SAFE : Jumps racing

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Gambling on horses' lives

To people attending a horse racing event like jumps racing, it may seem an entertaining activity at which they can have a drink with their friends, bet and enjoy the excitement of watching horses run. But behind the seemingly glamorous image, horses suffer.

Jumps racing is a ‘sport' that is cruel and dangerous, and every year horses die routinely on New Zealand tracks. The death rate is unacceptable and SAFE is calling for the ‘sport' to be banned.

Jumps racing has a high rate of death and injury because horses are pushed to jump at speed. Jumps racing is impossible to make ‘safe', as by its very nature, there is a constant risk to the horse. Horses routinely die merely for the sake of ‘entertainment', betting for punters, and profit for the racing industry.

Last year New Zealand jumps racing season's first death came in June when Llanaprize was euthanised after suffering a fractured leg. September, the final month of the season, proved to be the worst for jumps racing casualties with three horses killed, bringing the total number of deaths to six.

Our horses are dying in Australia too - four of the six horses that died in the 2012 season were New Zealand horses: Jotilla, Art Success, The Black Oak and Foremost. SAFE is liaising with Australian campaigners to work towards an end to jumps racing in both countries.

The reality is horses are dying on tracks every year and the casualties will continue to mount this year unless action is taken.

Overseas it's already banned in New South Wales and has become increasingly unpopular, despite efforts to make it more attractive to a modern public.

The casualties of the jumps racing industry have remained out of the public eye till now, but no longer. Join SAFE as we seek an end to the exploitation of horses in jumps racing in New Zealand!

Sparking falls, Wanganui 2011