up of 2 - 4 year olds. Funny do you kill your cat or dog when it turns say 3? Actually 18,000 sounds low remember the older horses already dead.

      Then there’s the ones that don’t go to the doggers, they have stomach ulcers from the food fed and from the ones I’ve owned had drugs in their system. The reason the average person CAN’T ride them is that they have never been taught manners, the breeder didn’t care about attitude so they are crazy, they aren’t broken in properly (so they rear & buck like bronks), have leg & body conformation issues and half the time lame from the injuries caused by racing. Read a racing post a while back they congratulated themselves on finding a home for their race horse ...  they said he had won them $500k in the course of his race life and still they weren’t prepared to retire him with grace. Nope they sold him on.

      I actually thought the article was a bit soft on racing.

      Reply

    • Horses for Courses says:

      10:18am | 01/11/10

      A bit OTT don’t you think?

      If a racehorse hasn’t been broken in correctly whose fault is that? If they are not they will never pass a barrier trial, much less race.

      Most 2 and certainly 3yo thoroughbreds DO have the conformity to race. 1100m is not exacty a hard call. Sure there are some young uns sent out almost but not quite ready but then they get sent off for a spell to mature.

      Perspective check - So You Think is a 4yo by the racing calendar but will actually still be a 3yo in real terms when he jumps on Tues. Have you had a look at him?!

      Emotive yet ignorant comments by someone who has never worked in the racing industry (and that includes you Ward) do not help your ‘cause’. You do realise it is not all about the money…....

    • Jane Nicolle says:

      04:14pm | 01/11/10

      Not all about the money!?!? Give me a break!!!! How condescending!

      The FACT of the matter is - most of the horses at the knackers ARE under the age of six. and ARE off the track. and ARENT broken in properly, because it takes to much TIME which is a WASTE of money.

      Good greif!

    • Jotun says:

      08:53am | 01/11/10

      Jumps racing should be banned, that is without doubt. The rest of the article is crap however.

      No reference to any statistical research, no stated references to any cases of animal cruelty by trainers, owners or otherwise, sensationalist statements about the methods used by modern jockeys to race a horse, hyped-up statements about the physical safety of racing two year old horses, and complete codswallop fear mongering about the treatment of retired horses. I hear the G.O.P. needs a new spokesman over in the land of the fearful.

      Reply

    • Wineo says:

      08:56am | 01/11/10

      we all know that the racing industry is corrupt to the core.. when so much money rides on a result that is poorly regulated, of course there are going to be dirty tactics. and as far as horses go, are you insane?? whipping a horse cannot be compared to whipping a human, for one the horse is much, much stronger. the hide is much thicker, as is it’s hair. you probably wouldn’t have enough strength in your arm to cause the horse much more than a sting, especially when you consider the muscle on a fully developed racehorse. i agree that racing young horses is wrong, but in modern society the horse isn’t as important an animal as it used to be. even rural ares are using them less and less every year. we can’t afford to support all these horses. let them race… once they are old enough.

      Reply

    • Nifty says:

      09:00am | 01/11/10

      This is a very factual article. Ward has described the racing industry exactly as it is - warts and all.
      Yet is seems from some of the stupid readers’s comments that some people just don’t - or can’t - accept the facts.

      Reply

    • Warwick Wakefield says:

      09:03am | 01/11/10

      The arguments used to justify the way that horse racing is presently conducted could also be used to justify slavery. And if slavery were presently practiced in Australia you can be sure that many would support it, specially if a certain class of slaves were employed as gladiators.

      The people who conduct horse racing do not ride for pleasure. The great majority of the thousands of Australians who do rider for pleasure have an entirely different approach to horses and horse riding. These folk take the time to build a deep communion with their horses. While there is no doubt that the human is the master and the horse is the servant, still the foundation of the relationship is communion and trust.

      But many Australians are not interested in communion with their wives, husbands or children, so we cannot expect them to be even remotely interested in the communion that can develop between human and beast. Many Australians are only interested in relations based on power, and the sight of racehorses being whipped by jockeys in view of cheering crowds is a perfect expression of a power-based relationship.

      The pity of it all is that horses do love to gallop and they love to race each other. A strong and competitive horse will give everything without being whipped.

      Reply

    • Red says:

      09:06am | 01/11/10

      My family has been invovled in horse racing since before I was born.  My parents own and breed horses as do I now.  I can honestly say that ALL of our horses have been treated as members of the family and have only sold to people who we knew would take care of them.  The only time we have put any of them down was when they were extremely old and it was in their best intrest.  This article is completly biased and makes unaccurate presumptions. 
      Like anything in this world there are going to be people who dont do the right thing but for your article to then say that ALL people who own, breed or enjoy racing are bad irresponsible people is extremely poor journalistic work.
      making presumptions about an entire group based soley on the actions of a few…........stereotyping much?

      Reply

    • VJE says:

      01:49pm | 01/11/10

      Of course people in the racing industry have vested interests and will defend the care they provide their horses.  Having seen breeder and trainers in a number of private facilities over the years, I can say there are some good racing people and some incredibly bad ones.  Bottom line is, when money is involved, humane treatment of animals often comes a very poor second.

      Without a doubt, horses do not mature until 5 yrs old (at least).  Carrying weight and training/racing over distance at two year old is likely to cause structual and soft tissue injuries.  This is proven.  Poor farriering is also likely to cause injury by not setting the hoof in a natural position. 

      Whipping in Australia is now regulated, on track ... however off-track training tactics are another issue completely.  Drug use in the horse industry is also rife. 

      There are many issues to contend with, especially in an industry where millions of dollars are at stake.  It is good for these issues to see the light of day, and for the public to be able to make up their own minds based on facts rather than emotions from both sides - animal liberationists and animal owner/trainers.

    • Steve says:

      09:13am | 01/11/10

      @ Ward

      Thanks for slipping up and not trotting out the normal lie from your organisation that you’re not interested in targeting two-year-old racing.

      I love horses and I worked in the industry.  Those who mistreat horses they are in the minute percentage of bad apples you find in any walk of life.

      I hate bandwagon-jumpers who write long articles containing misleading hyperbole masquerading as reasoned argument.  Therefore I suspect I would not get on with you.

      Reply

    • Ally Peer says:

      09:13am | 01/11/10

      Thank you for being brave enough to publish such an article. When my daughter was in Year 11 she applied to do the VET course in horse racing, which she subsequently did in Year 12. She did this because she loves horses passionately and with all her academic subjects, she was still willing to get up at 4 o’clock in the morning to go to the stables. Unfortunately after two years she was a physical, emotional and spiritual wreck. We stood by and watched her lose her hair and become very thin. The crux of it was that she could not bear watching the spirit of race horses being broken. She even saved one of the horses from the ‘knackers’, by finding a place and paying adjistment. This has been a huge financial burden on someone so young. Needless to say she no longer works in the industry. Should we racing horses in this century? I think not.

      Reply

    • RACEHORSE OWNER says:

      09:16am | 01/11/10

      I just read this rubbish article and i feel i have to respond as an avid racehorse owner most of what you have written seems completely foriegn to me and i feel i would know more than you as i spent most weekends at various tracks ( city & bush). Surely you are an undeclared PETA activist.

