Desmond Bellamy – Special Projects Coordinator, PETA Australia
So Taylor Swift has pulled out of her appearance at the Melbourne Cup in November. I hope her fans can get refunds. For anyone else thinking of going, there really is no point now, unless you like watching horses whipped and made to run so fast that they are regularly left with bleeding in the lungs or broken bones.
Most horses are raced as two and three-year-olds, although some will race as young as one year and nine months, despite the fact that the horses are still physically immature and prone to injury. Many horses disappear altogether from racing early in their career as injuries render them worthless. Though illegal in Australia, some will have their injuries masked by drugs that enable the horse to keep racing, until the injuries inevitably worsen and the horse breaks down and is sent to slaughter.
Like Taylor Swift, please skip the Melbourne Cup. Help phase out this exploitative “sport” by refusing to patronise existing tracks, lobbying against the construction of new tracks and educating your friends and family about the tragic lives that racehorses lead.
Desmond Bellamy – Special Projects Coordinator, PETA Australia
