In 2016, approximately forty thoroughbred horses were discovered to be malnourished and close to death on a property in Bulla, Victoria. At the time, the RSPCA were contacted but reportedly didn’t act on the complaint. Many of those horses eventually died, adding to the remains of the countless others who had died prior, before action was finally taken due to the persistence of locals.

Extensive and devastating media coverage garnered the support of many, including Racing Victoria who then stepped up and got involved, as did Horse Shepherd Equine Sanctuary who provided the remaining surviving twenty-three horses with the chance of a better life.

Thank you to all involved including the racing industry participants and Racing Victoria who apparently footed the bill for their initial care (as they should). Perhaps they were trying to make up for the fact that they were aware of the neglect horses suffered at the hands of this trainer many years earlier.

Racing Victoria coverage of the Bulla horses here.

Our coverage on them at the time here.

Though Racing Victoria’s coverage of the Bulla horses is a positive story for many, the problem of wastage remains.

While the racing industry continues to preach the importance of animal welfare, why are they not being transparent about the numbers of re-homed racehorses? It’s okay to spin a positive story and, no doubt, this is a positive one for the Bulla survivors, but not if it’s being used to suggest that this problem has now been taken care of. That’s called propaganda.

Every year approximately 13,000 horses are born into the racing industry and about the same number leave – made up of breeding mares, retiring racehorses and even racehorses that have never raced, including foals. Wastage in horse racing will always remain a problem until the racing industry can account for every single horse they breed, whether they win a million dollars or never even make it to the racetrack.

It’s time to move on from the Bulla horses and focus on the many thousands that are still today largely unaccounted for.

NB: CPR has contacted Racing Australia and all the states principal authorities on several occasions asking about their rehoming programs and, in particular, the number of horses rescued, yet they fail to provide us with any details whatsoever. So much for being open and transparent.

Act now! Find out about the National Horse Traceability Register and take action here. This will send an automated email directly to those who are supposed to be implementing an effective lifelong register but are not doing so. It’s set to fail unless we act now! You can also go the extra mile and write directly to your federal member of parliament demanding that every horse in the country be registered on a sophisticated and effective database so that they can be traced for life, and owners made accountable for their care.

On the 15^th September 2022, Senator Murray Watt, Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, released an 8,000 page report that supposedly covers all animal welfare incidents documented by On Plant Veterinarians (OPVs) and/or senior management at Australian red meat export abattoirs, between 1^st January 2020 and 31st December 2021.

We must commence our very succinct summary of this report by making it entirely clear that we do not believe, by any means, that there is a way to humanely take the life of someone who does not want to die, aside from true and compassionate euthanasia. But this position should not prevent us from highlighting the realities of  the animal slaughter system, a system that consumers are repeatedly lied to about when told animals do not suffer on their way to or at the slaughterhouse. The suffering is a given and applies to every single individual who is forced aboard a slaughterhouse truck. However, this report focuses on the more extreme incidents at export abattoirs and only those that were reported.

Of the 631 individual reports generated, which involved 4,083 animals, 64 were not published due to being under investigation.

There were seven reports published that involved horses (which must be from Meramist slaughterhouse in Caboolture, seeing it’s the only abattoir slaughtering horses). We believe that, whether intentionally or unintentionally, not all incident reports were supplied to Senator Watt – at least not all equine related incidents. The seven reported horse incidents all occurred in the first half of 2020. It seems highly unlikely that there would be seven incidents in six months and then none in the next eighteen months. In fact, we have proof of one incident that occurred in February 2021, this report was not included. One of the reported incidents involved a horse with a leg injury yet the accompanying photos showed a horse with head injuries. The written report for the horse with head injuries was not included. How many more incident reports were not included?

Anyone who happened to see ABC 7:30’s ‘The Final Race’ back in 2019 knows exactly what takes place at the Meramist slaughterhouse. To claim there were only seven equine related animal welfare incidents (beyond what we know to be the standard horrific suffering for every animal who enters that or any other slaughterhouse facility), is, to us, a ludicrous finding.

We also noted that the seventh equine related incident in 2020 was the tenth overall incident for that facility, so seven out of ten reported incidents were horse related. That indicates, that horses are more likely to be injured during transport than bovine, for example.

Of the seven horse reports that were published, none of the horses were identifiable from their photos as all brands were either obscured or not shown in photos. We can say though that –

• two horses had shoulder brands so were most likely thoroughbreds
• one more horse was listed as a thoroughbred
• one more horse was listed as a thoroughbred type
• one horse was listed as a standardbred
• one horse was listed as a brumby
• one is unknown with no breed named and no photos.

The meat industry appears to be patting itself on the back because the incident rate is a small percentage of the 70 million “red meat” animals slaughtered in Australia in two years just for the export market. This is unacceptable. Most of the 4,083 animals that were the subject of these reports suffered horrifically and while some incidents did come from accidents, most were as the result of the abject neglect and indifference of the farmers, the people the industry repeatedly professes care about the animals. Instead, they had allowed them to suffer in excruciating pain before sending them to slaughter. There were some horrifying incidents that involved transporters intentionally inflicting pain on animals and/or being indifferent to the pain the animals were suffering and lastly, abattoir workers putting themselves before the suffering animals and at least one animal that was bled out while still very much conscious. Studies indicate the true figure of such a death would be far greater.

It is obvious that our focus is on horses used in racing, but we are appalled by the suffering of ALL the animals in Senator Watt’s report, suffering which could have and should have been avoidable in the majority of cases, and ultimately, suffering that is all entirely unnecessary.

A few months rarely pass without there being another uproar regarding horses once used and abused by the racing industry being dumped at the sales. Kind hearts, charities and rescues come together from all over to do what they can with extremely limited resources to try to save them and other breeds from the dreaded ‘doggers’.

When a private buyer outbids them, everyone breathes a sigh of relief, including the struggling sanctuaries who then don’t have to take on yet another discarded horse from this multi-billion dollar industry, or feel the guilt that they were unable. Many of the public then believing the horse to now be safe and loved, forever.