      A few points
      Thorougbred horses are bred specifically to race, and anyone who spends some time around them would know that they race each other in the paddock from an early age without jockeys. Racehorses get upset when they spend too much time in the paddock and love coming into work and racing. You progressive leftists no doubt will disagree but you also have no idea or experience with them either so you know SFA.
      Whipping a horse is not the same as whipping a human although no doubt some progressives could use a good flogging. A horse has skin or a hide like a cow so giving a horse a couple of cracks is no the same as stringing a leftist on a crucifix and giving him 90 lashes ( again this may be beneficial to some)
      Now the figures you quote regarding dog meat i’, sure you have made up. I own and have owned over 10 horses in the last 7 years with friends and the 4 that have retired are still with us. Some were sold to the local horse sports as jumps horses 1 is a show horse and the other one is in my paddock dying of old age slowly. I know of very few horses that make it to the knackery. Now i’m in QLD so other states might be different but your 80% figure seems like PETA propaganda.
      As far as jumps racing is concerned they actually made it more dangerous by lowering the jumps after protests from people like you who kow very little about horses and probably reality itself. With high jumps the horse have to slow down more to clear them but with lower jumps they are hitting them at full speed. The other thing about your mission to stop jumps racing is that if you are successful many of the horses you “save” probably will end up at the knackery, so it will be a great result for you.

      Anyway thats my rant. Fortunately for me as an avid owner the future of the multi-billion dollar industry that employs who knows how many people is alive and well and PETA is living in its fantasy land.

      Reply

    • Tex says:

      10:15am | 01/11/10

      Well said and this is just typical of the Left always interfering in our lives, making up complete fantasy to suit an agenda for their perfect world no one really wants to live in. 

      Ward Young should stick to what he knows best his favorite sport of self loathing and beating ones self silly with a feather duster, stay out of our lives Ward we don’t like your world so stop trying to make us.

    • Racheal says:

      09:28am | 01/11/10

      Obviously Mr Young has never spent time around horse stables or trainers because if he had he would know how well these amimals are cared for and loved. These animals are treated as the athletes they are and recieve the best of everything. Tens of thousand of horses in this country are left in paddocks, unkept and uncared for, these are the horses that need saving. As for the people who say these horses are ” made to race” Im telling you if you are a fifty odd kilo person sitting on the back of a Thoroughbred, you can guide it and steer it but you can’t MAKE it do anything. You are at the complete mercy of the horse. Anyone who has ever been around a racehorse can see that they are born to do this and love to race. For those people that are one week a year horseracing experts l recommend you read Bart Cummings Autobiography and get a real insite into how much these horses are loved and respected by the people involved with them.

      Reply

    • Gemma says:

      01:30pm | 01/11/10

      rubbish.
      They aren’t given the choice. Stick some metal in their mouth and pull them around by their necks and force them to perform for human entertainment, profit and greed. It’s barbaric.

      I’d love to see you bogans out there yelling “run you fatty” at human’s running around a track being whipped with other idiotic humans on their backs.  But that would be barbaric and inhumane wouldn’t it. Why are horses any different?

      As a matter of fact I was watching a horse being trained for the cup bucking and thrashing around but the trainers continued to force the animal to perform.

      You think just because you’ve read Bart Cummings book that he is telling the honest truth? Do you think he would tell you what happens when they can’t run fast anymore or sustain injuries? NO. Have you watched youtube footage of the race horses leaving the track? Have you watched where they go? Were you there?

      Wake up to yourself and open your eyes.

    • Tim says:

      02:58pm | 01/11/10

      Gemma,
      you do know the difference between humans and animals don’t you?
      And of course anyone who disagrees with you must be a bogan right?
      I think you need to wake up to yourself and realise you’re not the moral arbiter of every other person.

    • Horses for Courses says:

      04:56pm | 01/11/10

      Gemma,

      Guess you weren’t lucky enough to work for Bart…..

      If you were you would be able to tell the difference between the truth and a lie in this ‘story’ in a heartbeat.

      And Rachael - agree totally.

    • Nicole says:

      05:38pm | 01/11/10

      @Gemma, that’s a huge call. Portraying Bart Cummings as a liar. Every worked in a stable? Ever worked or had anything to do with the top trainers in this country? Ever witnessed first hand how they devote their entire life to these horses? Nup, didn’t think so. Gain some first hand experience and insight and get back to us.

    • Susan Waring says:

      09:28am | 01/11/10

      Come on Victoria, we have an election this month. Write to Rob Hulls, deputy premier and minister for racing. Tell him exactly what you think and hit them where it hurts, at the polling booth.

      Reply

    • janama says:

      09:34am | 01/11/10

      Horses go to the abattoirs everyday and they aren’t race horses. When they get too old and can’t serve on the farm they are euthanaised.

      Reply

    • Nick says:

      09:34am | 01/11/10

      This is an absolutely rediculous article, which is very one-sided from the opinion of someone who is clearly on the fence.

      What do you expect to be done with ex-racehorses once they have finished racing? The majority of horses are sold to families to be used as ponies, as well as the stables keeping the horse as a lead-pony once it has reached it’s time.

      Do you have any idea how expensive it is to keep a horse? For the cost of one stall it will set you back a MINIMUM of $60 a day in stables situated in regional areas. This can amount to a whole weeks wage in many cases which the majority of people cannot afford.

      And you don’t seem to realise… a brumby can break it’s leg while running in the fields and is totally mamed without anyone to help it. Racehourses are given the most prestigous living when it comes to animals. And all they do in return is run a few hundred metres ONCE a day.

      The fact of the matter is, once a horse breaks its leg it generally cannot be repaired. Have you ever seen a horse with a plaster cast on it’s leg? I think not. And it can be broken in one single fall. If a horse rears up and falls over, it can land on it’s head and will be finished. These are the problems with such big, heavy animals.

      Sending a horse to the knackery provides food for many dogs. Are you a vegetarian? Do you campaign for the rights of cows that are slaughtered for meat? Are you a fan of steak? Ever eaten a dimsim? Are you going to protest for the rights of cats now?

      As I said earlier, this is clearly an article written by someone who has a very one-sided opinion and has no idea about the race industry. You should feel comfortable sitting in your office in your shirt and tie only having to worry about news circulation and what dumb opinions you can upload onto the web the next time you feel strongly about something you know nothing about.

      Get a life and don’t try to destroy the lively-hood of hundreds of thousands of people.

      Reply

    • Ryan says:

      09:37am | 01/11/10

      Is horse racing the only place horses get hurt or die? No.

      What about polo-cross, equestrian eventing, rodeo events? Horses participate in these events and suffer injuries and deaths. Do we see these pursuits given the bad wrap in the media? No.

      No-one seems to have a problem with equestrian eventing, which if I recall correctly is an Olympic sport. Horses are raced and jumped to the point of exhaustion but this doesn’t seem to be an issue. Horses die in these events too and the cross country jumps certainly aren’t modified like the racing hurdles / fences to reduce the number of injuries or deaths.

      What about greyhound racing Mr Ward? Do you know we race dogs too in Australia?

      I don’t see people complaining about greyhound racing in the free media. Greyhounds are bred purely for the purpose of chasing and know nothing other than to pursue an artificial lure. They too fall in races, breaking bones and suffering fatal injuries.

      People like Mr Ward need to take off the “one-eyed blinker” and look across the bigger picture. The racing industry is a bigger one than anyone gives credit for. It directly or indirectly employs thousands of people. It tips millions of dollars into government coffers and gives many people pleasure to watch and participate in.

      Horses will be harmed or injured, as long as we ride them or race them. Be that at the race track or any other form of competition. If people like Mr Ward want to point the finger at the racing industry then get out and investigate all people and hobbies where horses are involved.

      Reply

    • lv says:

      11:28am | 01/11/10

      Funnily enough, I have attended a number of rodeo protests - the response from the rodeo lovers is that “well horseracing is cruel, why aren’t you out protesting about that instead?”!!!!
      They are both cruel and wasteful, along with greyhound racing.  Only the minority of ex racing greyhounds are rehomed and they are a lot cheaper to feed than a horse!
      The red herring of pointing the finger at everyone elses cruelty to excuse your own is transparent and demeans you. 
      It’s rather like criticising someone for sending money to the starving orphans in Africa because there are starving orphans in South America too.

