Nearly 40 dead horses in less than a year, to frightening images of animals with broken legs. This is the shocking conclusion of the Santa Anita Park galaxy race track in California. But the problem goes far beyond that. In total, 493 horses died in the USA last year at some 36,000 races.
- Mass killing in American horse racing : investigations and prohibitions - Does sport survive this crisis?
The conditions are not identical, but even in Germany gallopers die on racetracks - but less often. If the rate in the US at 1.68 deaths per 1000 starts, it is 0.9 in this country. In 2019, nine animals were killed in a total of 1144 races, in 2018 there were seven. This informed the responsible directorate for thoroughbred breeding and racing (DVR) on SPIEGEL inquiry. There are no numbers of deaths during training.
Unfortunate isolated cases or systematic excessive demands?
The most common cause of death in Germany are fractures. The horses are injured during the races so hard that they sometimes have to be euthanized on the track.
So can gallop races be animal-friendly?
"The well-being of the horses has the highest priority for all gallop racing," the DVR told SPIEGEL. Every single injury to a horse was "very regrettable", but the number of fatal accidents was "in the per mille range". To avoid them, all racetracks, training facilities and stables were regularly checked, animals with injuries from competitions excluded.
DPA
A horse race in Ascot, England. In Germany, the jockeys are less likely to use the whip than in Britain.
For Peta, deaths are not accidents. Instead, the horses would be "systematically overwhelmed and often put to death for prize money and prestige," the animal rights organization wrote. Peta filed criminal charges against participants - without success.
Maximilian Pick knows both sides of gallop racing. The 82-year-old is an expert for horses and writes opinions, including for Peta. For more than 20 years he was race track veterinarian on the gallop track Munich-Riem, until he turned away from this sport. "I did not want to stop at the train and watch how the horses are hit with the whip - or euthanize those with broken legs," says Pick the MIRROR. The horses would always be brought to their performance limits in the race - and sometimes beyond.
Deaths are not the only problem
How far it is in equestrian sports for animal welfare depends on many factors. Rearing, keeping, training conditions, feeding and veterinary care are just a few. This also applies to dressage and show jumping horses. The anti-doping rules also play a role. Those are particularly strict with the Galoppern in Germany. Nonetheless, organizations such as Peta and the German Animal Welfare Association (Deutscher Tierschutzbund) argue that sport can not be designed to be animal-friendly. Fundamental points, in addition to the breaks also the use of very young horses in the race, are already relevant to animal welfare, writes the animal protection association. An excitement is also the use of the whip.
At both points, however, shows how ineffective the criticism is so far. Because the DVR is not only the breeders association for the horse breed English Thoroughbred in Germany recognized by the Animal Breeding Act. As an umbrella organization for gallop racing, it also oversees the races and issues the rules, the race regulations.
"It's a dispute"
Horse races are not just sports events to bet on. The races should also serve to select the best thoroughbreds for breeding. The age at which the horses start for the first time, according to DVR, has continued to fall, from six to two years. Currently, about 22 percent of a foal-born in Germany already debut with 24 to 28 months - insofar as their physical and mental fitness was confirmed by veterinarians. This is in part much earlier than in warmblood horses, which are used in tournament sports.
From the point of view of the association this is not a problem: education and training of thoroughbreds differed from other breeds of horses, for example due to the lower weight of the lightweight jockeys and saddles. Thoroughbreds are also "precocious". At the age of three, the horses also competed in national and international breeding competitions. "In terms of animal welfare, horse-friendly preparation, which must start at two-year-olds, is also necessary", writes the DVR.
Animal rights activists argue that two-year-old horses are not physically or mentally fit for the racetrack. The German Animal Welfare Association does not anticipate the early maturity of certain breeds and is against biennial races. Esther Müller, the responsible expert, writes on SPIEGEL-request: "Arguments such as the competitive situation with foreign countries and the obligation to select breeding are arguments of a purely economic nature."
Pick also considers the precocity to be a "fairy tale". He demands to raise the age for debutants to three years.
It is unclear who is politically responsible: According to the "Guidelines for Animal Welfare in Equestrian Sports" of the Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture (BMEL), the horse breeding and sports associations set the minimum age for the earliest use of the horses. The guidelines are from 1992 and not legally binding. Among other things, the DVR, the Animal Protection Association and Pick have even worked on it. The regulatory authority of the Executive Board, the NRW Ministry of the Environment, has left a SPIEGEL inquiry unanswered.
Who whips too much will not be disqualified
Is there still the use of the whip. Even here, the association and animal rights activists argue, especially since it is not ruled out that it causes pain to the horses. Jockeys may use the whip in Germany up to five times in a race, two to three times less than in England. This regulates the race rules - as well as the way in which they may be used.
According to DVR, whip use is currently being "put to the test" nationally and internationally, but from the association's point of view, the whip for the rider is still a necessary aid, for example to limit a horse breaking out sideways and thus prevent accidents. For animal rights activists the use violates the animal protection law. "Hitting a horse is terrible," says Pick.
In Germany, jockeys are subject to fines and bans in case of faulty whip use. There is no disqualification. This has been confirmed by the Higher Regional Court of Cologne.
The race rules apply - and the DVR would not like to change that at this point either. The horse, which has rendered its performance, should not be disqualified and thus punished for the erroneous behavior of the rider, writes the association.
So everything stays the same. In a well-known children's song it says: "Hopp, hopp, hopp!" Horse, run gallop! Over stick and over stones, but do not break your legs. " The song is from 1807. It is currently very topical again.