But is that always the case? No one is vetted at the sales. It is literally an auction and the highest bidder takes them home as easily as they could a car, with whom they can essentially treat as they please.

This was highlighted just last weekend at the notorious Laidley Sales in Queensland. We now know there to have been at least seven thoroughbreds, (along with several standardbreds and many other equine types) at this sale. However, the only thoroughbred to have been identified as the sale commenced was five year old Brave Nick – still listed as ‘active’ by the authority and last raced less than one month ago. Our original post about him https://bit.ly/3GimMiq He was purchased by a private buyer who rides horses in bronc rodeos, chases down and terrifies brumby foals – taking them from their herds, and does ‘cattle’ droving.

Another potential outcome from private buyers we so often see is they are back at the sales at risk again within a few months for various reasons but often due to the buyer having no reliable history as to the condition/behaviour of the horse. Or, they are left to languish at the back of a property somewhere – suffer neglect, malnutrition and often a slow, excruciating death.

It’s unclear how Brave Nick will be used and one could of course argue that this is a better outcome than death, but the point must be made that even if the ‘doggers’ were eradicated from these sales, a huge industry still operates – from the breeders, to the owners, the trainers, and the authority itself, on the premise that the majority of horses will be discarding once they’re done with them (on average under three years), without a care as to where they will end up. They negate themselves of the lifelong responsibility they should take for forcing a life into the world.

Racing Victoria’s answer to this is to kill them on farm under their new ‘On-site Euthanasia Program’. It helps to avoid PR nightmares, as they know there simply are not enough good private homes and sanctuaries with the capacity to take on the approximately 10,000 thoroughbreds (nation-wide) exiting the industry each year – very often injured, and mentally and emotionally damaged. That is without accounting for the foals bred who never make it to the track at all.

Racing NSW answer to this is a ban on horse slaughter by the industry participants themselves, but once they’re moved on to a new home it’s a free for all.

Racing QLD’s answer (and the other states) is essentially nothing at all aside from offering support to those who want to find ‘second careers’ for their horses and some promotion on life after racing.

All programs offer zero transparency.

The industry is not willing to foot the bill, or even put measures in place to keep it at a sustainable size that would be capable of ensuring lifelong good homes. That’s not part of the business model.

Three actions you can take right now to help are:

1. Demand an effective lifelong national horse traceability registerhttps://horseracingkills.com/nhtr/

2. Take the pledge to never bet on or attend a horse race again https://bit.ly/3g70lCc

3. Share this article

We are now aware of three other identities of the seven thoroughbreds known to have been at this sale.

Nineteen year old mare, Diamond Supre, purchased from a meat buyer post sale by a reputable sanctuary. She is listed as retired and has not been raced since 2009 after receiving a 3 month ban for suffering exercise induced pulmonary haemorrhage in trackwork. We do not know where she has been these past thirteen years or how she has been treated.

Another is seventeen year old mare One More Shot – listed as retired and not raced since 2010. She was then registered for breeding before dropping from the record in 2014. We’re not sure of her sale outcome.

Dear Supporter

In this newsletter:

• Dismal Spring Carnival Attendance
• Inside the Track
• Outside the Track
• Dinosaur Dash Cup Eve Action
• Protests Run from East to West Coast
• Succesful Nup to the Cup Launch
• Ambivalence Against Horse Racing
• Fashion Standing with Horses
• Fascinature Lapel Pins and Head Pieces Still Available

DISMAL ATTENDANCES AND RECORD-LOW TV RATINGS SHOW THE SPRING CARNIVAL HAS RUN ITS RACE 
Plummeting track attendances, poor TV ratings and a celebrity drought at this year’s Melbourne Cup Carnival have revealed an inconvenient truth for the racing industry: horse racing is out of fashion with celebrities and the community alike who will no longer turn a blind eye to the death toll and cruelty.

The sharp decline in crowds at Flemington saw only 45,000 attend Oaks Day, which once surpassed Melbourne Cup day itself in attendances and was spruiked as the carnival’s day of fashion. This was a significant drop from the pre-Covid 2019 crowd of 57,296 and the lowest Oaks Day attendance since 1986. Overall, there’s been a drop in attendance of around 10% to all the major race days in Melbourne since the Caulfield Cup.

The Melbourne Cup is now a cruel reminder to the public of the eight racehorses that died at the event over the past decade. The public also now knows of the horrific fate that lies ahead for many racehorses who are injured or not deemed profitable and will be prematurely killed out of expediency. No major celebrity in 2022 wants to align themselves with animal cruelty and that is what the horse racing industry now represents.

While the racing industry might attempt to blame the weather for this year’s dismal crowds, the Melbourne Cup’s television ratings also nosedived this year drawing the lowest viewership since records began 20 years ago.

A Lonergan Research poll commissioned by the Greens found that 59 per cent surveyed thought horse racing was cruel while 54 per cent believed horses should not be raced for gambling and entertainment.

Despite governments and the racing industry continuing to prop up the Melbourne Cup while ignoring the industry’s death toll of at least 139 horses killed on track over the past year, (see Deathwatch 2022) the event has lost its social licence with the community and a growing number of celebrities who are publicly expressing their opposition to horse racing.

The dearth of international celebrities at this year’s carnival shows they no longer wish to risk any backlash from being associated with an event mired by animal cruelty and death. This trend follows pop star Taylor Swift’s cancellation of her scheduled performance at the Melbourne Cup in 2019 after social media criticism.
 
During this year’s Melbourne Cup Day, the #NupToTheCup hashtag was one of the top trending topics on Twitter with thousands condemning the industry’s animal welfare record while talkback radio was swamped with callers asking why the event is still run.
 
Radio host Abie Chatfield reportedly turned down a significant appearance fee to attend the races and chastised other celebrities for attending the event on social media (more here).

TV host and singer David Campbell and writer Phillip Adams were also among the diversity of voices saying “Nup To The Cup” on social media.
 