    • Max says:

      09:40am | 01/11/10

      Horse racing; it’s just like NASCAR, but slower… and with horses.

      Reply

    • HTFU says:

      09:45am | 01/11/10

      And the difference between horses, pigs, cows and sheep is? You greenie bleeding hearts need to grow up and understand these are animals, make them suffer no, but nothing wrong with using them for pet food when they go.

      Reply

    • Locki says:

      09:52am | 01/11/10

      They are bred by the hundreds, raced as unmatured babies, fed up on supplements and roids to boost their lean muscle and hike up their energy levels, ran down tracks adding stress to the under developed ligaments then if their lucky sold on to REAL horse lovers who will train them for something that will last their lifetime and keep them WANTED in the horse industry not just 1-6 years on the track…But then thousands each year will end up in the slaughter yard, because they are over bred and not skilled to be sold in to the real horse market-just don’t bet, don’t watch and don’t breed your horses for this type of life…it’s simple

      Reply

    • Matt says:

      09:43pm | 01/11/10

      ...about as simple as your intelligence. Australian history is founded by the thoroughbred. In times of depression, who did people turn to? ...Pharlap. That’s right, horse racing. There are too many lives built around racing such as betting on horses, working with horses, making horse equipment, transporting, veterenary services, feeding etc. All these jobs revolve around horse racing. But no worries we can get rid of them all, like you put it….simple.

    • Stiffy says:

      09:54am | 01/11/10

      Yea ok, but who is going to win the Cup?

      Reply

    • Joffre says:

      10:10am | 01/11/10

      I guess at the same time we should stop training dog to sniff out bombs in war zones, airports to protect humans etc and stop the police using horses to quell protesters who deliberately injure them, I don’t see anyone complaining about show jumping. It is time some people got a life and yes I have eaten horse meat.

    • Shawn says:

      09:57am | 01/11/10

      I didnt have time to read the article, and I have never actually been to the horse racing, but I have hit a horse in my jeep once. The horse didnt die thought, he just limped off into the bush, and looked really surprised.

      Reply

    • James says:

      09:57am | 01/11/10

      Fair points, if the horse breaks a leg or pulls up lame they shoot it.  Yet they don’t shoot the jockey do they?

      Reply

    • Racheal says:

      11:25am | 01/11/10

      Your comment: Talk about exaggeration! Horses come back all the time after injury ( even broken legs ) and many who are fourced to retire from racing due to injury are retired to breeding. A majority of people who have commented on this article obviously have no real experience of the racing industry and get all their “facts” and “knowledge” of the topic from sensationalist, ill informed articles like this.

    • Chris says:

      09:58am | 01/11/10

      There are so many flaws and weak arguments in this article it is unbelievable. How does this even pass as journalism?

      What does the author propose as an alternative for racehorses once they are retired? Should they be cared for until dying of natural causes? Who would pay for their care? Are you aware not all racehorses win more money than is spent on them?

      Why is it appropriate to attack the entire racing industry over a minority of unfortunate events in jumps racing?

      When has a racehorse ever been thrashed “within an inch of its life” through the use of a whip? This appears to be a blatant lie.

      This article is an embarrassment for all involved

      Reply

    • Michael says:

      09:58am | 01/11/10

      I agree totally with the article.
      I love horses but not the racing / jumps industry.
      BAN RODEO’s as well as they are so cruel to ” all ” animals.
      Re: the horse racing industry and rodeo’s the RSPCA are weak and pander to the industries.

      Reply

    • goerge says:

      10:03am | 01/11/10

      It appears Wart may have become delusional - he should have a check up. Where do these clowns get there numbers from? A meeting of these tossers? These serial pests ought to get a life & stop spoiling the livelihood of many families. I would much happier seeing these clowns lined up at Jacka the Knacker than the poor bloody horses

      Reply

    • stephen says:

      10:20am | 01/11/10

      I read about a bloke who eats dog food from a spoon.
      And he could run like the clappers
      bolt over a fence, whinnie at the moon,
      urinate in public and wanna stroke strappers.
      When’s he running ? I hope, not too soon.

      Reply

    • peter says:

      10:21am | 01/11/10

      The majority of people who work within the racing industry do LOVE horses and would never do anything to harm them. The fact is that thoroughbreds ared BRED to race. Centuries of breeding means all racehorses have the intrinsic desire to gallop and run fast. The assertion that they are FORCED to race against their will is therefore absurd. I’m sure Darwin and Richard Dawkins would agree with me on that one. As for the ill-conceived suggestion that racehorses are “thrashed within an inch of their life”, well this highlights the poor understanding and lack of research undertaken by the author. Racing has recently introduced new whip rules which prohibit jockeys from excessive use of the whip. Oh, and another thing; the racing industry has also banned leather whips outright and introduced a padded whip that is so innocuous it wouldn’t hurt a toddler if you smacked it on the backside, let alone a half-tonne beast. However, unlike the biased author, I will make a balanced statement and concede that racing does need to address the issue of horse management post-racing. This noblest of creatures deserves a far better fate than the one so many of the breed currently experience. But many racing industry participants are taking action. For example, I’m aware of one program, supported by the Victorian Racing Club, that will act as an outplacement program for horses when they cease racing. So you see Ward, it’s actually not as dark as you would have us believe. Now, please resume your servile position under Bob Brown’s wing and spare us your fraudulent diatribes.

      Reply

    • Ben says:

      10:24am | 01/11/10

      It is people like you Ward Young, who grossly over exaggerate, that do more harm than good for your argument, when has a horse ever been beaten to within an inch of it’s life, as you claim happens on the race track? Open your eyes and see the bigger.

      Reply

    • saintly says:

      10:30am | 01/11/10

      What a disgraceful article, and one in which the real truth is ignored.  The whip rules have been changed (as have the whips), so the fabrication about being whipped within an inch of their lives is laughable.

      Perhaps the author of the article should put his energies into the real abuse of animals in this country.

      The irony is that by banning jumps racing, this guy would be sending more horse to their deaths.

      There are hundreds possibly thousands of horses dying in paddocks around the country from dehydration, arthritis, laminitis and starvation, yet they are protesting against jumps racing which so far this year has had 2 deaths. If we cannot find homes for the already starving and dying horses in the country, how do they rehome even more?

      Taken from the RSPCA Watchdog website:

      The RSPCA, and particularly their national President, is very gung ho when it comes to marketing farmed animals. From their failed pet food venture (where the “all creature’s great and small” pictured on the can were also in the can) to accreditation of barn-laid eggs (Liberty and Mrs McKechie’s in Victoria, MacQuarie in Tasmania) and now free-range pig meat (under the Ottway Pork brand). The RSPCA receives a royalty from the sales of these animal products which they claim satisfy their guidelines for humane production.

      These weak guidelines are bunk anyway: how can a bird who has her beak seared off, is crammed into a shed with thousands of other birds, then trucked to the abattoir, be free from pain and distress? There is also major concern that the token barn-laid sheds being set up by major battery battery producers (including Pace, the largest egg producer in Australia) are happily continuing their major animal abuse enterprises under the auspices of the RSPCA!

      Hugh Wirth publicly denounces vegetarianism, always skirts the slaughterhouse issue, and with his written word in the RSPCA newsletter, fosters an attitude that farmed animals are not beings. Referring to “...meat…being humanely produced, transported and killed” is not only grammatically incorrect but promotes an attitude that meat, milk and eggs have nothing to do with animals. This is exactly the kind of attitude the animal industries have promoted to the public for years. The same industries who pay the RSPCA to approve their products.

