(10 July 2014)

Two racehorses dead in a single day, another dies in an eventing accident which claimed the life of a young man, just 26 years old. And a fourth horse dies in a traditional parade. This is the toll just from the last 30 days. And in Siena a jockey, accused last year of causing the death of a horse during the Asti palio, is engaged to ride.

On 14 June at the San Siro racecourse, in two separate accidents, Mister Sha and Messico die. The racing association attribute the incidents to an imperfect track and the error of a jockey. Yet the event went ahead as if nothing untoward had happened: no enquiry, no closure of the course. Just horses put down and carted away like so many broken parts to be substituted. Could they have been saved? As is usual in these cases, no-one will ever know for sure. And if the track was not suitable for racing, who permitted the event to go ahead? Who will be held legally responsible?

On that same day, in Luhmühlen in Germany, a horse called Liberal died: he collapsed on the approach to a jump and nothing could be done to save him. The organisers speak of a possible burst aorta, the same cause of death of Hickstead and other horses over the past years, in various circumstances (see Cypriano, King Artus) - is this just all coincidence?

On 6 July, at Sedilo in Sardinia, a horse died following a bad fall during the traditional Ardia religious parade in which a procession of mounted horses ends in a three-stage gallop on stone and gravel roads through the crowd of onlookers, with a final few laps around a shrine dedicated to the roman emperor Constantine. A look at the videos shows clearly how high the risk of accidents is, and the total absence of any form of safety measures for the horses and the spectators.

Meanwhile there was the 2 July palio race in Siena, self-styled example of respect for the horses in palios (in spite of being the scene of dozens of deaths and innumerable injuries): on that day at the starting line up was Jonathan Bartoletti, held responsible last year for causing the death of Mamuthones at the Asti Palio, resulting in his being disqualified for 10 years "for having behaved in a gravely imprudent, dangerous and inexcusable manner because he whipped and beat a horse before the start"
Yet again the word ’respect’ would seem to have a completely different meaning in the mouths of the Siena palio organisers, the real tradition having long ago been lost to crowd-pleasing and money, all at the expense of the animals.

"All these events took place in completely different contexts, but they are all linked by a common thread: the death of animals who would, if they had the choice, spend their lives far from racecourses, show jumping rings, competitions and yelling crowds", declares Sonny Richichi, President of IHP - "those who are inside these circles call it a necessary evil. We by contrast hope there will be a change of attitude in the minds of people towards animals, a growth of understanding that respect and this kind of treatment are diametrically opposed concepts. Some competitions have improved safety and limited injuries, for others the only sensible thing that can be done is to prohibit the events. altogether. Yet again we ask the competent authorities not to turn a blind eye to these repeated acts of animal abuse."