The huge success of Nup To The Cup events across Australia has shown that Australians can still celebrate on the day without having to condone a so-called sport that kills animals,
 
The racing industry has tried to overturn growing opposition by introducing some token safety measures for the big Spring Carnival races only, but it doesn’t go anywhere near fixing the cruelty of racing or addressing the massive numbers of horses killed every year just because they no longer bring in profits for their connections.
 
At least one horse on average continues to die on Australian racetracks every 2.5 days.

INSIDE THE TRACK    

Watching those Melbourne Cup leading horses taking a brutal beating as people cheered was quite the sickening display! But the moment those most concerned held their breath was seeing Interpretation quickly drop back from the field.

SUMMARY – if you trust the reports:
Three horses were *found to have bled from the lungs (EIPH).
**Heresy bled so badly it came through both of her nostrils and that wasn’t the first time.
Noonday Gun pulled up lame.
Three horses were ‘over’ whipped.
Three jockeys were found to have engaged in careless riding.

But the attention was drawn almost entirely to four year old Interpretation, who failed to finish in the Cup.

Born in Ireland, the stallion was moved to Australia in December last year. After his fourth race in this country, being the recent Geelong Cup, he was found to be lame in the near-fore leg and embargoed for eight days before being given the all clear just three days prior to the Melbourne Cup.

Yet, he was then found to be showing signs of lameness in both his off-hind and near-fore leg but was cleared for the big race at the 11th hour, vets stating the lameness had improved. His trainers claimed a nail in the wrong place was causing the issue.

Post failing to finish the race, his jockey was reported to have stated “He’s not right, that horse.” Yet Racing Victoria vets claim the horse is completely fine and his trainers have put the horse failing to finish the race down to a breathing issue likely caused by heart fibrillation (which apparently is of no concern to them).

Whilst this may be true and it would not change the fact that horse racing is a barbaric industry, it would be nice if there was some independent oversight so people could actually believe what is reported by Racing Victoria officials and it’s participants. But after years of cover-ups and blatant lies which still continue, it is impossible to really know what’s what, particularly on this day when the eyes of the world are watching and essentially expecting another horse to die – that’s the current odds.

The jockeys who forgot how to count to five were:

Damien Lane, whipping Lindemann seven times before the 100m free for all beating. He received a $700 fine and short suspension. His winnings for the day were at least $4,165. He was also “severely reprimanded” for careless riding.

Damien Thornton, whipping Realm of Flowers nine times before the 100m free for all beating. He was fined $4,000. His winnings for the day were at least $17,875.

Daniel Moor, whipping Daqiansweet Junior nine times before the 100m free for all beating. He received a $2000 fine and short suspension. His winnings for the day were at least $8,150.

Patrick Moloney’s “high level” careless riding in the Cup where he made at least $55,000 received a $20,000 fine and short suspension.

Blake Shinn’s “mid-level” careless riding landed him no fine and a short suspension. His total winnings for the day were at least $17,825.

*almost all horses bleed from the lungs when being raced to varying degrees.
**unknown horse pictured

OUTSIDE THE TRACK    

Nup to the Cup private parties, public events, workplace activities, luncheons and more took place across the country. Each year we see more individuals, organisations and businesses getting on board. Whether they come to this important movement initially out of concern for the horses, gambling harm, increased domestic violence or economic disparity (something the impacts of the floodwall could not have made any clearer), all help to educate on the other associated issues. 

Our own original Nup to the Cup / Farshans on the Field event opposite the Melbourne Cup Carnival of Cruelty was a bit hectic, but rain, hail, gale force winds and bitterly cold temperatures couldn’t keep some of you away. Huge love and thanks to all those who braved the extreme weather to join us. You truly deserve a NupCup trophy. It is in these moments that we bond even closer in our mutual desire and dedication towards our long term goal of ending horse racing cruelty. If you didn’t brave the weather, no judgement – it was challenging that’s for sure.

Extra special thanks Tenfingerz and artist Sebastian Berto of Farshans on the Field, and to all the CPR volunteers for their help in the lead up to and on the day. You are all AMAZING. And to our satellite team in New Zealand for running their CPRNZ protest in Auckland.

MASSIVE love and gratitude also to the genrous businesses, individuals and organisations who ran fundraisers for us at CPR and other animal organisation. Also HUGE thanks to those who donated funds to our campaign efforts and/or food to our own Nup to the Cup event and raffle. Red Sparrow Pizza, Serotonin Eatery, Vegan Perfection, Goodwill Wine, Vegan Style, Wombat Cafe, Vegan Grocery Store, Transformative Therapy, Mt Nebo Railway Carriage and Chalet, Bunnings Warehouse, Natio Australia, Melbourne Hunt Saboteurs, Goje, Brother Bon, Woking Amazing, Terry Daktyl, Teveton Centre, Free The Hounds, Little Oak Sanctuary, Free Spirits Farm Sanctuary, Canine Cup, Seeds of Life, Vegie Tribe, The Owl and Pussy Cat, Union Kiosk, Project Fresh Start, Shift Eatery The V Spot and the many workplaces who hosted private inhouse events. 
 

To anyone around the country who ran their own #NuptotheCup event, no matter how big or small, please don’t forget to upload your images here for us all to see. 

DINOSAUR DASH CUP EVE ACTION   
On the eve of the Melbourne Cup, dinosaurs converged on Flemington as PETA and CPR teamed up to stage a t-rex race. 

Running (and sometimes stumbling) toward a giant banner that read “Finish The Cruel, Prehistoric Melbourne Cup Now”, activists donned inflatable Tyrannosaurus rex costumes and carried signs reading: “Horse Racing Is Prehistoric”. The entertaining event was fun, but the message was serious: cruel and archaic horse racing should be relegated to pre-history. 

The stunt attracted wide-spread media, including this SBS article. 

Check out our video of the race here.