      While Wirth nobly touts the RSPCA’s “duty…to achieve the best possible and most humane production systems…for the vast majority of Australians…who eat meat and eggs and drink milk…”, the RSPCA can never be “for all creatures great and small”. As long as they receive money for animals in systems where they can and are subjected to cruelty, the RSPCA can not be about preventing cruelty to animals. Whether or not they agree with vegetarianism, it is not the RSPCA’s duty to help set up animal production systems, it is their duty to prevent cruelty to animals. That is what the community expects from them, nothing more.


      What the Racing fraternity failed to do, was put The RSPCA on the payroll, then Hugh Wirth, would have put his money and time into protesting something else. The jumping of racehorses would not have been under threat, and the continuation of some very historical races dating back to the 1870’s could continue. It is a sad day when animal cruelty is backed by the RSPCA, yet majestic and well groomed, well fed and highly loved jumping thoroughbreds are protested against, just because there is no money in it for the RSPCA.

      The RSPCA and animal liberation groups have lost the plot, and are making a noise about nothing compared to the real problems with animal cruelty in this country.

      Reply

    • Greg says:

      10:33am | 01/11/10

      Ward Young has no credibility, his story is full of lies, half truths and rubbish.
      He even has to use a picture from England Jumps, which bear no relationship to ours at all.
      Disgraceful article

      Reply

    • Kerryn says:

      12:49pm | 01/11/10

      well said Greg.  Agree with you 100%

    • Macca says:

      11:35pm | 01/11/10

      I don’t appreciate your earlier reply to my comment at 10.36am Greg, accusing me of watching bull fights, I would never watch a bull fight, there is a thing I watch called the news so I happen to hear these stories of bulls injuring the people. Leave your rude comments to the people who have no care for animals

    • newnewshound says:

      10:46am | 01/11/10

      I am staggered by the number of unwanted racehorses killed every year. The racing industry is totally devoid of ethics, always has been. And this appalling statistic does nothing to redeem its reputation. The sole function of professional horseracing is not to keep the animals fit and healthy, nor to “entertain” the public, but simply to make money. This so-called “sport” has no place in a modern civilized society. I have never heard one legitimate argument defending its continuance. Its only support comes from greed, either from those chasing elusive prize money or mug punters who mistakenly believe, God help them, that a big tax-free win is just around the corner. It never is. Let the greedy find another way to make a dollar, eliminate industrial-scale horse breeding, and allow ex-racehorses to live out their remaining years to their natural conclusion.

      Reply

    • Mike says:

      10:53am | 01/11/10

      Can anybody confirm this figure of 19,000 odd horses being killed for dog meat each year and is that in Australia only?
      The story disturbs and I would like to have that verified before I get on my high horse and lecture people.

      Reply

    • Helen says:

      11:16am | 01/11/10

      I agree with most except the part that says thoroughbred racehorses (not jumps) are “flogged to within an inch of their lives”...that’s rubbish.

      Reply

    • Jane says:

      11:17am | 01/11/10

      Nick says “The majority of horses are sold to families to be used as ponies, as well as the stables keeping the horse as a lead-pony once it has reached it’s time.”
      Are you saying, Nick, that a horse can suddenly morph into a different species when it retires? Amazing.
      And a good indicator of the intelligence of people who defend this cruel “sport”

      Reply

    • Caroline says:

      02:45pm | 01/11/10

      Umm Jane Horses and Ponies are the same thing.  Many people who own/work with/know about horses regularly call them ponies.

    • Nick says:

      09:32pm | 01/11/10

      A lead pony is what you call an ex-racehorse because it leads the younger race horses around. You’d know this if you had any idea of horse racing, one my family has been in for 5 generations.

      It’s called a lead-pony because younger horses are inexperienced and require the guidance of an older, more experienced horse to “lead” the other horse by example.

      Pony is not a different breed of horse. It’s just how a horse is referred to that is used for odd jobs such as “being a lead pony” as they are no longer racehorses.

      A good indicator of the intelligence of people who turn their noses up at this sport as they have no idea. Period.

    • Kevin says:

      11:23am | 01/11/10

      It’s stupid how many of these people are so hell bent on getting rid of jumps racing when at the moment it effectively serves as a second chance for most from becoming pet food. If these people had any idea they would be better off focusing on the issue of what happens to racehorses once they retire. Why can’t we have a system similar to the other countries such as France where it is mandatory to allocate a portion of the prizemoney that a horse wins towards its retirement? Why can’t the racing federations and the government contribute some of that huge profit towards setting up funds to address the issue?

      It’s sad to see these people who have very little knowledge of the industry having such a great effect. A few years ago they called for the jumps to be made smaller even though everyone involved in jumps racing told them it was a ridiculous idea that would result in more horses dieing as the smaller hurdles would be treated with contempt by the horses and the races would be ran at a faster pace meaning that a horse was more likely to trip over and when they did the effect would be far greater because of the speed they were travelling at. These idiots though ignored everyone who knew something about jumps racing and got their wishes to have new jumps installed and guess what happened, more horses died from the implementation of these new jumps. Now why hasn’t there been any uproar about that?

      Reply

    • ML says:

      11:36am | 01/11/10

      What is ‘cruel’? It is a subjective term. Obviously all these people who keep horses in paddocks and then tether them with a bridle and saddle and expect them to perform don’t think that is ‘cruel’. But I might, and others too. But hey, they get ‘pleasure’ from it (@ Jane Nicolle) so it’s OK.

      Why do people insist on forcing their moral ideals on other people? Everyone justifies to themselves their own acceptable level of cruelty to both animals and other hum beings - we all have to eat.

      If you don’t like horse racing, don’t watch it. Simple.

      Reply

    • Jane Nicolle says:

      04:08pm | 01/11/10

      For the record - I haven’t had a bridle on my horse in two years. We ride in a rope halter - when we ride that is - I tend to spend more time on the ground than in the saddle. My horse is very rarely “tethered” he did three years as a riding school horse before I owned him, and spent 10 hours a day (when he wasn’t being ridden) tied up to a post. No food, nothing. It sent him crazy - as a general rule, I avoid tying him up. He stands still of his own accord for things like saddling / brushing / feet trimming / etc - so I don’t see why he should be restrained “just in case” smile

    • Gemma says:

      11:52am | 01/11/10

      The majority of these comments from people in denial are either a) from people who work in the industry, trying to protect it and cover up the TRUTH.
      b) Are making a profit.
      c) Have not been to the knackery or witnessed the killing of these horses.
      d) do not know the facts and are simply going by what they’re heard or been told or think and just want to argue.

      Well done Ward. It is people like you who are changing the world and making it a better place and making a stand on animal cruelty.

      Reply

    • Shane says:

      12:42pm | 01/11/10

      And have you become so enlightened, Gemma? It seems you’ve managed to learn the deep, dark, dirty secrets of the racing industry without being involved in it…. Secrets you claim are being well hidden from the public.

      I hope you back this “stand on animal cruelty” with genuine action, not just use it as a whip to “thrash” the rest of society with. Hypocracy is not a good colour on anyone…

    • john says:

      11:56am | 01/11/10

      What about livestock that is bred purposely for human consumption? Why target horse racing? At least these animals have a chance to have a positive influence in so many lives. What chance does a lamb or chicken have- bred to be eaten. Or maybe you just want the whole world population to be vegitarian? Dic/#3@d

      Reply

    • mellissa says:

      01:18pm | 01/11/10

      A whole population of vegetraians and a world free from suffering= My utopia smile

    • Steph says:

      06:59pm | 01/11/10

      We don’t need to eat meat to survive. So really, those who do are just eating it for the pleasure. Vegetarian world? That would be awesome. But I can’t see anyone giving up their selfish and cozy lifestyle to do something “out of the box”. Pity, really - maybe more would get done in the world if people did start thinking about something other than themselves.

