Right: police clash with Victorian anti-jumps racing protesters.
Arguments supporting jumps racing's retention in Australia
1. Jumps horses only jump because they wish to
Supporters of jumps racing argue it is not cruel. They state that jumping is a natural activity for many horses and one they enjoy.
Victoria's Racing Minister, Denis Napthine, is a veterinarian. He has stated that horses cannot be made to jump. He has claimed, 'You might get a nice, big horse and think this looks like a jumper. But they shy at the jumps, they just won't go, so you don't persist.
Others smile when they see a jump and go for it. Whether it's a pony, equestrian, show or racehorse, some love jumping, some aren't interested.'
Horse trainers Jack and Paula Curtis have stated, 'When presented correctly, horses enjoy free jumping, and become quite playful doing it.'
On April 27, 2011, the following observation was posted on horseforum.com as part of a discussion on training horses, 'All horses have the natural born ability to jump, and most horses are capable of jumping with a rider without any sort of training...'
2. Horses jumping the barrier into spectators is a freak accident
Supporters of jumps racing claim that the recent incident at Warrnambool in which a horse jumped the side barrier and injured spectators is not typical of the sport. They argue that such an occurrence is a freak accident and therefore no conclusions can be drawn from it.
They maintain that such events occur very rarely and that no conclusions can be drawn from them about the safety of the small.
Racing Victoria's chief executive officer, Mr Bob Hinze, has claimed, 'I don't think that yesterday's event was symptomatic of jumps racing. It was a really freakish accident and although I do accept it's more likely to happen in jumps racing where you have more riderless horses, of course we have, in the past, had the odd occasion where this has occurred in flat racing.'
Mr Hinze has gone on to state, 'I don't think this warrants a ban. I think that would be a knee-jerk reaction to a genuinely freakish accident. We have motor racing where cars clear the barriers and sometimes kill spectators and we don't immediately call for a ban of motor racing.'
The Victorian Racing Minister, Mr Denis Napthine has similarly stated, 'It was quite an unprecedented freak incident and it needs to be put in that context.'
3. It should be possible to protect spectators without banning jumps racing
The Victorian Racing Minister, Denis Napthine, has argued that riderless horses are a potential safety hazard in any race and that the issue is how to deal with them in a way that guarantees spectator safety. Mr Napthine believes this should be able to be done without banning jumps racing.
The Victorian Racing Minister has told Racing Victoria to investigate and report back to him with recommendations to improve spectator safety. Mr Napthine has stressed this has nothing to do with the cruelty controversy.
Mr Napthine has stated, 'This is an issue of spectator safety at a racing event in Victoria. It is an issue about separating horses, whether they are riderless or whether they've got riders, from the spectators and we're conducting an investigation into this freakish incident.
Our concerns are with the injured people and their families and we want to make sure that spectators, who go to the races, wherever they watch the races, can do so safely in Victoria.'
Racing Victoria's chief executive officer, Rob Hines, has indicated that safety at the course will be reviewed immediately.
Mr Hines stated, 'You take the precautions, you would have thought an eight-foot fence on the boundary of the course was sufficient.
We will have to investigate talking to the local council on whether that road should be closed to the general public in future.'
John Wheeler, the New Zealand owner-trainer of the horse which jumped into the crowd, has said that spectators should be placed further back from the action.
4. Jumps racing extends horses' lives.
It is claimed that jumps racing gives horses a chance at a second career after they have been retired from flat racing. It is argued that without this many horses that were not valuable as breeding animals would simply be sold for pet food.
On May 4, 2011, an online response to a report on jumps racing was published in the Sydney Morning Herald. The comment read, 'Jumps racing provides a continuation of care and life for horses that would otherwise be mainly neglected after their flat racing careers.
Horses are not specifically bred in Australia for jumps racing like they are in the likes of UK and Ireland. These ex flat horses are loved and well cared for by their owners in almost all cases and the alternative for them after flat racing is normally a lot worse so why not extend their life?'
In an opinion piece published in The Punch on May 4, 2011, Ben Asgari stated, 'It is ... no secret that the majority of jumpers are unwanted flat gallopers that are either too old or too slow to race over the shorter flat races. Many of these horses were destined for the knackery.
Thanks to their owners, many of these horses will be rewarded for their efforts over the jumps with a well deserved retirement paddock - a point the media and protestors never fail to overlook.'
5. Jumps racing is important to major country carnivals which help rural economies
Supporters of jumps racing argue that it is vital to the country racing carnivals where it occurs and further that these carnivals make a valuable contribution to the economies of some country towns.
Victoria's Racing Minister, Denis Napthine, has stated that Warrnambool's famous three-day carnival in May would not be viable without jumps racing. Mr Napthine repeated his view that the spectacle of jumps racing was the major reason the carnival continued to flourish, despite its detractors.
Mr Napthine believes that without the jumps, Warrnambool would become a Sunday cup meeting. He stated, 'There's no way without jumps Warrnambool would survive three days, it's an absolute nonsense to say otherwise...The mix of good flat racing and quality jumps racing makes it unique and special.
It's the biggest carnival we have outside the spring and brings a lot of dollars and jobs to the district.'
A sports writer, Michael Lynch, has stated, 'I believe that, given the size of the industry, the number of horses involved and the sporting and economic benefits it brings to many rural parts of Victoria, society should be prepared to accept a certain degree of wastage.'
In an opinion piece published in The Punch on May 4, 2011, Ben Asgari stated, 'As long as the sport continues to meet the strict KPIs, Racing Victoria administrators owe it to the participants whose livelihoods depend on jumps racing to not bow to the vocal and pushy minority groups.'
6. Jumps racing is being reformed and could be reformed further
It has been claimed that the injury and death rate among jumps horses appears to be declining and could be reduced further if other reforms were made.
In an opinion piece published in The Punch on May 4, 2011, Ben Asgari stated, 'Since the decision at the beginning of the 2010 season to return to the use of a larger, more solid jump, there have only been three jumps related deaths.
While three deaths are regrettable and an ideal number would be zero, it is a significant improvement on the number of deaths that occurred in previous seasons when a smaller style of jump was used.'
Melbourne racing journalist, Mike Sharkie, has further stated, 'The changes brought about at the end of 2010 have already had a positive impact - fall and fatality rates have been reduced, horses that are struggling during races have been eased out of races, obstacles have been improved, but the argument from anti-jumps groups is that "it doesn't matter, horses are still dying and falls are still occurring".
Yes, they are, but not in the numbers of previous years, and the changes made to the sport in 2010 will not fix everything overnight. The racing industry needs to make more of this point. The initial impact of the changes mentioned above has been excellent, and as the season progresses we will see better results again.'
It has also been argued that the wrong type of horse is often involved in jumps racing. Those who hold this view believe that horses more specifically suited to jumps racing should be used. Mike Sharkie has stated, 'For far too long the stigma around jumps racing has been that it is the last chance for failed flat horses - this is a huge part of the problem! Like flat racing, there should be rules and restrictions regarding the type and quality of horse allowed to contest a jumps race or even enter training for a jumps campaign. The quality of jumps horses needs to be improved and RVL could enforce restrictions like these as a step towards that goal.'