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Like Taylor Swift, Kelly Rowland appears to be completely unaware of the shocking abuse and deaths horses suffer in the racing industry. We need to inform her of the cruelty she will be endorsing and ask her to #PullASwifty.
It was recently announced the megastar has agreed to perform at Australia’s deadliest racetrack, Royal Randwick, as part of ‘The Everest’. The Everest has been specifically designed to lure the younger generation who are turning their back on horse racing cruelty to the track and towards gambling habits. The booking of Kelly Rowland is also specifically designed to do the same thing.
Kelly Rowland is a powerful woman, a fierce feminist, a symbol of strength and a dedicated philathropist for many social justice causes. She encourages equality and those who have the ability to speak up for others in need to do so, whilst also encouraging self-empowerment. We now need to speak up to her to ensure she knows her support of The Everest promotes the oppression, suffering and murder of thousands of vulnerable horses every year.
Taylor Swift backed out of the Melbourne Cup once fans made her aware of the cruelty she was endorsing. We like to think Kelly Rowland will stand up and do the same.
Some things Kelly may not know:
1) Last year our Deathwatch report exposed more horses were killed at Royal Randwick than any other track in Australia – read here.
2) The Everest offers $14 million in prize money which helps ensure horses will be pushed so hard that 90% will bleed from the lungs as studies have shown. With the stakes so high, they will be beaten hard with the whip and pushed well beyond their limits.
3) 1 horse is killed on Australian racetracks every 3 days (that we know of – the real numbers would be much higher)
4) When no longer wanted, thousands of horses are sent to one of our thirty-three knackeries to be turned into dog food, or one of two slaughterhouses to be killed for human consumption where they endure horrific deaths. These slaughterhouses depend on a steady supply of young horse flesh from the racing industry.
5) When in training, the life of a horse used for racing is one of isolation and confinement. They cannot socialise and express their natural behaviours. They cannot graze. They are fed a concentrated diet that leads to 90% of horses suffering painful stomach ulcers. Painful instruments of domination and control are used on them including bits, whips, spurs, tongue-ties and jiggers (electric shock devices).
6) Approximately 45% of the horses bred for racing never make it to the track and most vanish without a trace.
6) Mares used for breeding the next big winner are tied down to be mated, often against their will, by a stallion who is trucked around the country ‘servicing’ them. Her foals are taken from her early for training or to be killed if they do not show the desired attributes. Read more here.
These do not sound like the kind of practices someone who supports justice and equality should be endorsing.
Kelly Rowland should #PullASwifty and cancel her gig at The Everest!
If people didn’t bet on these events, then they wouldn’t exist. Please stop this cruel and deadly so called sport. Greed really is the root of evil. To use and abuse, then discard these creatures, all for money, I’m appalled and ashamed at the human race.
The horse racing industry needs to be held accountable for the terrible treatment of horses, and the disposing of unwanted animals to abattoirs and knackeries.
If she does attend and is aware of the facts of this so called industry, then she has no moral comments compass whatsoever. In my opinion she will be a despicable “person”, persona non grata.
Firstly, thank you for the work you do.
All the information provided to convince Kelly Rowland I believe is an accurate assessment of racing.
Unfortunately many believe that ‘Activists’ only crawl out every Spring Racing Carnage and spread unsubstantiated inflammatory lies about an industry providing 85,000 + full time jobs, $651,000 in prize money pa, an annual wagering turnover of more than $19 billion plus contributing $9 bil in Gross Domestic Product.
Big odds for any Activist group to back themselves against.
Congratulations on putting the spot light on the sad end met by so many equines.
Specific to the racing industry is the over breeding to increase the chances of the ‘one’. Last financial year 14,000 foals dropped. Each year around 8,500 horses are retired from the track.
Supposedly only 1% go to the knackery. (According to the industry).
The racing industry choose to take their figures from birth to retirement.
It’s after retirement where the truck to the meat works waits. After the industry has officially pensioned them off.
Mr. V’Landys stated that he was unaware of any NSW racehorses ending up at an abattoir or knackery because it’s against the rules of racing.’ (he also said he had no knowledge that racehorses are being fed to greyhounds.) At best, he is clearly delusional at worst a bare faced liar. He (and many others) bleat that it’s not racing’s fault, that those horses in the ABC report weren’t in ‘race condition’. There are possible reasons for this beside ‘It’s not our fault, someone bought it and put it in the sales.)
There are only two export accredited abattoirs licensed to deal in human consummation horse meat by Austrade.
Both originally owned by the same company BenimplexNV, Belgium.
Metro Velda Pty Ltd, (Now Samex Peterborough Sth) has been operating 35 yrs.
Meramist Pty Ltd. (who also butcher New Zealand horses for human consumption by subsidiary, Clover Export.)
Austrade list them as ‘Processor and exporter of fresh and frozen game meats.’ I suppose horses are game…to run in races.
EU guidelines stipulate ‘The consignor must have in their possession statements confirming the treatment history of horses for the last six months.’ Now, if those horses which ‘weren’t in race condition so it’s not Racing Australia’s fault’ had actually been sitting in a paddock for six months to rid the cocktails given as a racehorse and to prepare it for an EU plate, their condition could be accounted for and possibly Racing Australia is at fault.
The government takes a cut with a $5 per head National Residue Levy. (figs: 2014) Horse meat trade began in Australia in the 1970’s supplying Japan, Russia, Switzerland, France, Singapore, Korea and Belgium.
Supposedly the Australian horse meat export industry has been valued at up to $10 million (2014) a year in the past decade, but according to the Department of agriculture only 117 tonnes of horse meat at a value of $830,000 has been exported to the EU in the past 12 months.
Ironic that we abhor the idea of butchering horses or eating horsemeat and yet our horses are providing meat for half the world’s plates.
My sources are what I could find on the net, we all know it’s not reliable, but do your own research. I think not just Racing Australia, but most certainly our government who have been quietly profiting from equine meat export for a very long time.
What is interesting is there has been no mention in the Meramist scandal of 2013 where horsemeat turned up in products supposedly pork, which in turn shone a light on slaughterhouses and Australia was up in arms about horses being slaughtered and horror, shock, eaten by humans.
I endorse all of Amanda’s comments it’s about money and prestige for people only. The horses are used and then thrown on the scrap heap at the abottoirs. The Racing industry surely should have a duty of care as racehorses were bred for their purposes.
The fact that the thought of doing this to these poor creatures entered into someone’s head is OUTRAGING!! How dare they think that they can get away with such cruelty. I mean, come on: they’re killing yearlings because they’re “not fit for racing”!! I’d like to think that someday these horses will put these people through what they had to endure (even though we know that’s impossible).