18/07/2019
It has hit the news only because they were two harness racing champions and therefore top-earning horses: Aubrion du Gers and Cyrano du Pont died two days ago following a head-on collision during track training. Aubrion du Gers has won awards for over 2.5 million Euro. In the world of racing, the value of a horse’s life is directly proportional to the profits earned through his use: life, death and money are all connected together. Many accidents occur in racing every year, sometimes fatal (only to mention official racing). Yet, no one talks about the horses unless they are “champions”. Indeed, talking about accidents and deaths is a very uncomfortable topic for the racing world. It’s the same for horses retired because they have reached the end of their career or those considered not fit for purpose (sometimes when they are still foals): their destiny is shrouded in mystery, a dense curtain of fog which is anything but transparent beyond which, too often, there is illegal racing, more or less legal slaughtering, one-way trips overseas and exploitation of various kinds. (photos and news taken from Le Parisien and Torontopat) RELATED ARTICLES: Varenne: the hypocrisy of a world about which still too little is known Horse racing, Milan: horse euthanized following fall - November 2017 HORSE RACES: IHP uncovers the death of three horses at Le Capanelle, but these are not the only ones - October 2017 Horse racing, a horse dies in San Rossore (Pisa) - January 2017 Racing - yet another horse dies in a tragic accident - October 2015 Merano: another horse dies on the racetrack, but no press announcement is made - 28 September 2015 Jump racing, more dead horses at Merano racecourse than in all the palii - November 2012 Another orrible death in horse racing: how long must we watch helplessly? - October 2012 Merano, more horses victims of jump races - September 2012 Dead horse at Rome–Capannelle: no answers from ASSI-UNIRE - May 2012