As the first horse dies at Cheltenham, animal rights groups call for immediate action
Why is no one acting?
National animal rights charity the League Against Cruel Sports is calling for tighter safety measures in horse racing as the Cheltenham Festival, at which 74 horses have died in 23 years, continues it’s deadly toll.
Cheltenham: another horse dead
At every single Cheltenham Festival since the year 2000 – apart from 2001, which was cancelled due to foot and mouth – at least one horse has died as a result of being raced. This year has already been no different.
As the Oxford Mail reported, on Tuesday 12 March:
a horse has had to be put down.
Just after the 2.50pm Ultima Handicap Chase set off, the horse Highland Hunter suffered a fatal fall.
ITV confirmed: “Highland Hunter has sadly passed away after suffering a fatal injury in the Ultima Handicap. Our thoughts are with connections at this difficult time”.
Highland Hunter died of a fatal heart attack. Emma Judd, head of campaigns at the League Against Cruel Sports, said:
As the festival gets underway again this year we knew it’s inevitable at least one horse was going to die needlessly for entertainment.
These shocking figures show that tighter safety measures are imperative to protect these animals and their jockeys.
A new independent regulatory body with horse welfare as its number one priority needs to be created.
This is ‘animal abuse’
The League is also campaigning for the use of the whip to be banned in horse racing, because it causes pain, and pushes tired horses beyond their limits.
An Early Day Motion in 2020 calling on the government to ensure the British Horse Racing Authority banned the use of the whip for ‘encouragement’, was signed by 97 MPs.
Its use was banned in Sweden in 2022, and it can now only be used to ward off a dangerous situation.
Iain Green, director at Animal Aid, told the Oxford Mail that “the racing authorities, the breeders, the owners, the jockeys and all equally culpable for putting horses into high-risk situations where their welfare and their lives are endangered.
He added:
This isn’t sport, this is animal abuse.
Judd added:
In what other public spectacle or sport would the beating of an animal play an integral role in influencing the outcome or result?
This callous disregard for the welfare of the horse has no place in a caring animal loving Britain and urgent steps need to be taken to end the use of the whip for ‘encouragement’ in horse racing.
Featured image via Racing TV – YouTube
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Just a bit of perspective …
In the UK there are over 19 million equestrian consumers with approximately 1 million horses in Britain alone. They can be the source of a career for some and simply a hobby for others, however horses can be unpredictable and when injuries are suffered they can be very serious. Along with road traffic accidents, equestrians have one of the highest rates of injuries.
Horse racing supports approximately 85,000 jobs in the UK. Yes, we could do without the whip, although it can be useful if there could potentially be a dangerous situation as horses ARE unpredictable, especially thoroughbreds!
Many of the people protesting will never have ridden a horse, and the old adage “you can take a horse to water but you can’t make it drink” is absolutely the case, they will NOT do what they don’t want to do. They love to race, and they love to jump. If it weren’t for racing, the Thoroughbred breed would eventually die out as generally they are too highly strung to be ‘pets’ and some can be downright dangerous.
In 2023 at least one horse per week died as a result of a road accident. (66 horses and 3 people), and it is likely that the highest rate of deaths is not actually in racing, but in field accidents where horses can suffer a fatal injury, snap a leg of have an injury causing them to bleed out, and may be left for several hours ie overnight, without any medical attention. The horses suffering injury at a racetrack are treated IMMEDIATELY, if it is a fatal injury they are not left to suffer, and those that are less injured are taken very quickly in a horse ambulance for further treatment. Many don’t have that luxury.