tag:theconversation.com,2011:/us/topics/melbourne-cup-1775/articlesMelbourne Cup – The Conversation2023-11-12T23:20:53Ztag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2171872023-11-12T23:20:53Z2023-11-12T23:20:53ZLabor still far ahead in Resolve poll, in contrast to other recent polls<p>A <a href="https://www.theage.com.au/politics/federal/voters-cut-support-for-labor-as-cost-of-living-concerns-mount-20231109-p5eius.html?btis=">federal Resolve poll</a> for Nine newspapers, conducted November 1–5 from a sample of 1,602, gave Labor 35% of the primary vote (down two since October), the Coalition 30% (down one), the Greens 13% (up one), One Nation 7% (steady), the UAP 2% (steady), independents 9% (steady) and others 4% (up two).</p>
<p>Resolve does not give a two party estimate until close to elections, but an estimate based on applying 2022 election preference flows gives Labor a 57–43 lead, unchanged since October. While this poll was published today, it was taken over a week ago, before the November 7 <a href="https://www.rba.gov.au/media-releases/2023/mr-23-30.html">interest rate rise</a>.</p>
<p>Resolve’s polls since the 2022 election have been far better for Labor than other polls. Other recent federal polls have been <a href="https://theconversation.com/albanese-and-labor-slump-to-worst-position-in-newspoll-since-2022-election-216819">last week’s</a> Newspoll and Redbridge poll that gave Labor respectively a 52–48 and a 53.5–46.5 lead, a 52–48 Labor lead in Morgan and a 48–46 Labor lead in a late <a href="https://essentialreport.com.au/reports/federal-political-insights">October Essential</a> poll including undecided voters.</p>
<p>While Resolve’s voting intentions are much better for Labor than other recent polls, their leaders’ ratings are not. On Anthony Albanese, 46% thought he was doing a poor job and 39% a good job, for a net approval of -6, down seven points since October. Albanese’s net approval was +27 after the May budget.</p>
<p>Dutton’s net approval improved 11 points since October to -4, his best net approval since the election and the first time in any poll Dutton has had a better net approval than Albanese. Albanese led Dutton as preferred PM by 40–27, a narrowing from 47–25 previously.</p>
<p>The Liberals extended their lead over Labor on economic management from 35–33 to 34–27. On keeping the cost of living low, the Liberals reversed a 31–27 Labor lead in October to take a 29–24 lead. These are the Liberals’ best results on these issues since the election. With 52% naming cost of living as the highest priority for their vote, this issue matters. </p>
<p>Voters are pessimistic about the economic outlook. In the next three months, 50% expect the economy to get worse and just 8% improve. In the next year, it’s 41% get worse and 23% improve.</p>
<p>By 60–19, voters said their income had not kept up with inflation over the past year. By 64–8, they expected inflation to get worse in the near future. By 65–9, they did not think interest rate rises are coming to an end.</p>
<h2>Morgan poll and additional questions from other polls</h2>
<p>In last week’s <a href="https://www.roymorgan.com/">Morgan federal poll</a>, conducted October 30 to November 5 from a <a href="https://www.roymorgan.com/findings/9531-roy-morgan-update-november-8-2023">sample</a> of 1,371, Labor led by 52–48, a one-point gain for the Coalition since the previous week. Primary votes were 35% Coalition, 31.5% Labor, 13.5% Greens and 20% for all Others.</p>
<p>Voters in last week’s <a href="https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/politics/cut-spending-taxes-to-curb-inflation-and-ease-living-expenses-says-newspoll/news-story/71f2a81154c9bfc77749a5a748bfbf0d">Newspoll</a> were also asked whether they approved or disapproved of five measures to help with cost of living.</p>
<p>Subsidising energy bills was most supported at 84% approve, followed by subsidising fuel prices (81%), cutting government spending (77%), giving tax cuts to individuals (73%) and giving cash payments to low-income families (56%).</p>
<p>In <a href="https://redbridgegroup.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Vote-intention-Nov-2023.pdf">additional questions</a> from Redbridge, by 50–36 voters thought the Albanese government was not focused on the right priorities. By 50–30, they thought the Coalition was not ready for government.</p>
<p>Essential had questions on the Melbourne Cup that were released on Cup Day November 7 in <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2023/nov/07/melbourne-cup-2023-horse-race-field-broadcast-horses-australia-interest-day">The Guardian</a> from the previous <a href="https://essentialreport.com.au/reports/31-october-2023">national Essential poll</a> in late October.</p>
<p>On interest in the Cup, 11% said they had high interest (down four since 2022), 24% moderate interest (down seven), 27% low interest (up three) and 35% no interest (up seven). On betting, 13% regularly bet on horses and the Cup (down five) and 26% rarely bet on horses but make an exception for the Cup (down three).</p>
<p>On attitudes to the Melbourne Cup, 65% said it is a unique part of Australia’s national identity (down seven), 48% said it promotes unhealthy gambling behaviour (up three) and 36% said it normalises animal cruelty (up two).</p>
<h2>US off-year elections</h2>
<p>While the United States presidential election is in November 2024, there were some state elections on November 7. I covered the results for <a href="https://www.pollbludger.net/2023/11/07/us-off-year-elections-live-2/">The Poll Bludger</a>. Democrats performed well in the headline races, holding the Kentucky governorship and gaining control of the Virginia legislature, while Ohio passed two referendums supported by Democrats.</p>
<p>However, the legislative elections were mediocre for Democrats, as they did worse than Joe Biden in the 2020 presidential election. US polls show Biden struggling against Donald Trump, and these elections should not change our opinion of 2024.</p>
<h2>NSW Resolve poll: drop for both major parties’ primary votes</h2>
<p>A New South Wales <a href="https://www.smh.com.au/politics/nsw/nsw-labor-slides-as-greens-independents-make-ground-20231109-p5eiuo.html">state Resolve poll</a> for The Sydney Morning Herald, conducted with the federal October and November Resolve polls from a sample of 1,100, gave Labor 36% of the primary vote (down two since September), the Coalition 32% (down four), the Greens 13% (up four), independents 12% (down one) and others 7% (up three).</p>
<p>No two-party estimate was provided, but <a href="https://www.pollbludger.net/2023/11/12/resolve-strategic-labor-36-coalition-32-greens-13-in-new-south-wales/">The Poll Bludger</a> estimated a 56.5–43.5 Labor lead, a 2.5-point gain for Labor <a href="https://theconversation.com/support-for-both-the-voice-and-labor-drop-in-latest-essential-poll-213350">since September</a>. Labor Premier Chris Minns held a 35–13 lead over the Liberals’ Mark Speakman as preferred premier (41–14 in September).</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/217187/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Adrian Beaumont does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Labor still leads on two-party preferred, but is feeling the strain as cost of living pressures take hold.Adrian Beaumont, Election Analyst (Psephologist) at The Conversation; and Honorary Associate, School of Mathematics and Statistics, The University of MelbourneLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2166412023-11-06T03:58:58Z2023-11-06T03:58:58ZDo racehorses even know they’re ‘racing’ each other? It’s unlikely<p>When racing season arrives, everyone becomes an expert on the horses that are the stars of the spectacle. </p>
<p>TV personalities, professional pundits and form guides talk confidently about the favourite’s “<a href="https://www.racenet.com.au/news/tony-brassel-on-the-great-unmeasurable-ticker">will to win</a>”. In close races, the equine contestants “<a href="https://www.justhorseracing.com.au/news/australian-racing/war-machine-to-battle-it-out/120326">battle it out</a>”, demonstrating “heart”, “grit” and “determination”. </p>
<p>But do horses even know they are in a race, let alone have a desire to win it? Do they understand what it means when their nose is the first one to pass the post?</p>
<p>Based on decades of experience and everything we know about horse behaviour, I think the most plausible answer is “no”. </p>
<h2>From the horse’s perspective</h2>
<p>From a horse’s perspective, there are few intrinsic rewards for winning a race. </p>
<p>Reaching the end might mean relief from the pressure to keep galloping at high speed and hits from the jockey’s whip, but the same is true for all the horses once they pass the finishing post. If the race is close, the horse that eventually wins might even be <a href="https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0015622">whipped more often</a> in the final stages than horses further back in the field.</p>
<p>So while being first to reach the winning post can be crucially important to the horse’s human connections, there is very little direct, intrinsic benefit to the horse that would motivate it to voluntarily gallop faster to achieve this outcome.</p>
<p>So does a horse even know it’s in a race? Again, the answer is likely “no”. </p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/10-things-we-do-that-puzzle-and-scare-horses-143675">10 things we do that puzzle and scare horses</a>
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<p>Running (cantering or galloping) is a quintessential horse behaviour and horses voluntarily run together in groups when given the opportunity – even in races <a href="https://www.thenationalnews.com/world/2022/08/22/riderless-race-horses-take-to-the-streets-in-central-italy-in-pictures/">without jockeys</a>. However, there are a number of reasons to think horses have not evolved a desire to “win” during a group gallop.</p>
<p>Horses are social animals. In the wild, to minimise their individual exposure to predators, they <a href="https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0258944">synchronise their movement</a> with other horses in their group.</p>
<p>This synchronisation includes maintaining similar speeds to other group members (to keep the group together), being alert to the positions of their own body and their neighbours’ to avoid collisions, and adapting their speed to the terrain and environmental cues that indicate upcoming danger or obstacles. In the wild, “winning” – that is, arriving first, long before other group members – could even be a negative, exposing the “winner” to an increased risk of predation. </p>
<p>This collective behaviour is the opposite of what owners, trainers and punters want from horses during a race. </p>
<h2>The horse’s preferences (and how riders override them)</h2>
<p>Horse races depend on two horse-related factors: the horse’s innate tendency to synchronise with other horses, and its ability to be trained to ignore these tendencies in response to cues from the jockey during a race. </p>
<p>Trainers and jockeys also harness the preferences of individual horses. Some horses are averse to bunching up with others during the race, so jockeys let them move to the front of the field (these are “<a href="https://www.racingnsw.com.au/news/feature-articles/the-art-of-the-front-runner-timing-a-jockeys-best-friend/">front runners</a>”). Other horses seek the security of the group, so jockeys let them remain in the bunch until closer to the winning post (these are “come-from-behind” winners). </p>
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<a href="https://theconversation.com/the-horseracing-industry-is-ignoring-what-science-says-about-whipping-188943">The horseracing industry is ignoring what science says about whipping</a>
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<p>Jockeys use several different interventions to override the horse’s innate tendency to synchronise. These might include: </p>
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<li><p>directing the horses to travel much closer to the other horses (risking the sometimes fatal injuries we sometimes see at the track)</p></li>
<li><p>travelling at speeds not of the horse’s choosing (usually at far higher speeds and for longer durations, and often maintained by use of the whip) </p></li>
<li><p>preventing the horse from changing course to adapt its position relative to other horses in the field (directing its path via pressure on the mouth from the bit or taps from the whip). </p></li>
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<p>During the early stages of a race, jockeys rely on horses’ innate desire to remain with the group to ensure they maintain the physical effort required to keep in touch with the front runners. This tendency may then be overruled so the horse will act independently of the group, leave it behind and come to the front to hopefully win. </p>
<h2>No concept of being in a race</h2>
<p>So horses most likely have no concept of being in a “race”, where the goal of their galloping is to get to a certain location on the track before any of the other horses. However, they undoubtedly know what it’s like to <em>be</em> in a race. That is, they learn through prior experience and training what is likely to happen and what to do during a race. </p>
<p>And with jockeys and trainers who understand the individual preferences of their horses to maximise their chances during the race, there will always be one horse that reaches that part of the track designated the winning post before the other horses in the group. </p>
<p>But as for winning horses understanding they are there to “win”? It’s far more likely it is the combination of natural ability, physical fitness and jockey skill that accounts for which horse wins, rather than any innate desire by that horse to get to the winning post before the other horses.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/216641/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Cathrynne Henshall receives post-doctoral research funding from the Hong Kong Jockey Club Welfare Foundation</span></em></p>Horses naturally synchronise their running in groups – but ‘racing’ and ‘winning’ are human concepts.Cathrynne Henshall, Lecturer, School of Agricultural, Environmental and Veterinary Sciences, Charles Sturt UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2165302023-11-06T00:08:04Z2023-11-06T00:08:04ZHow Phar Lap’s skin, bones and heart became ‘holy relics’ in colonial Australia and New Zealand<p>When the legendary <a href="https://nzhistory.govt.nz/media/video/phar-lap-wins-1930-melbourne-cup">Phar Lap won the Melbourne Cup in 1930</a>, the big chestnut horse didn’t just live up to his Thai name, which means “lightning”. He also brought together strands of colonial history and mythology that are only now properly visible.</p>
<p>Much worshipped in life and in death, Phar Lap has occupied a unique place in the story of Australia’s and New Zealand’s evolving national identities. The posthumous division and distribution of his corpse into “relics” – mounted hide, skeleton and heart – represented a form of what I call “<a href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/248984602_Colonial_Sainthood_in_Australasia">new world worship</a>”. </p>
<p>Old world religions were an important part of colonisation. But the early settler experience also saw the appearance of quasi-religious icons and symbols, one of which was the horse. Vital for settling, farming and policing the new land, they became more than mere beasts of burden.</p>
<p>Successful colonisation involved the breeding of introduced species – plants and animals, but also people. Physical strength, egalitarianism, battling against the odds and “mateship” were characteristics of the new colonial societies on both sides of the Tasman. For a while, Phar Lap embodied them all.</p>
<h2>Breeding good colonial stock</h2>
<p>The other thing Australia and New Zealand shared was a “cultural cringe” that expressed itself in a need to prove the new colonies could take on the world and win. National myths based on climate, soil, good pastures and practical skill took shape.</p>
<p>Whether it was soldiers, race horses or rugby players, the goal was to produce the best winning stock in the world. Breeding <a href="https://teara.govt.nz/en/1966/racehorses-famous-new-zealand-thoroughbreds">champion race horses</a> from overseas bloodlines fitted the narrative perfectly.</p>
<p>By the time Phar Lap was born in Timaru in New Zealand’s South Island in 1926, horse racing was well established as an important industry throughout Australia and New Zealand. Uniquely, it brought together the business of breeding and training with socialising, entertainment and gambling.</p>
<p>Antipodean racing culture mimicked British rituals and traditions, but involved a wider cross-section of society. Many factors made following the horses so appealing: genetics, condition and training, track conditions, riders and of course the field, all contributed to the interest and the odds. </p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/was-phar-lap-killed-by-gangsters-new-research-shows-which-conspiracies-people-believe-in-and-why-158610">Was Phar Lap killed by gangsters? New research shows which conspiracies people believe in and why</a>
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<p>A big race meeting became a kind of “holy day”. The fun, excitement, dressing up and partying while trying one’s luck on the horses lives on today, nowhere more so than at the Melbourne Cup.</p>
<p>Phar Lap’s famous win by three lengths in 1930 – having survived an assassination attempt shortly beforehand – became part of the legend. Against the grim backdrop of the Great Depression, he offered escapism and even a sense of confidence that things could be better.</p>
<p>When he won the <a href="https://www.nfsa.gov.au/collection/curated/phar-laps-last-race-agua-caliente">Agua Caliente Handicap in Mexico</a> it thrilled Australians and New Zealanders alike. And his death two weeks later saw shock and public mourning. The attendant <a href="https://www.nzherald.co.nz/sport/how-did-australasias-first-champion-racehorse-phar-lap-really-die/CXJZJIQZPEZZPQY2J3X52FSJP4/">conspiracy theories</a> – killed by gangsters, toxic feed, too much arsenic in his tonic – are seemingly as immortal as Phar Lap’s memory.</p>
<h2>Horse with a big heart</h2>
<p>Like holy relics, the horse’s hide, bones and heart were brought back from the United States and then shared between Australia and New Zealand for the faithful to witness.</p>
<p>Renowned New York taxidermists the Jonas brothers <a href="https://collections.museumsvictoria.com.au/articles/14229">created the life-like mount</a> that went to the National Museum of Victoria (later the Melbourne Museum). Phar Lap’s skeleton went to Wellington’s Dominion Museum (now Te Papa).</p>
<p>But it’s <a href="https://www.theage.com.au/national/mystery-over-phar-lap-s-heart-only-strengthens-the-legend-20211218-p59io4.html">Phar Lap’s heart that has seen the most myth-making</a> and mystery. Preserved and displayed at the National Institute of Anatomy in Canberra (later the Australian National Museum), it is extremely large, leading to various claims that it enabled Phar Lap’s success and that it can’t be authentic. </p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/the-greatest-ever-or-will-ascot-be-a-lap-too-phar-for-black-caviar-7803">The greatest ever, or will Ascot be a Lap too Phar for Black Caviar?</a>
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<p>Nonetheless, the symbolism of a big heart can’t be denied. And while it evokes the preserved and sacred hearts of old-world saints, it suggests forms of new-world worship are evolving too. All three museums claim their Phar Lap relics are perennially popular.</p>
<p>Phar Lap’s skeleton and hide were temporarily reunited for a special exhibition at the Melbourne Museum to celebrate the <a href="https://www.nma.gov.au/audio/heart-of-australian-racing-the-melbourne-cup">150th anniversary of the Melbourne Cup in 2011</a>. But it’s ironic the remains of a horse that once united Australia and New Zealand should be so separated.</p>
<p>Then again, perhaps it’s a fitting metaphor after all, as the two former colonies find their separate way in the modern world, nearly a century on from Phar Lap’s brief but glorious reign.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/216530/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Katie Pickles does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Phar Lap’s famous 1930 Melbourne Cup victory united Australia and New Zealand in celebration. Almost a century on, people still flock to visit his remains, on display at three different museums.Katie Pickles, Professor of History, University of CanterburyLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1914972022-10-31T19:02:23Z2022-10-31T19:02:23ZThis Melbourne Cup, alcohol and sport collide. We need to watch out for domestic violence<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/490762/original/file-20221020-25-1bq09z.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=2%2C0%2C1914%2C1279&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.pexels.com/photo/a-man-squeezing-a-woman-s-shoulder-4379914/">Karolina Grabowska/Pexels</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/">CC BY-SA</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Not everyone looks forward to the Melbourne Cup. Domestic violence and emergency services ready themselves for a <a href="https://www.vichealth.vic.gov.au/%7E/media/resourcecentre/publicationsandresources/alcohol%20misuse/drinkingcultures-sportingevents/fullreport_drinkingcultures-sportingevents_vichealth-turningpoint.ashx">potential increase</a> in calls, call-outs and admissions.</p>
<p>But as our recent <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/hsc.14028">review shows</a>, the Melbourne Cup isn’t the only major sporting event around the world linked to a rise in domestic violence. </p>
<p>Not everyone agrees on why this is happening. We show alcohol is just one factor.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/is-the-melbourne-cup-still-the-race-that-stops-the-nation-or-are-we-saying-nuptothecup-170801">Is the Melbourne Cup still the race that stops the nation – or are we saying #nuptothecup?</a>
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<h2>What’s going on?</h2>
<p>Police-recorded assaults and emergency department presentations for assault <a href="https://www.vichealth.vic.gov.au/%7E/media/resourcecentre/publicationsandresources/alcohol%20misuse/drinkingcultures-sportingevents/fullreport_drinkingcultures-sportingevents_vichealth-turningpoint.ashx">increase</a> on or around the major sporting events in Victoria – the AFL grand final, Melbourne Cup and Formula 1.</p>
<p>In particular, domestic violence assaults <a href="https://www.vichealth.vic.gov.au/%7E/media/resourcecentre/publicationsandresources/alcohol%20misuse/drinkingcultures-sportingevents/fullreport_drinkingcultures-sportingevents_vichealth-turningpoint.ashx">rise significantly</a> on the day of the Melbourne Cup.</p>
<p>In New South Wales, police data across six years shows domestic violence assaults increased <a href="http://fare.org.au/wp-content/uploads/The-association-between-State-of-Origin-and-assaults-in-two-Australian-states-noEM.pdf">by more than 40%</a> following State of Origin rugby league games compared with non-State of Origin nights.</p>
<p>Our review also shows domestic violence <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/hsc.14028">increases</a> on days of, and around, major sporting events around the world. This includes major National Football League games in the United States and Canada, and soccer matches in Scotland.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/whether-teams-win-or-lose-sporting-events-lead-to-spikes-in-violence-against-women-and-children-99686">Whether teams win or lose, sporting events lead to spikes in violence against women and children</a>
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<h2>Why is this happening?</h2>
<p>Not everyone agrees on why domestic violence is linked with major sporting events. We know perpetrators are more likely to use violence or become more violent <a href="https://web.archive.org.au/awa/20090129005223mp_/http://pandora.nla.gov.au/pan/93593/20090129-1148/Stakeholder+paper_2.pdf">during public holidays</a> in Australia. Both the AFL grand final and the Melbourne Cup receive a dedicated public holiday in Victoria on or around the event.</p>
<p>Alcohol is certainly a <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/add.15485">risk factor</a> for increased frequency and severity of domestic violence. The use of alcohol during major sports events and over holidays is <a href="https://www.vichealth.vic.gov.au/%7E/media/resourcecentre/publicationsandresources/alcohol%20misuse/drinkingcultures-sportingevents/fullreport_drinkingcultures-sportingevents_vichealth-turningpoint.ashx">well documented</a>.</p>
<p>Similarly, <a href="https://www.anrows.org.au/publication/the-relationship-between-gambling-and-intimate-partner-violence-against-women/">gambling</a> and stress over income loss is <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/epub/10.1177/1524838014561269">also linked to </a> the increased use and escalation of domestic violence. These too can occur around the time of events, such as the Melbourne Cup.</p>
<p>But focusing on alcohol and gambling alone runs the risk of such violence <a href="https://media-cdn.ourwatch.org.au/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/11/18101814/Change-the-story-Our-Watch-AA.pdf">being excused</a>. This focus can send the message that men cannot be held entirely responsible for their behaviour.</p>
<h2>A sport’s culture</h2>
<p>A sport’s culture can also be a <a href="https://xyonline.net/sites/xyonline.net/files/Flood%20Dyson%2C%20Sport%20and%20violence%20against%20women%2007.pdf">contributing factor</a> to domestic violence. Sport, violence, and what it means to be a man have long been recognised as <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29338922/">connected</a>. For instance, coaches <a href="https://cgscholar.com/bookstore/works/boys-will-be-boys-assessing-attitudes-of-athletic-officials-on-sexism-and-violence-against-women">promote aggression</a> for performance.</p>
<p>There’s also an <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/hsc.14028">emotive connection</a> to sport. Sport fans display “irrational passions”, maintain “blind optimism”, have “highly charged” memories and passion that mimic “<a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1016/j.smr.2009.07.002">addiction</a>”.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/toughen-up-snowflake-sports-coaches-can-be-emotionally-abusive-heres-how-to-recognise-it-110267">Toughen up snowflake! Sports coaches can be emotionally abusive – here's how to recognise it</a>
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<p>However, <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/hsc.14028">our review</a> also showed that not all sports or their events are associated with domestic violence. Each sits within a culture that differs from sport to sport and country to country. </p>