    • Darren says:

      12:03pm | 01/11/10

      I have nothing against horse racing - but if/when the horse falls and neds to be out down so should the jockey, trainer, owners and all the punters - they all want to benefit from the horse runnning fast and should all pay the penalty with the horse as well

      Reply

    • Jamie says:

      04:14pm | 01/11/10

      Melissa do you understand the concept of Carnivores and Herbivores?

    • tex says:

      12:11pm | 01/11/10

      So typical of the Left Yawn…....... always interfering in our lives, making up complete fantasy to suit an agenda for their perfect world no one really would want to live in.

      Ward Young should stick to what he knows best his favorite sport of self loathing and beating ones self silly with a feather duster, stay out of our lives Ward we don’t like your world so stop trying to make us.

      Reply

    • Ben Sinclair says:

      12:18pm | 01/11/10

      The horses would not even be bred and have a life at all if it wasn’t for the racing industry. Jumps races give the horses that can not compete on the flat the chance of a longer life. Otherwise, they would be put down or turned into pet food.

      Horses are natural runners. Training is more to do with conditioning and handling the barriers. Only a small percentage of horses die as a result of race falls.

      If you are against breeding animals that will ultimately die in the name of human need, we would need to stop eating beef, lamb, pork etc. Bleeding heart vegetarians would love this.

      As for gambling, we spend more money on poker machines than all other forms of gambling put together. Horse racing makes up a rlatively minor part.

      Ward Young - get a life, and write about something important.

      Reply

    • Kerryn says:

      12:36pm | 01/11/10

      woo hoo….  well say Ben

      Mistruth again.  You can tell the Melbourne Cup is coming up.  All the anti-jumps and do-gooders are coming out of the closet.

    • William says:

      12:19pm | 01/11/10

      I agree with the article, stop horse racing. Its cruel. And so old hat.

      Now, what would appeal to the modern punter? Lets get our thinking gear on.  More danger, more exotic, more televisual.

      I know! Whale racing. Scuba clad men and women with nerves of steel latch onto a passing humpback, with timed distances and extra points for depths reached. All recorded with the latest digital transmissions. At last, something worthy of those 3D tellies.

      Reply

    • Al says:

      12:29pm | 01/11/10

      1) Horses are not ‘flogged/whipped to within an inch of their lives by ANY trainer who cares about horses’ (and there are the ones who don’t care!).  Besides, take any whip/crop designed for use on horses and guess what, it is almost impossible to cause pain to a human, let alone a horse.
      2) Horses trained for racing tend to be difficult to train for other purposes as they tend not to learn how to walk/trot/canter properley, concentrating on galloping. However this can be dealt with by proper training.
      3) Those who love horses tend not to engage in racing as it does destroy the abilities in horses for various activities, those who love horses tend to concentrate on events such as dressage, hacking, cross country, jumping (as opposed to jumps racing) polo etc.
      4) The horses used for the above types of activity tend to live, and be used well into their 20s.
      5) If the RSPCA are even close to the goals of PETA they are nothing but SELF CETRED HYPOCRITES.

      Reply

    • mellissa says:

      01:30pm | 01/11/10

      I dont know how anybody finds it appealing to watch horses being beaten repeatedly with a whip. The racing industry is exploitation gone mad and is just so barbaric for so many reasons.

      The racing industry is no worse than the meat and dairy industries (and I dont think the writer intended to suggest this). Just look at dairy farms who kill bobby calves the day they are born, discarding them like garbage. Most of those kinds of issues are behind closed doors, and its the same with horse racing. All the public sees are horses running around a racetrack. Theyre blind to the intolerable cruelty that occurs behind the scenes.

      I congratulate this writer for attempting to open the doors on the racing industry and expose the injustice facing these amazing creatures. Well done.

      Reply

    • Jo says:

      02:06pm | 01/11/10

      But what will all you idiots do on the first Tuesday in November now? The same hypocrites who go on about the evils of gambling are the first to don the tacky hat and fang into the champagne breakfasts on Cup day, and enter their lame little office calcutta’s.
      And besides,  I hear horse meat is the new Wagyu ....

      Reply

    • AJ000 says:

      02:27pm | 01/11/10

      A 150 kg person riding a horse for pleasure, now THAT in my mind is cruel.

      Reply

    • Caroline says:

      02:51pm | 01/11/10

      AJooo if you think back to war times, many horses would have a rider and fully equipped gear on their back weighing over 150kg.  What about Knights long ago, surely all that steel was lightweight???  Also would you say it is cruel for a 17.3hh Clydesdale who weighs a tonne to have a 150kg person on their back???

    • AJ000 says:

      08:58pm | 01/11/10

      Caroline, and the point I was trying to make .... exactly.

    • Jane says:

      02:43pm | 01/11/10

      @Kerryn “do-gooders are coming out of the closet.”
      Tell me what the opposite of a do-gooder is. If you don’t do good, what do you do? The answer is pretty simple.

      Reply

    • sydneym says:

      02:58pm | 01/11/10

      Actual people get killed in car crashes… let’s ban cars.

      Reply

    • George Harris says:

      03:25pm | 01/11/10

      There is only one thing more entertaining than a small man being strapped to a large horse and cavorting around a track.  That is a small man being strapped to a large horse and cavorting around a track with jumps placed at strategic intervals.  Lighten up kill joys.

      Reply

    • Peter says:

      04:20pm | 01/11/10

      It’s a pity so many people can comment on this subject but ignore our elderly.
      Some of the people on here are probably waiting for a mum or dad or grandparents to die in their old peoples homes so you can get your hands on what is left to you.

      Reply

    • nosthow says:

      04:31pm | 01/11/10

      I would like to see Tony Abbott and and Scott Morrison belted on the bum with a jockeys whip to drum some sense into them re their draconian Asylum Seeker Policy. Yeah.

      Reply

    • hot tub political machine says:

      04:34pm | 01/11/10

      I’ve never been much of a pro animal rights type - but I find jumps racing extremely distastful. Clearly most of the community are also oppossed so its got to be bad PR for the industry

      Reply

    • andrew says:

      05:24pm | 01/11/10

      O.K you’re obviously trying (very hard) to make YOUR point here. It’s a little extreme though isn’t it, do these horses with their shiny coats look like they’ve been whipped “within an inch of their life” at the end of a race? really? No they don’t, because it is at least debateable (in fact proven in many ways) that these horses don’t feel any pain from the PADDED whips, oh yea you didn’t mention that. And it is very possible that these horses, whos trainers attend to them every morning to feed them and train them and maintain them, much as it is recommended to do as much as you can to any pet, do get something back from what they put in, most the horses out there seem happy the way they live, the ones that aren’t don’t race because they’re no good. But hey, since when has journalism been about showing both sides of the coin, and most people don’t know much about this industry, so you paint it the colour you want, I think that’s what the power of the fourth estate is for. If you keep writing like this, you can’t love journalism!

      Reply

    • Harold Bray says:

      05:28pm | 01/11/10

      The writer has worked with PETA…..enough said!!!

      Credibility rating….NIL!!!!!

      Reply

    • Jenny Talia says:

      06:09pm | 01/11/10

      This article has put me off racing altogether. My problem now is what to do with the roasted whale meat sandwiches, glazed fur seal kidneys and pickled panda nipples I had packed in my hamper for the cup.

      Reply

    • Likes Joining Dots says:

      08:21pm | 01/11/10

      Reading through close to 200 comments, there appear to be only two camps in this discussion.
      Those that humanise horses.
      Those that work with horses.

