Australia’s Horse Racing industry undergoes heavy criticism after the Banna Strand incident
Calls to put a ban to jump racing in Australia have escalated after a recent incident in which a horse jumped over a divide and into the crowd, injuring six people and a child.
The race, during which the incident took place, was one of the nation’s most popular racing events, known as the Grand Annual Steeplechase. The horse because involved in the accident is known as Banna Strand.
The horse was without a rider when he jumped over the fence, dividing the crowd from the racetrack.
As it made its way through the panicking crowd, seven people got injured, with some of them getting serious injuries. Amidst all the turmoil, a two-year-old child got a fracture on her collar bone.
After the incident, several groups that have been advocating the ban of jump racing in Australia raised their voices. According to these groups, it is unsafe for the horse, rider and the crowd, to participate in such a racing event.
Their claim is supported by the fact that only two horses made it to the finish line with their riders on them in the event in which the incident took place. At the start of the race, eight of the horses had riders on them.
Furthermore, the three day Grand Annual event saw the death of a horse on Tuesday. The life of the horse was ended deliberately after he failed to jump past a hurdle.
The following statement was made in this regard by Ward Young, the spokesperson for the Coalition for the Protection of Racehorses: "We asked them to call off the races after the first horse died on Tuesday, but they let it continue and the public paid the price. We believe jumps racing is not only legal cruelty, but it is government-financed cruelty".
Despite the fact that such strong allegations are being made against the horse racing industry, it is still defending itself. Denis Napthine, the Victorian Racing Minister, has stated that the Banna Strand incident is being investigated and necessary action will be taken against it.
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