PROTESTS AGAINST HORSE RACING RUN FROM EAST TO WEST COAST   
Commencing with the Caulfield Cup, CPR continued our protests outside Derby Day, the Melbourne Cup Eve Parade, and on Cup Day itself outside Flemington VIC, Ascot WA, and Eagle Farm QLD (alongside Animal Liberation QLD, Brisbane Animal Save and Coast to Coast Animal Friends). ALSA also gathered outside Morphettville, SA.

The Melbourne Cup Eve parade was a dismal affair that we very successfully disrupted. All other protests were effective in ensuring all attendees knew exactly what it was they were about to support. The shame was evident on many faces before they even entered the gates.

Thank you to all the groups and individuals who came together to ensure we made our voices heard for the horses.

A SUCCESSFUL NUP TO THE CUP LAUNCH 

The event to launch our Nup to the Cup campaign for 2022 was a huge success. We were thrilled to see so many friendly faces, some familiar and some new.

We launched our brand new Nup to the Cup song, viewed the artwork of our collaborator Anthony Breslin (available here), ate delicious food and danced the night away with DJ Shimmy Barnes. Huge love and thanks to everyone who came along, to the wonderful venue staff at The Gertrude Hotel, the DJ and band, our volunteers and artist Anthony Breslin, all who collectively ensured we kicked of this years extra special #nuptothecup campaign with a BANG!  For more images of a night well spent, click here.

AMBIVALENCE TOWARDS HORSE RACING 

“In recent years, though, the meaning of the race has changed in people’s minds. It’s become controversial, associated with things people don’t want to be associated with, like animal cruelty, gambling problems and wealth disparity.”

In case you missed it! Click on the article below.

FASHION STANDING WITH HORSES   

We are very proud to join our friends at Collective Fashion Justice in their Fashion Standing With Horses campaign to move fashion beyond cruelty.
 

TAKE ACTION in two EASY steps 
 

1. Head to their website here and fill in your details to send a pre-made (or personalised) email to MYER, a fashion department store and primary sponsor of the Melbourne Cup.

2. Share the campaign with your friends via email and socials.


 

FASCINATURE LAPEL PINS AND HEAD PIECES STILL AVAILABLE 

Whilst our Nup to the Cup events may be over for this year, Fascinature lapel pin and head pieces can of course be worn for any occasion. 

We’d like to send our deepest gratitude to Janet Mills for creating this beautful concept and hand-making all wearable protest and remembrance pieces, dedicated to each of the recently fallen on Melbourne Cup Day.  

Fascinature head pieces available here.

Fascinature Lapel Pins available here.
 

Featured: The Cliffsofmoher Lapel Pin #3
The Cliffsofmoher was killed in the 2018 Melbourne Cup. He suffered a broken shoulder directly in front of the crowd where he was euthanised behind the green screen. He was born in Ireland and was raced between there and England fifteen times before being moved to Australia for the Spring Carnival where his third race was his last. Being the seventh horse to die at the Cup in seven years, his death marked what we observed to be a huge shift in public sentiment towards horse racing. He was four years old

Featured: Anthony Van Dyck #4 head piece
Anthony Van Dyck was also born in Ireland and raced in the big money spinners across Ireland, England, America and Hong Kong before being transported to Australia in 2020 – his owners chasing a Caulfield Cup and Melbourne Cup win. In the Melbourne Cup he suffered a fractured fetlock that was clearly catastrophic by the way his hoof flapped in the opposite direction, yet his suffering was delayed to remove him from the course before euthanasia in what CPR believes to be an attempt to avoid further bad PR for the country’s biggest race. An equine vet of 50 years provided a statement to CPR in which he said “It is apparent Anthony Van Dyck suffered a race induced catastrophic skeletal injury associated with extreme pain and suffering. The usual humane response would have been to euthanase the stallion, there and then, on the track, without inflicting any further pain transporting him to a new location. It is alleged this was not done despite the stallion being ‘unfit to load’. It is claimed Anthony Van Dyck was loaded and transported. The ethical nature of this decision needs investigating as a possible violation of animal welfare”. He was four years old.

Thank you for reading and remember… speak up, always! 

CPR relies 100% on donations to fund our investigations and campaigns. Without the generosity of our supporters we would not exist.

Thank you to all of our supporters who have donated recently. It is much appreciated and allows us to continue working towards justice for horses.
 Click here to donate

Racing Victoria has spent this week raving about ‘Here for the Horses’, a Channel 7 puff piece being framed as a documentary. We can only apologise to every sorry sod who had to sit through this excruciating 51 minutes – an insult to the intelligence of us all.

Conveniently timed to go to air in the lead up to the most controversial day on the racing calendar, The Melbourne Cup, ‘Here for the Horses’ provides a narrow view of the racing industry, coming only from a select few of those within. There is no delving into the issues that have long plagued the industry and no balance. The “documentary” provides not a single comment from an anti-racing campaigner, an uncompromised veterinarian, behavioural expert or even the most conservative of animal welfare advocates.

Presumably funded by Racing Victoria, ‘Here for the Horses’ focuses in on and exacerbates the miniscule positive changes industry participants claim have been made, whilst entirely ignoring the horrific and systemic cruelty, abuse and suffering that remains for the majority of these horses from birth to death.

New Racing Victoria CEO Andrew Jones, using the single ex racing horse he and his wife love is some kind of bizarre attempt to prove thousands of others have the same outcome.

Equally, showcasing the few horses who end up in equine therapy each year without talking about where the remainder of the 13,000 exiting racing and breeding go is embarrassing at best. As is talking up new pre-race screening measures to prevent horse deaths on track whilst failing to acknowledge that such measures only exist in the highest of high-profile races during the Spring Racing Carnival – meanwhile horses are started in races almost 180,000 times across the country each year with no improved screening whatsoever.

The Coalition for the Protection of Racehorses, Deathwatch 2022 Report is days away from being published. In contrast to ‘Here for the Horses’ it is based on facts, and its statistics demonstrate the number of horses injured and dying on track remain as bad as ever.