<p>Some studies we reviewed showed that contact sports, such as <a href="https://academic.oup.com/qje/article/126/1/103/1903433?login=true">American football</a>, were associated with increases in domestic violence. Meanwhile, other contact sports, for instance, rugby union in the United Kingdom, <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0277953620306766?via%3Dihub">were not</a>. </p>
<p>Soccer is a non-contact sport but was linked to <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/0022427813494843">increased rates</a> of domestic violence in the UK. Traditional rivalry between opposing soccer teams had a <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/obes.12105">significant impact</a> on domestic violence rates.</p>
<p>Perhaps emotionally charged games may best indicate whether an increased rate in domestic violence is likely. Examples include finals, or when a team is close to winning or losing a league. Frustrating or controversial outcomes, such as poor play or refereeing decisions, may also predict a rise in domestic violence.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Soccer fan raising fist while watching soccer match" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/490823/original/file-20221020-18-n71vxl.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/490823/original/file-20221020-18-n71vxl.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=398&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/490823/original/file-20221020-18-n71vxl.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=398&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/490823/original/file-20221020-18-n71vxl.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=398&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/490823/original/file-20221020-18-n71vxl.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=501&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/490823/original/file-20221020-18-n71vxl.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=501&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/490823/original/file-20221020-18-n71vxl.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=501&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Frustrating or controversial outcomes, such as poor play or refereeing decisions, may also predict a rise in domestic violence.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.pexels.com/photo/person-in-red-and-blue-top-raising-left-hand-54308/">Pixabay</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/">CC BY-SA</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>An unexpected loss, for example, is connected with <a href="https://doi.org/10.1093/qje/qjr001">increased domestic violence</a> rates, more so if that game is also considered important, for example during finals or potentially exiting a World Cup. </p>
<p>However, <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0277953620306766?via%3Dihub">a UK study</a> found that alcohol-related domestic violence significantly increased only when England won, not when they lost or drew. So losing is not necessarily the key factor.</p>
<p>Drinking motives may come into play here, with different supporters drinking (more) <a href="https://theconversation.com/there-are-four-types-of-drinker-which-one-are-you-89377">to celebrate or to cope</a>.</p>
<p>When taken together, <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/add.15485?af=R">we can conclude</a> it’s the culture of a particular sport in a particular country, exaggerated by keen rivalry, how emotionally charged a game might be, and when the game is played, that can predict a rise in domestic violence. That’s in addition to increased gambling or alcohol use linked to these events.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/how-sport-can-tackle-violence-against-women-and-girls-107886">How sport can tackle violence against women and girls</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>What can we do about it?</h2>
<p>Policies to address domestic violence associated with sport need to be tailored to the places where an event is taking place and how a country’s, or even state’s, culture influences sporting fans’ behaviour. </p>
<p>We need to think about:</p>
<ul>
<li><p>when major sporting events are scheduled (ideally away from public holidays)</p></li>
<li><p>limiting alcohol availability and increased prices, particularly during major events</p></li>
<li><p>joint planning across police, health and specialist domestic violence services ahead of major sporting events</p></li>
<li><p>developing social marketing campaigns for fans to coincide with
with sporting events, such as the AFL grand final’s #liftyourgame. Such campaigns need to be free of alcohol and gambling sponsorship.</p></li>
</ul>
<p><div data-react-class="Tweet" data-react-props="{"tweetId":"1573099860437385223"}"></div></p>
<p>Initiatives need to be developed with support from policy makers, state, and national sports organisations, as well as specialist domestic violence and emergency services. </p>
<p>They need to be effectively tailored to the sport, its fans, and the cultural context being targeted. They need to happen now and be evaluated.</p>
<hr>
<p><em>If this article raises issues for you or someone you know, contact: <a href="https://1800respect.org.au">1800 RESPECT</a> (1800 737 732), <a href="https://www.safesteps.org.au">Safe Steps</a> (1800 015 188), <a href="https://ntv.org.au">Men’s Referral Service</a> (1300 766 491) or <a href="https://mensline.org.au">Mensline</a> (1300 78 99 78). In an emergency, call 000.</em></p>
<hr>
<p><em>William Douglas, policy and projects officer at <a href="https://ntv.org.au">No to Violence</a> co-authored this article and is a partner in the research mentioned in it.</em></p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/191497/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Kirsty Forsdike currently receives funding from the Department of Jobs, Precincts and Regions of the Victorian Government to research the prevention of violence against women through sport and has previously received funding from the Office for Women in Sport and Recreation to explore violence against women in sport. She also receives funding from the Victorian State Government Crime Prevention Innovation Fund and has previously received funding from the Department of Social Services, Department of Premier and Cabinet, Respect Victoria and Department of Social Services.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Anne-Marie Laslett receives funding from the
Australian Research Council and
*veski
*The Victorian Near-miss Award Pilot is being administered by veski for the Victorian Health and Medical Research Workforce Project on behalf of the Victorian Government and the Association of Australian Medical Research Institutes. Funding for the Pilot has been provided by the Victorian Department of Jobs, Precincts and Regions. The Victorian Near-miss Awards are provided to eligible individuals who narrowly missed out on the 2021 NHMRC Investigator Grant funding in the Emerging Leaders 2 stream.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Associate Professor Leesa Hooker currently receives funding from a Victorian Department of Jobs, Precincts and Regions Crime Prevention grant. She does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no other relevant affiliations beyond her academic appointment.</span></em></p>For years, we’ve taken major sporting events, a public holiday, added alcohol and gambling, then watched domestic violence rates rise. It’s time we did something different.Kirsty Forsdike, Senior Lecturer, La Trobe Business School and Senior Researcher in Centre for Sport & Social Impact, La Trobe UniversityAnne-Marie Laslett, Senior Research Fellow, Centre for Alcohol Policy Research, La Trobe UniversityLeesa Hooker, Research Director, Rural Judith Lumley Centre, La Trobe Rural Health School, La Trobe UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1708012021-11-01T19:06:30Z2021-11-01T19:06:30ZIs the Melbourne Cup still the race that stops the nation – or are we saying #nuptothecup?<p>The Melbourne Cup is <a href="https://www.nma.gov.au/defining-moments/resources/melbourne-cup">supposed</a> to be the “race that stops a nation”. </p>
<p>But among increasing community concern about gambling and animal welfare, does it stop us for the right reasons? As Cup Day dawns at Flemington, how is our relationship to the Cup changing? </p>
<h2>Gambling in Australia</h2>
<p>Gambling is a significant part of Australian culture. Helped by the fact we have <a href="https://australiainstitute.org.au/post/removing-pokies-from-pubs-and-clubs-a-step-towards-normality">pokies</a> in clubs and pubs, we lose more money on gambling than any other nation. Per capita, our gambling losses are <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2018/04/04/world/australia/australians-gambling-betting-machines.html">more than double</a> those in the United States. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Punters line up to place a bet at the TAB." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/429218/original/file-20211028-13-113egfd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/429218/original/file-20211028-13-113egfd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/429218/original/file-20211028-13-113egfd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/429218/original/file-20211028-13-113egfd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/429218/original/file-20211028-13-113egfd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/429218/original/file-20211028-13-113egfd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/429218/original/file-20211028-13-113egfd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Australians spent more than A$220 million on the Melbourne Cup in 2020.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Dan Himbrechts/AAP</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>But <a href="https://www.gamblingresearch.org.au/publications/new-second-national-study-interactive-gambling-australia-2019-20">research</a> shows gambling participation is dropping. A recently <a href="https://www.gamblingresearch.org.au/publications/new-second-national-study-interactive-gambling-australia-2019-20">released study</a>, led by Nerilee Hing at CQUniversity, and funded by <a href="https://www.gamblingresearch.org.au/about">Gambling Research Australia</a>, was the first national gambling prevalence study since 2010-11. It included a telephone survey of 15,000 Australian adults in 2019, giving an insight into the nature and extent of gambling in Australia. </p>
<p>According to this report, 56.9% of those surveyed had gambled in the previous 12 months, compared with 64.3% the decade before. Participation on every gambling form has declined, apart from forms that were not available ten years ago, such as betting on <a href="https://theconversation.com/esports-is-the-future-of-all-sports-heres-why-121335">e-sports</a> and gambling within <a href="https://parentinfo.org/article/skin-gambling-what-parents-should-know">video games</a>. Race betting has dropped from 22.4% to 16.8%.</p>
<h2>What do people think of gambling?</h2>
<p>Despite this decline, total <a href="https://www.qgso.qld.gov.au/statistics/theme/society/gambling/australian-gambling-statistics">race betting turnover</a> continues to climb, up by about A$4 billion in today’s dollars from A$22.9 billion in 2010-11 to A$26.9 billion in 2018-19. </p>
<p>This may be in part due to the rise in online gambling, <a href="https://www.gamblingresearch.org.au/sites/default/files/2021-10/Final%20IGS%20report%202021.pdf">which has doubled</a> over the past decade. Race betting is certainly more accessible than ever, with a lot of <a href="https://responsiblegambling.vic.gov.au/resources/publications/effects-of-wagering-marketing-on-vulnerable-adults-408/">promotions</a> ready to entice you to place a bet, or bet more than you intended.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Pub goers watch the Melbourne Cup in 2020." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/429217/original/file-20211028-24-szwnvh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/429217/original/file-20211028-24-szwnvh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/429217/original/file-20211028-24-szwnvh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/429217/original/file-20211028-24-szwnvh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/429217/original/file-20211028-24-szwnvh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/429217/original/file-20211028-24-szwnvh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/429217/original/file-20211028-24-szwnvh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Survey research shows the number of Australian adults who gamble is dropping.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Dan Himbrechts/AAP</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>For many, however, a bet on the Melbourne Cup will be the <a href="https://www.racenet.com.au/melbourne-cup/betting">only race bet</a> they place each year. The decline in race betting prevalence, despite an increase in turnover, suggests it is these less-engaged punters who are not betting anymore. </p>
<p>There certainly appears to be a growing concern about gambling in the community. A 2019 state government <a href="https://www.responsiblegambling.nsw.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0008/881279/NSW-Gambling-Survey-2019-report-FINAL-AMENDED-Mar-2020.pdf">gambling survey</a> of more than 10,000 adults in New South Wales included a question about whether gambling has done more harm than good for the community. Of those surveyed, 46% strongly agreed gambling has done more harm than good, and a further 32% agreed. Only 8% disagreed or strongly disagreed.</p>
<h2>Animal welfare</h2>
<p>In 2020, the horse Anthony Van Dyck became the <a href="https://wwos.nine.com.au/horse-racing/melbourne-cup-2020-horse-deaths-how-many-horses-have-died-in-race/bab05d7d-950f-4af4-8448-b43b6c4266bf">sixth horse to die</a> in the Melbourne Cup, and the seventh to die in a race on Cup day, since 2013.</p>
<p>These deaths have been met with mounting concern about the racing industry. A 2019 <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-08-28/122-horses-killed-on-australian-race-tracks-in-past-year/11456462">report</a> examining stewards’ documents from August 2018 to July 2019 found 122 horses died on race tracks in Australia. In 2019, the ABC’s 7.30 program <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-10-17/racehorses-sent-slaughterhouses-contravention-racing-rules/11611688">aired an expose</a> on cruelty, with former racehorses being sent to slaughterhouses, despite animal welfare guarantees.</p>
<p>Earlier this year, Racing Victoria <a href="https://www.racingvictoria.com.au/news/2021-04-28/enhanced-safety-initiatives-to-set-new-global-benchmark-for-spring-racing-carnival">announced</a> it was implementing new measures to reduce risk to horses. Many of these appear to revolve around the Melbourne Cup in particular, especially international horses, given deaths in recent years have all been foreign runners. But for horses in the thousands of other races across Australia, the risks remain as real as ever.</p>
<h2>Changing attitudes</h2>
<p>The increasing visibility of the impact on animals has soured the Cup. A 2019 <a href="https://www.marketingmag.com.au/news-c/news-semrush-melbourne-cup/">analysis</a> of Melbourne Cup tweets found that #nuptothecup was the third most popular hashtag associated with #melbournecup. The hashtags #horseracingkills and #animalcruelty also appeared in the top ten. </p>
<p>The hashtag #youbettheydie was also associated with #nuptothecup. These findings suggest the animal welfare issue is a strong driver of anti-Cup sentiment.</p>
<p><div data-react-class="Tweet" data-react-props="{"tweetId":"1452853147580338178"}"></div></p>
<p>Increasing <a href="https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/rendezview/our-watch-ceo-keeping-women-safe-is-crucial-ahead-of-next-week/news-story/47b26be248278d135fd6014a5386a695">public awareness</a> of how the Cup (like other major sporting events) is accompanied by a spike in domestic violence has also tarnished the “feelgood” atmosphere. </p>
<p>Beyond the Cup, public opinion around horse racing is not reliably supportive. In 2018, the barrier draw for another prestige race, The Everest, was projected onto the Opera House sails. This was met with <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2018/oct/09/sydney-opera-house-racing-ad-disrupted-as-protesters-shine-torches-on-sails">significant public outcry</a>, despite the sails previously being used for projections about sport, including the Wallabies and the Ashes, and even for Samsung mobile phones. Protesters cited concerns about animal welfare and gambling.</p>
<h2>What next?</h2>
<p>This is not to suggest the race is going anywhere.</p>
<p>For many, the Melbourne Cup isn’t really about gambling, or even horses. It’s a reason to dress up and have a few (or more) drinks with friends. Or enjoy a sweep and some nibbles in the office. It’s also a welcome public holiday for Victorians. </p>
<p>But there is also a <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-11-05/you-told-us-you-feel-torn-about-what-melbourne-cup-means-to-you/11649416?nw=0&r=HtmlFragment">growing realisation</a> this party day has real costs to others.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/whether-teams-win-or-lose-sporting-events-lead-to-spikes-in-violence-against-women-and-children-99686">Whether teams win or lose, sporting events lead to spikes in violence against women and children</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/170801/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>In the last 5 years, Alex Russell has received funding from Victorian Responsible Gambling Foundation; New South Wales Office of Responsible Gambling; South Australian Government; Gambling Research Australia; New Zealand Ministry of Health; Australian Communications and Media Authority and the Alberta Gambling Research Institute. Travel expenses have been paid by the Victorian Responsible Gambling Foundation, PsychMed and the Hawthorn Hawks Football Club Players Association, for research presentations. He has received an honorarium from Movember for assessing applications for funding. He is a member of the International Gambling Think Tank.</span></em></p>New research shows gambling participation in Australia is dropping.Alex Russell, Senior Postdoctoral Fellow, CQUniversity AustraliaLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1444052020-10-29T23:42:47Z2020-10-29T23:42:47ZResearch shows whipping horses doesn’t make them run faster, straighter or safer — let’s cut it out<p>The Melbourne Cup is upon us. This year will be different due to COVID-19 — but one thing we don’t expect to change is <a href="https://theconversation.com/horse-racing-must-change-or-the-court-of-public-opinion-will-bury-it-125637">concern about horses’ welfare</a>, which seems to resurface each year. </p>
<p>Just days before the Cup, Victoria’s parliament has heard allegations that unwanted thoroughbreds continue to be slaughtered in knackeries and abattoirs in New South Wales, The Guardian <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/oct/29/nsw-stud-owned-by-gerry-harvey-among-those-accused-in-parliament-of-sending-racehorses-to-slaughter">reports</a>.</p>
<p>Billionaire executive chair of Harvey Norman Gerry Harvey reportedly apologised after one of his ex-racehorses was sent to a pet food factory for slaughter, despite the state’s racing industry announcing rules against this in 2017. It’s not the first time we’ve heard of such <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-10-18/slaughter-abuse-of-racehorses-undermines-industry-animal-welfare/11603834">gruesome</a> <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-02-10/queensland-new-rules-racehorse-welfare-over-cruelty/11950912">cases</a>.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/whos-responsible-for-the-slaughtered-ex-racehorses-and-what-can-be-done-125551">Who's responsible for the slaughtered ex-racehorses, and what can be done?</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>Beyond this, there are persisting <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-11-01/people-who-wont-be-partying-on-melbourne-cup-day/7979074">concerns</a> about how racehorses have been ridden for more than a century. In particular, the use of the whip to “encourage” horses to run <a href="https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0015622">faster</a> and <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/241118388_Holding_the_whip_hand-a_note_on_the_distribution_of_jockeys'_whip_hand_preferences_in_Australian_Thoroughbred_racing">straighter</a> has been shown to potentially be both <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1558787813001007">painful</a> and <a href="https://beva.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.2746/0425164044868387">dangerous</a>. </p>
<p>For our research, <a href="https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/10/11/1985">published yesterday</a> in the journal Animals, we analysed more than 100 race reports to determine exactly how whip use influences the dynamics of a race. </p>
<p>We found whips make no difference to horse steering, jockey safety, or even a horse’s speed. Our study offers scientific findings that support Racing Victoria’s recently announced plan to gradually <a href="https://www.racingvictoria.com.au/news/2020-09-07/racing-victoria-calls-on-industry-to-progress-whip-reform">phase out whip use</a> until whips are only being used when absolutely necessary.</p>
<h2>Justifications from the racing industry</h2>
<p>Advocates of whip use, such as <a href="https://www.racingaustralia.horse/uploadimg/changestowhiprules.pdf">Racing Australia</a> and the <a href="https://www.britishhorseracing.com/regulation/the-whip/#:%7E:text=In%20British%20racing%20the%20use,of%20horses%20during%20a%20race.">British Horseracing Authority</a>, claim it’s necessary for horse and rider safety. They argue it facilitates the steering <a href="https://horseracingsense.com/why-jockeys-hit-horses-whipping-run-faster">necessary to reduce interference between horses on the course</a>. </p>
<p>Another justification given is that whipping makes horses run faster. This is considered fundamental to racing integrity. In a billion-dollar industry that relies on gambling, all parties — including punters, trainers, breeders and owners — want to know the horse they’ve backed will be given every opportunity to win.</p>
<p>For many racing aficionados, breaches of “<a href="https://www.racingvictoria.com.au/integrity/fair-racing-for-all">integrity</a>” and the thought of a horse not being fully “<a href="https://www.racingaustralia.horse/FreeServices/upcoming_rules_of_racing/RA%20Calendar%20Notice%20-%20Amendments%20to%20Australian%20Rules%20of%20Racing%20effective%201%20August%202018%20-%20135.pdf">ridden out</a>” on its merits is just as corrupt as the horse being doped, or a race being <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2004/mar/10/horseracing.kenoliver">fixed by some other means</a>. </p>
<h2>The growing importance of racehorse welfare</h2>
<p>But animal welfare is also important to racing integrity, according to the <a href="https://www.ifhaonline.org/default.asp?section=IABRW&area=2">International Federation of Horseracing Authorities</a> and <a href="https://www.nj.gov/oag/racing/rulemaking/Riding_Crop%20Proposal.pdf">other racing bodies</a>. </p>
<p><a href="https://qric.qld.gov.au/stewards-reports/">Racing stewards</a> are in the unenviable position of enforcing horse welfare during races, while also having to ensure whips are used to give each horse full opportunity to win. </p>
<p>For all official races in Australia, there are detailed regulations for the number and style of whip strikes allowed at the different points of a course. </p>
<p>Research over past decades has concentrated on jockeys’ accuracy, <a href="https://theconversation.com/when-the-pressure-is-on-some-riders-breach-the-whip-rules-in-horse-racing-71157">compliance with whip rules</a>, the link between whip use and <a href="https://beva.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.2746/0425164044868387">catastrophic falls that can injure or kill horses or jockeys</a> and simply whether or not whipping hurts.</p>
<p>But until now, few have stopped to ask whether whips actually <em>work</em>. That’s simply because there hasn’t been a way to scientifically test the culturally entrenched assumption they do. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/whips-hurt-horses-if-my-legs-anything-to-go-by-33470">Whips hurt horses – if my leg's anything to go by</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>Racing without using the whip</h2>
<p>However, since 1999, a form of whipping-free racing has been conducted in Great Britain via the “hands and heels” racing <a href="https://www.britishhorseracing.com/regulation/racing-excellence-series/">series for apprentice jockeys</a>. In this form of racing, jockeys are permitted to carry whips but can’t use them unless under exceptional circumstances, such as trying to avert a collision.</p>
<p>After races, stewards produce an official report noting any unusual or unorthodox jockey behaviour (which may or may not have affected race placings), jockey infringements, horse movement on the course, interference between horses, and veterinary issues. </p>
<p>We analysed reports for 126 races involving a total of 1,178 starters (horses and jockeys). These included all 67 hands and heels “whipping-free” races in the period starting January 2017 and ending December 2019. For these, we were able to case-match 59 traditional “whipping-permitted” races. </p>
<p>Thus, we were able to compare the performance of racehorses under both “whipping-free” and “whipping-permitted” conditions in real racing environments, to figure out whether whipping makes horses easier to steer, safer to ride and/or more likely to win. </p>
<p>Our results indicated no significant differences between horse movement on the course, interference on the course, the frequency of incidents related to jockey behaviour, or average race finishing times. </p>
<p>Put simply, whip use had no impact on steering, safety or speed. Contrary to longstanding beliefs, whipping racehorses just doesn’t work. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/366611/original/file-20201030-17-yb5bo8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Horses racing on track." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/366611/original/file-20201030-17-yb5bo8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/366611/original/file-20201030-17-yb5bo8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/366611/original/file-20201030-17-yb5bo8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/366611/original/file-20201030-17-yb5bo8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/366611/original/file-20201030-17-yb5bo8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/366611/original/file-20201030-17-yb5bo8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/366611/original/file-20201030-17-yb5bo8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">The Melbourne cup has been running for more than 150 years, with the first official cup trophy awarded in 1865.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>The way forward</h2>
