In a time when the Australian racing industry is being scrutinized for myriad reasons, the Coalition for the Protection of Racehorses (CPR) have managed to grab prominent media exposure, claiming “the racing industry’s biggest, darkest secret” is horses being put down.
The Sydney Morning Herald online showed pictures of a horse being shot at point blank range, in a stall which doesn’t afford it space to move (the small stall, it is implied, is part of the cruelty of the situation, rather than a common sense way of ensuring the shot is true).
The kicker is the use of the inflammatory word ‘wastage’, which refers to any horse which was meant to make money by running races but will, instead, do so by becoming meat.
So, in that case, shouldn’t we call every single cow, chicken, pig and other livestock slaughtered for their flesh wastage?
Are fish wastage? What about the kangaroos shot in the wild for their meat?
And does this mean eating eggs is waste prevention?
The whole situation is, like everything, a matter of perspective.
Hot on the heels of 24 magnificent beasts running the race that stops the nation, it is easy to shock and upset people with the idea that such noble animals would ever be killed and in so brutal a fashion as being shot in the face.
But watch a cow peacefully chewing cud in a field, do you want to see it being electrocuted in to a state of shock, hung upside down and then have its carotid artery slashed?
I’d hazard a guess at no. Yet we don’t have this horrifying notion being forced down our throats, because cows being put to death for consumption is the norm.
A 2008 report from the RSPCA found only 30% of horses bred for racing ever made it to the track, with the majority of the remainder ending up at a knackery, where they are turned in to pet food, or an abattoir, where they are killed for human consumption.
While it sounds awful that 70% of animals bred for the purpose of having a long and fruitful life, the majority of which could be as a stud or sire (which means having sex for a profession), what else is supposed to happen to them?
In the same way as two genius humans can produce intellectually average offspring, so too can two champion thoroughbreds create a horse whose top speeds wouldn’t trouble a Shetland pony.
Furthermore, horses are expensive to keep and with only so many riding schools in Australia, there’s really only the one option for most of these non-champions. Becoming meat.
While this is a pretty harsh set of terms – a 30% chance at life and 70% chance of dinner – if you had the option of an unborn cow, pig, chicken or horse, which of these would you put your last $10 on to not end up as food?
The fact is, for the vast majority of people some form of meat is going to be on the menu, probably for two of their three daily meals. And there is really no way of killing an animal which isn’t going to be a little upsetting the first time you see it.
The horse being shot in the face is actually one of the more humane ways of ending its life. One shot to the brain kills the horse instantly and, if given the choice, wouldn’t you prefer that over the electrocution-hanging-slashing method afforded to a cow?
In fact, this method is even quicker than being ‘put to sleep’, which sees the animal given an injection which brings about respiratory and cardiac arrest, usually 30 seconds after the injection is administered.
And while ‘put to sleep’ is a lovely way of describing the death of an animal, how many people would allow their dogs and cats to be put to sleep if it was called what it really is – being poisoned to death?
It’s all just a question of perspective.
Finally, CPR want one percent of racing revenue per year, a staggering $143 million, to be used to set up a racehorse retirement programme, in a bid to end wastage. Racing Victoria have said they are in favour of such a notion.
It is a great idea and one way everyone can feel better about having a punt, knowing one percent of the bet is helping horses which never made it to the track.
Personally, I’d just feel bad knowing zero percent of the money I spent on steak, bacon and charcoal chicken was set aside to create a nursing home for cows, pigs and chickens.
But then I’d remember none of these animals make it to old age, and crack on with making dinner.
Joe is the editor of Disaffected Middle Class
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