Confinement, isolation, the inability to socialise and graze with a herd, the breaking of spirit, pain and fear inflicting instruments of control, and learned helplessness are also overlooked. The puff piece proves it is business as usual at Racing HQ, where maintaining the façade of being ‘here for the horses’ trumps dealing with even the worst aspects of horse racing’s cold, harsh reality.  

The industry’s inability to look at itself and present itself honestly, is ironically the very reason this puff piece had to be produced, yet still, the same ignorance, denial and selective story telling remains.

Industry participants who feature make it clear they believe a horse is of no purpose unless providing something for the human – an ignorant position that assumes horses have no intrinsic value and exist solely to serve our needs. This flawed belief goes to the very heart of why horses do and will continue to suffer across the board.  

‘Here for the Horses’ makes one thing very clear – the racing industry is determined to continue with the same old ways, in a world that is ever increasingly becoming one in which maintaining the status quo simply no longer cuts it.

‘Here for the Horses’ provides a false narrative which aims to convince the viewer that all has been fixed and racing is now a kind ‘sport’, managed by those who have the horses’ best interests above all else.  The only question that remains is whether people are stupid enough to keep on buying it. We think not.

Dear Supporter,  We have some very exciting news we cannot wait to share! It involves bold, fresh and fabulous Nup to the Cup branding, a new website, an artist collaboration, an eccentric animation, a song, YES, a song, a liberated (and somewhat psychadelic) horse, a launch party, and our most ambitious marketing campaign to date! Want more? Read on! Since CPR was formed in 2008, we have been exposing the racing industry for what it is – a ruthless exploitative industry that is all about making money.In October 2019, ABC’s 7.30 program ran the ground-breaking investigation, The Final Race that blew the lid on what happens to horses after they are ‘retired’ from racing. The racing industry had nowhere to hide, forcing them to admit that they had failed these horses. They were in damage control as their social licence was being seriously questioned. Though there have been some minor improvements, the claims being made that horses from the racing industry are no longer being sent to slaughter are just that – claims – just as they have been since we started exposing ‘wastage’ well over a decade ago. The industry still cannot tell us where the approximate 13,000 horses who are exiting racing and breeding each year are going.  We don’t believe anything has changed other than the disposal of racehorses has gone underground, literally. Whilst that may be a story for another day, we feel it is time to make a more concerted effort towards supporting and encouraging the cultural shift of turning Melbourne Cup day into Nup To The Cup day. A day we celebrate animals – not exploit them. OUR VISION Melbourne Cup day has traditionally been a fun day where Australian’s from all walks of life get together with friends, have a few drinks and a bet on the races. It is now time to turn it on it’s head! Nup to the Cup events have been happening since we kicked them off in 2010, giving die-hard animal lovers who were already aware of the cruelty of horse racing a fun alternative on a day many had found difficult in the past. Some still remain conflicted about receiving a public holiday for a cruel horse race. Through a more concerted effort to reach the masses, saying Nup to the Cup and partying FOR the animals CAN become the norm. Our vision is to make the first Tuesday of November into a day everyone celebrates animals, not a day we watch them being whipped around a racetrack for human entertainment and gambling profits. Our collective voice saying Nup to the Cup will become louder than ever before and spread the message that animal exploitation is not okay. KICKSTARTING OUR VISION BRAND NEW WEBSITE We’ve got a new website, dedicated solely to Nup to the Cup. It has all the information you need. It’s bright, colourful and fun and gives people a genuine cruelty free alternative. It demonstrates how you can say Nup to the Cup in so many varied ways, big and small. From a day with close friends at home, the park, the beach, where ever, to joining one of the many events that will be registered each year on our website. Or, you can even create your own large scale public event. Our website will help you promote it and provides ‘how to’ tips and support. We’ve made it as easy as possible to get involved. Go to nuptothecup.org to check it out and for more information. ARTIST COLLAB Meet Equus (aka Squeak Squeak), our 2022 Nup to the Cup Mascot, and his friends A chance meeting with world renowned artist, Anthony Breslin, led to a collaboration that now sees his colourful but sophisticated art being used to spread the word about the importance of having fun but not at the expense of any animals. Anthony, a pacifist and animal lover, immediately said yes to having his art being used to help spread the word about the plight of racehorses. You can find out more about Anthony here.  We’ve got a load of Nup to the Cup merchadise, some featuring the famous horse head, for you to buy.                              We’ve even bought Equus to life… Check him out in our new animation created by motion-design artist Mike Gordon below!

AN AMBITIOUS MARKETING CAMPAIGN
This year we’ve taken steps to get the message of saying Nup to the Cup to the masses. Our bold and bright new branding, designed by Melbourne artist Sebastian Berto, vibrant website and liberated mascot are just about to hit this country’s most popular digital news, business and lifestyle pages, whilst also flooding the socials across Instagram, Facebook, TikTok and Linkedin. Click on these platforms to follow us and when you do see our ads, please help spread the word by sharing to your own socials.
Let’s show everyone that we can still have fun whilst being kind to animals.

NUP TO THE CUP CAMPAIGN LAUNCH
We’re holding a special event to launch our campaign and it’s new website, new mascot and new song and we’d love you to join us. All tickets include vegan canapes and a complimentary drink on arrival.

Where:
The Gertrude Hotel – 148 Gertrude St. Fitzroy, Vic
When: 
Friday 7 October, 2022
5.00pm Media Launch (media only) 
6.30pm Campaign launch begins 
8:00pm DJ Shimmy Barnes
9.00pm Nup to the Cup song to be launched
Cost:
$40.00 General Admission (early bird before 20th September) 
$48.00 General Admission (post 20th September)
$70 CPR Patron (optional)
Tickets available here.

BE A VOICE THIS NUP TO THE CUP DAY! 
This year, and every year, we want as many people as possible to organise or attend a Nup To The Cup event, have an awesome, fun time, and use it as an opportunity to raise funds for any animal charity you desire. Our website has all the tips, listings and support you need.

Ironically, this year, Melbourne Cup day falls on World Vegan Day, November 1^st. So, let’s do it proud!

Help us achieve our vision by joining an event or starting your own – and let’s have fun FOR the animals!

