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2008/18: Should jumps racing in Victoria be banned?<BR>

2008/18: Should jumps racing in Victoria be banned?

What they said ...
'These horses love to jump. You couldn't make them do it if they didn't want to'
Jumps jockey, Steven Pateman

'We're not opposed to the use of horses [in sporting events], but just simply opposed to events that kill them'
President of the Victorian RSPCA, Dr Hugh Wirth

The issue at a glance
On June 28, 2008, the Grand National Hurdle was run at Flemington Race Course. The prestigious event ended disastrously. Two horses, Charted and Eveready, were put down; a jockey, Adrian Garraway, was taken to hospital and only four of thirteen starters passed the finishing post.
Jumps racing in Victoria was already the subject of immediate controversy as eight horses have died or been put down as a result of jumps events since March of this year. The Grand National fatalities take the figure to ten.
In response, the Victorian Racing Minister, Mr Rob Hulls, has agreed to bring the annual review of jumps racing forward.
Animal welfare and animal rights groups are increasing their demands to have the sport banned. Defenders of the sport agree that the current number of horse deaths is unacceptable but claim it is an anomaly.

Background
(The information below is drawn from two sources - the Wikipedia entry for 'steeplechasing' which can be found at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steeplechase
and the account of the history of steeplechasing on the Foxfield races site at http://www.foxfieldraces.com/html/steeplechaseHistory.htm)

Steeplechasing or jumps racing is a form of horse racing that involves having horses compete against each other over a track which included hurdles and sometimes other obstacles.
The first recorded steeplechase occurred in 1752 in County Cork, Ireland. Cornelius O'Callaghan and Edmund Blake engaged in a match race, covering about four and a half miles from St. John's Church at Buttevant to St. Mary1s Church in Doneraile. Church steeples were the most prominent, and tallest, landmarks on the landscape and thus the two men raced each other to St Mary's steeple.
Cross-country match races spread to England, where the first reported race involving more than two horses occurred in 1792. Steeplechasing then began to occur on established race courses.
Though it is not clear which was the earliest steeplechase in the United States, several of the oldest and most prestigious races are still run. The Maryland Hunt Cup, raced over tall post-and-rail fences, was first run in 1894. The American Grand National began in 1899. The National Hunt Cup in Radnor, Pennsylvania, dates from 1909.

Jumps racing in Australia
Australia has a long history of jumps racing which was introduced by British settlers. In the 20th century the northern states of Queensland and New South Wales phased out all jumps racing. Today only Victoria and South Australia hold steeplechases, Tasmania having ceased jumps racing as of April 2007.
The jumping season in Australia normally takes place from March until August (some minor races are held either side of these months). Horses for steeplechasing are primarily former flat racing horses, rather than horses specifically bred for jumping. There is an emphasis on safety in Australia which has led to a reduction in the size of obstacles. As jumps races take place at flat racing meetings there is also a need for portable jumps. Most chasing occurs on steeple lanes but also includes parts of the main flat racing track. From Easter to May the major distance races occur. The Great Eastern Steeplechase at Oakbank is held on Easter Monday in South Australia drawing crowds of over 100,000. The Grand Annual, which has the most fences of any steeplechase in the world, is held in May at Warrnambool. Each state holds its own Grand National, the most prestigious is the VRC Grand National at Flemington run in the winter. The jumping season culminates with the set weights and penalties Hiskens Steeple run at Moonee Valley.

Internet information
On June 23, 2008, the animal welfare group, Animals Australia, released a press statement calling for the banning of jumps racing in Victoria. The statement was in response to the death of Turbo Charged after a jumps race at Casterton. This was the eighth horse fatality up to this point in the Victorian 2008 jumps calendar. The release lists the details of all the other animal deaths. It can be found at http://www.animalsaustralia.org/media/press_releases.php?release=101

On June 28, 2008, following the disastrous Grand National Hurdle at Flemington, Animals Australia released another press statement in which they responded to the most recent events and gave an overview of what they believe are the failed attempts to reform the sport. This media release can be found at http://www.animalsaustralia.org/media/press_releases.php?release=102

