Posted on the 1st June 2024
On 31st May, Animal Aid staff and fellow activists held a peaceful demo outside Epsom Ladies’ Day.
In recent weeks, we have been sharing information via social media regarding the lives of female horses in the racing industry. The exploitation of mother horses (dams) and their babies is brutal, and yet this issue remains largely hidden from the public. Thankfully, we have seen increased awareness about the exploitation of female animals such as dairy cows and egg laying hens in recent years, and we hope to bring the abuse of female race horses into this dialogue.
At the demonstration at Epson Racecourse, we played on the idea of ‘Ladies’ Day’ with the theme ‘Tea, Cake, Liberate’. We stood with our placards opposite the Entrance pavilion, handed out over 100 bags of vegan sweets with a link to a ‘Ladies Day’ fact-file, and celebrated what it means to live with kindness. Living cruelty-free doesn’t mean living fun-free!
Vitally, we hope to expose the dark reality of the racing industry by bringing it into the light for all to see. This is a ruthless industry with the pursuit of profit, not horse wellbeing, at its heart. Thousands of horses are brought into the world by the industry each year, only to be broken, suppressed, beaten, pushed, controlled, wrung for every penny that can be made, and then discarded. This is not a ‘sport to be proud of’; this is animal cruelty. And together, we can bring it to an end.
Charlotte Dujardin, a dressage champion for Team GB, has withdrawn from the 2024 Paris Olympics. This is due to recently-surfaced footage, taken four years ago of her whipping a horse repeatedly around the legs.
Posted 24 Jul 2024
On the 22nd of July, we celebrate Animal Law Day, an important opportunity to reflect on the advancements made in animal protection legislation and reaffirm our commitment to advocating for the rights of animals.
Posted 22 Jul 2024
