PROFITS PUT ABOVE ANIMAL WELFARE

ON WEDNESDAY [6 May] at the Warrnambool Racing Carnival, the horse Pride of Westbury fell at the last hurdle and broke his neck. His death was as terrible as it was preventable; it was not an accident but the predictable consequence of forcing horses to jump hurdles at high speeds. Victoria remains one of only two states and territories in Australia to continue this barbaric "sport" of jumps racing.

Last December, the Victorian Minister for Racing, Rob Hulls, stated that jumps racing was "on notice". Five equine deaths have since occurred and many more will if he continues to avoid tak­ing action. All the reforms, reviews, "soft jumps" and talk fests have done nothing to put a stop to the continued suffering of horses.

Mr Hulls's only option is to intervene immediately to prevent further deaths at the Warrnambool race meeting, a carnival that is responsible for the deaths of seven horses in the past three seasons. In the past year of jumps racing in Victoria, one horse has died for every eight races run, which is unacceptable and exposes an industry that places profits far above animal welfare.

Eloise Gannon, Jan Juc [Victoria]

REVIEW OR REPRIEVE?

WITH five jumps horses killed in the past few weeks, the racing industry is talking about another review. Having attended the reviews of 2002, 2005 and 2008, let me tell you what a review comprises. First, the racing industry decides what questions will be addressed. Second, it provides the adjudicator. Third, it provides a report that substantiates that jumps racing is an integral part of the thoroughbred industry . . . and it gets another three years before the next review.

Following the 2002 review, new "super-safe" jumps were developed, a misnomer if ever there was one. Anti-jumps campaigners said that the horses would simply run faster and still fall and die, and that's what happened.

Then the industry was going to make the jumps harder, so that horses would have to "respect" the jumps. That didn't work, either.

The simple truth is that if you take a group of thoroughbreds and run them together over obstacles, some will fall and some of those will suffer appalling injuries. The five to die so far have gained a broken neck, a fractured spine, a frac­tured pelvis, and two horses sustained broken legs. Nice sport!

John Capel, Black Rock [Vic.]

NOT A QUESTION OF DEGREE

ROBBIE Laing (The Age, 7 May) does the racing industry no service by stating that jumps racing is not as cruel as plunging spears into a bull as they do in bullfighting! The CIA can say that sleep deprivation is not as torturous as water boarding but that does not make the former OK.

Denis O'Brien, North Ocean Shores, NSW

IN THE NAME OF SPORT

I DO not think Rob Hulls needs any more "excu­ses" to end the cruelty of jumps racing. ("Hulls waits for excuse to axe jumps racing", The Age, 5 May).

What kind of society are we that promotes a sport that can result in a dead animal. While it does not outwardly have the barbaric nature of something like dog fighting, the outcome is the same. A dead animal in the name of "entertainment", for "sport" and for greed.
 
What sadness to think the poor horse was too exhausted to jump and made an error that ended in such tragedy.

Louise Page, Mornington [Vic.]