27 September, 2013

Horse Deaths Prompt Call for Boycott of National Jumps Day

The New Zealand public is being asked to boycott National Jumps Day (29 September), the last race of the jumps season. Seven horses have died so far in the 2013 jumps racing season, surpassing last year’s total, and animal advocacy group SAFE says it is a cruel entertainment.

SAFE says there is nothing to celebrate on Jumps Day. “This year’s toll averages almost two deaths a month and is a side of jumps racing that punters do not see when placing a bet,” says campaign director Eliot Pryor. “The industry does not want to talk about the casualties that occur in jumps races every year. These deaths are an inevitable part of this so-called sport. It is not a question of ‘if’, but a question of ‘how many’. This is the cruelty of jumps racing.”

Horse injuries leading to euthanasia vary from burst arteries to fractured legs and spines. This year, one horse, Post Online, a five year old gelding, fell and suffered a suspected spinal injury. Another, Suspend Me, hit a fence and fractured an off-front elbow.

SAFE has monitored the casualty rate of the 2013 season and notified sponsors when horses have died in the race they sponsored. “We are confident most businesses would not wish to associate their brand with an event that kills horses.”

The death rate is only one indication of suffering, as in every race there is the chance of falls resulting in serious injuries. “A jumps race is a licence for animal cruelty,” says Mr Pryor.

The New Zealand jumps season runs from May to September. Jumps racing has a much higher rate of deaths and injuries than flat racing because the horses are pushed to leap barriers at high speed, something they would not do naturally.

The high death rate this year is a reminder of the cruelty inherent in jumps racing and SAFE, as well as urging the public to boycott events, will be demanding that the Minister for Racing, Nathan Guy, suspend this so-called sport in 2014.
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