On June 29, 2008, The New Zealand Herald presented a news report on the running of the Grand National at Flemington. The report makes specific reference to the difficulties and deaths that occurred as a result of the race and gives a brief overview of some of the problems facing jumps racing in Victoria. The report can be found at http://www.nzherald.co.nz/category/story.cfm?c_id=53&objectid=10518929

On June 30, 2008, the ABC's 7.30 report ran a segment dealing with the current problems faced within Victoria's jumps racing industry. It presented the views of those who would see jumps racing banned and those who support its continuance. The full text of this program can be found at http://www.abc.net.au/7.30/content/2008/s2290222.htm

On July 3, 2008, the online magazine Racing and Sports published an analysis and comment titled, 'Jumps races under spotlight again'. The piece outlines the probable reasons behind the recent large number of horse deaths and comes to the quietly regretful conclusion that jumps racing in Victoria will ultimately be banned.
The full text of this article can be found at http://www.racingandsports.com.au/racing/rsNewsArt.asp?NID=130645

On July 1, 2008, the online magazine Punters Paradise outlined the new nine-point reform plan that has been developed to improve safety in jumps racing. The article is titled 'Nine-point plan to help save jumps racing' and can be found at http://www.puntersparadise.com.au/news/?ContentID=1615&ContentTitle=Nine-point+plan+to+help+save+jumps+racing

Arguments supporting horse jump racing
1. There is no cruelty involved in horse jumps racing
It has been claimed that jumps racing is not cruel. Many supporters of jumps racing claim that jumping is something which horses do naturally and that many enjoy doing.
Jumps jockey, Steven Pateman, has stated, 'These horses love to jump. You couldn't make them do it if they didn't want to. We just have to get the message out there.'
It has also been claimed that far from being cruel, jumps racing increases the useful lives of many horses that have previously run on the flat and may have otherwise been put down when their initial racing career was at an end.
This point has been made by jumps trainer Eric Musgrove who has defended the sport, explaining that hurdle and steeplechase racing extends the careers of many thoroughbreds.
A case in point was Karasi, a former flat performer good enough to win a Geelong Cup.
When switched to jumps, he won three Japanese Grand Jumps. Eris Musgrove is also preparing Conzeal, another horse which is enjoying a career resurgence over the jumps. Conzeal, a former moderate New South Wales stayer, may have had a very short life once his days of flat racing were over.
The horse's former trained, Paul Perry, has stated, 'He was finished as a racehorse, he had a very limited future. If he didn't go on to the jumps, he could have ended up anywhere - but we sent him to Eric[Musgrove] and he's really taken to the jumps.'
Musgrove has said that any move to ban jumps racing would impact on horses such as Karasi and Conzeal, plus the many people directly employed in the sport.
Trainer Robbie Laing has made the same point. Mr Laing has stated, 'It provides a second lease of life for animals that would otherwise be pensioned off ... Without jumps racing many of them would be sent to the knackers' yard as people in the countryside are struggling to look after the horses that they've got already because of the drought ... There are around 400 jumps horses in training in Victoria and their future would be very uncertain ... trying to find homes for all them would be impossible.'

2. The current spate of deaths is an anomaly
It has been claimed that the recent increase in horse deaths and injuries associated with jumps racing is an anomaly, not typical of recent trens nor of the sport as a whole. The latest figures from RVL show a drop in falls and fatalities in jumps races over the past three years up to 2008.
The chairman of the Australian Jumps Racing Association, Rodney Rae, has claimed yesterday that Victoria is a 'world leader' in safety for horses and riders in jumps races. Mr Rae has claimed that the incidence of falls has decreased by 34% in the past four years and fatalities by 21%. Mr Rae has stated, 'People can have their opinions on jumps but I think we have to take a deep breath and focus on the facts.'
Mr Rae also added, 'What we're saying is that periods shouldn't be looked at in isolation.'
There are those who claim that this situation has even been endorsed by the Victorian president of the RSPCA, Dr Hugh Wirth. Dr Wirth has stated, 'With the old-style jumps, the injury and mortality rate was increasing but with the new modular jumps, it appears to be exactly the opposite.' (It should be noted that Dr Wirth is currently opposed to jumps racing.)
Robert Smerdon, the trainer of reigning champion jumper Some Are Bent has said of the calls to ban jumps racing, 'I think it is a bit of a knee-jerk reaction because since they have modified the jumps, they are more modest and a lot safer. The incidence of falls is down this year, however the incidence of fatalities unfortunately is up.
But overall the modular jumps have been a success and our safety record is the best in the world.'

