Animal rights protesters gathered outside Sandown Park Racecourse in a bid to educate racegoers on the harms of horseracing: holding up banners, giving out leaflets, and confronting those entering the racecourse.
Lesley Dove, an animal rights activist, told The Kingston Courier: “Real sport is where the participants can consent. The horses don’t consent.”
This comes after four racehorses died at Cheltenham festival earlier this month, one of the UK’s biggest horseracing events. Eight jockeys were also penalised for the overuse of whips.
Racehorse owner, John Romans, disagreed with the claims that the sport is harmful. He said: “Certainly this is not cruel to the animal. They love it.”
The Kingston Courier contacted the Jockey Club regarding the statements made in this video. In a statement, the group said it was ‘totally committed to close and constant scrutiny of equine welfare standards and is making strong progress on its welfare-related objectives”.