<p>Our findings reinforce the need for more support for whipping-free races. Importantly, they indicate whip use could potentially be banned without any adverse effect on horses, riders or racing integrity. </p>
<p>“Whipping-free” races are not the same as “whip-free” races. While some might argue for <a href="https://horseracingkills.com/campaigns/the-whip/">races with no whips at all</a>, an agreeable compromise would be to let jockeys carry whips, but only use them if their safety is jeopardised.</p>
<p>This approach has already been adopted in Norway, where whipping-free races have been <a href="https://www.thoroughbreddailynews.com/a-whip-free-day-of-racing-in-norway/">held for more than 30 years</a> with no apparent negative consequences. </p>
<p>Given evolving social values, we believe transitioning to a whipping-free approach is essential for the future of an industry that relies on a <a href="https://theconversation.com/why-horse-racing-in-australia-needs-a-social-licence-to-operate-79492">social licence to operate</a>.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/dressing-up-for-melbourne-cup-day-from-a-racehorse-point-of-view-104771">Dressing up for Melbourne Cup Day, from a racehorse point of view</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/144405/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Kirrilly Thompson has previously received money from sources including World Animal Protection, the Australian Research Council and the Bushfire & Natural Hazards CRC. Kirrilly is the national participation manager at Pony Club Australia and the Vice Chair of the Horse Federation of SA.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Dr Bethany Wilson has consulted for the RSPCA Australia on an ad hoc basis</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Professor Paul McGreevy is an Honorary Fellow of the International Society for Equitation Science and a life member of the RSPCA NSW. He has received funding from the Australian Research Council for research into the welfare of racing Thoroughbreds. He occasionally conducts research funded by the RSPCA Australia.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Phil McManus has received funding from the Australian Research Council for independent research, including into the thoroughbred breeding and racing industry. He is a member of The Greens. </span></em></p>As the Melbourne Cup approaches, new research shows whipping horses really doesn’t offer the benefits its proponents claim.Kirrilly Thompson, Adjunt Senior Research Fellow, University of South AustraliaBethany Wilson, Honorary Affiliate, University of SydneyPaul McGreevy, Professor of Animal Behaviour and Animal Welfare Science, University of SydneyPhil McManus, Professor of Urban and Environmental Geography: School of Geosciences, University of SydneyLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1256372019-10-22T05:08:17Z2019-10-22T05:08:17ZHorse racing must change, or the court of public opinion will bury it<p>In the wake of a shocking ABC report on the dismal end of many racehorses’ lives in slaughterhouses, many Australians are questioning whether the horse racing industry can operate ethically. </p>
<p>Some people will never agree that animals should be used for human entertainment. Others argue horse racing is ethical and has been so for decades. However, As Hall of Fame thoroughbred trainer Lee Freedman <a href="https://twitter.com/freedman_lee/status/1184804303300485121">tweeted</a>, “If we don’t make real changes the court of public opinion will bury racing”.</p>
<p><div data-react-class="Tweet" data-react-props="{"tweetId":"1184804303300485121"}"></div></p>
<p>As long as racehorses are treated as commodities, it will make a cruel sort of sense to get rid of “surplus” animals as cheaply as possible. </p>
<p>Australian community standards demand we treat horses as more than objects. At an industry level, self-regulation has manifestly failed. It’s time we created a national registry to trace racehorses for their whole lives, including life beyond the racing industry.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/we-could-reduce-the-slaughter-of-racehorses-if-we-breed-them-for-longer-racing-careers-123760">We could reduce the slaughter of racehorses if we breed them for longer racing careers</a>
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</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>How much is welfare worth?</h2>
<p>While, no doubt, investigations will begin into allegations of animal cruelty or rule-breaking in the Queensland abattoir filmed, the industry cannot hide behind claims this represents a few bad eggs. </p>
<p>Despite rules fromthe national body Racing Australia, and being a member of the International Federation of Horseracing Authorities (IFHA), Australia’s racing rules are largely administered on a state-by-state basis, and different jurisdictions may have additional welfare requirements. This makes introducing change and enforcing consistent, socially acceptable standards difficult.</p>
<p>The solutions must be systemic. There are feasible options to bring horse racing industries closer to evolving public expectations of horse welfare. The question is, are the industries willing to change?</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/is-your-horse-normal-now-theres-an-app-for-that-107000">Is your horse normal? Now there’s an app for that</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>Horse welfare should be paramount. This means a “whole of life” approach. Reducing the number of horses bred annually is, in isolation, not the answer. In 2007, 18,255 thoroughbred foals were born in <a href="https://www.ifhaonline.org/default.asp?section=Resources&area=4">Australia</a>. In 2017 there were only 13,823 thoroughbred foals born. However, horses are still being sent to slaughterhouses.</p>
<p>Horse racing is a competitive industry. Some horses never win. Other horses will be injured or grow old. There will always be “too many” horses produced for racing and for the breeding part of the industry.</p>
<p>Owners and breeders need to plan for horses who one day may have little economic potential; they have as much right to welfare as any other creature.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/breeding-thoroughbreds-is-far-from-natural-in-the-race-for-a-winner-121087">Breeding Thoroughbreds is far from natural in the race for a winner</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>A true national registry</h2>
<p>Australia needs a national traceability register to track all racehorses, through and after their racing careers. All pregnancies should be recorded, and all foals registered and microchipped. This will limit the potential for unregistered horses to be killed. </p>
<p>No registered racehorse should be sold through a “mixed sale” with cattle and other animals. No registered racehorse should be sent to or accepted at an abattoir.</p>
<p>It should be a condition of sale that when a horse leaves the racing industry that it is purchased with a clause that permits follow-up inspection, regardless of state borders or whether the horse goes on to be a companion animal, show jumper, police mount, or any other situation. (This is <a href="https://theconversation.com/whos-responsible-for-the-slaughtered-ex-racehorses-and-what-can-be-done-125551">already the case</a> in NSW and the ACT.) Rules without enforcement are ineffectual. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/whos-responsible-for-the-slaughtered-ex-racehorses-and-what-can-be-done-125551">Who's responsible for the slaughtered ex-racehorses, and what can be done?</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>This may seem onerous, but the thoroughbred industry already assiduously monitors the registration of horses <em>into</em> the industry. They check whether the foal came from registered thoroughbred parents, a natural conception (male and female copulating) and the foal being born from the womb of that same mare. </p>
<p>The industry should apply the same diligence to the end of career treatment of racehorses, and accept responsibility for humanely euthanising horses after <em>all</em> other options have been exhausted.</p>
<p>An ethical industry cannot operate by ignoring inconvenient truths. The ABC report exposed some of these truths. Now it is necessary to make real changes to align horse racing with evolving social expectations of animal welfare.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/125637/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Phil McManus has received funding from the Australian Research Council ARC) for thoroughbred-related research. He is a member of The Greens. </span></em></p>Racing industries put enormous effort into procuring the best young horses, but pay little attention to the fate of former (or simply unsuccessful) racers.Phil McManus, Professor of Urban and Environmental Geography: Head of School of Geosciences, University of SydneyLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1047712018-11-04T19:22:20Z2018-11-04T19:22:20ZDressing up for Melbourne Cup Day, from a racehorse point of view<p>Melbourne Cup is upon us and racegoers will dress in their finest, with <a href="https://www.flemington.com.au/fotf">prizes awarded</a> for the smartest fashions on the field. </p>
<p>Just like the punters, the equine stars of the track may also be wearing a range of gear in the hope of gaining a winning edge.</p>
<p>Racing Australia’s <a href="https://www.racingvictoria.com.au/integrity/approved-horse-gear">list of approved gear</a> covers more than 100 items that can be used in horse racing.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/why-horse-racing-in-australia-needs-a-social-licence-to-operate-79492">Why horse-racing in Australia needs a social licence to operate</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>We’d like to help you identify what any racehorse you see may be wearing, and to distinguish between winkers and blinkers, nose rolls and nose bands, ear plugs and ear muffs. </p>
<p>So, let’s take a look at some of these items available in thoroughbred racing.</p>
<h2>From blinkers to bandages</h2>
<p><strong>Blinkers</strong>, <strong>visors</strong> and <strong>winkers</strong> are cups or padding attached to the head to limit a horse’s vision in various ways. With their extraordinary wraparound vision, horses can normally see across <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10505953">320 degrees</a> without moving their heads. </p>
<p>The use of this type of equipment is thought to minimise distractions from other horses in the race, enabling the horse to focus on running rather than on other runners (or indeed the crowd).</p>
<hr>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/243604/original/file-20181102-83641-dcxljv.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/243604/original/file-20181102-83641-dcxljv.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=662&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/243604/original/file-20181102-83641-dcxljv.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=662&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/243604/original/file-20181102-83641-dcxljv.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=662&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/243604/original/file-20181102-83641-dcxljv.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=832&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/243604/original/file-20181102-83641-dcxljv.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=832&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/243604/original/file-20181102-83641-dcxljv.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=832&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption"></span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Wes Mountain/The Conversation</span>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/4.0/">CC BY-ND</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<hr>
<p><strong>Pacifiers</strong> are mesh cups sewn onto a fabric bonnet to protect the eyes from debris kicked up by other runners, something that is believed to cause some horses to slow down.</p>
<hr>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/242907/original/file-20181030-76413-1j24ex8.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/242907/original/file-20181030-76413-1j24ex8.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=311&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/242907/original/file-20181030-76413-1j24ex8.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=311&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/242907/original/file-20181030-76413-1j24ex8.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=311&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/242907/original/file-20181030-76413-1j24ex8.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=391&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/242907/original/file-20181030-76413-1j24ex8.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=391&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/242907/original/file-20181030-76413-1j24ex8.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=391&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption"></span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Wes Mountain/The Conversation</span>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/4.0/">CC BY-ND</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<hr>
<p><strong>Ear muffs</strong> are sock-like and encase the whole ear. They are worn in the mounting yard and throughout the race, reducing the effect of the noise from race crowds which can frighten some horses. Ear muffs can be used in combination with blinkers, pacifiers and winkers.</p>
<p><strong>Ear plugs</strong>, which are inserted into the ear, must be removed once the horse enters the barrier.</p>
<hr>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/242909/original/file-20181030-76396-tgh70.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/242909/original/file-20181030-76396-tgh70.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=508&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/242909/original/file-20181030-76396-tgh70.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=508&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/242909/original/file-20181030-76396-tgh70.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=508&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/242909/original/file-20181030-76396-tgh70.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=638&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/242909/original/file-20181030-76396-tgh70.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=638&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/242909/original/file-20181030-76396-tgh70.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=638&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption"></span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Wes Mountain/The Conversation</span>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/4.0/">CC BY-ND</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<hr>
<p>A <strong>nose roll</strong> is a thick sheepskin sausage that is used to stop horses being distracted by objects in their immediate foreground such as shadows.</p>
<p><strong>Nose bands</strong> are straps added to the bridle and encircle the upper and lower jaws. They can be used to prevent horses from opening their mouths, giving the jockey greater control.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/over-20-of-australian-horses-race-with-their-tongues-tied-to-their-lower-jaw-99584">Over 20% of Australian horses race with their tongues tied to their lower jaw</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p><strong>Tongue-ties</strong> involve looping a piece of elastic band, strap or nylon stocking around the tongue and securing it to the lower jaw. They are also thought to improve control as well as prevent displacement of the soft palate that can interfere with airflow to the lungs. A metal or rubber version called a tongue clip can also be used. </p>
<hr>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/243602/original/file-20181102-83629-aig7iy.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/243602/original/file-20181102-83629-aig7iy.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=865&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/243602/original/file-20181102-83629-aig7iy.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=865&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/243602/original/file-20181102-83629-aig7iy.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=865&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/243602/original/file-20181102-83629-aig7iy.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=1088&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/243602/original/file-20181102-83629-aig7iy.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=1088&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/243602/original/file-20181102-83629-aig7iy.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=1088&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption"></span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Wes Mountain/The Conversation</span>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/4.0/">CC BY-ND</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<hr>
<p>Germany has <a href="https://www.racingpost.com/news/tongue-ties-outlawed-in-germany-over-welfare-concerns/333502">banned tongue-ties</a> in racing and they are banned in most other horse sports around the globe.</p>
<p>RSPCA Australia <a href="https://www.rspca.org.au/media-centre/news/2018/rspca-demands-action-end-widespread-tongue-tie-use-horse-racing">is keen for tongue-ties to be banned</a> in Australian racing due to concerns including the tightness with which they are applied.</p>
<p><strong>Boots</strong> and <strong>bandages</strong> are used to prevent injuries to the legs, notably self-inflicted injuries in horses that can accidentally strike one of their legs with another, and also to protect recent skin wounds.</p>
<hr>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/243590/original/file-20181101-83661-95mcgv.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/243590/original/file-20181101-83661-95mcgv.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=297&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/243590/original/file-20181101-83661-95mcgv.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=297&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/243590/original/file-20181101-83661-95mcgv.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=297&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/243590/original/file-20181101-83661-95mcgv.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=373&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/243590/original/file-20181101-83661-95mcgv.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=373&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/243590/original/file-20181101-83661-95mcgv.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=373&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption"></span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Wes Mountain/The Conversation</span>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/4.0/">CC BY-ND</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<hr>
<h2>The bit</h2>
<p>More than 60 different designs of <strong>bit</strong> are permitted in racing. The main purpose of a bit is to apply discomfort on the tongue and lower jaw of the horse to motivate it to change its speed or direction.</p>
<hr>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/243601/original/file-20181102-83629-1np51zx.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/243601/original/file-20181102-83629-1np51zx.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=586&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/243601/original/file-20181102-83629-1np51zx.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=586&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/243601/original/file-20181102-83629-1np51zx.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=586&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/243601/original/file-20181102-83629-1np51zx.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=736&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/243601/original/file-20181102-83629-1np51zx.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=736&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/243601/original/file-20181102-83629-1np51zx.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=736&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption"></span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Wes Mountain/The Conversation</span>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/4.0/">CC BY-ND</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<hr>
<p>Many of the bits on the approved list are simple, ancient designs, whereas others are complex pieces of engineering with flanges, clips and jaw-encircling structures. </p>
<p>These are intended to address specific behavioural problems such as lugging (veering to one side) or over-galloping (galloping with a high head position while straining at the bit).</p>
<p>Relatively little is known about how bits function inside a horse’s mouth but <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0737080685800502">radiographic studies back in the 1980s on live horses</a> have shown that many bits do not work as believed.</p>
<h2>The tail chain</h2>
<p>The <strong>tail chain</strong> is a short length of metal chain secured to the top of the tail by a rubber band and then hangs between a horse’s buttocks. </p>
<p>Anecdotally, it is believed to dissuade the horse from taking air into its rectum as it gallops, thereby preventing abdominal pain and associated poor performance.</p>
<p>However, given the anatomy of the horse’s gastro-intestinal tract, it seems unlikely that such air intake could affect performance in this way, or alternatively that a tail chain could reduce any such effect.</p>
<p>It is possible that the chain hitting the soft tissues of the perineal area may motivate the horse to gallop harder, which could be seen as performance-enhancing.</p>
<hr>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/243142/original/file-20181031-76387-1jbrsqw.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/243142/original/file-20181031-76387-1jbrsqw.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=456&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/243142/original/file-20181031-76387-1jbrsqw.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=456&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/243142/original/file-20181031-76387-1jbrsqw.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=456&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/243142/original/file-20181031-76387-1jbrsqw.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=574&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/243142/original/file-20181031-76387-1jbrsqw.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=574&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/243142/original/file-20181031-76387-1jbrsqw.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=574&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption"></span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Wes Mountain/The Conversation</span>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/4.0/">CC BY-ND</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<hr>
<h2>Does the gear make a difference?</h2>
<p>A fascinating study of the behaviour and apparatus that horses wear when racing <a href="https://www.appliedanimalbehaviour.com/article/S0168-1591(96)01162-8/abstract">revealed associations</a> with horse performance on the day. It showed poor performance was associated with boots, bandages, jaw-encircling nose bands, nose rolls, and pacifiers. </p>
<p>But this study was published in 1997 and since then there has been little published independent research on the use of any racing gear and its effect on racehorse performance.</p>
<p>The potential for gear to affect performance is fundamental to the integrity of racing. The rules of racing state that permission to use any piece of approved gear other than basic snaffle bits has to be given by the stewards before the horse starts the race.</p>
<p>Once permission has been given, the horse must continue to race in that gear unless the stewards grant permission for it to be changed. Form guides and starters lists detail gear changes to enable punters to assess the potential effect on the horse’s performance.</p>
<p>Understandably, trainers will swear by particular items of gear for horses with certain tendencies, especially if that item was worn on the day of a horse’s best performance, even though there is no relevant empirical evidence.</p>
<h2>More research needed</h2>
<p>The scientific community has only recently begun to put ancient and modern theories on horse handling and training to the test in a bid to identify which techniques and devices work and why.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/the-hendra-vaccine-has-no-effect-on-racehorse-performance-90231">The Hendra vaccine has no effect on racehorse performance</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>This discipline of <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1090023306002000">equitation science</a> is disclosing in research (involving one of us, Paul) <a href="https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0198545">how many horses are asymmetrical when racing</a>. </p>
<p>An example of asymmetry is when a horse preferentially gallops with either the right or left leg leading. This has implications for the direction of the track which, for example, is <a href="http://www.horseracing.com.au/racecourses/">clockwise in New South Wales and anticlockwise in Victoria</a>.</p>
<p>Other research (also involving Paul) has looked at <a href="https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0015622">whether whips actually work on tired horses</a> and <a href="https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/6/3/15">how we can maximise our safety when working with horses</a>.</p>
