Posted on the 8th January 2008
On 12 December, jockey Edward 'Eddie' Ahern whipped his horse, Marsam, with such frequency and excessive force that weals appeared on the Thoroughbred's flesh.
Such was the extent of the beating and the unusual circumstances surrounding the offence that the jockey was reported to the British Horseracing Authority’s (BHA) Disciplinary Panel, which found him guilty of bringing racing into disrepute – the first time such a judgment has been reached in relation to an incident occurring on a racecourse itself. Ahern was found to have deliberately breached whip regulations in order to trigger a ban early in the year, before major races. It is a particularly cold, self-serving and calculated form of cruelty towards an animal. Animal Aid has written to Nottinghamshire Police Chiefs pressing for a prosecution of Ahern under the Animal Welfare Act, 2006 on two counts:
The evidence used by the BHA in their disciplinary proceedings contains key evidence that could be used to proceed with a prosecution. This includes photographs, video footage and veterinarians’ reports. We will keep you informed with the progress of the case.
Those who support or even promote the use of animals in experiments will often talk about ‘gold standards’ of science and care and show photographs of animals – dogs, mice, primates and others – living...
Posted 24 Jan 2025
It’s early in the year, but we are already getting messages and calls from kind people who want to do more to help animals, so we've put together a few ideas.
Posted 14 Jan 2025