      Reply

    • Alan says:

      09:09pm | 01/11/10

      What a load of absolute crap, you have not got a clue about what you are trying to talk about
      You totally ignored the truth and only put forward your version of the truth, which is full of lies.
      It’s easy to put your side of the story to a moron that does not know any better.Sorry Mr Murray but you have lost me forever. I like my tv presenters to do their research and at least know a little bit about the topic.

      Reply

    • Farkurnell says:

      09:48pm | 01/11/10

      Now that you’ve all had your say,Who’s gunna win the cup?
      By the way, no one has mentioned the poor hatmakers that are going to be thrown on the scrap heap when racing is banned.

      Reply

    • Daniel says:

      08:41am | 02/11/10

      it makes me laugh when people so ill informed and unexperinced try to write about something they really don’t understand. I work for a racehorse training/ breeding company. so lets disect this manipulative piece of crap you have managed to write here.
      You cannot throw jumps racing and horse racing under the same label, it’s two completely different things. the main problem with jumps racing here is we do not breed for it, we do not train for it, our tracks and jumps are not designed for it. it is a second chance for those horses you say all end up as dog food. its like putting a chihuaua in a greyhounds race, its never going to end well!
      How can you say we abuse/ mistreat our horses? do you understand how prime athletes work? they need the very best of veterinary, nutritional, chiropractic, pyhsio and training assistance they can get. where else would a horse recive such top quality care? if we abused/ neglected our horses they would never be able to race at their best so it would kind of defeat the purpose do you think????????
      if your so worried about horses ending up as dog meat why didnt you fight harder against them being allowed for human consumption? its an animal kingdom, at least those horses had a life, had a chance, what about every other animal in that slaughter house that was specifically bred for the kill? is that acceptable?
      and you don’t mention anything about the thousands upon thousand of racehorses rehomed to other equestrian pursuits, i.e the horse that i event and many of the horses that took the australian equestrian team members to gold were, you guessed it ex race horses!
      not every horse makes it as a 2yo racer, we only race 2yo’s that have been selectively bred for that exact purpose. shame we can’t selectively breed people and get rid of some of the riff raff!!!

      Reply

    • Strong Supporter of who-ever Daniel is... says:

      11:23am | 02/11/10

      Here Here…

    • Paul Prentice says:

      09:30am | 02/11/10

      How many so called Equine experts (not) on this website get up at 4am
      to feed muck out ,exersice the horses care for there cuts ,who here has
      put money into a race horse and knows the cost ,how many people have bonded with a racehorse…None im sure…how many people are showing
      and have exracehorses as pets,pets they would not have the money or expertise in breeding ,braking in,or education…A race horse when injured
      has a vet to it in minutes…have you taken your kids to a public hospital latley
      horses get better looked after than children these days…for those would live in some sought of pixie land ..the labor/green state governments are broke and the money that they steal of racing is keeping them in power so while you greenie backward doo-gooders keep voting for them, we in racing will continue to get up at 4am go and exersice the animals we love ...the rest of you get of the couch ,loose some weight and get a life..go for a ride through
      the snowys…after March this year the cattle will be going back up the there and how we have some lovely big breeds we are going to release to breed up the size of the brumbys so if greenies try and catch them again the horse can give as much as they get…oh they may shoot them from helicopters and leave them to suffer.

      Reply

    • cupcakes says:

      12:12pm | 02/11/10

      Its all about the money, not love.

      They don’t get the vet out because they are distraught at their poor pony being injured\sick, its all about the money. Horse can’t race, horse can’t make money.

      Again, getting up at 4am - many pleasure horse owners are up early before work and \or up late after work (I’ve been out til 9pm some nights).

      And to the people suggesting that retired racehorses should be given to kids to ride at pony club.. Are you serious?  Who in their right mind would do something so stupid. I’m an experienced rider and there is no way in hell I’d by an OTTB.

    • Robert Smissen, rural SA, God's own country says:

      10:17am | 02/11/10

      Maybe if all injured jockeys were put down this cruelty would end. If I whipped my dog with a riding crop, I’d be prosecuted, so why has no jockey ever been charged? ?

      Reply

    • Shane says:

      12:04pm | 02/11/10

      This debate needs to be fought over a more simplistic moral dilemma instead of the unproductively narrow scope of some of the discussions above.

      We need to realise that just because horses are supposedly larger, more complex and more intelligent creatures this does not mean that we should value their lives over say, a small fish or… other animals that are consumed on a daily basis by 95% of the population (minus the 4-5% vegetarians, vegans and other derivatives).

      At some point in this debate, we need to recognise the larger overarching moral compass which should guide these discussions. We need to recognise that all animals are not equal in the eyes of the majority of humans.

      Animals that are larger, more complex, more ‘cute’, more ‘majestic’ or generally more ‘impressive’ tend to receive a disproportionately larger wave of support from environmentalists. In doing this, environmentalists and conservationists weaken their own arguments by failing to acknowledge and actively deal with the fact that this inherent and unavoidable bias ignores the majority of other ‘animal attrocities’ that occur state-wide/ nation-wide and world-wide.

      Don’t get me wrong, the logic behind preserving endangered species and protecting animals that are integral to the ecosystems of certain regions is strong and will always garner full support from the wider community. However, in reality, there needs to be a concession that the majority of humans will continue to consume animal products. Hence, we are left to find ways to breed and harvest animals for food in the most safe and the least painful way - the lesser of the available evils - it is impractical to believe that at some stage all humans will become herbivores.

      Flowing from this logic, we also need to recognise that there is a actual practical constraint on the capacity for all humans to live ‘off the land’ in terms of fruit, vegetables and other products. The world population of just under 7 billion people cannot be sustained by greenhouses and argicultural land alone. The consumption of animal meat (whether it be fish, cow, pig, horse…) cannot be stopped en masse. Further to this, it is not ‘fair’ to distinguish between these animals just because of personal characteristics or because of a collectively percieved heirarchy due to size, lifespan or their ‘likability’. The only distinction that should be made is for those animals that are subject to extinction, play an integral part in an ecosystem or need protection due to some extreme situational factors that render them likely to extinction and hence increase the likelihood of ecosystem destruction.

      We as humans have the obligation to ensure that ecosystems are preserved within reasonable constraints. We as humans have the obligation to ensure that we do not positively discriminate towards certain animals because of particular personal characteristics - which in reality do not entitle them to supreme status over other species. We as humans have the obligation to recognise that this overarching moral compass needs to guide the debate on animal cruelty, animal consumption and animal heirarchy.

      Reply

    • Rachie says:

      10:47pm | 02/11/10

      Racehorses are not whipped to an inch of their life, that is a ridiculous comment in the article. Whips are padded and there are now restrictions on the amount a jockey can hit them. People not involved in racing don’t understand how well racehorses are actually looked after. Yes the fact that many horses end up as dog meat is sad but as mentioned by others cattle etc are all bred to be eaten. One of the biggest problems with jumps racing is that the RSPCA made Racing Victoria decrease the size of the jumps which means the horses now just run through them, they don’t slow done before jumping because they don’t have to because the jumps are smaller and this results in more falls. If you think jumps racing in Victoria is harsh and suggest you find an aintree grand national to watch online, it is a far more gruelling race than any jumps race in Australia.

      Reply

    • cathy c says:

      11:03pm | 02/11/10

      one day, you watch, there will be enough decent people to question the whole horse racing industry, and it will join the ranks of the othe animal welfare issues, and be scrutinized and made unacceptible, because it is based on the notion of cruelty to an animal, and the little weeny men who need to use whips to prove themselves wil be seen as little weeny men and despised. history has many examples of this- eg- blood sports with animals, eventually the gay waterhouses of this world will be seen as sickoes and blood sport ghouls, just out for a buck on the back of an animal, that if it doesnt win, will be sold for dog food.

