They are terrible images of animal cruelty: At a horse race in Hong Kong, a horse falls so badly that it is overrun by the other horses.
Hong Kong – The “Hong Kong Sprint” horse race had fatal consequences: A terrible fall at full gallop on the Sha-Tin track, which is famous in Asia, resulted in two horses losing their lives.
Three jockeys also had to be treated in the hospital. According to the racing club, the condition of the riders is stable. A video that is circulating on the net shows the accident and its extent.
Horse racing in Hong Kong: a horse falls and pulls several horses with it
The video shows how the horse Amazing Star collapses on the 1200 meter track just before the finish. It was leading the race before it fell. This circumstance resulted in a fatal chain reaction: horse and rider landed under the hooves of the other horses and then pulled other horses and jockeys to the ground.
Lucky Patch with Zac Purton (Australia), Naboo Attack with Karis Teetan (Mauritius) and Pixie Knight with Yuichi Fukunaga (Japan) also had serious crashes. The jockeys remained partially motionless on the ground, as can be seen on the recordings.
The jockey of the horse that fell first, Amazing Star, broke his hip in the fall. He and two other riders were hospitalized, but did not suffer any life-threatening injuries. The accident ended differently for the fallen horses: Amazing Star and Naboo Attack had to be put to sleep due to their serious injuries. The frightening images again raise the question of whether equestrian sport is still up-to-date.
Accident at the racecourse: several horses fall and lose their lives
Equestrian sport has been criticized since the Olympic Games in Tokyo in 2021 at the latest: The incident involving the German athlete Annika Schleu and the horse Saint Boy had drawn attention to how violent equestrian sport can be. Schleu had tried in tears to use a crop and spurs to persuade the horse Saint Boy to complete the course. The obviously frightened and traumatized horse assigned to the Olympic participant, however, refused to move. The incident sparked a debate about animal cruelty in equestrian sport and even resulted in complaints against Schleu and her trainer: National trainer Kim Raisner had asked Schleu to make even greater use of whips and spurs with the words “Hit it right!” .
The animal welfare organization Peta has been criticizing equestrian sport for a long time: The needs of the animals were mostly neglected and equestrian sport and riding were directed against the natural movement of the horse. “Aids” such as sharp bits, whips and whips should be avoided entirely, Peta demanded in an interview with the Frankfurter Rundschau. (Delia Friess)
Headline list image: © Tim Goode / dpa
