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Good morning everyone,
I hope you all realise the terrible, horrendous injuries and sufferings the horses in our society today are enduring everyday, being trained and pushed to success. I wonder how you would feel if you were pushed, whipped and made to sprint without stopping. Horse racing is a sport that has been around for years! There is no eradicating it anytime soon that’s for sure, but there are things that we, as supporters, trainers or even owners can do to try and reduce the sufferings these poor animals are dealing with. |
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| Around 700 to 800 race horses are injured or die every year, with the national average being around two breakdowns for every 1,000 starts. At just two-years old, these horses are pushed by their trainer to compete and make the money the owner wants. Racing as a two-year old puts the horse at particular risk of injuries, as their skeletal system is still immature and not ready for all this intense training. |
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| Not only is it the training they are not ready for, but also the physical stress that is put on them when they are not racing as well as they should be or expected to. Most two-year-olds are unprepared to handle the pressure of running on the hard tracks at such high speeds while carrying back-breaking loads. The vast majority of jockeys are professional riders and winning for them is paramount. To further this, they will whip their horses to make them run faster or to keep them running when exhausted. |
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| Racing’s governing bodies allow animals to be whipped seven times in the last 200 metres, or from the last fence. Riders who do not obide by this rule, may receive a ban of just a day or two. Riders who exceed the whipping limit that are then banned but win, are allowed to keep the prize money and their win stands in the record books although they have exceeded the whipping limit. The Melbourne Cup is arguably Australia’s biggest annual sporting event. |
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| There’s glitz, and glamour, gorgeous dresses, sparkly jewelry and expensive wine. Though what we’re forgetting here is also the grim reality: The lives of the horses. Or more specifically, the lives that are lost. Racehorses are the victims of a multibillion-dollar industry that is widespread with drug abuse, injuries, and race fixing.Most of the time, for 22 hours of the day, whilst in training days, horses are kept isolated in stables. |
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| These stables are barely big enough for the horses to turn around in, and the only time they are out of these stables are when they are on the track. Stabling is the most 'practical' way to provide the horses with their high-performance training and racing diet, and housing them right next to the training track reduces the time consumed for daily transport. However, without social and environmental stimulation, horses can develop concerning behaviours, such as biting on fences and other fixed objects (also known as crib biting), and pulling back, making a characteristic grunting noise, where self-harm may occur. |
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| These behaviours are a strong indicator of welfare problems for horses. The constant confinement of the small stables is extremely stressful for these free and social creatures. How would you feel if you were stuck in a small, confined space where you couldn’t even turn around? Horses weigh on average, more than 1000 pounds and are supported by ankles the size of a human’s, this is just a disaster waiting to happen! |
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| Also being whipped and forced to run around tracks that are often made of hard-packed dirt at speeds of more than 30 miles per hour while carrying people on their backs, many of theses horses’ careers end at the slaughterhouse. The injuries that occur when horses fall or career into the jumps or the barriers can be quite horrific. Many are killed at a young age as they are deemed not suitable for racing or they may have genetic defects or other disorders. In the UK alone, more than 400 horses die on the track each year and in the US the number is double this. |
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| During training and in competition, horses of all ages can suffer painful muscular-skeletal injuries, such as torn ligaments and tendons, dislocated joints and even fractured bones. Strained tendons or hairline fractures can be tough for veterinarians to diagnose, and the damage may go from minor to irreversible at the next race or workout. Horses do not handle surgery well, as they tend to be disoriented when coming out of anaesthesia, and they may fight casts or slings, possibly causing further injury or distress. If veterinary costs are too high or the horse can no longer run, the horse will be sent to the slaughterhouse. |
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| Not only is it the physical stress on their bones, but their strict diet of high concentrate diets (grains) fed during training rather than extended grazing, often leads to gastric ulcers. A study of racehorses at Randwick (NSW) found that 89% had stomach ulcers, and many of the horses had deep, bleeding ulcers within 8 weeks of the commencement of their training. This is extremely stressful on the horses physical wellbeing. |
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| Jump racing is one of the many fates for 'failed' and 'retired' thoroughbred racing horses (particularly in Victoria and South Australia). The horse, when racing in a jumps race, is confronted with the task of galloping at high speed and being forced to clear obstacles of considerable height, whilst being surrounded by a group of other horses attempting the same. To avoid injury or death, the horse must clear each obstacle with an accuracy which is difficult when galloping at speed. |
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| Statistics over many years have shown that jumps races are even more dangerous and harmful for horses, with up to 20 times more fatalities than flat races. This is not surprising when you have a group of horses being pushed to jump a series of one metre high fences together at speed. As well as this, the jumps races are usually much longer, and the jockeys are permitted to be heavier. |
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| Tired horses have a greater risk of falling — risking injury to themselves and often the jockeys. That’s TWO lives at stake. Only 7 weeks after making the decision that 2010 would be the last season of jump racing, Racing Victoria made a shock announcement that if jump racing could meet three criteria relating to falls and fatalities, also race horse participation, jump racing would continue beyond the 2010 season. |
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The only way to stop cruelty is to not support it, by not betting on horses or attending horse races, you can make a difference. Both the mental and physical suffering of the horse is an extreme risk to them, also the fact they are only two-years old and pushed so hard to make money for their selfish owners, trainers and jockeys is truly disgusting and outrageous. After conducting my research, I have found that this is one of the most inhumane ways to be treating an animal and Australia must ban this ‘sport’ for the safety of these innocent animals. |
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