DONATE
Help Nup to the Cup take on the Melbourne Cup!

Donate to our Nup to the Cup campaign here.

OTHER CPR EVENTS
Caulfield Cup Protest – Saturday 15 October, 2022
Derby Day Protest – Saturday 29 October, 2022
Melbourne Cup Parade Protest – Monday 31 October, 2022
Official CPR Nup to the Cup/Farshans in the Field Party – Tuesday 1 November, 2022

Keep an eye out for more details. Thank you for reading and remember… speak up, always! 

Friday 13^th March 2020, the day of the last Echuca horse sale. A day that was lucky for the horses that found good, private homes and unlucky for the unwanted and unloved that went to the meat men and dubious dealers. A day, thanks to COVID, that spelt the end of a sale that had resulted in misery, and often death, for so many horses.

Andrew Wilson & Co subsequently announced that all future sales would be online. It was later also stated that no meat buyers were allowed to bid and, regardless of that, it would be unviable for them to buy, seeing the horses were spread all over Australia. We had hope that not only Thoroughbreds, but all horses had a better chance of finding good, private homes.

For the past few months, we have been documenting the Thoroughbreds that are entered in the online sale (there will be more on that at a later date) and something became apparent, the same bidders were bidding on horses sale after sale, regardless of the horses’ location. We began documenting ALL the horses and have the proof that there are bidders who have bid on horses in multiple states, all in the same sale. This leads us to pose two questions:
are these bidders dummy – bidders who are used to jack up the prices;
or
is the argument that it’s not worth travelling around not valid?

Either way, this leads to other questions. Is it ethical to allow dummy bidding (if that is the case)?
Is it ethical to have what appears to be multiple dealers bidding/buying at the sale without the public being aware? How can it be guaranteed that meat buyers are not bidding, either directly or through a third party? Simple – it can’t be guaranteed, especially seeing that the argument of “it’s not worthwhile to travel around” seems null and void. One bidder in the sale ending on Friday 15^th July 2022, bid on well over 20 lots ranging from Thoroughbreds to Brumbies – horses that were spread across VIC, NSW and QLD. In the sale prior they did the same – bid on 20+ lots across 3 states. Another bidder also bid on 20+ lots in the last sale, horses ranging from Thoroughbreds to Clydesdales that were across VIC, NSW and one in SA. In the sale prior they bid on 20+ lots, this time spread over VIC, NSW, SA and QLD. We could go on and on but suffice to say, the above-mentioned bidders are not alone. There are many more at every sale that bid on any breed and across multiple states, too many to list here.

The racing industry has no regulations regarding the treatment, use and sale of horses once they are officially ‘retired’ from racing – excluding Racing NSW, who among other rules, have a list of four approved horse sales, that NSW thoroughbreds can be sold through. This is supposedly to ensure they are not purchased by dealers and meat buyers. The Andrew Wilson & Co online sale is one of them.

We give full credit to the Facebook group “Promoting Equines on Andrew Wilson & Co Online”. We are aware that they go to great lengths to promote the horses listed for sale in the hope they find good homes. It was because of this group that we became aware of two unreserved Standardbreds being sold together. It was stated the elderly vendor apparently had no idea that they could be sold to dealers or maybe even meat buyers and were distraught once they realised that could be the fate of their beloved horses. The group is obviously also aware that dealers bid. It was only because they announced that dealers possibly had the two highest bids (at that time) that there was a public outcry and the horses fortunately ended up with a private buyer. These horses were lucky. What about all the others, especially those that have sold with low or no reserves?

These sales should not exist at all, but so long as they do, they must demonstrate transparency and set minimum reserves on all horses that will keep them out of the hands of both meat buyers, other horse dealers and those who cannot afford to provide for their basic needs. They should also allow for the option of the original seller to be contacted shall the buyer find themselves in hardship and unable to care for the horses down the track.

Sellers need to be aware that dealers, or possibly worse, bid and buy horses at this sale. Sellers also need to be aware that whilst selling their horse to a stranger may  eventuate in a good outcome, it also places their horse  at risk of abuse and neglect or a premature and terrifying death.

Alternatives:

• Reach out to everyone you know for help
• Arrange for temporary agistment (if finances allow)
• Reach out to a respected sanctuary and make a donation that will help toward covering the cost of your horse’s care and then work with them to help find your horse a good home.
• Create a crowdfund to help raise money towards the above expenses if needed.
• If the horse was once registered for racing, contact the relevant racing authority and breeder and demand they support you in finding the horse a good home. You should also demand the ability to remain informed on the horse’s future throughout their lifecycle. The reality is the racing authorities (by choice) do not currently have a system to guarantee you this, but your demand will place pressure on them to start taking lifetime responsibility for the horses they depend on for their existence. Do not leave your horse in their hands without this guarantee – they are not safe. If the authorities refuse, cause a stir, report it on your socials and inform the media.
• In all scenario’s, ensure rehoming comes with a contract stating the horse cannot be on sold/rehomed without you being contacted first and given the option to take them back into your care
• If all avenues are exhausted and there is no possibility that you can continue to care for your horse, rehome them, or sell them privately to somewhere you have investigated, so you make the decision to send your horses to a sale, PLEASE, set a reserve price that will ensure they will not be purchased by meat buyers or other horse dealers and bear in mind, this could still be their fate in the future.
  

Ultimately, until we collectively recognise and respect horses as individuals in their own right, not commodities to be bought and sold for profits, they will remain at greater risk of abuse, neglect and premature death.

A robust National Horse Traceability Register will create the foundations of a system where horses can be protected from horrid poor welfare outcomes and slaughter.

HOW YOU CAN HELP!

1. Sign our petition directed at key personnel within government, the working group and horse industries here.
2. You can personalise the petition letter or send your own letter directly, expressing your frustration at this situation and your support for a robust register that will achieve what was initially intended – addresses here.
3. Share this post

#UrgentNationalRegister

#NHTR

Pictured: Katie and Phoenix – once used in harness racing, safely rehomed by public efforts and featured on Equine Voice Australia

Seven year old gelding Soviet was purchased by Gai Waterhouse for $270,000 in 2016. He was raced across NSW from the age of two by the Hall of Fame trainer and was sold off two years later after failing to live up to the expectations placed on him.

