Coalition for the Protection of Racehorses Inc

Whilst some of the challenges of the COVID19 pandemic remain, an end to lockdowns across the country (and particularly in Victoria) has allowed CPR to return to our full diversity of work for racehorses behind the scenes, through social and traditional media and on the ground. Education and awareness raising of the issues horses face in racing continues to be at the heart of our work, placing ongoing pressure on the industry to make change. The strongest indicators that confirm we are achieving our aims are: jumps racing has been made illegal in South Australia on ethical grounds (a campaign CPR has been running for 14 years). This huge achievement has left Victoria as the only state in the country to continue with the cruel activity greater horse welfare checks have been implemented prior to feature races during the Spring Racing Carnival. This is a step in the right direction, however, our annual Deathwatch report confirms the high number of horses dying on the racetrack remains, highlighting the need for such stringent checks to be implemented in all races on all days, not just when the eyes of the world are watching attendance to the Spring Racing Carnival continued to decline, with a 10% decrease on pre COVID19 levels. The event itself failed to secure a major international artist, our Nup to the Cup slogan is now a household name being spruiked by even more celebrities and influencers, several major brands ended their association with the event and the Melbourne Cup Eve Parade was smaller yet again in terms of both the length of the parade itself and the number of people attending in support. This all demonstrates the ongoing success of our ever growing Nup to the Cup campaign effort. our campaign in support of a lifelong National Horse Traceability Register placed significant pressure on those responsible for its establishment, resulting in the Working Group finally putting forward their recommendations. Whilst these are far from sufficient, we are hopeful they will set a benchmark for what will become a comprehensive register in the future. Our campaign in support of an effective register increased public awareness on the reality most unwanted racehorses face, particularly through our yearlong investigation into horse sales across the country following discussions with the Australian Veterinary Association regarding their policy on the use of whips in racing, the AVA have made a policy change and no longer support the use of whips for ‘encouragement’. Their new policy now also supports further research into the validity of the use of whips for rider safety.