The below words are from a CPR volunteer who witnessed the death of St Arnicca on Tuesday 2 May 2023 at Warrnambool. We are so grateful to those who make such sacrifices to help end the abuse of these magnificent beings.
“St. Arnicca took a very long time to die. He did not die well. He suffered terribly. His leg spun like a spinning top from his fetlock. He reared in terror, fought against death in fear and horrific pain. He was six years old, he wanted to live.
The killers held him down with ear twists. They brought another horse in to keep him quiet. That horse was forced to stand beside St. Arnicca while they killed him.
Perhaps the level of adrenaline and agony prevented the anaesthetic from working quickly. Perhaps they had to inject him again: he took a lot of killing. It was a very long death. It went on and on, maybe half an hour. It was not instant. It was not humane.
Back at the grandstand trainers thumped each other on their backs and punched the air in celebration, the crowd roared as St. Arnicca lay dying a short distance away on the track. He’d fallen another year at the same jump; this time would be his last.
When it was done, when he was finally gone, they took his body away and dumped it in a shed far from the party to be collected later. The death float returned to trackside in readiness for the next.
Sweet boy we saw you, we heard you, you were not just nothing. We will remember. We are so sorry. Rest in peace.”
CPR have been in touch with people who attended the races that day when St. Arnicca was killed. They were only a few hundred metres away and had no idea, until a friend who had seen our footage (available here) brought it to their attention later that day. This is how good the industry is at hiding the cruelty they inflict. You can be right there at the races and have no idea. An important reminded as to why it is so important that we share the truth and educate as much as we can.
Jeamie Burris says
I’m ready to volunteer for whatever I can do to stop horse racing and jumping, etc. Someone let me know how I can help
CPR says
Hi Jeamie,
Thanks for reaching out.
Pleaee complete our volunteer form at this link and we will be in touch.
https://horseracingkills.com/take-action/volunteer/
Thank you for caring.
CPR Team