3. Safety measures have been put in place and more are planned
A whole range of safety measures have been put in place to ensure that jumps racing is as safe as possible.
Robert Smerdon, the trainer of reigning champion jumper Some Are Bent, has explained that the hurdles and steeples in use today are much safer because they are made primarily of nylon brush and enable a racehorse to jump through rather than over the obstacle.
The industry acknowledges the current increase in deaths and injuries and is addressing the problem.
The chairman of the Australian Jumps Racing Association, Rodney Rae, has said he did not necessarily subscribe to the theory that the smaller modular hurdle and steeplechase fences introduced a few years ago had made jumps races more dangerous because horses were going faster and did not have to jump as cleanly as they did with the old-style obstacles.
Mr Rae added that while speed may not be the main factor, the statistics relating to steeplechases, with the bigger fences, were better than hurdle races.
Mr Rae explained, 'The truth is that since 2005, there has been significant improvement with falls and fatalities but in the last couple of months, the statistics have been disappointing.
Now, whether there are specific reasons for this, such as firm tracks or jockeys riding too tightly, is something we have to sit down and work out.'
An additional set of safety measures is being proposed which it is hoped will further increase the safety of the sport. On July 1, 2008, The Australian Jumps Racing Association (AJRA) has presented a nine-point plan to Racing Victoria Ltd officials suggesting means of further improving safety.
The AJRA's recommendations are that the white sighter line on all jumps to be repainted and made wider; that RVL amend its track preparation policy to make all tracks used for jumps racing no firmer than a dead four; that stewards consider a wider range of issues when assessing jumps racing incidents and racing matters; that riders' skill courses be expanded and more coaching of riders be undertaken and that workshops be conducted for trainers.
Tha AJRA also recommended that additional jumps be added in an attempt to slow the pace of races; that jumps be located next to the inside fence, rather than the outside; that the wings marking the approach to jumps be set at the same angle on all courses and that jockeys be given more encouragement to retire horses from races when they are out of contention.
Referring to the plan to repaint the sighter lines and make them wider jumps trainer, Robbie Laing has stated, 'The sighter lines are very important; they've doubled the size of them and repainted them and they've all jumped faultless today. Horses don't have the best eyesight and some of the jockeys said the white lines had all but gone...'

4. Horse jumps racing is an important industry
It has also been claimed that jumps racing is economically important to many people who work within it.
The chairman of the Australian Jumps Racing Association, Rodney Rae, has argued that the economic argument for continuing the sport is strong. Mr Rae has indicated that hundreds of stable staff would lose their jobs if the sport was wound up.
It has also been claimed that a ban would hurt the economy of rural towns such as Warrnambool, which has a large training centre and a popular jumps meeting that brings in around $15 million in tourism revenue per annum.
A spokesperson for Flemington Racecourse told the ABC's 7.30 Report, 'Jumps racing first started at Warrnambool in about 1846. We've been operating at our course for over 150 years now. The [Grand National] carnival delivers about $13 million of economic impact over that week.'
Rodney Rae has further stated of jumps racing, 'It's part of our history, it's parts of our social fabric and it provides a very significant economic contribution to both South Australia and Victoria.'