<p>Given time and the right level of funding, equitation scientists will use evidence from the years of racing records to show what works best and what doesn’t. Until then, we must trust trainers to prioritise their horses’ welfare when making selections from the register of approved gear.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/104771/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Professor Paul McGreevy is an Honorary Fellow of the International Society for Equitation Science and a life member of the RSPCA NSW. He has received funding from the Australian Research Council for research into the welfare of racing Thoroughbreds. He consults on a voluntary basis to the RSPCA Australia.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Cathrynne Henshall does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>It’s not only fans that dress up on Melbourne Cup Day. There is plenty of gear racehorses can wear, from blinkers to nose bands, ear plugs and even a tail chain. But do they do any good?Paul McGreevy, Professor of Animal Behaviour and Animal Welfare Science, University of SydneyCathrynne Henshall, PhD Candidate, School of Animal and Veterinary Sciences, Charles Sturt UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/794922017-11-02T19:04:47Z2017-11-02T19:04:47ZWhy horse-racing in Australia needs a social licence to operate<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/192528/original/file-20171030-18735-suzuij.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Horse racing is enjoyed by many people, employs thousands of people but there are some concerns over the welfare of the horses.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock/Vladimir Hodac</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Like or loathe horse-racing, there’s no avoiding Australia’s spring racing carnival. </p>
<p>But the question we are asking is: does the industry need what is called a “social licence” to operate?</p>
<p>Australian horse-racing has changed much since the early days when the first races were staged at <a href="http://www2.sl.nsw.gov.au/archive/discover_collections/society_art/races/horse/hydepark.html">Sydney’s Hyde Park in 1810</a>.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/when-the-pressure-is-on-some-riders-breach-the-whip-rules-in-horse-racing-71157">When the pressure is on, some riders breach the whip rules in horse racing</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>Racing Australia, which represents the nation’s thoroughbred racing fraternity, recently <a href="https://engage.dss.gov.au/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/5.-Scope-and-contribution-of-Australian-thoroughbred-racing.docx">told a parliamentary committee</a> that the racing industry now has more than 230,000 employees, participants and volunteers.</p>
<p>Horse races are watched or attended – <a href="http://www.news.com.au/national/breaking-news/melbourne-cup-carnival-crowd-numbers-up/news-story/6189c82634db4c152b07dfd878eb6a16">not just on Melbourne Cup Day</a> – by <a href="http://www.abs.gov.au/AUSSTATS/abs@.nsf/Latestproducts/4174.0Main%20Features52009-10?opendocument&tabname=Summary&prodno=4174.0&issue=2009-10&num=&view=">millions of people</a>), many of whom gamble. This not only provides prize winners but also raises millions of dollars for our governments.</p>
<p>But there is also the abiding question over whether enough is being done to protect the welfare of the horses at the heart of the industry. What about the <a href="http://kb.rspca.org.au/What-are-the-animal-welfare-issues-associated-with-Thoroughbred-racing-in-Australia_631.html">use of the whip or of tongue-ties</a>, for example?</p>
<p>The racing industry recognises these issues and is aware it is being watched. As Ray Murrihy, outgoing chief steward in New South Wales, <a href="http://www.theaustralian.com.au/sport/turf-thoroughbreds/soap-operas-dont-rate-ray-murrihy/news-story/8a6fccbb0a006c1b5d29120a9874d1f9">noted in 2016</a>:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>If we don’t pay due regard to welfare matters, it will be at our peril. If we don’t do it ourselves, the next time we’ll be sitting in the back seat, not the driver’s seat.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Before we consider what a social licence is and what it would mean for horse-racing, let’s first consider the pros and cons of the industry itself.</p>
<hr>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/186354/original/file-20170918-5116-117a484.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/186354/original/file-20170918-5116-117a484.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/186354/original/file-20170918-5116-117a484.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=1010&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/186354/original/file-20170918-5116-117a484.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=1010&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/186354/original/file-20170918-5116-117a484.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=1010&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/186354/original/file-20170918-5116-117a484.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=1270&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/186354/original/file-20170918-5116-117a484.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=1270&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/186354/original/file-20170918-5116-117a484.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=1270&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption"></span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Various/The Conversation</span>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/4.0/">CC BY-ND</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<hr>
<p>So much for the benefits of horse-racing, but what about any disadvantages?</p>
<hr>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/192754/original/file-20171031-32627-1son8hj.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/192754/original/file-20171031-32627-1son8hj.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/192754/original/file-20171031-32627-1son8hj.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=1784&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/192754/original/file-20171031-32627-1son8hj.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=1784&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/192754/original/file-20171031-32627-1son8hj.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=1784&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/192754/original/file-20171031-32627-1son8hj.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=2243&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/192754/original/file-20171031-32627-1son8hj.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=2243&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/192754/original/file-20171031-32627-1son8hj.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=2243&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption"></span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Various/The Conversation</span>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/4.0/">CC BY-ND</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<hr>
<p>As these two infographics illustrate, there are significant costs and benefits that should guide any discussions before we renegotiate the conditions under which horses are used for sport.</p>
<p>They also show there is a lot more data available, and some of it more recent, that highlight the benefits rather than the disadvantages of racing, and this is something we believe needs to be addressed.</p>
<p>To outsiders, reform may seem painfully slow. For example, it was not until 1974 that <a href="https://books.google.com.au/books?id=B50Jad7552MC&lpg=PA724&ots=29vTRsfsgH&dq=it%20was%20not%20until%201974%20that%20women%20were%20permitted%20jockey%20licenses%20in%20Australia&pg=PA724#v=onepage&q=it%20was%20not%20until%201974%20that%20women%20were%20permitted%20jockey%20licenses%20in%20Australia&f=false">women were permitted jockey licences in Australia</a>. Also, Australian racehorses <a href="http://www.racingnsw.com.au/stewards-issue-everest-whip-rule-warning-2/">can be whipped 18 times per race</a>, which is <a href="http://www.thepja.co.uk/members-info/regulatory/useofwhip/">ten more than their counterparts in the UK</a>.</p>
<p>Insiders understand that we are all trying to do good, so perhaps the notion of what we mean by good is also changing?</p>
<p>The new good is about industry taking responsibility and sporting organisations recognising the horse as the chief stakeholder. These are just two of several elements feeding into the conversation around the concept of social licence to operate.</p>
<h2>What is a social licence to operate?</h2>
<p>Imagine an intangible, unwritten and non-legally binding social contract whereby the community gives industry the right to conduct its business. That’s a social licence to operate. </p>
<p>This concept of communities giving industry the right to operate (often within confined geographical limits) has existed in <a href="https://theconversation.com/can-you-legislate-a-social-licence-to-operate-10948">mining industries</a> for several years. It has not been without controversy, given its potential to focus on local interests and exclude other stakeholders, such as those who are geographically distant.</p>
<p>But its application to human–animal relationships, and particularly to the use of animals in sport, is relatively new.</p>
<p>The issue was raised by Justice Michael McHugh <a href="http://www.greyhoundracinginquiry.justice.nsw.gov.au/">in his report on greyhound racing in NSW</a> last year when <a href="http://www.justice.nsw.gov.au/Pages/media-news/media-releases/2016/Greyhound-Racing-to-be-Shut-Down-in-NSW.aspx">he recommended</a> that the state’s parliament consider whether that industry had lost its “social licence” to operate.</p>
<p>This was greeted with dismay by Brenton Scott, chief executive of the NSW Greyhound Breeders, Owners and Trainers’ Association, <a href="http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/nation/greyhound-racing-industry-dogged-to-its-death-by-social-licence/news-story/bcd1045f8b1d199fe2f98188bea698fa">who noted</a> that the industry responds well to clear rules, legislation and policy but challenged the concept of a social licence to operate.</p>
<h2>Who issues a social licence to operate?</h2>
<p>A social licence to operate is said to be granted by a community or the wider society but there is no clear definition of who belongs to the community, hence the possibility of excluding wider interests. This is a core issue that currently undermines the social licence to operate of animals-in-sport organisations.</p>
<p>Before any formal discussion can take place among organisations and those outside the industries, there must be more explanation to those within the industries about what the concept means and how it can influence their business practices.</p>
<p>Conversations around a social licence to operate in the horses-in-sport domain must renegotiate current understandings, for example, practices accepted on racetracks that are illegal elsewhere, such as whipping horses.</p>
<p>A social licence to operate should address the conditions under which horses can partner with humans in sporting activities. It must acknowledge the risks to horses as conscripts to sport, to amateur riders as volunteers, and to jockeys as professionals.</p>
<h2>Measuring and monitoring a social licence to operate</h2>
<p>Discussing a social licence to operate can cause offence and it cannot take place in a vacuum of leadership, but the difficulties are multiplied if no genuine conversation takes place. </p>
<p>The conversation should at least include stakeholders from specific animal-based industries and from animal-protection interests. In the animal-based industries this could include a shared review of agreed metrics such as:</p>
<ul>
<li>industry employment</li>
<li>outreach and industry engagement on key issues</li>
<li>injuries and deaths</li>
<li>levels of wastage.</li>
</ul>
<p>These are just a few examples and these metrics should be published on a government portal that is publicly accessible.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/australias-harness-racing-leads-the-world-in-banning-the-whip-on-horses-69472">Australia's harness racing leads the world in banning the whip on horses</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>Such discussions must agree on what measures of a social licence to operate represent and how they can be monitored, since in an ever-changing world we need metrics that demonstrate approval. Such metrics, for racing at least, may need to reflect some of the costs and benefits we have highlighted above, hence the need for up-to-date data on both sets of metrics.</p>
<p>Organisations overseeing racing and equestrianism may create ways to integrate the new good of individuals taking responsibility for improving horse and rider welfare through their everyday practices. Committing to reporting on and incrementally improving metrics of welfare may benefit everyone.</p>
<p>Our world is changing. Organisations that govern human-animal relationships, especially when animals are used for entertainment, will have to move with these changes or face the prospect of, as Ray Murrihy put it, “sitting in the back seat”.</p>
<hr>
<p><em>Paul McGreevy and Phil McManus will be available online from noon to 1pm AEDT today (Friday November 3) to answer questions raised in the comments section. Please make sure you adhere to our <a href="https://theconversation.com/au/community-standards">community standards</a> when making any comment.</em></p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/79492/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Professor Paul McGreevy is an Honorary Fellow of the International Society for Equitation Science and a life member of the RSPCA NSW. He receives funding from the Australian Research Council for research into the welfare of racing Thoroughbreds. He consults to the RSPCA Australia.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Professor Phil McManus has received funding from the Australian Research Council (ARC) to conduct independent research into aspects of the thoroughbred racing industry. He is a member of The Greens. </span></em></p>Horse racing is enjoyed by millions of people but there are others who have concerns over animal welfare. A social license to operate may help keep all sides happy.Paul McGreevy, Professor of Animal Behaviour and Animal Welfare Science, University of SydneyPhil McManus, Proefessor of Urban and Environmental Geography: Head of School of Geosciences, University of SydneyLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/678392016-10-31T19:04:25Z2016-10-31T19:04:25ZThe race that stops the nation also holds many weird and wonderful stories<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/143842/original/image-20161031-15816-irzh0j.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Jockey Michelle Payne rides Prince of Penzance to victory in the 2015 Melbourne Cup.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">AAP/Julian Smith</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>The Melbourne Cup is sometimes deplored but the central place it holds in Australian mainstream culture is rarely disputed. </p>
<p>And its promotion came quickly. Its first running in 1861 drew about 4,000 spectators. In 1870 an estimated 30,000 attended and 100,000 was claimed for the 1880 running – about a third of the population of Melbourne. Even allowing for some boasting spurred by colonial rivalry, these are remarkable figures. </p>
<p>Savvy writers soon recognised the impact of the Cup. American Mark Twain witnessed it in 1895, <a href="http://www.australia.gov.au/about-australia/australian-story/melbourne-cup">writing of his astonishment</a> at the extent of “Cup fever” in Australia. <a href="http://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/gould-nathaniel-nat-6438">Englishman Nat Gould</a> made a fortune writing Edwardian pot-boilers with racing themes. One of his earliest novels was <a href="http://www.natgould.org/the_double_event">The Double Event: a Tale of the Melbourne Cup</a>. It became a bestseller in Australia and Britain. Arthur W. Upfield, creator of the Aboriginal detective “Bony”, entered the market with <a href="http://trove.nla.gov.au/work/8334769?l-decade=191&q&sort=holdings+desc&_=1477878015111&versionId=23084064">The Great Melbourne Cup Mystery</a>. In 1936 Cinesound filmmaker Ken G. Hall contributed <a href="https://theconversation.com/au/politics">Thoroughbred</a>, a thinly veiled retelling of Phar Lap’s 1930 brush with gangsters.</p>
<p>Yet the <a href="http://www.pharlap.com.au/">Phar Lap story</a>, familiar to millions, emphasises that on the racetrack truth usually is stranger than fiction. In recent years there have been several more unlikely plot twists. </p>
<p>During the 2000s the chunky mare <a href="https://rv.racing.com/careers-and-education/australian-racing-museum/hall-of-fame/horses/makybe-diva">Makybe Diva</a> bullied her way to an unprecedented three straight Melbourne Cup wins. </p>
<p>In 2015 battling jockey Michelle Payne outdid National Velvet by <a href="http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-11-03/michelle-payne-rides-prince-of-penzance-to-melbourne-cup-win/6908594">winning the race</a> on a 100/1 aged gelding from the bush named Prince of Penzance. In doing so she became the first female jockey to win the great race. The pair’s subsequent histories emphasise the ephemeral nature of success in racing; Payne was seriously injured in a fall and replaced as the Prince’s rider. The horse lost form, before breaking down and <a href="http://www.thoroughbrednews.com.au/Australia/default.aspx?id=91217&page=1&keyword=">being retired</a>.</p>
<p>The race’s long history contains many more extraordinary personal stories, once celebrated, but probably unfamiliar to most modern-day observers. One that appealed to the Gothic sensibilities of those 19th century race-followers who so impressed Twain was the <a href="http://craigsroyal.com.au/Video/craig-s-dream-cup/">outré tale of the 1870 Cup</a>. Months before the race, Ballarat publican Walter Craig had a vivid dream. In this dream he watched his own horse, Nimblefoot, win the Cup, but he noticed his jockey was wearing a black armband. Craig’s premonition was that his horse would win the Cup, but that he would not live to see it. So strong was his conviction that the story gained great currency and was reported in the press before the Cup was run (this is verified by the Trove newspaper database). Astonishingly, Craig’s horse Nimblefoot won the cup, with the jockey wearing a black crepe armband to mourn Walter Craig who, just as he had dreamed, died before the race.</p>
<p>A more humorous tale of Melbourne Cup forewarning concerns jockey John Letts, who rode the 40/1 outsider Piping Lane in 1972. Letts was a South Australian, a late booking because he could make the horse’s light weight of 48 kilograms. When approached for the ride he decided not to reveal he had not ridden at Flemington previously. He asked a friend among the local jockeys for advice and was told “make your move at Chiquita Lodge”. In the run Letts gained a good position. As the field began the long turn for home, he scanned the horizon for Chiquita Lodge. “I was looking up in the sky for some multi-storey hotel or apartments,” he recalled. Nothing like that appeared and the jockey grew desperate. Then he saw the favourite Gunsynd being urged forward and decided to get onto its tail. In the straight Piping Lane surged past Gunsynd and went on to an easy win.</p>
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<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/143843/original/image-20161031-15788-teoev6.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/143843/original/image-20161031-15788-teoev6.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=338&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/143843/original/image-20161031-15788-teoev6.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=338&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/143843/original/image-20161031-15788-teoev6.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=338&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/143843/original/image-20161031-15788-teoev6.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/143843/original/image-20161031-15788-teoev6.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/143843/original/image-20161031-15788-teoev6.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">Piping Lane, ridden by John Letts, wins the 1972 Melbourne Cup.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="http://www.foxsports.com.au/breaking-news/prince-of-penzance-joins-list-of-biggest-long-shots-to-win-melbourne-cup/news-story/6c25cd0678b009d248b0987161d03c52">foxsports.com.au</a></span>
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<p>Later Letts confronted his informant about the Chiquita Lodge tip. He was embarrassed to learn that Chiquita Lodge was a famous stable that ran down the side of the racecourse with its name painted in huge letters on the roof. Letts capitalised on his 1972 win to become one of the country’s leading jockeys and won another Melbourne Cup in 1980 – leading all the way.</p>
<p>The story of the 1906 winner Poseidon and its ardent admirer, a Chinese market-gardener named Jimmy Ah Poon, also has its element of humour. Poseidon was a three-year-old colt in the spring of 1906. He began a sequence of big-race wins at Randwick in September, then won at Hawkesbury, followed up in the AJC Derby, but then ran second in the Metropolitan Handicap. He then travelled to Melbourne and won four races in a row, culminating in the Melbourne Cup. In autumn 1907 Poseidon raced five times for three more wins and two seconds. </p>
<p>Ah Poon supplied Poseidon with his favourite food, carrots, from his garden. They became firm friends. He bet 10 pounds on the horse at Randwick then “let it ride” at Hawkesbury and in the Derby. At the urging of the owner he laid off on the Metropolitan defeat, then again bet all-up in each of the Melbourne wins. He did the same in the autumn, but somehow knew not to bet on the losses. Bookmakers, who not surprisingly had come to know him well, wryly nicknamed him “The Possum” for his pronunciation of “Poseidon” when placing bets, but also for his cunning in avoiding losing days. He was not seen at the track thereafter and it is believed he returned to China with his fortune intact. </p>
<p>The Cup of 1890 was won by “Old Jack” or Carbine, the horse that several racing heavyweights judge superior to Phar Lap. </p>
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<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/143633/original/image-20161028-15793-1mf4fld.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/143633/original/image-20161028-15793-1mf4fld.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=384&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/143633/original/image-20161028-15793-1mf4fld.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=384&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/143633/original/image-20161028-15793-1mf4fld.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=384&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/143633/original/image-20161028-15793-1mf4fld.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=482&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/143633/original/image-20161028-15793-1mf4fld.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=482&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/143633/original/image-20161028-15793-1mf4fld.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=482&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">Carbine wins the Cup in 1890.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Supplied</span></span>
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<p>It is one of the earliest for which we have images of the the contestants approaching the winning post. It is thus of significance in the history of photography. The picture also captures a large section of the crowd watching the race intently, in which a keen-eyed latter-day researcher named Jack Pollard spotted a crime in progress. One racegoer is being “dipped” – that is, having his pocket picked (circled in the photo). One hopes that the victim was not holding a winning ticket.</p>
<p>For those interested in reading more quirky Melbourne Cup anecdotes, I recommend <a href="http://catalogue.nla.gov.au/Record/2065222">A Century of Winners</a>, by Bill Ahern (Boolarong Press, 1982).</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/67839/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Wayne Peake does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>We all know about Phar Lap, but what about the remarkable story of Walter Craig on Nimblefoot, or the market gardener who always knew when Poseidon would win?Wayne Peake, Researcher, Western Sydney UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/672912016-10-31T19:04:12Z2016-10-31T19:04:12ZTwitter’s live stream of the Melbourne Cup could change how we ‘broadcast’ sport<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/143834/original/image-20161031-15775-1lahrgx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Now you can watch the race on Twitter.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/jupiterfirelyte/10687475494/">Flickr/Jupiter Firelyte</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/">CC BY</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>The race that stops the nation, the Melbourne Cup, will this year be <a href="https://blog.twitter.com/2016/announcing-the-melbournecup-live-on-twitter">streamed live on Twitter</a>, competing with the Seven Network’s stream and live TV broadcast of the race.</p>
<p>The Melbourne Cup is not the first sport that Twitter has live streamed, but is the first outside the United States. </p>
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<p>Earlier this year the National Football League (NFL) in the United States <a href="https://nflcommunications.com/Pages/National-Football-League-and-Twitter-Announce-Streaming-Partnership-for-Thursday-Night-Football.aspx">announced</a> Twitter as “its exclusive partner” to stream certain games to a global audience for the 2016 NFL Regular Season. </p>
<p>The <a href="http://www.foxbusiness.com/markets/2016/10/27/twitter-nfl-hows-it-going-so-far.html">deal</a> worth US$10 million dollars for ten Thursday night games, far less than the US$45 million per game <a href="http://money.cnn.com/2016/04/05/media/twitter-nfl-thursday-night-football/">paid</a> by CBS and NBC.</p>
<p>Some of the ten games <a href="http://www.dailydot.com/debug/how-to-watch-nfl-games-on-twitter/">have already been streamed</a> and referred to by the hashtag <a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23TNF">#TNF</a> on Twitter.</p>
<p>Reports of the success of the streams have varied, but the numbers are lower than for traditional television broadcasts.</p>
<p>The first stream <a href="http://money.cnn.com/2016/09/16/technology/nfl-twitter-ratings-livestream/">averaged</a> an audience of 243,000, with each viewer watching 22 minutes of the game on average.</p>
