One of the notable animal welfare stories to hit the headlines in March was the temporary closing of the Santa Anita Park horse-racing track. The track in California’s Arcadia witnessed the death of over 20 horses in a ten-week period. Santa Anita Park featured in the popular movie Seabiscuit and has seen visits from the […]
Continue ReadingA Sydney University study has exposed a loophole in whipping rules which may inadvertently encourage jockeys to use a whip in a way that causes more harm. The study, published in the Journal of Veterinary Behavior, analysed both forehand and backhand whipstrikes of jockeys in Victoria. Under the Australian Racing Board’s Rules of Racing, […]
Continue ReadingReasons for performing study: sudden death adversely affects racehorse welfare, jockey safety and the public perception of horseracing. Objective: to describe the risk of racing-associated sudden death in thoroughbred racehorses in the UK from 2000 to 2007, to identify whether there were risk factors uniquely associated with sudden death and to improve the understanding of […]
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