      Reply

    • Paul Prentice says:

      11:11am | 03/11/10

      Cathy has degree in marxism (google)let the cat out the bag there didnt you cath

    • James says:

      09:19am | 03/11/10

      Oh dear. Some comments here that need to be addressed.

      First up, any ones along these lines: “Horses love running!!!” “These horses LOVE to race.” “The fact is that thoroughbreds ared BRED to race ... The assertion that they are FORCED to race against their will is therefore absurd.”

      Here’s a tip. Watch the horses being forced, pushed, prodded into the enclosures of the starting gate before a race. These comments suggest that these horses actually suggest some sort of human nature, that these horses actually look forward to the race.

      If that was the case, then you would assume they would trot right up to those enclosures with a ‘bring it on’ attitude. Right. Any casual observation would indicate they are frightened by the enclosures, and there is a definite case of ‘force’ about getting them in there, through not just pushing, but whips, twitches, even lip chains. When the gates open, they bolt (as you would if you were frightened), and run like hell. It is a matter of conjecture as to whether they are ‘loving’ it. Until horses talk in a non Mr Ed world, we don’t know. Cummings talked of the horses being spooked by the loud noise of the bands the other day. Who knows, then, the effect of screaming jockeys and crowds?

      But good God, it is ridiculous to suggest that, just because horses like to run, they like to do so under these circumstances. I like to run too, but I don’t want it forced on me. Nor do I want another species sitting on my back when I do.

      In other words, you would have to be daft to not see that racing is a matter of force and lack of choice for the animal. That, then, would be a kind of definition of cruelty.

      As for whipping, well ... Okay, there are all sorts of rules around the use of the whip. The question is as to it’s use. Why use it at all if it does not, by pain, encourage a horse forward? The RSPCA (ahhh, groans of anti-green-ness from the stalls?) suggest that ” ... repeated striking with a whip (of any type) in the same area of the body has the potential to cause localised trauma and tissue damage, the extent of which will increase with the force of the strike and the number of repetitions.” Hence the number of times a whip can be applied.

      If it is limited and non traumatic, it has no use, surely? As to the one or two here who write things like “Besides, take any whip/crop designed for use on horses and guess what, it is almost impossible to cause pain to a human, let alone a horse”, well ... I am not sure what they get up to in the privacy of their own homes, but it is hard to believe they get someone to whip their bare backside repeatedly as a means of testing this. You’d hope ...

      And this; ““Yes the fact that many horses end up as dog meat is sad but as mentioned by others cattle etc are all bred to be eaten.” Ahhh, well, I am a meat eater. But I recognise this: there are no statues immortalising a particular cow or sheep that I am aware of. No cow’s name engraved on plaques on pub walls. No dead sheep’s carcass mounted and lauded in a museum anywhere. Etcetera.

      We mythologise horses. We get misty eyed and sentimental about them, talk about how beautiful they are. That is the difference. Because that underlines the ridiculousness and hypocrisy of how we then treat them. Sure, we pamper them medically and feed them well, but they still are forced to run at our whim and pleasure, for our profit. And the best medical help ... ain’t that completely and utterly selfish, just to just make sure they faster and longer? Hence this comment above: “... if we abused/ neglected our horses they would never be able to race at their best so it would kind of defeat the purpose do you think?”

      Exactly.

      When that career is finished, a good filly like Makybe Diva then has pregnancies forced upon it for cash. And then, when all that is done, some of them are then sold off for pet food. The figure here is based on Japan, where around 20,000 horses ” ... including former Thoroughbred race horses, were killed in 2008 in Japan for use as human and pet food”.

      I do not know the fate of the many Australian race horses. Would hope it is not this.

      On the other hand, research by sites like Race Horse Death Watch, show that “around 420 horses are raced to death every year. About 38 per cent die on racecourses, while the others are destroyed as a result of training injuries.” That site lists about 103 race horses who either meet death by accident on the track, or are destroyed as a result of injury maintained on the track. The races listed are in the UK and Ireland alone.

      And as for this: “If you don’t like horse racing, don’t watch it. Simple.” Yeah. we should ignore anything that involves pain or suffering, like those pesky famines in Africa. Cos that makes it all okay.

      We have a duty as the dominant species of this planet to be a little caring about those we share it with. And to not lie to ourselves about how we treat them.

      Reply

    • Paul Prentice says:

      04:02pm | 03/11/10

      we wont force kids to go to school,we wont force fish into the net,we wont take the eggs of chickens, carrots should should be left in the ground as not to hert there feelings…..Uneducated whakos!!!!!

    • James says:

      09:23am | 03/11/10

      Oh, my comment on the Race Horse Death Watch site, and 103 horses. That is for this year alone. Should have made that clear!

      Reply

    • Paul Prentice says:

      11:25am | 03/11/10

      You rehtric about not having a thorougbreed as a riding horse, leads me to believe you are not really that experienced a rider my twelve year old daughter would be willing to let you ride her ex- racehorse she could give you a lesson or two,you sound like a frustated beginner her would dearly love to be able to have the abilty to ride not one racehorse a morning but ten,
      Some mothers do have EM!

      Reply

    • roo says:

      01:40pm | 03/11/10

      Biased blog with only half the facts. Sure, there are some practices that should be improved but this blog is full of error. Horses love ro run, its what they do. Surely the continued urbanisation of rural land for develop profit is a more important animal welfare issue

      Reply

    • James says:

      04:03pm | 03/11/10

      Another ‘horses love to run’ comment ... I will reiterate. There is a world of difference between an animal loving to run of its own free will, and an animal saddled up, with another species sitting on its back, forced into the starting gate enclosure, and running like crazy for a finish line, and all at a human being’s will and whim. The horse has no choice as to when and why it runs. It is merely ‘trained’ to get used to it and probably put up with it, and, until they can actually speak their own mind, one should assume that the imposition of the human will over a subservient animal’s, and all in the name of human entertainment and profit, constitutes ‘cruelty’. You can dress it up any way that you like, make the excuse that they are well looked after, but it all serves these clear purposes: our pleasure and at our time, not that of the animal’s.

    • Paul Prentice says:

      04:56pm | 03/11/10

      Even humans get jittery,  nervous, before a big race how do so many ground dwellers get to be self confessed experts…This is why this country is such a mess…..half baked doo-gooders….lefty loonies voting green in there hippie cafes thinking they know how to save the env iroment and destroying farmers lives..Now here comes the equine lefties…..Im sure every one in racing would like to see the hundred million dollors a year or more the Labor/green state Government steal of racing and put into consolidated revenue,used to buy some retirement farms for retired horses,but i guess that something you lefties have to take up with your State Government….PS…best do it before March….

      Reply

    • James says:

      09:05am | 04/11/10

      Ahhh, I shouldn’t bite: trying to get the last word in is a loser’s game. But ... what the hell. Paul, you seem to be wilfully missing my point. “Even humans get jittery,  nervous, before a big race”. You are ascribing human emotions on horses, suggesting that the fact that they often have to be forced into the starting gate is just because they are nervous about the race ahead. What? Do you think maybe they didn’t sleep the night before too? All wanting to win and all? Prove themselves?

      Sheesh, champ. They are horses,not people. They aren’t thinking about the race in any human terms of winning, trying to do their best etc. They are simply animals who get pushed and prodded around a track.

      More importantly, and my point again, is that human’s get nervous because they do think about the race, they have made a choice to be at the race, they choose it (at least the professionals) as a career, and profit from it. Horses don’t. If they are nervous, it is most likely because they are fearful about being shoved into a starter’s gate.

