Make Reporting of Racing Deaths Mandatory

Sign now to demand your Minister for Racing make the reporting of all horse deaths caused by injuries sustained in racing, training, trials and trackwork be made mandatory and publicly available.

Between August 1, 2020 - July 31, 2021, (the 'racing year'), at least 149 horses were reported to have lost their lives from injuries sustained during racing, trials, trackwork and training. This equates to one horse suffering painful injuries leading to death every 2.5 days in the name of gambling profits.

Worse still, the true numbers would be far greater, as official race day reports do not include deaths which occur once the countless others are taken away from the racetrack for veterinary treatment and killed behind the scenes when it is clear they cannot (or were chosen not to) be saved.

They also rarely include deaths caused by injuries sustained in trials, trackwork and training. As a recent Government Information Public Access (GIPA) application made by the Office of Mark Pearson of the Animal Justice Party NSW demonstrated, deaths caused by trackwork injuries are almost as frequent as those occurring on race days.

For these reason, we must call on all Racing Ministers to make the reporting of all racehorse deaths caused by racing-related injuries sustained in racing, training, trials and trackwork mandatory and publicly available.

The racing industry already has a requirement in place for all registered racehorse trainers and owners to report on horse deaths. This process must be rigorously enforced and the information made accessible. The public has a right to know the true impacts racing has on the very individuals the horse racing industry could not exist without.