Based on current data from the sport of galloping1 , the German Animal Welfare Federation makes it clear that horse racing is highly relevant to animal welfare. Accidents, too frequent or incorrect use of the whip and even deaths are not uncommon. 20 horses became lame as a result of gallop races, in 18 cases horses suffered from nosebleeds. Jockeys used the whip incorrectly or too often in 40 cases. In at least six cases, the use of the whip in racing even ended fatally. The German Animal Welfare Federation is campaigning for an end to gallop racing.
"The horses have to perform at borderline levels in races. Again and again, horses break their legs and their lungs bleed - this shows that the animals have exceeded their manageable capacities. Anyone who has ever seen a horse pumping, i.e. breathing extremely heavily, after a race and observed how long it takes for it to recover will never forget it. The horses have panic in their eyes. They would only perform such a feat under natural conditions if it were a matter of life and death," says Andrea Mihali, Head of the Department for Interdisciplinary Issues at the German Animal Welfare Federation.
The racing regulations, which organizers like to refer to, benefit the horse owners and the racing events, but do not adequately protect the horses. Time and time again, animals are harmed because racing involves a high risk of injury, which those responsible accept for the sake of success. Horses that break a leg usually have to be killed by a vet on the spot. The psychological and physical suffering of horses that are too young should not be underestimated either. For example, horses are only developed to the point where they can be trained in small steps for targeted use at around three years of age. This fact is ignored in the case of racehorses: figures compiled by the German Animal Welfare Federation show that 57 percent of horses fully used in gallop racing were just between three and four years old. Seven percent were even used as two-year-olds.
"The horses are literally being burned out! It is simply accepted that they overexert themselves or injure themselves and retire at a very young age as unsuccessful. This is not in line with the Animal Welfare Act and one wonders where these hundreds of racehorses end up after their career," says Mihali. The conditions in which the horses are kept are also often relevant to animal welfare. For example, one-year-old potential racehorses usually spend most of the day in boxes in training stables instead of experiencing free exercise with other horses of the same species. The guidelines on animal welfare in equestrian sport stipulate that all horses must be kept in groups until they are at least 30 months old.
In contrast to Switzerland, the "German Gallop" association still maintains that it is permissible to drive horses to even higher speeds with up to three lashes, even though studies have shown that lashes often throw horses off their rhythm and thus increase the risk of injury. In addition, almost 100 percent of active racehorses suffer from painful stomach ulcers. Proven causes include the large amounts of concentrated feed that racehorses receive to meet their energy requirements, as well as a high level of stress caused by training and racing and the often unfulfilled species-specific need for social contact.
Sources
1 German Gallop, www.deutschergalopp.de
Note to the editors:
DU UND DAS TIER, the magazine of the German Animal Welfare Association, reported on the abuses in horse racing in the current issue 2/2024: www.duunddastier.de/pferdesport-rennen-um-jeden-preis