<p>The second game <a href="http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2016/09/23/twitter-audience-spikes-for-second-thursday-night-football-effort/">reported to have increased</a> to 327,000. While small compared to 15.4 million average viewing audience for CBS and NFL Network, there is evidence here of future developments in sportscasting, and it’s not only for the major leagues.</p>
<h2>Not just for big league sports</h2>
<p>During a recent two day <a href="http://sportscasting.com.au/Melbourne/">sportscasting conference</a> at the AFL’s <a href="http://www.afl.com.au/news/2016-10-07/done-deal-afl-signs-off-on-etihad-stadium-purchase">recently purchased</a> Etihad Stadium in Melbourne, there were a few points that continually came up in the presentations and discussions with those showcasing their products. Those were streaming, grassroots sports, robotic and virtual cameras.</p>
<p>While much of the discussion in the media has been associated with streaming and digital rights of major sporting leagues and events such as <a href="https://theconversation.com/when-the-afl-gets-richer-who-gets-richer-with-it-46321">AFL</a>, NRL, cricket, <a href="https://theconversation.com/sevens-olympic-coverage-could-change-the-way-we-watch-sport-on-our-screens-60563">Rio Olympics</a> and tennis, there is another area yet to be fully explored. That is, how new video technology and streaming could bring the lower-tier and grassroots sports to fans.</p>
<p>Unlike the major leagues, these sports generally don’t have media rights that include TV broadcasts, nor the big budgets and sponsorship deals.</p>
<h2>Streaming to fans</h2>
<p>Streaming of games of local clubs and lower-tier sports allows these games to be delivered to an audience, without the need of traditional TV broadcast. The streams could be delivered to the club or leagues website or direct to social media platforms, which have recently becoming heavily involved in live video.</p>
<p>The streaming of live sport will be one of the <a href="http://www.c31.org.au/categories/1">pillars</a> that community television station C31 will focus on as it faces the <a href="https://theconversation.com/community-tvs-last-stand-from-the-governments-spectrum-grab-42478">loss</a> of its TV broadcast transmission at the end of this year. </p>
<p><a href="https://www.facebook.com/ESN-Echo-Sports-Network-1290488597646833/">Echo Sports Network</a> (<a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCfA2G3AQbdACp0QuYIFJWSw">ESN</a>) and <a href="http://www.sportscastaustralia.com.au/sca/">Sportcast Australia </a> are two other organisations assisting local clubs and leagues to stream their games. </p>
<p>The streaming of local sports allows these games to be delivered not only to a local audience, but also to a global audience. These streams also assist with filling the void of the lack of local sport content on regional television stations across the country. </p>
<p>But there is still a cost in having the required number of cameras and operators at a game, with some sports requiring more than others. This is an area that is also changing due to technological developments, and could allow further expansion of sportscasting in the future.</p>
<h2>Robotic cameras</h2>
<p>At the <a href="http://sportscasting.com.au/Melbourne/">sportscasting conference</a> <a href="http://www.hawkeyeinnovations.co.uk">Hawk-Eye Innovations</a> discussed its development in the use of robotic cameras for sports broadcasts.</p>
<p>Hawk-Eye in Australia is commonly known in association with <a href="http://www.hawkeyeinnovations.co.uk/sports/tennis">tennis</a> and <a href="http://www.hawkeyeinnovations.co.uk/sports/cricket">cricket</a>. But it’s less known <a href="http://www.hawkeyeinnovations.co.uk/products/smart/smart-production">SMART Production</a> product could allow for more sports to be broadcast or streamed. </p>
<p>This technology has been used at both <a href="http://www.sportsvideo.org/2015/06/30/espns-multipronged-wimbledon-production-goes-above-and-beyond-linear-telecast/">Wimbeldon</a> and the <a href="http://www.sportsvideo.org/2015/01/19/espn-australian-open-begin-new-era-of-tennis-coverage/">Australian Open</a> for greater broadcast coverage of outer court play.</p>
<p><a href="https://shop.soloshot.com">Solo Shot</a> is another robotic camera solution that could be used by individuals due to its tracking solution. There are also now a number of drones that can track individuals and could bring some interesting perspectives to sports coverage in the future. </p>
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<h2>Virtual cameras</h2>
<p>In addition to robotic cameras, the advancements in virtual cameras could change the future approaches of sportscasting, particularly its ability to reduce the number of staff required to cover a game.</p>
<p>One example is <a href="http://pixellot.tv">Pixellot</a>’s products, which uses multiple cameras with the multiple images then stitched together as one image. An operator can then select spaces to view on the stitched image.</p>
<p>This allows for the cutting between cameras as seen in a traditional sports broadcast. In addition, the moving between angles can be undertaken by the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/embed/IjNech6k7fE">viewer themselves</a>.</p>
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<p><a href="https://livestream.com">Livestream</a> has also recently announced another smaller virtual camera solution, <a href="https://getmevo.com">Mevo</a>. This could be a lower cost solution used for sporting events played within a smaller location.</p>
<p>A big benefit of Mevo is that it can also live stream directly to Facebook Live, with an iOS device being used for switching between virtual cameras and setting up face tracking.</p>
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<h2>More sportscasting to come</h2>
<p>With the wide range of technology that is being released, the future of sportscasting could be a prosperous one, particularly for grassroots and lower-tier sports.</p>
<p>As the penetration rate of internet-connected television continues in Australia - <a href="http://www.oztam.com.au/documents/Other/Australian%20Multi%20Screen%20Report%20Q2%202016%20FINAL.pdf">currently</a> at 36% (compared to 30% the previous year) - this will further allow these sports to enter Australian lounge rooms.</p>
<p>So with greater access to more sports, will the traditional TV audience continue to decline?</p>
<p>Last year the Seven Network <a href="https://mumbrella.com.au/melbourne-cup-viewing-down-on-last-year-but-seven-claims-300000-people-watched-on-live-stream-328612">reported</a> a decline in TV audience for the Melbourne Cup, but was excited to have had more than 300,000 viewing the stream. </p>
<p>For this year’s event, the Victoria Racing Club (VRC) <a href="https://www.flemington.com.au/news/2016-10-13/the-victoria-racing-cub-and-twitter-announce-live-stream-of-the-2016-emirates-melbourne-cup">says Twitter</a> will live stream the Melbourne Cup from 2.30PM AEDT in its entirety, free of charge, on any Twitter and connected devices. Keep a watch on <a href="https://twitter.com/FlemingtonVRC">@FlemingtonVRC</a> for any updates.</p>
<p>It will be interesting to see how many people tune in to the streams being provided by Twitter and the Seven Network compared with the TV broadcast.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/67291/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Marc C-Scott is a board member of C31 Melbourne (Community Television Station).</span></em></p>Today’s Melbourne Cup will be streamed on Twitter for the first time. So how much can social media compete with traditional broadcasters for sports?Marc C-Scott, Lecturer in Screen Media, Victoria UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/502422015-11-05T23:34:10Z2015-11-05T23:34:10ZMichelle Payne defies horse racing’s long history as a sport of blokes<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/100994/original/image-20151105-16255-q53kmx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Michelle Payne spoke of horse racing's chauvinism following her victory on Prince of Penzance in Tuesday's Melbourne Cup.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">AAP/Dan Himbrechts</span></span></figcaption></figure><blockquote>
<p>I can’t say how grateful I am [to the people who helped me], and I want to say to everyone else, get stuffed, because women can do anything and we can beat the world.</p>
<p>To think that [trainer] Darren Weir has given me a go and it’s such a chauvinistic sport, I know some of the owners were keen to kick me off, and [part-owner] John Richards and Darren stuck strongly with me.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Thus <a href="https://au.news.yahoo.com/thewest/sport/a/29983827/history-maker-payne-wins-melbourne-cup/">spoke</a> Michelle Payne, rider of the 2015 Melbourne Cup winner, Prince of Penzance, after the race on Tuesday. </p>
<p>There was a touch of <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oB6oI04sMc4">National Velvet</a> about it all. A female jockey on an unfashionable horse trained in the bush (though Weir is one of Victoria’s leading trainers), winning arguably the world’s most coveted race.</p>
<p>Payne was thrust onto a stage that gave her the ear of a vastly broader audience than that of just horse racing participants and followers. She grasped the opportunity to give voice to a few grudges that she had clearly been harbouring. </p>
<p>Payne described racing as “chauvinistic”. I am not a discourse analyst but would venture to apply this interpretation to her words: that almost all of the decision-makers in racing are male and that they almost invariably favour their own sex.</p>
<h2>Early days</h2>
<p>How hard has it been for women to make their mark in this male-dominated world? Horse racing in the 21st century possibly has a stronger female presence than most sports theoretically “open” to both sexes, but has it really been any more welcoming? Racing’s history may provide a useful context for Payne’s remarks.</p>
<p>Edwardian racing administrators shared the negative views of their colleagues in charge of other “dangerous” physical sports, such as the football codes, on active female participation. Female jockeys were unthinkable. This was despite there being a much broader female presence in other branches of equestrianism, such as the hunt, than in physical contact sports.</p>
<p>But it was not only as active participants that female involvement in racing was curtailed. Any betting by them was very much frowned upon. Their involvement in sweeps, which involved no analysis of form, weights or measures, rather just mere chance, was accepted. Perhaps a side bet for a pair of gloves was tolerated too. </p>
<p>However, women who strayed into the male crucible of the betting ring were routinely refused a bet by stormy-browed bookmakers, and were led out by racing club officials.</p>
<p>To some extent women were permitted into the more backstage practice of racehorse training, so long as there was no official acknowledgement of the de facto arrangements on raceday. So it was that Mrs Allan McDonald <a href="http://trove.nla.gov.au/ndp/del/article/37244281">really trained</a> the 1938 Melbourne Cup winner, Catalogue, despite her husband’s name appearing in the record books. </p>
<p>At the time the Victorian Racing Club would not allow women to hold a trainer’s licence. There was still no question of them riding in races – nor of “strapping” a horse. </p>
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<figcaption><span class="caption">The 1938 Melbourne Cup was won by Catalogue, a horse really trained by a woman.</span></figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Famed turf journalist Bert Lillye told the story of a woman who masqueraded as a male jockey for many years on the outback tracks of Queensland in the early 20th century. Only after her retirement did it become public that she was a woman. It’s a little hard to believe that her male colleagues had not worked it out before then.</p>
<h2>Women (finally) make their mark</h2>
<p>By the late 1960s the outlook had improved slightly for aspiring female jockeys. Minor bush and provincial clubs occasionally programmed races reserved for amateur female riders. These were given demeaning names such as “The Powder-puff Derby”.</p>
<p>Ironically, the “lady jockeys” were given little opportunity to powder their noses, as no changeroom facilities were provided. The girls were compelled to silk-up in the trees outside the course, or in backs of cars, or in toilets. There was initially no betting on these races, which only franked them as mere novelty acts.</p>
<p>Queenslander Pam O’Neill was one of the leading riders on this ad hoc circuit. Years later, she competed against men on equal terms with great success. </p>
<p>It was not O’Neill, however, who first rode against the men. Appropriately enough, given Australian racing’s habitual borrowings from the equine culture across the Tasman Sea, that laurel went to New Zealander <a href="http://www.racinghalloffame.co.nz/Inductee-Videos/People/Jockeys/Linda-Jones">Linda Jones</a>. </p>
<p>Jones had been competing successfully for a year in open racing when she was <a href="http://trove.nla.gov.au/ndp/del/article/51384642">invited to ride</a> in Sydney in March 1979 on Northfleet, a horse trained by her husband Alan. The rules of racing were bent to allow a female to ride in a registered race. The privilege was not initially extended to Australian female jockeys. </p>
<p>Jones’ arrival was heralded by Sydney newspaper headlines such as “Challenger in Mascara”. She had several unsuccessful rides in Sydney, well reported in the media, before she won the Labour Day Cup at Brisbane’s Doomben racecourse on Pay the Purple. </p>
<p>In the wake of Jones and O’Neill a growing number of female jockeys have achieved notable success riding on equal terms. Maree Lyndon, Beverley Buckingham and Claire Lindop were among them. Now, there are too many to name. In fact, modern-day racing is dependent on the female sex to fill the depleting ranks of jockeys. </p>
<p>The male body’s expanding morphology means that there are fewer small boys able to take up race-riding apprenticeships, despite minimum weights having increased about eight kilograms in the last 30 years. The larger percentage of smaller-framed, lighter girls has seen a switch in the majority from boy to girl apprentices. </p>
<figure class="align-right zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/100998/original/image-20151105-16235-1vq3yje.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/100998/original/image-20151105-16235-1vq3yje.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/100998/original/image-20151105-16235-1vq3yje.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=897&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/100998/original/image-20151105-16235-1vq3yje.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=897&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/100998/original/image-20151105-16235-1vq3yje.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=897&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/100998/original/image-20151105-16235-1vq3yje.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=1127&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/100998/original/image-20151105-16235-1vq3yje.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=1127&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/100998/original/image-20151105-16235-1vq3yje.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=1127&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Melbourne Cup-winning trainer Gai Waterhouse faced a battle just to get her training licence.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">AAP/Hamish Blair</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>This is particularly the case in country racing and at picnic race meetings in which “amateur” jockeys ride. In that form of racing, females regularly provide well in excess of half the riders on hand.</p>
<p>However, the greatest breakthrough by a woman in racing – at least prior to Payne’s cool-hand performance on Cup day – has been achieved by a trainer, rather than a jockey.</p>
<p>As a consequence of her high profile, her squiring by the media and her great success, it is now rarely recalled how many obstacles Gai Waterhouse (nee Smith) had to overcome to take up racehorse training. The daughter of legendary trainer T.J. Smith, in the late 1980s she married Robbie Waterhouse, heir of the great Sydney bookmaking dynasty. But Robbie fell foul of the industry’s leaders as a consequence of a putative prior knowledge of the infamous <a href="http://www.news.com.au/sport/superracing/robbie-waterhouse-on-family-and-the-fallout-from-fine-cotton/story-fndpqu3p-1226494794811">Fine Cotton ring-in</a>. </p>
<p>Purely on the basis of her marriage to Waterhouse, Gai was refused a trainer’s licence. Only after a seemingly endless round of interviews with the principal racing club, and subsequent court hearings and appeals, was she granted it. Within a few years she became a racing powerhouse in her own right.</p>
<p>Given all this, it is fair to say that the current eminence of women in Australian racing has been no free ride.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/50242/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Wayne Peake does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Almost all of the decision-makers in horse racing are male, and they almost invariably favour their own sex.Wayne Peake, Researcher, Western Sydney UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/495952015-11-02T19:03:34Z2015-11-02T19:03:34ZHow to feed a racehorse and keep him healthy<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/100085/original/image-20151029-15852-x9ciw1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Finding the right balance in feeding a racehorse.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="http://www.shutterstock.com/gallery-7859p1.html?cr=00&pl=edit-00">Cheryl Ann Quigley/Shutterstock.com</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>As we celebrate the Melbourne Cup today with our drinks and nibbles, it’s worth a passing glance at the way we nourish our champions of the turf. </p>
<p>Horse nutrition and its impact on horse welfare are part of the debate around what is called ethical racing. </p>
<p>How you feed a racehorse affects its performance. Feed it insufficient high-energy food and it’ll lack the fuel to compete; feed it too much forage (grass or hay) and you’ll weigh it down.</p>
<p>Feeding regimes affect not just performance but also health and welfare. Racehorse rations may meet the horse’s nutritional needs but may leave it with more than a little frustration. To understand why, we need to consider how horses have evolved to feed themselves.</p>
<h2>Free range</h2>
<p>Free-ranging horses graze for up to 17 hours per day, and are able to move about, selecting habitat that allows them to maximise their intake of high-quality food. </p>
<p>Similarly, in domestic contexts, horses at pasture can enjoy tremendous variability in the shape and quality of paddocks they are offered, which influences the amount of movement required during grazing. It has been estimated that horses at pasture take some 10,000 steps per day.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/100250/original/image-20151029-15338-91k7g.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/100250/original/image-20151029-15338-91k7g.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/100250/original/image-20151029-15338-91k7g.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=461&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/100250/original/image-20151029-15338-91k7g.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=461&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/100250/original/image-20151029-15338-91k7g.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=461&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/100250/original/image-20151029-15338-91k7g.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=579&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/100250/original/image-20151029-15338-91k7g.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=579&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/100250/original/image-20151029-15338-91k7g.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=579&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Horses naturally graze and browse for most of the day and night.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Paul McGreevy</span>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>For competitive purposes, performance horses such as racehorses are usually stabled so that their nutrient intake can be controlled and they can be fed readily digested concentrated foods that are consumed more rapidly than less energy-dense (more natural) forages.</p>
<p>In an effort to reduce the chances of colic (gastro-intestinal pathologies, such as those that led to the <a href="http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-10-29/mongolian-khan-ruled-out-of-melbourne-cup/6895278?section=sport">scratching of Mongolian Khan</a> from this year’s Melbourne Cup), access to concentrated food is usually restricted immediately before and after strenuous exercise, though it is not clear whether this practice is effective.</p>
<p>But horses have evolved to be trickle feeders. In the free-ranging state, they do not have discrete meals but instead browse and graze as they wander through their home range.</p>
<p>The stomach of an adult horse is relatively small (nine to 15 litres) and inelastic, so it empties within about 20 minutes, depending on the physical qualities of the current meal.</p>
<h2>A gut full</h2>
<p>Restrictions on feeding behaviour, and especially limiting a horse to discrete meals, can lead to digestive upsets and behavioural frustration. Bulky foods are avoided for racehorses because they fill the gastrointestinal tract, create a thermal load and are thought to compromise lung volume and racing performance.</p>
<p>Furthermore, fibre and the saliva that must be swallowed with it add to the non-functional weight the horse must carry. This means that although their nutritional needs are being met, most high performance horses cannot fulfil their behavioural need to forage and maintain their gut-fill.</p>
<p>For many young thoroughbreds produced for racing, the departure from natural nutrition begins with early weaning from milk to grain so they can begin consuming highly concentrated feeds. These rations help to ensure rapid growth and thus boost foals’ chances of competing successfully within their peer group.</p>
<p>These foals are the hot-house flowers of the horse world. Largely as a result of confinement and intensive feeding, approximately 10% of racing thoroughbreds showed the equine equivalent of obsessive compulsive disorders, called <a href="http://bit.ly/1NDSanK">stereotypies</a>.</p>
<p>Roughly half of these behaviours involve repeated locomotory activity (so-called weaving and box-walking) while the remainder are mostly repetitive oral activities (variously called <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hWGU9Cqkt4I">crib-biting and wind-sucking</a>) that give the impression that the horse is gulping air.</p>
<h2>The research so far</h2>
<p>From research in Europe, a <a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/7607155">lack of forage</a> and <a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12638792">provision of concentrated feed</a> are known to have the effect of <a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12498408">increasing gastric acidity</a> and are important causal factors that precede the development of oral stereotypies in young horses. </p>
<p>Horses rarely forsake such repetitive behaviours once they become habitual.</p>
<p>Back in the late 1990s, I studied the <a href="http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1751-0813.1999.tb13166.x/abstract">prevalence of these behaviours in Australian racehorses</a> and the patterns reported then were similar to those from the UK. </p>
<p>Saliva is a natural buffer to excess gastric acidity, but in horses, its production depends on pressure on the parotid salivary gland during chewing. If too little time is spent grazing or chewing forage, not enough saliva may be produced to buffer the stomach contents. </p>
<p>Concentrated feeds and periods without food are associated not only with reduced saliva production and increased gastric acidity but also the risk of gastric ulceration.</p>
<p>The significance of gastric ulceration was recognised <a href="https://rirdc.infoservices.com.au/items/08-061">in 2008 when a Western Australian report</a> from the Australian Government’s Rural Industries Research and Development Corporation (<a href="http://www.rirdc.gov.au/">RIRDC</a>) found ulcers in 53% of racehorses. The prevalence of ulcers increased by 1.7 times for every week the horse had been in training. </p>
<p>A separate study published in 2003 <a href="http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1751-0813.2003.tb11469.x/abstract">showed that 86%</a> of New South Wales racehorses were affected.</p>
<p>It is a pity these studies have not been repeated to allow us to monitor progress but, for some time now – and understandably – the lion’s share of equine research funding has been channelled into Hendra virus studies.</p>
<h2>We need a change</h2>
<p>Gastric ulcers and oral stereotypies are the inadvertent side effects of feeding for early maturity and high performance. They’re an industry-wide problem.</p>
<p>Although the solution – to feed horses more naturally – may appear simple, it brings with it the risk of a loss of competitive edge.</p>
<p>The use of permitted medications to resolve gastric ulcers is therefore far more appealing and therefore prevalent. We need ongoing research that monitors that prevalence of these revealing feeding-related disorders.</p>
<p>Plainly, rather than relying on treatments, a more sustainable solution is called for to prevent these disorders in the first place. And a more fundamental question is who should be leading the debate for change?</p>
<p>As discussions around ethical racing continue, the need for a <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jveb.2010.04.001">cost-benefit analysis</a> is clear. We cannot change the horse’s gastro-intestinal structure and function but we can feed horses in ways that promote their health and welfare while still racing them. </p>
<p>Those who sponsor racing may soon need to show that the costs horses pay for the sport are mitigated and justified. As part of this process, the industry may wish to benchmark incremental falls in the prevalence of gastric ulceration and oral stereotypies across the racing horse population. </p>
<p>The best trainers will continue to prevail under a system that safeguards horse welfare.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/49595/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Paul McGreevy receives funding from the Australian Research Council for a Discovery Project entitled "Caring for Thoroughbreds".