His bright light city race meets were replaced with the provincial and country circuit. The number of times he was raced significantly increased as the prizemoney chased continued to decline,

After another owner/trainer change in 2021, Soviet was raced across QLD country tracks by Kerry Krogh ten times in just three months. The worst stint was three race meets in just eight days, which Racing Queensland had no problem with.

Soviet ended up in the hands of several others who also had predetermined ideas of who and what he should be, before ending up at the slaughterhouse two weeks ago to meet a premature and terrifying end

This is an all too common story.

It’s been almost three years since the systemic killing of racehorses and the horrors of Meramist were exposed to the public. Three years and still there is NO national horse traceability register, NO retirement plan and NO ban on the killing of horses by any racing authority – aside from the clearly ineffective one by Racing NSW.

The only thing the racing industry has improved is their systems to hide the killing more effectively. We invite them to prove us wrong by providing evidence as to the whereabouts of the approximate 35,000 thoroughbreds alone, that have vanished from racing since the Final Race aired.

Soviet was never appreciated for who he was – only what he could provide. When that failed, he was unwanted by everyone who came into his life, from beginning to end. It is too late for him, but not for those to come. Please honour his memory by TAKING ACTION now!

1.Demand the failing National Horse Traceability Register be steered back on course here.

2. Take the pledge to never bet on or attend a horse race again here.

3. Donate to our #NuptotheCup 2022 campaign here.

4 Share this article

Rest peacefully sweet angel.

CPR has received animal welfare incident reports from Meramist slaughterhouse in Caboolture QLD through a Right to Information inquiry made by Meet Our Horse Meat. Whilst we recognise the obscurity in (unintentionally) implying a place that exists to kill horses and other animals somehow has their welfare as a consideration, these stories give a snapshot into their lives before being sent to the slaughterhouse, during transport and/or on arrival.

Help horses by:

1. Demanding the National Horse Traceability Register be designed to achieve its intended purpose https://horseracingkills.com/nhtr/

2. Signing the petition directed at the EU Commission to end their import of Australian horse meat https://bit.ly/2LWvb1m

3. Watch and share ‘The Final Race’ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zp-ALoBRW20

Incident 7/5/2019 (no incident number).

The Meramist On-Plant Vet was performing an ante-mortem exam on the horses due for slaughter that day. At 6.50am they discovered a brown gelding who was blind in both eyes in a pen with 35 other horses. All horses had been delivered the previous morning. The vet noticed he had his head down and extensive swelling involving soft tissue around the right eye. The surface of his left eye was cloudy with no menace response indicating blindness in that eye. The right eye was subsequently checked with the peri-orbital swelling being at least 24 hours old. Again, no menace response and bi lateral blindness was confirmed when the gelding was noticed walking into the perimeter fence of the yard. The vet declared the horse ‘unfit to load’.

Another staff member agreed he was blind and led him up the race for “priority slaughter”.

The gelding was reported to be a thoroughbred type and 20+ years old. He had a body score of 3/5 and was depressed and lethargic.

The truck the gelding arrived in carried 35 other horses over two trailers.

His eyes were extracted after slaughter and locked securely in DAWR freezer.

There were eight photos accompanying the report which the Queensland Government did not provide.

Previous incidents from the same horse trader:

16/4/2019 – horse with open dislocation of left hind fetlock on truck

3/1/2018 – three horses down in truck, one fractured skull, one broken leg, one dead.

26/9/2017 – use of cattle prod on brumbies while unloading.

There are other incidents at Meramist that we are aware of from this same horse trader that are not mentioned in the above summary.

It is highly likely the brown gelding was the stock horse pictured – sold at Echuca sales 11 days prior to the same person who delivered this and thirty-five other horses to Meramist. He was advertised as “quiet in the yard and blind in one eye”.

The vet said the horse had extensive swelling around the right eye and that it was at least 24 hours old so why wasn’t this picked up the day before and the horse euthanased then? He was blind in a pen (and likely in a cramped truck) with 35 other horses and entirely at their mercy.

There are so many related incidents to this vendor, yet he was allowed to continue supplying horses to Meramist.

Whilst over 50% of horses killed at Meramist are racehorses (as our 2019 investigation exposed), many of the horses in these incident reports that we will be sharing with you over the coming months are not. Even so, we feel a deep responsibility to tell their stories, to keep exposing the devastating reality of a world that trades in horses (and so many other animals) as objects for our use as we see fit. In these cases- it is the end of the line, when all other uses have been exhausted. The last remaining thing to exploit them for is their very own flesh, to be served up as a meal for humans in Europe and Asia.

To keep across future Meramist story posts on social media search #MeramistStories #UrgentNationalRegister

26 May 2022

Attn: Nathalie Chaze

European Commission Director General for Health and Food Safety

By email: [email protected]

Copy to:
EU Commissioner for Health and Food Safety
Stella Kyriakides
[email protected]

A further request for the immediate suspension of horsemeat products from Australia

Dear Nathalie Chaze,

Thank you for your letter dated 1st March 2022 on the above-mentioned subject. We would like to share with you new evidence which demonstrates the disregard of the Australian horse traders with EU rules regarding horse traceability and the safety of Australian meat for consumers.

We have statutory declarations from witnesses who have seen, first-hand, the fraudulent activities of the horse traders with regard to Horse Vendor Declarations (HVDs). By law, HVDs are to be completed and signed by the vendors the horse traders buy from. This has been proven to not always happen. These HVD numbers are then listed on the HVDs that the horse traders complete, and they accompany the horses to the Meramist abattoir. This is a system that does not work.

