Melbourne Cup Tragedy

Well, hello there lovelies!

We have just come out of a long weekend here in Melbourne, the Melbourne Cup weekend.

The kids had the Monday off school, hubby had the whole weekend off, clearly I didn't have to be anywhere, so it was an all family weekend! We visited hubby's grandparents, we went bowling, we  ate junk food, we played at the park, had picnics and finished the weekend with lunch at a local spot with the whole family! It was great! 

But it was 'The Race That Stops The Nation' that took the limelight on the last day. Everyone threw in $2 or $5 to get a horse in the sweep, bets were placed at the TAB, silence fills the air as we wait for the winner to cross the finish line before everyone is a flutter again handing out winnings and checking tickets. 

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Then there are the poor horses. I am in no way an animal advocate. I don't protest for animal rights or disgust against racies such as this. But hearing the news of two horses being put down after running a race is devastating. The first horse, Admire Rakti, who was pinned to win the race suffered a heart attack, collapsing and concequently dying in his stall. A second horse, Araldo, broke his leg at the hands of a spectator with a flag. After being spooked, the horse leaped to the side and collided with a fence. the Injury so severe he had to be put down.

In all my veterinary knowledge, I don't believe either incidents occurred as a result of the race. Both were random occurrences that you couldn't envision, but still devastatingly sad. 

I have heard a lot of talk since about how selfish people are and how barbaric the race is. I don't agree. The race is something that has been happening for years. These horses are raised and trained to run like they do. Never are the horses mistreated or abused, most live better than you or I do!! They all undergo medical examinations and are on strict diets, so no, I don't think the race is the cause. Do we interfere in a marathon with human rights protestors saying what they are doing is wrong? No. Sadly these things happen and I think it is unfair to blame the owners or the trainers, they are dealing with enough at the moment to have to listen to your opinion!