He is:
Co-founder of the International Society for Equitation Science (ISES) (2002 – Present),
Adjunct Associate Professor: University of New England, Australia (2010 – Present),
Editorial board: Journal of Veterinary Behaviour (2005 – Present).
Expert Advisory Panel –Dog Advisory Council (UK) (2010 - Present).
RSPCA NSW (Life member).
</span></em></p>As we celebrate the Melbourne Cup today, it’s worth taking a look at the way we nourish our champions of the turf.Paul McGreevy, Professor of Animal Behaviour and Animal Welfare Science, University of SydneyLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/339342014-11-07T01:47:39Z2014-11-07T01:47:39ZCup Week leaves racing law looking like a prize-winning ass<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/63898/original/w2wg9ymx-1415318699.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Whipping race horses inflicts pain but is exempt from animal welfare laws. Yet research suggests it does not increase their pace at the finish.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/73496102@N00/5622259407/in/photolist-7Zzc9X-bvT8mT-9aChmr-bjibtV-9xMmMt-8Bpbcm-9TuLyR-9yPxR2-7ZCqKQ-9TxBhd-9hNYnr-bBoYN1-jFtyv5-4mZ1ZF-4n42Tm-4n3WSU-4n3UYA-4n3T3S-9TuKZT-bQiCLv-6SgZwt-a5hanA-4n45H7-4n3UMm-4mYQki-4mYPWg-4mYQJv-4mYYAF-4mYRyx-4mYQxF-4mYTra-4n45Vq-4n2XD7-4mZ1LH-4n3Uaq-4n3TYb-4n3UxU-4mYQWc-a5hpfu-nVd5WR-a5ejHD-a5h5Kh-a5h6Ny-4n2XQ7-4n45eL-a5eoHc-a5he7j-a5gSi3-ponjaF-a72tQU">Amethyst Photography</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/">CC BY-NC-ND</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Beating and overriding a horse is deemed cruel under Victoria’s <a href="http://www.austlii.edu.au/au/legis/vic/consol_act/poctaa1986360/">Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act 1986</a>. You would never guess that from a day at the races, including Melbourne’s Spring Racing Carnival and its showpiece, the Melbourne Cup. Racing, it seems, relies on beating and overriding horses to achieve victory.</p>
<p>The fact this year’s Caulfield Cup winner and Melbourne Cup favourite, Admire Rakti, collapsed and died in his stall just minutes after pulling up last in the “race that stops the nation” has focused public attention on the risks of racing and how much is too much. Another runner, Araldo, was put down after breaking his leg while returning to the mounting yard. Vets are saying Admire Rakti <a href="https://theconversation.com/sudden-deaths-are-rare-in-racing-despite-the-melbourne-cup-tragedy-33789">died of acute heart failure</a>, but speculation is mounting about the welfare of racehorses in general. </p>
<p>Despite public concern at the horses’ deaths, there has been little media coverage of the fact Admire Rakti’s jockey, Zac Purton, <a href="http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/melbourne-cup-favourite-admire-rakti-health-checked-before-race-20141105-11h7t8.html">was fined</a> for having whipped the horse excessively during the recent Caulfield Cup. But was he charged under Victoria’s animal protection laws? Don’t bet on it.</p>
<h2>Rules of Racing restrict whip use, or not</h2>
<p>For racehorses, a lower set of legal standards called the <a href="http://www.australianracingboard.com.au/uploadimg/Rules-Aust-110914.pdf">Rules of Racing</a> applies. These are developed and enforced by the racing industry for the racing industry. The rules offer scant protection against cruelty, allowing jockeys to whip and push tired horses beyond their safe physical limits. </p>
<p>Do this outside racing and you could face fines under the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act of up to $36,312 (significantly more for a body corporate), or 12 months’ imprisonment. If you are in racing, however, especially in the Melbourne or Caulfield Cups, you stand to win millions and receive public adulation.</p>
<p>While the Rules of Racing attempt to regulate whip use, they are complex and difficult to enforce, and penalties are low. For example, the number of backhand strikes is not regulated at all. The number of forehand strikes is limited until the last 100 metres, after which “a rider may use his whip at his discretion”, as long as this is not deemed “excessive, unnecessary or improper”.</p>
<p>The rider must also not whip a horse with “an action that raises his arm above shoulder height”, “when his horse is clearly winning”, “when his horse is out of contention”, when it is “showing no response”, or “has no reasonable prospect of improving or losing its position”. The whip has to be padded and the rider must ensure that the seam of the flap is not the point of contact, “unless the rider satisfies the Stewards that this was neither deliberate nor reckless”.</p>
<p>You’d think from all these rules the whip would hardly be used at all in Australian racing. Nothing could be further from the truth, as watching most races will show you. Empirical data indicate that <a href="http://www.plosone.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0015622">98% of horses are whipped</a> during racing, which amounts to more than a million whip strikes per year.</p>
<h2>Penalties are little deterrent</h2>
<p>It is telling that in the past six Melbourne Cups, which had total prizes exceeding $36 million (excluding trophies), only four jockeys were penalised a total of $3,900 for whip strike breaches, with two being repeat offenders. Last year, Red Cadeaux’s jockey, Gerald Mosse, <a href="http://www.theaustralian.com.au/sport/turf-thoroughbreds/fiorente-owners-will-buy-again/story-fnajufri-1226753774529">was fined $1,000</a> for his whip use. For running second in the Cup, Red Cadeaux won $900,000, of which 5% - $45,000 - went to the jockey.</p>
<p>In this year’s Melbourne Cup, Michael Rodd <a href="http://thenewdaily.com.au/sport/2014/11/04/melbourne-cup-favourite-collapses-dies-race/">was fined $400</a> for his whip use on Precedence. The sixth-placed Precedence won $125,000, of which $6,250 went to the jockey. Rodd was also <a href="http://www.theage.com.au/sport/horseracing/dunadens-whisker-spares-cup-from-drama-20111102-1mvqu.html">fined $1,000</a> for his ride on Red Cadeaux in the 2011 Melbourne Cup.</p>
<p>And what was Purton fined for whipping Admire Rakti excessively in this year’s Caulfield Cup? His $3,000 fine was dwarfed by his $87,500 share of the winnings, and certainly by the owners’ prize money of $1.75 million plus the $150,000 trophy.
The deterrent factor, therefore, for breaches of the whip rules is low, which is clear from this <a href="http://www.races.com.au/2014/10/18/admire-rakti-wins-2014-caulfield-cup-full-results/">media report</a>:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>Purton was thrilled with the win and said he rode the horse how he liked to be ridden, and how he was trained to be ridden back home.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>If the owners or the jockey regretted the “excessive” whip use, this didn’t receive media coverage.</p>
<p>The soft-touch approach to policing the use of the whip, and other issues such as over-riding, can be attributed to the self-regulatory nature of the racing industry. Independent animal welfare agencies like the RSPCA, which <a href="http://www.rspca.org.au/campaigns/whips-racing">supports a ban on whipping</a>, do not oversee the treatment of racehorses; the racing industry does. But what the racing industry thinks is acceptable does not always align with broader community expectations or animal welfare science. </p>
<h2>No whips needed: Norway proves it</h2>
<p>Racing Victoria continues to deny the fact that <a href="https://theconversation.com/whips-hurt-horses-if-my-legs-anything-to-go-by-33470">horses feel pain</a> when being whipped despite having no evidence to support this. All of the racing industry’s justifications for the continued use of the whip – mostly to do with safety, control and performance – have now been <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/science/punctuated-equilibrium/2011/feb/14/6">discredited by scientific research</a> or have no scientific basis.</p>
<p>Perhaps the best example of the futility of whipping can be found in Norway. In 1982, the Norwegian government recognised the absurdity and cruelty of allowing whipping in one context but not in another and made whipping racehorses illegal. So, for the past 30 years, jockeys have raced thoroughbreds in Norway without whipping them.</p>
<p>In every race in Norway, the fastest horse that crosses the line first wins. Prize money is collected and bets paid out. Plainly, this is compelling evidence that the horse that is best trained and best ridden without the use of a whip will still win. </p>
<p>It’s time to do away with the double standards that deny racehorses the full protection of Australian animal welfare laws. Horses should not be beaten with whips and pushed beyond their physical limits, no matter what the financial incentives might be. The law does not have to be an ass, no matter how glamorous the circumstances.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/33934/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Jed Goodfellow works for RSPCA Australia on a part-time basis.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Jennifer Hood consults to Animals Australia and in the past has consulted to Animals Angels. She is Treasurer of Vets Against Live Export and WA Coordinator for the Barristers Animal Welfare Panel</span></em></p>Beating and overriding a horse is deemed cruel under Victoria’s Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act 1986. You would never guess that from a day at the races, including Melbourne’s Spring Racing Carnival…Jed Goodfellow, PhD candidate, Legal Governance Concentration of Research Excellence, Macquarie UniversityJennifer Hood, Research Officer Veterinary Science, University of SydneyLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/337892014-11-05T19:28:20Z2014-11-05T19:28:20ZSudden deaths are rare in racing despite the Melbourne Cup tragedy<p>The tragic deaths of the favourite Admire Rakti and seventh placegetter Araldo soon after the Melbourne Cup has focused attention on some of the risks involved in racing horses.</p>
<p>The Japanese horse Admire Rakti died from acute heart failure soon after the end of the race, according to <a href="http://www.news.com.au/sport/more-sports/grief-and-horror-after-admire-rakti-and-araldos-death-puts-melbourne-cup-in-firing-line/story-fndukor0-1227112628813">reports</a> of a post-mortem examination.</p>
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</figure>
<p>Racing Victoria is now <a href="http://rv.racing.com/news/2014-11-05/statement-on-melbourne-cup-carnival">considering changes</a> to the way horses are returned to the mounting yard after Araldo fractured a bone after he was “frightened” by a spectator who raised a flag.</p>
<p>The horse received immediate veterinary care but the fracture was not repairable and the horse was <a href="http://rv.racing.com/news/2014-11-04/veterinary-statement---araldo">later euthanised</a>.</p>
<p>Horses are large and powerful animals with a sensitive and explosive flight response to perceived danger which puts them by nature at risk of injury and even death at any time whether they are racing or left alone in a paddock. </p>
<p>Unlike other areas of the horse industry, the high profile of horse racing and intense interest in the spring carnival means that injuries and deaths of racehorses on the track are in the public spotlight.</p>
<p>Horse racing in Australia is a highly regulated industry, and detailed data is collected for all adverse incidents on racetracks. This data is used by researchers and racing authorities to track trends and investigate risk factors that may be modified in order to prevent further injuries and deaths.</p>
<p>Similar data for horses not involved in racing is generally difficult to obtain and attracts little research interest. Although it seems likely that racing horses increases the risk of death, the magnitude of this difference is not known. </p>
<h2>Sudden deaths are rare</h2>
<p>Because of careful data collection we know that the rate of sudden deaths on Victorian Thoroughbred racetracks over the past ten years is 0.06 per 1,000 flat race starts. This equates to one to two sudden deaths per year in Victoria.</p>
<p>The rate of limb injuries in flat racing resulting in euthanasia on Victorian race tracks over the same period is 0.4 per 1,000 starts. </p>
<p>Many limb injuries in racehorses can heal with time or be repaired with surgery but recovery depends on the severity of the injury. Complex fractures, where stability of the limb is lost, may not be repairable because horses need to be able to bear full weight on all four limbs immediately following surgery and this can be difficult or impossible to achieve. </p>
<p>The cause of sudden death in a racehorse can be difficult to determine. All horses that die on metropolitan tracks in Victoria undergo an autopsy routinely.</p>
<p>But even with a detailed post-mortem examination, discovering the cause of death can be challenging. It is possible to find the cause of death in about 50% of cases, but in the remainder the cause is unclear. </p>
<p>Commonly identified causes of sudden deaths include bleeding into the lungs – Exercise Induced Pulmonary Haemorrhage (EIPH) – and heart failure.</p>
<p>Bleeding into lungs occurs when the thin membrane separating the blood in the capillaries from the air in a lung’s small air sacs ruptures.</p>
<p>This is thought to occur as a result of the extremely high pressure generated within the pulmonary capillaries in order to meet the muscles’ demands for oxygenated blood during exercise. A small amount of haemorrhage has little effect on the horse but a large amount can have serious consequences.</p>
<p>It is for this reason that when blood is observed coming out of the nostrils, affected horses are excluded from racing.</p>
<h2>Heart failure in racing</h2>
<p>Much less is known about the causes of heart failure in horses during racing. Although these events are often termed “heart attacks”, they are likely to be quite different from heart attacks in people.</p>
<p>The nature of horses is such that anything we do with them is inherently risky, including racing.</p>
<p>Risks to racehorses are mitigated by close monitoring of horse health by regulatory veterinarians, detailed investigation of incidents when they occur, ongoing research into injury prevention and education of industry participants.</p>
<p>In Australia the risks are relatively low but we need to strive to lower these risks even further. Every death of a racehorse is a tragedy, but one from which we need to learn.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/33789/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Chris Whitton receives funding from The Rural Industries Research and Development Corporation and Racing Victoria Limited.</span></em></p>The tragic deaths of the favourite Admire Rakti and seventh placegetter Araldo soon after the Melbourne Cup has focused attention on some of the risks involved in racing horses. The Japanese horse Admire…Chris Whitton, Head of the Equine Centre, Associate Professor of Equine Medicine and Surgery, The University of MelbourneLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/335462014-11-03T04:00:17Z2014-11-03T04:00:17ZWould you whip a unicorn? The Melbourne Cup and imagination<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/62979/original/vvwrtwkk-1414467937.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">The unicorn is an icon of our contemporary love affair with escapism.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Rob Boudon</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>This is not an article about unicorns or virgins, but about the power of imagination, both wonderful and terrible. As an academic and equine artist I work between creative imagination and scientific epistemology. </p>
<figure class="align-right zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/62990/original/dxv4r9my-1414474089.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/62990/original/dxv4r9my-1414474089.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/62990/original/dxv4r9my-1414474089.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=800&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/62990/original/dxv4r9my-1414474089.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=800&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/62990/original/dxv4r9my-1414474089.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=800&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/62990/original/dxv4r9my-1414474089.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=1005&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/62990/original/dxv4r9my-1414474089.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=1005&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/62990/original/dxv4r9my-1414474089.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=1005&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Madeleine Boyd, Chasing Unicorns, (2014).</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Author</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Popularly, imagination is the currency of art, and artists do their genius work by bringing into culture renditions of reality tempered by fantasy and fashion. It is through imagination that we are able to let go of the everyday, and such is the appeal of art and myth. </p>
<p>This imaginary cultural process starts early in childhood with storybook tales about heroic princes flirting with virginal princesses and their magical unicorns. While stories about virgins and unicorns come from within the mind, they influence lived cultural activities. Influences include expectations about relationships or preference for certain toys. </p>
<p>The storybook unicorn was popularised as a symbol of Christian purity in medieval Britain. Today the unicorn is an icon of our contemporary love affair with escapism.</p>
<p>Like their imaginary cousin the unicorn, horses possess a mystique as represented in art and popular culture. Paintings by equine artists such as <a href="http://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/artists/george-stubbs">George Stubbs </a> emphasise curved necks, delicate limbs and glistening muscles. Horse portraits are commissioned by the wealthy to represent the equine jewels of their estate. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/62991/original/zvn2mjph-1414474132.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/62991/original/zvn2mjph-1414474132.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/62991/original/zvn2mjph-1414474132.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=492&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/62991/original/zvn2mjph-1414474132.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=492&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/62991/original/zvn2mjph-1414474132.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=492&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/62991/original/zvn2mjph-1414474132.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=618&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/62991/original/zvn2mjph-1414474132.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=618&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/62991/original/zvn2mjph-1414474132.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=618&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">The gentle and pensive maiden has the power to tame the
unicorn, fresco, probably by Domenico Zampieri, c. 1602
(Palazzo Farnese, Rome).</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Wikimedia Commons</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>In the contemporary mind, the horse and the unicorn might become conflated as both are rarely seen but often depicted in fashion and art, and pined for by virginal maids. The horse, like the unicorn, carries people away to another reality where beauty and passion dwell. These evocative qualities of the horse are why race-day carnivals bear the distinctive mark of pomp and grandeur.</p>
<p>What would the strutting models have to display their beauty against if there were no long-legged fillies and colts to prance through the pre-race ring? The racing of thoroughbreds at international carnivals such as the Melbourne Cup, held on Tuesday, is the realm of those who live the fantasy lifestyles of the very wealthy. </p>
<p>On such occasions these capitalist demi-gods display their conspicuous riches and share them with those who can only dream. Princes and princesses for a day, the eager crowd spends a day at court, and plays with unicorns. Cultural research I have conducted suggests that for many race-goers the Melbourne Cup is not about the horses racing at all, but the glorious, escapist experience of the day.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/62993/original/pj59rqmb-1414474187.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/62993/original/pj59rqmb-1414474187.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=476&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/62993/original/pj59rqmb-1414474187.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=476&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/62993/original/pj59rqmb-1414474187.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=476&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/62993/original/pj59rqmb-1414474187.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=599&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/62993/original/pj59rqmb-1414474187.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=599&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/62993/original/pj59rqmb-1414474187.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=599&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">George Stubbs, Molly Long Legs with her Jockey, (1761-62).</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Wikimedia Commons</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Yet behind the frivolity of race days, dark truths lurk. Every fantastical story includes a villain. In storybooks the evil sorcerer is always defeated in a mystical way by archetypal figures. This rarely occurs in reality, where actions are required to solve problems, and so people defer to myths in hope of salvation. </p>
<p>Psychologically speaking, people are known to draw upon their creative abilities to enable cognitive dissonance: the neurological state of continued belief in untruths despite evidence to the contrary when there is a vested interest in the untruths. </p>
<p>Racing carnivals are an important example of the terrible implications of cognitive dissonance. Just as we celebrate the beauty and power of horses, we also stand by as horses are <a href="https://theconversation.com/whips-hurt-horses-if-my-legs-anything-to-go-by-33470">physically tortured</a>. Whipped again and again, racehorses are forced to run to the limits of their limbs and hearts. </p>
<p>Horses falling with broken legs or dropping dead from overexertion during Australian races is not rare. Thoroughbreds are bred to enhance muscle mass and produce light limbs towards maximum speed potential, causing them to be susceptible to stress injuries. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/62994/original/39b93dsn-1414474260.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/62994/original/39b93dsn-1414474260.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/62994/original/39b93dsn-1414474260.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/62994/original/39b93dsn-1414474260.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/62994/original/39b93dsn-1414474260.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/62994/original/39b93dsn-1414474260.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/62994/original/39b93dsn-1414474260.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/62994/original/39b93dsn-1414474260.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Madeleine Boyd, production still, The Golden Whip, (2014).</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Author</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Who are the villains in this story at the edge of fantasy and reality? There is a long list of accomplices who are tied up in the numbers game that only culminates in the racing carnivals. Breeding and training is conducted by attrition with a rapid turnover of horses suiting the profiteers. </p>
<p>Yet also consider what happens when the princess herself turns out to be the villain. In an unexpected twist, she lures the unicorn to its death. In this way, each person who attends the Melbourne Cup and watches but does not bear witness to the cruelty is luring unicorns to their death. All who participate in the cheering are doing harm by projecting their emotive states associated with escapism onto the running horses. </p>
