After recent incidents and deaths, a familiar question has been raised again: should jumps racing be banned in Australia?
The simple answer:? No. Now, why not?
The horses get a second chance, a “rebirth” over the jumps before their race careers are ended. Sure, accidents are going to happen, but that is a part of life, whether it be horse or human.
For example, a semi trailer collides with a family car on a highway, killing the driver of the family car. Should we ban vehicles? Or recently in Indonesia where a football player suffered internal bleeding and passed away due to a nasty unsuspecting collision with the opposing goalkeeper… should we then ban football?
Jumps racing was at a crossroads at one point and was banned by Racing Victoria in 2009, only for them to bring it back in 2010. Jumps racing had already steadily improved its safety for both horse and human, but since 2010 they have gone to greater lengths to protect its participants, and with great success.
Since 2005, the injuries and deaths count up to 0.9 per cent of horses starting. In equestrian in America alone, the death rate of humans riding is nearly 1.5 per cent, with over seven million people riding.
The noises for the ban of jumps racing have intensified in recent times, most notably thanks to horseracingkills.com aka the Coalition for the Protection Of Racehorses (CPR), along with The Project on Channel Ten. What doesn’t help their cause is reeling off incorrect and absurd statistics.
It was almost laughable on May 26 when The Project ran a piece on jumps racing and its future. They ran some footage, a majority of which came from 2008-2009 when jumps racing was at its worst, before they spoke to doctor Chris Brown.
“You’re talking about horses doing something quite extraordinary, often running twice the length of the Melbourne Cup, plus jump, say, 40 times during a race,” Dr Brown said.
Seriously? Twice the distance of the Melbourne Cup? Overseas, yes, but certainly not in Australia, and there is no jumps race in Australia that has 40 fences.
The only positive in The Project piece was co-host Gorgi Coghlan, who vigorously supported the jumps racing caper given she is from Warrnambool, the home of jumps racing in Australia. Radio personality Steve Price was blatantly calling for its banning despite having no grasp of facts.
The class and safety of jumps racing can be summed up by the recent carnival at Warrnambool. There were seven jumps races, 56 starters and no deaths, all of which ran on a very wet track.
So to all of the jumps racing protestors and naysayers, find another crusade, because the one you’re fighting here is unwinnable.
Steven
Guest
Mikaela The Government is not wasting $2 million a year on jumps racing, All it did was make sure that a small amount of unclaimed winnings goes to jumps racing. Of that money, they've invested in retraining the jockeys, teaching the trainers how to school their horses better, better and safer jumps. There is a small $10,000 bonus to horses winning their first jumps race, horses are made to trail twice SAFELY before they can start in a jumps race, all horses are vetted as they get to the track and must be passed fit to race. That $2 million is racings money, it goes to racing, it was always going to racing, the gov just made sure that $2 million of that money went into jumps racing. You cannot believe everything you read, the anti-jumps racing groups are frauds, have a look at this page: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Coalition-For-the-Protection-of-Racehorses-Exposed to see all their lies laid out flat. They for many years claimed that 18,000 horses are killed each year, changed that to 14,000 last year when Melbourne Uni released their full report, the true number is around 650 horses. They claim that every horse are the sales is going to the doggers, not true. Many horses that do end up there are because 12 year old girls like you wanted a horse, then got bored of it and your parents send them to the sales. They've been seen hiding in trees near jumps yelling at the horses hoping for a fall, they've attacked supporters, jockeys & trainers and their families. Mikaela, did you know there were 3 jumps races yesterday? did you know that all horses got through the races all safe, no falls? did you know that Gotta Take Care passed the million dollar mark in racing, much of it earned in jumps racing? He was a very slow flat horse who improved out of sight when he took to the jumps, now he loves his jumping, loves his flat racing as well. These jumps horses are the best looked after horses in racing, go and have a look at the love Gotta Take Care's strapper has for him.
Mikaela
Guest
People don't understand how bad jumps racing is. Does anyone understand that the government is wasting $2million dollars yearly on jumps racing that could be better off improving our hospitals and schools. Also, comparing jumps racing to road accidents is rather silly because cars are equipped to make driving safer and less dangerous, but horses are not equipped to soften an impact of a fall. Untill we wrap bubble wrap around every part of a jumps racing horses body, jumps racing will NEVER be safe. I am a 12 year old student.
Steven
Guest
You can lead a horse to water but can't make it drink.
Andy
Guest
I get so tired of hearing from uneducated people that "horses are forced to jump" or that "horses are forced to race". Horses are not forced to do anything. Have you ever tried to get a horse to do something that it doesn't want to do? If a horse didn't want to jump, it wont jump. If a horse didn't want to run, then it will stop running. Horses run because they love to run, they are born to run, it's in their DNA. The cruelest thing that you can do to a horse is stick it in a paddock on it's own and never ride it, never let it run. Horses are not and cannot be forced to do anything! This argument is irrelevant and incorrect!
www.banjumpsracing.com
Guest
@Adam Page - so what you're saying is, you're unwilling to explore the possibility that our numbers are correct and your published statement is in fact, incorrect. This right here - is exactly what is wrong with Pro-Jumps people. Right here and now is an opportunity for you to set the record straight. To understand how we put the numbers together and you hide behind some rubbish excuse that you need to carry on with your life.
