OPINION: FOR WELFARE’S SAKE, LESS IS MORE – MICK KENT
July 21, 2021 6:46 am
By Mick Kent
We have a real problem.
We are breeding
12,500 horses a year to fuel a racing industry that requires nowhere near that many. What happens to the ones who don’t make it?
We have weakened the breed, leading to greater wastage. It is a myth that many can transition into equestrian, which is mostly populated by purpose-bred warmbloods from
Europe. The warmbloods are better movers and clean-legged. They’re more powerful, shorter coupled and jump bigger.
One of the only avenues for ex-racehorses is in eventing.
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Returning to competition for the first time since early November, Christophe Soumillon wasted no time in authoring an ominous statement of intent as the Belgian ace successfully started a short-term riding stint in Hong Kong.
The 10-times French champion jockey posted a double, a feat matched by Joao Moreira and Jerry Chau, as Frankie Lor logged a treble to narrow Caspar Fownes’ lead in the trainers’ championship to 31-27.
Conceding he is pitted against two of the world’s top five jockeys – Joao Moreira and Zac Purton – Soumillon has no plans to rest on his laurels after resuming with a brace, outlining plans to ride at 120 pounds before his stint ends on 14 February, 2021.