<p>Somehow our human desires for wealth, beauty and escapism are considered to outweigh the burden of pain dealt to the equines on the field.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/62996/original/k7mw6wny-1414474388.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/62996/original/k7mw6wny-1414474388.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/62996/original/k7mw6wny-1414474388.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/62996/original/k7mw6wny-1414474388.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/62996/original/k7mw6wny-1414474388.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/62996/original/k7mw6wny-1414474388.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=501&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/62996/original/k7mw6wny-1414474388.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=501&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/62996/original/k7mw6wny-1414474388.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=501&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Madeleine Boyd, video still, The Golden Whip (2014).</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Author</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/62999/original/7wjmzdjc-1414474443.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/62999/original/7wjmzdjc-1414474443.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/62999/original/7wjmzdjc-1414474443.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/62999/original/7wjmzdjc-1414474443.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/62999/original/7wjmzdjc-1414474443.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/62999/original/7wjmzdjc-1414474443.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=502&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/62999/original/7wjmzdjc-1414474443.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=502&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/62999/original/7wjmzdjc-1414474443.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=502&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Madeleine Boyd, video still, The Golden Whip (2014).</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Author</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>In contemporary society we must move beyond naïve cognitive dissonance responses and adapt intelligently to information generated by knowledge-based disciplines such as science and cultural research. </p>
<p>Relevant information currently in conflict with horse racing industry practices includes abundant proof that horses are sentient, social and have the ability to learn; they are highly sensitive to touch and so respond strongly to pain such as that <a href="https://theconversation.com/whips-hurt-horses-if-my-legs-anything-to-go-by-33470">inflicted by whipping</a>; they are a prey species and so prefer flight over fight; and not least, horses have historically helped humanity to move from the subsistence cultures of the cave man towards technologically advanced societies by bearing us away from danger and towards victory. </p>
<p>Horses, unlike unicorns, are real and experience the world much like all mammals; in other words, they experience pain and pleasure much like humans. Yet, let us retreat one more time from reality. You know in your heart and mind that unicorns are sensitive, and that they will respond to your every desire as they carry you away towards a dream. </p>
<p>When the unicorn in turn needs your help, can you care for a unicorn, or will you whip it to your own ends instead?</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/33546/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Madeleine Boyd does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>This is not an article about unicorns or virgins, but about the power of imagination, both wonderful and terrible. As an academic and equine artist I work between creative imagination and scientific epistemology…Madeleine Boyd, PhD Student, Sydney College of the Arts, University of SydneyLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/336332014-11-03T01:16:06Z2014-11-03T01:16:06ZDo historical trends in Melbourne Cup champions point to a winner?<p>If you’re looking for a definitive answer on who will win the <a href="http://www.melbournecup.com/">Melbourne Cup</a> – the world’s most prestigious two-mile handicap – I’m afraid I’m going to leave you sorely disappointed.</p>
<p>What I can offer is a quick look through the dataset of previous Melbourne Cup champions to identify any common features of the horses who crossed the line first, and to see which of this year’s entrants have those traits in common. </p>
<h2>No country for old mares</h2>
<p>The most striking trend that jumps out of the <a href="http://www.racenet.com.au/melbourne-cup-history/">dataset of past winners</a> is simple: age matters. In the 153 previous races, only 12 horses aged seven years or above have ever taken home the trophy.</p>
<p>What makes this observation particularly intriguing in the context of the 2014 cup is that four of the ten most fancied runners – including the clear favourite Admire Rakti are all seven-year-olds.</p>
<p>Even more striking is that another of the more favoured entrants, Red Cadeaux, is a nine-year-old. No horse that old has ever been crowned champion.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/63461/original/6dn7qs5m-1414972444.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/63461/original/6dn7qs5m-1414972444.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/63461/original/6dn7qs5m-1414972444.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=375&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/63461/original/6dn7qs5m-1414972444.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=375&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/63461/original/6dn7qs5m-1414972444.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=375&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/63461/original/6dn7qs5m-1414972444.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=472&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/63461/original/6dn7qs5m-1414972444.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=472&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/63461/original/6dn7qs5m-1414972444.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=472&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption"></span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="license">Author provided</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>In short, history suggests that the Melbourne Cup really is a race which favours younger horses – 78% of champions have been four-, five- or six-year-olds.</p>
<p>That’s not to say that this year’s highly-backed elder statesmen won’t deliver on the day, but past precedent suggests that it’s a tough ask.</p>
<h2>The weight of history</h2>
<p>As with all handicap races, each horse in the Melbourne Cup is assigned a minimum weight (including jockey, saddle and any necessary ballast) which must be carried.</p>
<p>Horses displaying stronger form coming into the race are assigned heavier loads to even out the field slightly. </p>
<p>Since metric weights were first assigned in 1972, the average handicap of a winning horse has been between 53kg and 54kg. Each of the past six winners has run with <a href="http://www.topendsports.com/events/horse-racing/melbourne-cup/winners.htm">between 51kg and 55kg.</a></p>
<p>Much to his <a href="http://www.theage.com.au/sport/horseracing/owner-threatens-to-scratch-melbourne-cup-favourite-admire-rakti-if-penalised-for-caulfield-cup-win-20141019-118ene.html">owner’s displeasure</a>, this year’s favourite Admire Rakti has been assigned a handicap weight of 58.5kg.</p>
<p>In the metric era, no horse has ever won carrying more than this. In fact, the only horses to win carrying more than 57kg have been repeat winners – Think Big carried 58.5kg to his second consecutive success in 1975 and the final of Makybe Diva’s 2003-2005 hat-trick of victories was achieved carrying 58kg.</p>
<p>The most recent first-time winner to carry more than 58kg was way back in 1954.</p>
<h2>No barriers to success</h2>
<p>Punters scouring the barrier draw for any clues as to who might triumph will not get much help. <a href="http://www.melbournetrackreport.com/flemington-racecourse-melbourne.html">Conventional wisdom</a> suggests that higher numbered barriers – those with starting positions wider on the track – are a disadvantage, with the horse potentially facing a tougher task to manoeuvre into a favourable racing line. </p>
<p>The stats really don’t support that view at all. For example, barrier 21 has started three victors in the past 30 years.</p>
<p>In fact, the overall distribution of how many times each barrier’s horse has gone on to win is statistically indistinguishable from a purely unbiased random draw.</p>
<p>But if you really are a superstitious type (and many gamblers are) you might choose to steer clear of the poor nag in barrier 18. Since the barrier stalls were first used back in 1924, <a href="http://www.1-smile.com/">unlucky number 18</a> hasn’t seen a single success. Mr O'Ceirin is attempting to break that luckless streak this year after Sea Moon – who was initially picked for barrier 18 – <a href="http://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-11-03/melbourne-cup-lloyd-williams-scratches-sea-moon/5861868">was scratched</a>.</p>
<h2>What’s in a number?</h2>
<p>The often-cited barrier draw might well be a red herring, but that’s not to say that there aren’t some numbers that can help predict the victor.</p>
<p>The number on each horse’s saddlecloth gives a huge clue as to whether or not it’s a probable contender. In fact, the history books show that 65% of champions have worn a number between 1 and 12.</p>
<p>This isn’t just a statistical quirk, either. The numbers are assigned based on the handicap weights. The horse carrying the heaviest weight (often, <a href="http://www.horseracing.com.au/news/2014-melbourne-cup-barrier-draw/">as with this year</a>, the favourite) has saddlecloth 1 and the horse with the lightest handicap wears 24. </p>
<p>In that regard numbers 1-12 are worn by the dozen horses which the Chief Handicapper has deemed the strongest on paper. </p>
<p>Interestingly, though, within each half of the field the trend is much weaker. Since 1877, 21 winners have worn 1-3 (an average of seven winners per number) and 64 winners have worn 4-12 (a very similar average of 7.33 winners per saddlecloth). </p>
<p>For horses numbered outside this top dozen, I’m afraid the history books really don’t provide happy reading. The 12 highest saddlecloths have accounted for an average of fewer than four victories each, barely half the success rate of the lower numbers.</p>
<h2>So who to pick on this year’s race?</h2>
<p>It’s an old sporting cliché to say that records are made to be broken, but if this year’s favourite, Admire Rakti, is to take home the cup, he’ll have to overcome historically large obstacles in terms of age and weight.</p>
<p>Even casting your eye further down the list of favourites, many of the <a href="http://www.melbournecup.com/site_media/uploads/vrc-emirates-melbcup-weights-2014.pdf.pdf">more fancied runners</a> are either carrying more weight or have clocked up a few more birthdays than previous winners. </p>
<p>All of this adds up to a particularly unpredictable race day in 2014. Either it’s a year for historical trends to mean little or perhaps the time is ripe for a plucky outsider to steal a surprise success.</p>
<p>So who do I think you should hope to get in any lucky dip sweepstake this year? Well, really, that’s completely up to you.</p>
<p>As far as I’m concerned, provided you get some time off work (if you’re not on a public holiday in Victoria) and a good feed or drink on Tuesday afternoon, then whichever horse’s name is on your ticket, you really can’t complain. </p>
<p>Best of luck to you all for the big race.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/33633/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Stephen Woodcock does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>If you’re looking for a definitive answer on who will win the Melbourne Cup – the world’s most prestigious two-mile handicap – I’m afraid I’m going to leave you sorely disappointed. What I can offer is…Stephen Woodcock, Lecturer, University of Technology SydneyLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/333622014-10-30T19:07:22Z2014-10-30T19:07:22ZHorses for courses: the science behind Melbourne Cup winners<p>It’s the race that stops a nation … and is worth a cool A$6.2 million. So what goes into the raceday preparation for the equine stars of the show?</p>
<p>Thoroughbred racehorses have unique anatomy and physiology that suits them well for racing at high speeds. There are very few 3,200m Thoroughbred races in Australia, and the horses that make it to the final 24 in the Melbourne Cup are truly elite equine athletes. </p>
<p>They have superior oxygen transport and an ideal mix of muscle fibre types, and are able to efficiently gallop at high speed. But winning the race also depends on how the horse behaves on the day, and of course, several ounces of good luck.</p>
<h2>Built to win</h2>
<p>While Phar Lap’s massive heart is an Australian legend (and is <a href="http://www.nma.gov.au/collections/highlights/phar-lap">on display</a> at the National Museum of Australia), horses racing in the Melbourne Cup will have big hearts with exceptionally high capacity for pumping blood to their muscles. </p>
<figure class="align-right zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/62826/original/t6t39xdd-1414381182.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/62826/original/t6t39xdd-1414381182.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/62826/original/t6t39xdd-1414381182.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=900&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/62826/original/t6t39xdd-1414381182.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=900&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/62826/original/t6t39xdd-1414381182.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=900&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/62826/original/t6t39xdd-1414381182.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=1131&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/62826/original/t6t39xdd-1414381182.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=1131&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/62826/original/t6t39xdd-1414381182.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=1131&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Phar Lap’s heart … all 6.35kg of it.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/mountainash/2849564724">Mountain/ \Ash/Flickr</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/">CC BY</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>During the race, each horse’s heart rate will hit 220-230 beats per minute, with each beat pumping around 1.3-1.4 litres of blood (this is called stroke volume). To put this in perspective, around 300 litres of blood will be pumped to each horse’s muscles and other tissues during each minute of the Melbourne Cup race. </p>
<p>That blood also has an extraordinarily high concentration of haemoglobin – its oxygen-carrying component – much higher than that of elite human athletes.</p>
<p>These factors combine to enable an elite racehorse to consume approximately 250 litres of oxygen during the race.</p>
<p>On average, horses in the Cup will consume oxygen at maximum rates of around 180ml per minute for each kilogram of body weight after the first minute of the race. </p>
<p>Better race results could be expected in the horses with the highest oxygen-consumption – but a win depends on more than just higher aerobic capacity. At some stage in the race every horse will need to do a short sprint, and must also possess the anatomy and physiology suited to a short burst of speed. </p>
<p>These elite horses will have just the right combination and number of different types of muscle cells to provide the ideal mix of endurance and acceleration.</p>
<p>The best Thoroughbred racehorses have higher proportions of fast twitch oxidative muscle fibres (FOG), which are well suited to fast contractions, oxygen metabolism and fatigue resistance. </p>
<p>In contrast, slow twitch fibres (SO) are better suited to endurance races over 50 kilometres or more. </p>
<p>A higher percentage of fast twitch glyolytic fibres (Type FG) provide for high speed over sprint distances of 400-1,000m. </p>
<p>In comparison with this year’s Melbourne Cup contenders, Black Caviar probably had a higher ratio of muscle mass to body mass, coupled with a higher percentage of Type FG muscle fibres, which provided her the ideal muscle structure and function suited to racing over sprint distances of 1,000-1,200m.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/63239/original/3h27sgzx-1414626908.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/63239/original/3h27sgzx-1414626908.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=1231&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/63239/original/3h27sgzx-1414626908.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=1231&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/63239/original/3h27sgzx-1414626908.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=1231&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/63239/original/3h27sgzx-1414626908.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=1546&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/63239/original/3h27sgzx-1414626908.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=1546&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/63239/original/3h27sgzx-1414626908.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=1546&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption"></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Training for a two-miler</h2>
<p>As I said earlier, there are few races in Australia as long as the 3,200m Melbourne Cup, so training for the race needs a mix of slow and fast gallops and short distance sprints of 400-600m. </p>
<p>The trainer has the challenging job of making the right decisions each morning in order to promote fitness, but not overtrain and tire the horse out for a few days at just the wrong time. </p>
<p>While there is no science in these day-to-day decisions, the art of the trainer is still very important in preparing the individual horse to be at peak physical fitness and emotional state on the day.</p>
<p>(Yes, emotional state. More on that in a minute.)</p>
<p>The horse will usually have its final sprint or fast gallop workouts 3-5 days before the race before being maintained with slow exercise each day until the race – much like a human athlete tapers before a marathon. </p>
<p>Daily feed intake is usually decreased on the day of the race – having a big mass of food in the intestines isn’t ideal. </p>
<p>Horses in the Cup may have included treadmill training in their preparation for the race. Use of high-speed treadmills is now much more common in the larger training businesses, and adoption of this technology seems more common in Australia than in other countries. A treadmill is particularly useful for monitoring and maintaining a horse’s heart rate during training (see the video below).</p>
<figure>
<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/w6YrHYyeImc?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
</figure>
<p>Horses racing for the Cup must also pass an intensive pre-race inspection by experienced veterinarians, who ensure that the welfare of the horse is not compromised. </p>
<h2>Horse psychology</h2>
<p>Poor behaviour before or during the race can seriously impact a horse’s performance. Horses with over-excitability before the race, usually shown by agitation and excessive sweating, tend to perform less well than their calmer race mates. </p>
<p>I have even seen a horse so agitated before the Melbourne Cup that it had to be withdrawn because it refused to go to the starting gates. </p>
<p>Likewise, horses which do not relax during the running of the race pull hard against the jockey’s trying to restrain the horse. This costs energy, so the horse’s efficiency of galloping is decreased, resulting in poor performance.</p>
<p>Of course, there are other factors to take into account, such as the jockey and handicap. </p>
<p>But from a purely equine perspective, horses in the Melbourne Cup must win the genetic lottery, respond to training and racing programs over several years and be in just the right mental state on the day.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/33362/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>David Evans has received funding from.Australian Research Council, RIRDC, NSW Racing Research Foundation and the Japan Racing Association.</span></em></p>It’s the race that stops a nation … and is worth a cool A$6.2 million. So what goes into the raceday preparation for the equine stars of the show? Thoroughbred racehorses have unique anatomy and physiology…David Evans, Adjunct Associate Professor in Equine Exercise Science, Charles Sturt UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/333572014-10-30T01:44:01Z2014-10-30T01:44:01ZHow betting works – and why the Melbourne Cup skews the odds<p>Australia’s iconic sporting event – the Melbourne Cup – will see more than 100,000 punters pack into Flemington Racecourse this Tuesday, while those at work around the country pause to tune in to The Race. </p>
<p>More than 700 million people worldwide are expected to watch the 154th running of the Melbourne Cup – and it will be all the more exciting for those who have a little money invested in the result. </p>
<p>For those casual punters looking to make their one yearly bet on the horses, we take a quick look at how the odds and payouts work and what (if any) sensible betting choices can be made.</p>
<h2>How odds work</h2>
<p>The odds given to each of the 24 horses running in the Melbourne Cup this year (before any scratchings) are typically presented as a <em>dollar amount</em>. For example, at the time of writing, Protectionist was listed at A$7. This means that for every dollar you bet on Protectionist to win, you will receive A$7 back, should it win. This includes the A$1 you bet, so your profit will be A$6 per dollar bet.</p>
<p>To convert this dollar amount to <em>losing:winning odds</em>, you can mentally split the A$7 payout into the A$6 of profit and A$1 outlay and read off odds of 6:1. To take another example, Fawkner at A$8.50 (at time of writing) corresponds to odds of 7.5:1, or 15:2 if we double both numbers to make them nice and whole.</p>
<p>If you’d prefer to convert these odds to <em>probabilities</em>, you’ll need to add up the two numbers to obtain the total number of possibilities (winning or losing). Protectionist’s odds of 6:1 means that he’s expected to have 6 losses for every 1 win. That’s one win out of (6+1) races, so the probability he will win is 1 in 7. Note that we could have started from the dollar amount – A$7 – and gone straight to the probability of 1 in 7.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/63113/original/mtgbqt4g-1414550091.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/63113/original/mtgbqt4g-1414550091.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/63113/original/mtgbqt4g-1414550091.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/63113/original/mtgbqt4g-1414550091.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/63113/original/mtgbqt4g-1414550091.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/63113/original/mtgbqt4g-1414550091.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=501&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/63113/original/mtgbqt4g-1414550091.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=501&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/63113/original/mtgbqt4g-1414550091.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=501&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
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<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/muehlinghaus/230340912">Henning Mühlinghaus/Flickr</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/">CC BY-NC-ND</a></span>
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</figure>
<p>But how are these chances figured out in the first place?</p>
<p>In contrast to games such as Two-Up, where the chances of seeing two heads on a pair of flipped coins can be easily calculated, the situation is far too complex in horse-racing, involving far too many variables for the probability of a given horse’s victory to be calculated. </p>
<p>Instead, bookmakers take an initial list of odds – say it’s 1 in 24 (or 23:1, or A$24) for each horse (although the reality is a little more complicated). Then the bookmakers watch how the punters are betting and continually adjust these odds to “balance the books” and ensure a profit. In a nutshell, the more bets a horse attracts, the lower its payout will be adjusted (and vice-versa).</p>
<p>This means that <em>odds are continually changing</em> in the lead-up to the big race. For this reason, it’s important to know the difference between making a fixed odds bet and a parimutuel bet (also known as a totes bet). Also, for most off track betting only totaliser bets are legal.</p>