Arguments against horse jump racing
1. Horse jumps racing is cruel
Opponents of jumps racing claim it is inherently cruel. According to this line of argument, the requirements that horses run at speed, in close competition with other horses, over jumps, make the sport dangerous and likely to result in either injury or death for the horses concerned.
The president of the RSPCA in Victoria, Hugh Wirth, has stated, 'It's immoral to keep jumps racing going while the minister had ordered a speeding up of the annual review.' Dr Wirth added that Australian horses were too fast for jumps races, unlike 'hunter-type' horses used in Europe.
The president of the Victorian RSPCA, Dr Hugh Wirth, has stated, 'We are against submitting any animal to any activity where the level of risk to their health and wellbeing is unacceptably high ... We're not opposed to the use of horses, but just simply opposed to events that kill them.'
The president of Advocate For Animals, Laurence Pope, has called for Mr Hulls to ban the sport when the season ends on July 31. Mr Pope stated, 'It is an absolute disgrace on our culture and a disgrace for our state.'
Glenys Oogjes, the president of Animals Australia, has stated, 'Eight dead horses provide ample evidence that jumps racing presents an unacceptable risk and mustn't be allowed to continue. Jumps racing is 10 to 20 times more dangerous than flat racing. Horses will continue to fall and die until jumps racing is banned.'
It has also been argued that jumps racing is no real salvation for flat racing horses who would otherwise be put down when their flat racing careers were over. Critics claim that if these horses were put down it would at least be quick and painless. They also argue that any reprieve is only a postponement as the same horses, at the end of their careers in jumps racing, are then put down - many with injuries caused while jumps racing.
The Victorian Racing minister, Rob Hulls, also appears to have concerns about the safety of jumps racing. He has stated, 'Anyone who thinks that these types of incidents, these types of deaths and injuries are just a natural by-products of jumps racing really don't have much concern for either the safety of jockeys or horses.'
The Minister has stated, 'There have been far too many falls, far too many deaths, far too many injuries of jockeys. And it's now time to have a thorough review of jumps racing in this State.'
On June 30, 2008, Greg Hoy, a reporter for the ABC's 7.30 Report stated, 'In the last eight years, 70 horses have been put down and some fear the unofficial figures could be higher.' Such an ongoing history of animal deaths directly related to jumps racing events has convinced many of the sport's critics that it is simply unjustifiably cruel and dangerous.

2. There has been an increasing number of deaths associated with the industry
It has been claimed that despite attempted reforms and temporary downward trends in the number of injuries and horse death, jumps racing has remained dangerous. It has further been claimed that the most recent figures actually reveal an increase in harm to horses competing in jump races.
Glenys Oogjes, the Executive Director of Animals Australia, has stated, 'Jumps racing is 10 to 20 times more dangerous than flat racing. Previous reviews held in 2002 and 2005 and subsequent changes to the hurdles, have not worked. The 2008 season statistics show a higher rate of falls and deaths to those before the reviews commenced. Horses will continue to fall and die until jumps racing is banned"
Ms Oogles has further argued that, 'Eight dead horses [between March and June 25, 2008] provide ample evidence that jumps racing presents an unacceptable risk and mustn't be allowed to continue.'
Critics have further noted that by the start of July 2008 a further two jumps horses had been killed, taking the tally up to ten since March.
The Victorian Racing minister, Rob Hulls, 'If these types of incidents were happening on the same regularity in flat racing as they do in jumps racing it would mean that you would have one death per race meeting.'
Mr Hulls further stated, 'A lot of people said stick your nose out of it. It's got nothing to do with you. This is a tradition, and jumps racing is fantastic and it's part of our culture. Well that's just not good enough.
It has to be remembered that we're having something like 1.4 deaths per 100 starters in jumps racing.'
In the last 8 years, 70 horses have been put down and some fear the unofficial figures could be higher. Gelenys Oogles has stated, 'We understand that at least several horses die in the jumps racing trials each year. Racing Victoria have of recent times
said they can't provide us with those figures any more.'