The statutory declarations provide proof that fraudulent HVDs are common. They are annexed to this letter in full detail but, in brief, relate to the following:

• Statutory declaration from witness 1 who personally witnessed horses known to have drugs in their system, and horses not fit for transport, being taken to, and accepted by, Meramist abattoir. The witness was employed by xxxxxxxx (name redacted) at the time, a sub vendor for Peter Klan – both horse traders who provide horses to Meramist. She witnessed HVDs being completed by people other than the vendor of the horses. She heard the horse trader say that the On Plant Vet at Meramist turns a blind eye to many of the unfit horses sent to Meramist. What she witnessed is proof that EU traceability requirements are not met.
• Statutory declaration from witness 2 who attended the Echuca horse sale on 26^th April 2019 and witnessed sale staff completing the HVDs rather than the vendor of the horses. This is a breach of EU traceability requirements.
• Statutory declaration from witness 3 who attended the Camden horse sale on 4^th December 2019 and witnessed two mares being bought and loaded by xxxxxx (name redacted), a horse trader and supplier to Meramist. A further statutory declaration from witness 2 regarding the same sale and same mares. The sale auctioneer stated to the witness that no HVDs were handed out that day. That being the case, it means they were completed fraudulently by, or on behalf of, the horse trader. This is also a breach of EU traceability requirements.

Summary:

Name	Where	Date	Issue	Breach of EU Traceability
Witness 1	Peter Klan’s sub vendor	2020, 2021	Horses delivered to Meramist with drugs in system   Fraudulent HVDs	Yes
Witness 3	Camden Horse Sale	4.12.19	xxxxxxx (name redacted) bought horses with no HVD
Witness 2	Phone contact	Dec 2019	Horses delivered to Meramist	Yes
Witness 2	Echuca Horse sale	26.4.19	Staff not vendor filling out HVD	yes

Further to the statutory declarations, we have evidence that errors regarding the identity of horses can and do happen. An investigation by Biosecurity Queensland into an incident on 16^th April 2019, did not make mention of an inaccuracy on the HVD the horse trader completed, even though it concerned one of the horses involved in the incident. The description of the horse on the HVD did not match the horse with that tag number. This is further proof that the HVDs should not and cannot be relied upon. The details of this incident are also annexed.

Through Right to Information we have received reports that involve horrific animal welfare breaches that resulted in the suffering, or even death, of numerous horses during long haul transport. Many of these horses were not fit to be transported and suffered for extended periods of time. Some involved horses that were very aged and a horse who was blind. These incidents break Australian law.

In your letter dated 1^st March, you indicate that due to the low number of residues-related RASFF notifications for horsemeat from Australia, there is no real food safety risk for consumers. In this context, we would be interested to know how many horsemeat samples were tested at EU border inspection posts in the last three years (2019-21) from Australia, and how many of these samples showed positive results of drug residues.

In our opinion, the potential food safety risk appears to be considerable, especially considering more than 50 % of the slaughtered horses come from the racing industry, and where there is no reliable system of traceability in place.

Based on this new and also previously supplied evidence relating to food safety and horse welfare breaches to EU requirements, we urgently ask for an immediate suspension of all horse meat products from Australia.

We appreciate the time taken to read the annexed documents and await your reply.

Yours sincerely,

Elio Celotto

Campaign Director
Coalition for the Protection of Racehorses

Previous letters sent to the EU regarding breaches to their Australian horse meat import requirements available here and here.

To sign the petition calling on a suspension of horse meat imports from third countries to the EU, click here.

Jet’s story is an all too common one. It is a devastating one and a clear reflection of an industry and a system that continues to fail animals.

Jet was raced for less than three years – the average for a thoroughbred racehorse. He won over $40,000 for his owners across NSW country racetracks including Muswellbrook, Gosford, Bathurst, Tamworth, Wyong and Scone.

Once his owners and trainer were done with him he was officially ‘retired’ from racing and rehomed – at which point the racing authority, his trainer and his owners absolved themselves of any ongoing responsibility or concern for his life and his care.

Between 2013 and 2020 he had three different owners. We don’t know how Jet was treated throughout this time or what his life was like, until he was passed to a fourth owner in mid 2020. By March 2021 the RSPCA had stepped in due to Jet’s poor condition and placed the then sixteen year old on a monitoring system and feeding regime.

One year later, Jet was rescued by Hunter Horse Haven. The images they took tell the story of just how well the RSPCA monitoring system worked for Jet. He was starving, was eating his own faeces and had even eaten parts of a fence.

Over fifteen long days and nights Jet was given round the clock monitoring, tests, veterinary guidance, small three hourly feeds, and an abundance and love and care. His carers slept by his side in his barn every night. But it was not enough to reverse the damage that was done. Jet’s heart gave out on the morning of May 1, 2022 and he was put to rest.

Jet’s last owner failed him. The RSPCA failed him. And the racing industry failed him.

Whilst Jet may have been ‘retired’ from the racing industry some years ago, this does not negate them of responsibility. Racing breeds approximately 13,000 thoroughbreds each year and expects the Australian public to take responsibility for almost all of them once racing has used them up and spat them out. Jet made over $40,000 for his owners and still, his life ended as a starved horse, who was only a shadow of himself. So long as the racing industry’s business model is one of breed, use, abuse and discard we will continue to see such suffering. It’s just not good enough.

Thoroughbred racing turned over $29 billion in wagering alone last year. Over $800 million was paid out in prizemoney. Yet thousands of horses still end up either killed or neglected. Meanwhile, the National Horse Traceability Register that Australians were promised has turned into an absolute farce (more on that soon).

Please TAKE ACTION now, for Jet and so many others in five easy steps:

1. Take the pledge to never bet on or attend a horse race again here.

2. Demand an Independent Office of Animal Protection that can adequately address animal suffering – something the RSPCA have proven time and time again they cannot. Sign here.

3. Send your love and gratitude to Hunter Horse Haven Inc. Rehabilitation, Rehoming & Sanctuary by making a donation to their work for horses here.

4. We need politicians who care about animals above the profits of animal abuse industries. Remember this at the polling booth.

5. Share his story