Horse Racing
The cruelty of horseracing in Australia is usually overlooked due to its social and historical significance.
Racing places enormous pressure on the immature skeletal systems of young horses and regularly leads to lung-bleeding, while a high incidence of stomach ulcers occurs from the high-concentrate grain diets.
Slower or injured horses are routinely discarded by the industry. An estimated 20,000 horses end up at Australian slaughterhouses or ‘knackeries’ each year, with thousands enduring hellish journeys over many days to reach the abattoirs. Much of the horse meat is then shipped to Asia and Europe.