3. The safety measures put in place appear to have had little effect
It has been claimed that, paradoxically, a number of measures intended to make jumps racing safer have backfired and increased the risks involved. Some critics have claimed that the jumps are too small.
The obstacles in jumps races in Victoria and South Australia have been made smaller and easier in the last few years in an effort to increase safety. However, some have claimed that the smaller jumps, which allow horses to brush through them, do not encourage a horse to jump. The horse soon learns he can brush through the hurdles and fences that look like big, upturned brooms. Before long, it has been claimed, horses have become lazy and think they barely need to lift their legs.
It has been argued that the irony appears to be that in attempting to make jumps racing safer, a whole new set of risks have been introduced.
This has led opponents of the industry to suggest that most reforms are unlikely to have any real impact as the sport is inherently unsafe. Thus, its critics maintain, you can fiddle around the edges but all that is likely to happen is that you transfer the immediate trigger for an accident from one risk factor to another.

4. Jumps racing is not economically important and can harm the image of the racing industry
Victoria and South Australia are the last states to host jumps racing after Tasmanian racing authorities banned the sport in 2007. Tasmania ceased the sport for economic reasons, not animal welfare reasons. There have been no jumps races in New South Wales since 1995.
Lawrence Pope, the Victorian Advocates for Animals president, has stated, 'I think the powers that run racing consider jumping a risk to their brand. Events like the spring carnival are hugely popular but the whole sport is tarnished when horses have to be put down in public.'
It has also been noted that jumps racing was far less profitable that flat racing. On the weekend of June 29, 2008, only $477,000 was wagered in winning and place bets in Victoria, ACT, WA and Tasmania on the Grand National Hurdle. But the flat races before and after, which like the National had 13 runners, produced revenue of $680,000 and $993,000 respectively.
Thus, it has been argued, though jumps racing may be important for certain communities and for some of those currently employed within it, it is far less significant when compared to the amount of revenue to be gleaned from the racing industry as a whole. Therefore, some claim, if this subsidiary of the whole racing industry is helping to bring that industry into disrepute, then perhaps it is time to end it.

Further implications
It is difficult not to draw the conclusion that jumps racing will ultimately be banned in Victoria. The racing industry as a whole has to compete with a wide range of other sporting and gambling opportunities available to Victorians. It therefore does not seem likely that it will continue to support a section of the industry which brings in only a relatively small percentage of its revenues and which attracts a large and currently growing amount of negative publicity.
There are inherent difficulties in jumps racing in Australia, notably relatively hard tracks and fast horses which have previously raced on the flat. The jumps racing fraternity have made serious efforts to reduce the inherent risks. Paradoxically one of those measures - the new lower, brush-topped hurdles - may actually have increased the dangers by making horses less wary of the jumps.
Obviously further reforms are going to be put in place; however, it seems likely that it will only take a couple more debacles of the type which occurred at the Grand National at Flemington for either a temporary ban or a permanent halt to be called to jumps racing in Victoria.
It would appear that the question of jumps racing being banned in Victoria actually centres around when and how rather than if.

Newspaper items used in the compilation of this issue outline
AGE, July 2, page 17, comment by Peter Pierce, `All race riding is dangerous. Why the hysteria over jumps?'.
http://www.theage.com.au/opinion/why-the-hysteria-over-jumps-20080701-2zzf.html?skin=text-only

H/SUN, July 1, page 21, comment (photo) by Lawrence Pope, `Grand? Just horrific'.
http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/0,21985,23949015-5006021,00.html

H/SUN, July 1, page 21, comment by Brian Meldrum, `Jumps ban brings early death to horses'.
http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/0,21985,23949014-5000117,00.html

AUST, June 28, page 3, news item by B Cormick, `More horses die in jumps racing'.
http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,23943249-5013405,00.html

AGE, June 29, page 1, news item by Reilly and Bourke, `Two horses fall and die, and a sport may yet be crippled'.
http://www.theage.com.au/news/horse-racing/two-horses-fall-and-die-and-a-sport-may-yet-be-crippled/2008/06/28/1214472844523.html

H/SUN, July 6, page 7, news item (photos of horse falling) by A Dunn, `Going ... going ... gone?'.
http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/0,21985,23974957-2862,00.html

AGE, July 6, page 4, analysis by T Reilly, `Jumps racing faces mounting hurdle to win PR war'.
http://www.theage.com.au/cgi-bin/common/popupPrintArticle.pl?path=/articles/2008/07/05/1214951115630.html

NOTE that the links to the above articles may not be permanent.