Sunday, 27 July 2008: Animal rights activists have launched another attack on jumps racing following a fatality in Saturday's Hiskens Steeplechase at Moonee Valley.
The 2007 winner Spanish Symbol, was put down after breaking a leg when it fell after striking an obstacle.
The 8YO broke a leg when he fell heavily after mistiming a fence on the final lap. Another horse Father Patrick was brought down at the same time but regained his feet and escaped injury.
Spanish Symbol's rider Chris Maund was taken to hospital with a suspected broken collarbone.
Lawrence Pope, representing the Victorian Advocates for Animals group, told the ABC jumps racing should be wound up at the end of this season.
"The public opposition to jumps racing is growing and the protest campaign has been at the sharp end of that opposition," he said.
Several dozen protesters were at Moonee Valley on Saturday wearing black t-shirts printed with anti-jumps slogans and waving placards.
Spanish Symbol's trainer Tom Hughes jnr said the death of his eight-year-old had not changed his mind about the worth of jumps racing.
"It's the game. It's just one of those unfortunate things," he said.
The Hiskens fatality followed the deaths of two horses during the Grand National Hurdle at Flemington last month.
Victoria's Racing Minister Rob Hulls has ordered an independent review of jumps racing.
 | | Posted by jennycrawford, on 4-8-2008 2:24:18 PM
Sue, in racing guides you''ll see an ''s'' or an ''x'' - this means ''spell'' which invariably equates to paddock - for some weeks/months at a time. Do some research on horse racing and make sure you include slaughter too.
Money also comes from breeding. You''d need to sort out what you''d do with over 17,000 foals born each year. And tell breeders to stop!!??
And jumps? As I''ve said here before, it''s better to die quickly on the job than end up at the knackery. Any horse''s life is precarious at the best of times - at least racehorses are pretty much pampered and their strappers love them.
Look up the ignorant guy at Bendigo who starved his horses to death earlier this year - he thought he could breed from them and make money, and these weren''t racehorses. Picture a foal trying to drink from its dead mother. These are the issues you should be tackling, and the useless fines these lowlifes are given. ”
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| | Posted by tony61, on 4-8-2008 12:36:52 AM
to Sue H, are you ignorant, stupid or both? Many horses are boxed only at night in colder months, in the paddock at other times. Plenty are trained from the paddock. To run a horse without fitness training is harder on a horse than trackwork. The number of horses that die before they even get to the track would be many times more than those that die on it.If jumps racing were banned, then about 80% of jumpers would end up at the knackery. If you think jumping is dangerous, the knackery is deadly. Your argument is full of emotion but empty on fact and logic. ”
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| | Posted by SueH, on 3-8-2008 8:13:25 PM
paddock accidents ??- when do racehorses get the luxury of paddock turnout?? most racers in training live in a 12x12 prison 24/7; trackwork is just as objectionable if it endangers the animal; Is Lawrence wasting his time? Well, Bottom line: jumping in a race scenario is dangerous, you cannot make it safe. Its exciting to watch I''m sure, but not for those who care about the animal and know what its like to have to sit next to an animal while someone shoots it. Given the money from racing is coming from bets placed by millions of joe bloggs who have probably never so much touched a horse, the future is grim but it is salvable if people stop telling those willing to question the status quo, to stop wasting their time ”
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| | Posted by Anonymous, on 2-8-2008 7:44:51 PM
are these animal activists out protesting at every paddock that horses are in? because im sure there are more paddock accidents and trackwork mishaps that lead to horse deaths. ”
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| | Posted by jennycrawford, on 28-7-2008 10:08:29 AM
to Lawrence and friends: you are wasting your time. You''d be much more help to the horses if you got proactive on the safety and other relevant issues of jumps racing. ”
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