      But, simply put, until a horse actually wakes it’s owner (there’s a tip in that word too), pushes them into a car, hops in the trailer, gets to a track, tosses on it’s saddle and any small bloke it can find, and lines up with a bunch of other horses, and then runs like the clappers in the same direction as the other horses (having given the nod to the starter to open the gate), all of its own volition, it is fair to assume they are not acting of their own free will.

      What do you think those horses would be doing if they were left to their own devices? Grazing, sleeping, with, sure, the occasional, at-no-particular-time, run about for a minute or two, that’s what.

      As for this: “we wont force kids to go to school,we wont force fish into the net,we wont take the eggs of chickens, carrots should should be left in the ground as not to hert there feelings…..Uneducated whakos!!!!!” ... Well, I think you are using ‘won’t’ where you might mean, with some sense of irony, ‘shouldn’t’. As in you are trying to list the kinds of things ‘hippie greenies’ want us to do (no not do) that are just plain unreasonable. Or somesuch.

      Personally I don’t know anyone who thinks education for kids is not a good thing. I do know, however, a lot of kids who don’t like going to school, but have to as it is required by law. I would say, then, that some kids are, indeed, forced to go to school.

      As for fish: I am not sure what you mean. Are you suggesting we should not force fish into the net? Or that we don’t force fish into the net, i.e. they do it of their own back? That would be daft if it were the latter. Net fishing is, after all, like ... hmmm, cornflakes + bowl + spoon. Is this some sort of comment about environmental concerns about over fishing? Really? You should think of that from a farming perspective: imagine sending every cow you have off to slaughter, then going back a year later hoping to magically find a whole bunch of new cattle. That is what the concern about this is, that, without knowing things like populations, breeding patterns etc., we might run out of fish as a resource. Up to you if you think that is a valid concern, but I do know people in the fishing industry, and they are doing research into this.

      The eggs comment is, I imagine, your just not knowing what the concerns are there. It’s not about the eggs, fella, never was. It’s about how the chickens that lay them are treated. You don’t need to shove three or four chickens into cages where they can’t move, poop all over each other, get covered in sores from rubbing against metal bars all day etc., to get eggs out of them. Hence why you now get free range eggs in most supermarkets.

      And the carrots thing? No one believes that carrots have feelings, not even most, um, looney lefties. But by that token, it is worth pointing out that there are a lot of Right wingers across the U.S. who believe the world was created 10,000 years ago in seven days, every species on planet was put into a giant boat, and that there really is a place called Hell populated with red skinned chaps with horns and pitchforks.

      And, as a final tip, putting in a comment about ‘uneducated’ after things like “hert there” instead of “hurt their”, and spelling whackos as “whakos” is not going to win you any converts.

      Really, one of the saddest things about these sorts of comments is the belief that anyone who cares about the environment and the creatures we share this planet with must sit on the left of the political divide. Luckily I know folks from both sides of the fence who do care, putting paid to this kind of rant.

      Reply

    • MuseumCritic says:

      01:18pm | 11/07/11

      Well said on both counts, James.

    • Dean says:

      03:06pm | 04/11/10

      So we should let the dogs (which are carnivores) starve? We’d have to breed and kill more cows if we were to reduce the number of horses going to the knackery. Race horses are better treated than cows.

      Why don’t you say what you really want? You want an end to animal slaughter of all types. As an omnivore and the dominant species on the planet I couldn’t disagree more for the most fundamental and instinctive reasons.

      It’s articles like these that allow jumps racing to continue by muddying the waters about what the real agenda is.

      Reply

    • Horse says:

      09:18am | 05/11/10

      Can’t imagine why we think it is normal to watch an animal being whipped. If it doesn’t cause the horse discomfort, then what is the point of whipping.  Of course whipping causes discomfort, that is why the horse runs faster.  Let’s see what happens if we ban whips. Then we can see for ourselves if we need whips in racing.
      Allowing children to see animals being whipped on television surely sends out the wrong message.
      No other animal is shown on television being whipped for the entertainment of the masses. Question WHY THE HORSE? Answer. MONEY . You can’t make a cow run fast by whipping it!!  Waken Up all you punters.

      Reply

    • Horse says:

      10:09am | 05/11/10

      Not only am I concerned about the horse, I also feel the punters have the same raw deal.  We are all being conned.  The odds are stacked against you winning lots of money, otherwise the bookies and racehorse industry wouldn’t be in business. You work all week and spend some or most of your money on a bet and you lose. You would be better spending your hard earned cash on your family or paying your bills.  The industry cares little about you. Don’t be an idiot, look at the affluence at the top of the racing industry, don’t spend your money on other people, look after yourself and your own families. Couldn’t stand seeing my money being spend on some one else’s expensive hat! Like I said, waken up, punters are no more thought of than the horse who doesn’t make the grade. If you must gamble buy a lottery ticket, at least some of the money goes to good causes.

      Reply

    • Paul Prentice says:

      07:51pm | 15/11/10

      I always find it amazing how people are to cowardly to use there real name or full name…there is no crocodiles or barbwire between you and your key board…must be fear….no name no substance

    • James says:

      02:54pm | 18/11/10

      Paul, you are now resorting to having a go at the posters lack of full names, calling them cowardly. Personally I think this is a much more “cowardly” thing to do. Plus it ignores the arguments in favour of a slight and awkward insult, and one the seems a little like the school bully, the type who strides up to the class academic and takes a swipe at them just because they are more clever. Your post was not an endearing strategy and a little out of touch with the way forums work: most people do not give their full names, and more often than not, use pseudonyms and the like. And most posters deal with this and address the arguments.

    • Jane Duckworth says:

      02:44pm | 07/05/11

      Have a look at http://www.doghorsewelfare.com.au to read about Australia’s first horse welfare book. A large chapter on the racing industry covers most aspects of concern ie whip use; two year olds racing; overbreeding, jumps racing and so on. Find out the truth.

      Reply

    • Liz says:

      02:42am | 17/06/11

      If only the writer of this article did their research before writing. Most horse meat is far too expensive to go for dog food.

      Look it up…..horse meat for human consumption, consumed in Europe. I ran a 501c3 nonprofit for many years fighting horse neglect, your dogs cannot afford this meat.

      Reply

    • horsebettingtips says:

      09:36am | 27/06/11

      i think in every country there is always a rule in any animals in their country.and i think in australia have this also to protect every animals not only a horse but also in all animals.so there is respect to them.

      http://www.championpicks.com.au/

      Reply

    • Emma says:

      11:45am | 08/08/11

      Interesting blog. This is a nice personal blog similar to my favourite site at http://www.horseracingtips.net.In the Uk, there are sure rules to protect horses.

      Reply

    • Niki says:

      08:03pm | 09/04/12

      There are a few people on this forum who have something interesting and intelligent to contribute. The rest of you tossers are spouting mindless drivel and obviously have no knowledge of horses and also cannot even spell, so shut the f*** up!

      Reply

    • les says:

      01:11pm | 19/04/12

      firstly, these animals wouldnt even be born if they werent bred for racing….what about sheep,cattle ,pigs and chickens…....they wouldnt be born if we werent going to milk, shear,or eat them!!!  imagine empty dusty paddocks everywhere across this ONCE great country…...mmmmm now what about all those DOGS????i think you should look into that one, because the dog breeders, kill the pups that dont LOOK right!!!e.g.
        funny thing, most of the people doing the complainig have NEVER livced in the country/on the land or even had any real contact with these types of animals…...... mybe they should all stay where they belong, in the cities with their cats.

      Reply
 
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