Steven
Guest
Did you know Kerri & Banjumpsracing.com are the same person? Do you know that after years of attacking me, my family & even my pets & car they complained to Racing Victoria when I bit back? Jumps racing is here to stay, get used to it, move on & get a job
Adam Page
Roar Guru
That sounds great...but I remembered I have to breathe and carry on with my life
www.banjumpsracing.com
Guest
@Adam Page - perhaps you'd like to address the correct facebook page in the first place? We are banjumpsracing.com not the CPR run "Ban Jumps Racing". The conversastion you had last night was not had on our page. We await your email ~
Adam Page
Roar Guru
@Ban Jumps Racing, I'm not going to waste my time with that given I've attempted to discuss this on your Facebook page, but have been blocked from messaging/commenting to your good self for no apparent reason other than having a say on the topic. Your rules state that you'll remove comments on your page if it contains foul language or is an attack or someone or something...explain this if you can: 10:26pm last night you said to a female jockey "Feel free to re-write your comments without offensive or foul language. We will always remove comments with swearing or attacks as we don't allow it on our page. Thanks" Several hours later, a user commented that he had no sympathy for how dangerous the females rider profession is...seems fair right? Perhaps you'd like an email with attachments from a past user and supporter of your page where they have said that they "Wish every jumps jockey died...they are rotten pigs and there is no place for them in this world" But hey, anything for a headline...have a nice day :)
Linda stewart
Guest
Your comparison of horse deaths in jumps racing with human fatalities in cars or sport is absurd. Obviously humans know and accept the risks of those activities when they undertake them. Horses are forced to jump and die for human greed and pleasure, they have no choice. Opposition to this cruel and unnecessary 'sport' will not go away and is gathering momentum by the day, so get used to the fact that jumps racings' days are numbered, as, hopefully are yours as a journalist.
www.banjumpsracing.com
Guest
"What doesn’t help their cause is reeling off incorrect and absurd statistics." Adam. We look forward to your email ~ admin (at) banjumpsracing (dot) com , to discuss these so called "incorrect and absurd statistics". In the three years our website has been running, not ONE person has contacted us to refute the numbers we provided. However ill formed journalists seem to love claiming they're incorrect to a public that knows no better.
Kerri V Bryant
Guest
The trialling and qualification process is a joke. Art Success - had 3 stewards warnings about his performance, was allowed to race 2 days after the last warning and died. As for calling falls and deaths "accidents" - accidents are unforeseen incidents, jumps racing falls are not unforeseen, they are expected. Today at Warrnambool, 19 horses competed in 3 jumps races, 1 fell, lucky to escape major injury. In contrast, 70 horses raced on the flat - all remained upright. Jumps racing is NOT a second chance for these horses, it is a ruel detour to the knackery.
Kerri V Bryant
Guest
The trialling and qualification process is a joke. Art Success - had 3 stewards warnings about his performance, was allowed to race 2 days after the last warning and died. As for calling falls and deaths "accidents" - accidents are unforeseen incidents, jumps racing falls are not unforeseen, they are expected. Today at Warrnambool, 19 horses competed in 3 jumps races, 1 fell, lucky to escape major injury. In contrast, 70 horses raced on the flat - all remained upright. Jumps racing is NOT a second chance for these horses, it is a ruel detour to the knackery.
Andrew Lemon
Expert
When we reach agreement between pro and anti jump race camps, let's bring peace to the Middle East. For a considered look at the question, you might read my essay in Meanjin (vol 72 no.2, 2013), 'The Steeplechasing Mind: Butch Londregan and the Smithwick Kid". It is at http://meanjin.com.au/articles/post/the-steeplechasing-mind-butch-londregan-and-the-smithwick-kid/
Adam Page
Roar Guru
What facts did Steve Price supply in his case they "Get rid of it"? I'll concede that there are major risks with jumps racing and there is a much higher risk of danger compared to the flat. They have made qualifying for jumps racing tougher, but there are definitely some horses who shouldn't be jumping. I think to say that it is unwanted is wrong. The class and depth in jumps races has definitely increased in recent years. Betting turnover is down, and will always be down in jumps racing given that the above average flat horses have their second chance over the sticks, and will always start at prohibitive odds. As for the crowds being down, again, the days of big crowds at race meetings is dead (apart from Cup week) given the E World we live in, where it is far easier to bet at home, along with free food and drinks. Can you please say where I said I was proud of having no deaths? I was just stating the facts, and given it's the carnival where CPR protests the hardest (Mind you only a dozen protestors were on track across the three days), and it's the biggest jumps carnival in Australasia, they haven't made much noise about that. But hey, anything for a headline...
Kerri V Bryant
Guest
Did you really just compare jumps racing deaths to road fatalities? REALLY???? Firstly driving and road transport are a necessity - jumps racing is "sport" (albeit a sport that the majority of people don't support with crowd numbers abysmal and betting figures laughable) Secondly, IF road fatalities were on par percentage wise as the fatalities of horses in jumps racing (we will use 1% of all participants which is considerably less than the current death rate) last year, 200,000 people would have died on Australian roads To boast that there were NO deaths in the 56 starters at Warrnambool is NOTHING to be proud of, NOTHING. Imagine if the local pony club basted that they hadn't killed a horse on any particular weekend. Jumps racing is outdated, unwanted and a stain on the racing industry - it WILL end, let's just hope not too many more horses 9or a jockey) is killed in the meantime. As for Gorgi knowing the "facts" about jumps racing, =what "facts" did she provide?/ NONE - however, for a look at just how many horses die each year due to this "sport" - gon and have a look at www.banjumpsracing.com