<p>In a <strong>fixed odds</strong> bet, the odds displayed at the time you make your bet are locked in for your bet. Although the odds may change later, if you place a bet at A$7 you are guaranteed a A$7 payout for every dollar you bet, even if the odds shortened to A$3 after you placed the bet. (Be assured any legal odds maker knows more about the true odds than all but the most skilled betters.)</p>
<p>In the <a href="http://www.melbournecup.com/racing/betting/">2014 Melbourne Cup</a>, fixed odds bets can be made when betting on a horse to win or place (in 1st, 2nd or 3rd). </p>
<p>But the fixed odds system cannot be used for more exotic bets – fairly recent inventions to get folks out to the tracks – such as a quinella (picking the horses who place 1st and 2nd) or trifecta (picking the horses who finish 1st, 2nd and 3rd).</p>
<p>In a <strong>parimutuel bet</strong> – also known as a totaliser (or totes) bet – the odds displayed at the time you make your bet are only an approximation of what your payout will be if you win. This approximation improves as the race draws closer.</p>
<p>If you place a bet on a particular horse to win, and it does, you will split a pool of winnings amongst all other punters who made the same bet. So parimutuel bets are like betting on most state or national lotteries (except that the lotteries keep way more of the money for “good causes”).</p>
<h2>Why odds are skewed on big race days</h2>
<p>The crucial difference between the fixed odds bet and the totes bet is that in the latter, your payout is unknown until after the race is over. Since you are in a betting pool when you make a totes bet, the more punters make the same bet as you, the more ways you will have to split the pool. Hence, if you enter into a totes bet, you will want to avoid what others are doing!</p>
<p>In particular, since there are a very large number of people betting on the Melbourne Cup relative to other horse races, this can lead to some weird skewing of odds. </p>
<p>For example, the payout of the favourite winning gets smaller and smaller as more punters take that bet. If a large number of punters bet on the favourite to win, the payout can actually drop to such a large extent that it becomes less than the payout for the favourite simply placing! </p>
<p>Taking a less common bet (such as betting on your horse to place), which has higher chances of paying out (since your chosen horse only has to finish within the top three for you to collect) then becomes an effective betting strategy. A <a href="http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2014-06-05/placing-bets-on-california-chrome-read-this-first">Businessweek article</a> explains this phenomena (in the context of American horse racing) in more detail.</p>
<p>Since the payouts in totes bets are an approximation that gets better as the race draws nearer, it’s often worth waiting before placing your bet. In contrast, if you really want to back the favourite, perhaps fixed odds are the best way to go (so you avoid your winnings being diluted as more people make the same bet). In that case you’d want to get your bet in reasonably early, before the odds on the favourite drop too much. </p>
<h2>What horse should you bet the house on?</h2>
<p>Unfortunately, it takes years of experience and following the progress of the participating horses to have good prospects for betting – and even then, you can only ever have good long-term prospects. Success in any given race is never guaranteed. That said, you can increase your chances of a win by a small amount with a little care – you can certainly get better chances than the random draw of the office sweepstake!</p>
<p>To that end, we’ll finish with some advice from the experts, which we’ll certainly be following as we make our own bets on race day.</p>
<p>Long-time punter John Beedle of Ashfield offered the following strategy to the novice punter when one of us spoke to him this week:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>The most important things to look at are the state of the track, the experience of the horse and the betting […] once the field is set, look up the odds in the paper and make your pick from within the top six horses. Don’t back the favourite, they rarely win and lots of other punters will be betting on them anyway. </p>
<p>Make sure your pick has already won a race over at least 2,400m (the Melbourne Cup is 3,200m, and some horses just fall to pieces over that distance). If rain falls on the track, make sure your pick can handle a wet track. I’d say place a bet each way (that is, a bet that your horse either wins or places). If you make a bet at A$4 – A$7, you probably have about the same chance of winning as the favourite […] but you stand to gain more money.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Long-time bookmaker Jack Ashman of New Lambton Heights has perhaps the most important advice to offer:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>The worst thing a punter can do is to chase their money – that’s how they get into trouble. It’s a failure of the human brain […] they think they can get it back but they end up losing too much money before realising it’s not as easy as that. </p>
<p>One particular punter lost A$1,000 on an almost sure thing, which was probably more than he could really afford to lose. Then another sure thing came up, so he put another A$1,000 on it, and by the end of the afternoon he’d lost A$6,000. Not good! Set a fixed amount that you’re willing to bet and have the discipline to stick to it.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>We hope you have an exciting race and a fun afternoon – and remember to gamble responsibly. A A$10 bet is more than enough to get the blood pumping as your horse rounds the turn into the final dash …</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/33357/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Jonathan Borwein (Jon) receives funding from the ARC.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Michael Rose does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Australia’s iconic sporting event – the Melbourne Cup – will see more than 100,000 punters pack into Flemington Racecourse this Tuesday, while those at work around the country pause to tune in to The Race…Michael Rose, PhD Candidate, School of Mathematical and Physical Sciences, University of NewcastleJonathan Borwein (Jon), Laureate Professor of Mathematics, University of NewcastleLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/332532014-10-29T19:08:19Z2014-10-29T19:08:19ZHow trainers keep horses in winning form – and injury-free<p>In elite racehorses, biology is pushed to the limit – about four tonnes is placed on the joint surfaces in a galloping horse’s lower limb with every stride, and these repeated loads have the potential to cause injury to joints, tendons and bones. </p>
<p>It’s not surprising then that injuries most commonly occur where the highest loads are generated: the carpal (knee) and fetlock (ankle) joints, and the flexor tendon and suspensory ligament.</p>
<p>So how do trainers ensure their horses stay injury-free?</p>
<p>As a horse runs faster, the loads it generates also increase, meaning that horses with a greater ability to run fast have an increased risk of injury. A common complaint from trainers is that it’s only the good ones that get injured!</p>
<h2>Bone and tendon fatigue</h2>
<p>Most injuries in racehorses are not due to an accidental bad step or collision with another horse. Rather, the most common cause of injury is what’s called “fatigue failure” of bone or tendon tissue such as:</p>
<ul>
<li>joint injury</li>
<li>chip fractures</li>
<li>catastrophic fractures</li>
<li>tendon and suspensory ligament injuries. </li>
</ul>
<p>These injuries occur spontaneously, often with little warning, and are caused by repeated high loading.</p>
<p>Despite the term “fatigue”, the horse does not get “tired”, but suffers a gradual deterioration of bone or tendon which ultimately ends in breakage, strain or rupture. </p>
<p>Fatigue failure is a difficult concept to grasp but can be likened to the fatigue that occurs in a wire that is repeatedly bent at the same point – eventually, and suddenly, it breaks. </p>
<p>Adding to its insidious nature, the accumulated microdamage – injury at a microscopic level – is very difficult to detect and many horses show no signs of discomfort prior to significant injury. Yet when the bones or the tendons of horses are examined after injury there is often evidence of damage that has been present for some time.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/62785/original/v9h6ts9h-1414368438.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/62785/original/v9h6ts9h-1414368438.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/62785/original/v9h6ts9h-1414368438.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=577&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/62785/original/v9h6ts9h-1414368438.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=577&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/62785/original/v9h6ts9h-1414368438.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=577&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/62785/original/v9h6ts9h-1414368438.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=725&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/62785/original/v9h6ts9h-1414368438.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=725&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/62785/original/v9h6ts9h-1414368438.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=725&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">A scanning electron microscopic image of the fetlock joint surface of a Thoroughbred racehorse in race training showing the typical oblique cracks we see (arrow heads) due to fatigue damage. The line in the upper right is the scale of the image.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Chris Whitton</span>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Treating limb injuries</h2>
<p>Bone has good potential for healing even in such large animals as horses. But due to their weight, and need to fully weight bear on all four limbs, only some fractures can be repaired. </p>
<p>Bone healing at joint surfaces is less satisfactory than typical bone fractures, and joint cartilage heals poorly so joint injuries often result in ongoing arthritis. </p>
<p>Poor healing is also a feature of tendons and ligaments so although many do appear to heal with prolonged rehabilitation, re-injury is common. Because the forms of effective treatments for limb injuries are limited, prevention is preferable.</p>
<h2>Injury prevention</h2>
<p>Prevention of limb injuries in horses has to involve a better understanding of how adaptation to the rigours of race training occurs, and the nature of repair of slowly accumulating damage. </p>
<p>Bone has great potential for adaptation, particularly in young growing horses.
“Adaptation” refers to the new bone that’s rapidly laid down, both along the shafts of long bones and in the spaces underlying the joint surfaces, when young horses come into training. </p>
<figure class="align-right zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/62928/original/r6bgr3w3-1414455480.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/62928/original/r6bgr3w3-1414455480.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/62928/original/r6bgr3w3-1414455480.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=623&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/62928/original/r6bgr3w3-1414455480.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=623&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/62928/original/r6bgr3w3-1414455480.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=623&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/62928/original/r6bgr3w3-1414455480.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=783&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/62928/original/r6bgr3w3-1414455480.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=783&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/62928/original/r6bgr3w3-1414455480.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=783&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Horse distal forelimb bones.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Wikimedia Commons</span>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/">CC BY-SA</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Prior to this adaptation, though, fatigue failure can happen quickly. For example, cannon bone (third metacarpal) fractures generally happen around 8 weeks into a race preparation in young horses. In contrast, similar fractures in older experienced race horses with well-adapted bone tend to happen at around 20 weeks of training.</p>
<p>Bone’s intrinsic repair mechanism is not well understood. Throughout life, focal areas of bone are resorbed and replaced. This is a critical process for the prevention of injury because it allows fatigued bone to be replaced by new bone. </p>
<p>Our <a href="http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1090023314003797">research</a> has recently shown that in areas of bone stressed by repeated high loads – such as during training – this repair process slows, and those areas are prone to injury. In contrast, when horses rest from training, bone replacement rates are much higher.</p>
<p>In short, rest is best for replacing bone.</p>
<p>So what about tendons? Unfortunately, how tendons adapt to race training and repair accumulated damage is even less well understood than these processes in bone. </p>
<p>We currently don’t have enough knowledge to make specific recommendations on how far and how fast horses can go in training before risking injury, but we can make general recommendations. </p>
<p>The key to injury prevention is achieving a minimum number of miles of training at the necessary speed. There is a balance, though: adaptation will not occur if the horses do not train at speed, but if they train too much at high speed, then tissues will fatigue</p>
<p>Short sharp bursts of speed work once a horse is fit enough, two to three times a week, is usually appropriate. Duration of rest periods from race training are also difficult to ascertain, but we do know that more rest is better.</p>
<p>Horses will nearly always do what we ask of them. A large proportion of injuries to a racehorse’s limbs happen because trainers get the amount and intensity of training wrong.</p>
<p>We owe it to these incredible athletes to understand them better and that will only occur through greater research efforts and trainers basing their programs on the scientific evidence.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/33253/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Chris Whitton receives funding from The Rural Industries Research and Development Corporation and Racing Victoria Limited.</span></em></p>In elite racehorses, biology is pushed to the limit – about four tonnes is placed on the joint surfaces in a galloping horse’s lower limb with every stride, and these repeated loads have the potential…Chris Whitton, Head of the Equine Centre, Associate Professor of Equine Medicine and Surgery, The University of MelbourneLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/332972014-10-28T19:07:54Z2014-10-28T19:07:54ZHow to hit the genetic jackpot and breed a Melbourne Cup winner<p>The win of Japanese stayer <a href="http://www.theage.com.au/sport/horseracing/caulfield-cup-2014-admire-rakti-storms-home-to-win-3m-cup-20141018-11862s.html">Admire Rakti</a> in the Caulfield Cup, followed by Irish bred colt <a href="http://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-10-25/adelaide-wins-the-cox-plate/5841668">Adelaide</a>’s win in the Cox Plate last Saturday, has brought into question the stamina (staying) credentials of Australian bred racehorses.</p>
<p>It seems <a href="http://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-10-28/horse-breeding-distance-28-10-14/5847056">less and less likely</a> that an Australian bred horse will win another Melbourne Cup, and most people involved in horseracing will tell you that Australian horses are not bred to win over long distances. </p>
<p>So, what are they bred to do? And how does someone go about breeding a Melbourne Cup winner?</p>
<p>The major factors usually taken into consideration by breeders when planning matings are racing performance, pedigree and the conformation (size and shape) of the horse. The horses that have won the best races clearly had the right genetics to do so, and it is assumed they will pass these genes on to the next generation. </p>
<h2>The body beautiful</h2>
<p>“Breed the best to the best and hope for the best” is an old Thoroughbred breeding adage which is still often referred to today. </p>
<p>A horse’s pedigree is traditionally considered to be of utmost importance. By assessing the performance of close relatives, breeders can get an idea of the likely genetic merit of their horse. This is particularly important when a horse does not race due to an accident or illness. </p>
<p>Pedigree analysis is also a strategy used to plan matings. There are many breeding theories (such as <a href="http://www.chef-de-race.com/dosage/review.htm">Dosage</a>, the <a href="http://www.pedigreepost.net/archives/XFactorDWDavidge.html">X-factor</a> and <a href="http://www.thoroughbredreview.com/nicking.htm">Nicks</a>) that identify matings that are most likely to produce a foal with the right combination of complimentary genes from their parents. </p>
<p>Good conformation is also significant. In Australia, much emphasis is placed on the horse being a reasonable size, with strong straight legs, clean joints and a good amount of muscle. </p>
<p>This build is indicative of a higher proportion of fast twitch muscle fibres, which are responsible for power and speed, particularly over shorter distances. Stayers, such as Melbourne Cup winners, tend to be the opposite build, and are often tall, long and lean. You can liken these to the differences in the build of the muscular sprinter Usain Bolt versus the exceptionally lean marathon runner Steve Moneghetti. </p>
<h2>Impact of pedigree</h2>
<p>But to what degree are any of these traits heritable? Does pedigree actually relate to racing ability? </p>
<p>Well, genetics only accounts for around 30% of <a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24467785">racing performance</a>, with the rest influenced by environmental factors such as nutrition, trainer, track surface and, of course, luck. </p>
<p>We have recently assessed the relative contribution of genetics to certain performance traits in Australian Thoroughbreds. We found that winning times tend not to be influenced by pedigree, while earnings are moderately influenced. The trait most influenced by pedigree is called “best race distance”. </p>
<p>Best race distance is the distance at which a horse won its best (highest grade) race. In Australia, flat races are generally between 1,000m and 3,200m long. The world’s richest race for two-year-olds, the Golden Slipper, is 1,200m, while the Melbourne Cup is 3,200m. </p>
<p>Australia’s racing and breeding industry is generally aimed at producing elite sprinters that are at their best over the 1,200m of the Golden Slipper. Black Caviar won 18 of her 25 races at 1,200m. </p>
<h2>Testing times</h2>
<p>These days, you don’t even have to wait until your horse has started its racing career to find out what its best race distance is likely to be. </p>
<p>Before the foal is even weaned, you can just pull out some mane hairs and send them to one of the Thoroughbred DNA testing laboratories for analysis. They can tell you whether your horse is likely to be a stayer or a sprinter, what height it will be and if it is likely to be an elite performer. </p>
<p>These companies have analysed the DNA of elite racehorses and identified sections of DNA that are associated with performance traits. Emmeline Hill’s <a href="http://www.equinome.com/News">Equinome</a> was the first to relate the myostatin gene with best race distance. She showed that a “marker” in this gene was related not only to sprinting performance, but also to the amount of muscle a horse carried, resulting in a heavier, more powerful type of horse. </p>
<p>This marker is found at high frequency in the Australian racehorse population, indicating that Australian breeders have been unknowingly selectively breeding for this marker for many years by preferring strong powerful sprinting types of horse over lean staying types. </p>
<p>So is this the future of racehorse breeding? DNA testing is just one of many tools that breeders can apply in pursuit of that dream of producing an elite racehorse. Intangible skills such as evaluating a horse by eye will never be completely replaced by science. </p>
<p>Rags-to-riches tales such as the stories of <a href="http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/sport/superracing/cabbie-joe-janiak-never-envisaged-he-would-travel-the-world-when-he-paid-1375-for-takeover-target/story-fni2gg7e-1226663469388?nk=cf698d0cb42a08fc83d538af0b18f93f">Joe Janiak and Takeover Target</a>, or <a href="http://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/superracing/cox-plate-2014-mick-burles-warhorse-the-cleaner-holds-his-own-against-the-equine-elite/story-fnibcgg5-1227102239149">Mick Burles and The Cleaner</a>, will always be a part of Australian racing folklore, and there is no doubt our racing traditions are richer for them.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/33297/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Natasha Hamilton is affiliated with RacingNSW on a casual basis.</span></em></p>The win of Japanese stayer Admire Rakti in the Caulfield Cup, followed by Irish bred colt Adelaide’s win in the Cox Plate last Saturday, has brought into question the stamina (staying) credentials of Australian…Natasha Hamilton, Lecturer in Veterinary Physiology, University of SydneyLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/334702014-10-28T19:07:33Z2014-10-28T19:07:33ZWhips hurt horses – if my leg’s anything to go by<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/62933/original/dh843p59-1414457830.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Today horses are still whipped in public, but only in the name of sport.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">AAP Image/Julian Smith</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>It’s not just the horses that wear blinkers during the Melbourne Cup, the so-called “race that stops a nation”, which takes place next Tuesday. Perhaps it’s the excitement, the champagne or the extraordinary speed of the race, but most Melbourne Cup Day punters appear blithely unaware that they are actually watching horses being whipped … and hard.</p>
<p>Last year more than 100,000 people attended the Melbourne Cup, with <a href="http://sevenwestmedia.com.au/docs/default-source/business-unit-news/over-3m-viewers-watch-melbourne-cup-on-seven.pdf?sfvrsn=2">more than 3 million</a> watching the race on TV in Australia alone. This would have to make whipping in horse-racing the most public form of violence to animals in Australia today, but most people don’t seem to notice it.</p>
<figure class="align-left zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/62962/original/yr8rb8pn-1414466088.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/62962/original/yr8rb8pn-1414466088.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/62962/original/yr8rb8pn-1414466088.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=840&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/62962/original/yr8rb8pn-1414466088.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=840&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/62962/original/yr8rb8pn-1414466088.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=840&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/62962/original/yr8rb8pn-1414466088.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=1056&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/62962/original/yr8rb8pn-1414466088.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=1056&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/62962/original/yr8rb8pn-1414466088.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=1056&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Some 75% of whip strikes hit the horse’s flank (side of the abdomen), in contravention of the International Agreement on Breeding, Racing and Wagering.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Liss Ralston</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>To be fair, it was only when I saw high-speed images of whip impact that showed visible indentation of the skin in 83% of impacts I appreciated how likely it was that routine whipping of horses in racing causes pain. As a veterinarian, riding instructor and horse behaviourist, I am ashamed to admit how late this revelation came to me. </p>
<p>That I had to see it to believe it made me consider the extraordinary impact of images in achieving positive change for animals over the centuries, and what modern-day imagery might achieve.</p>
<p>William Hogarth most graphically illustrates the whipping of tired horses in his 1751 engraving The Four Stages of Cruelty: Second Stage of Cruelty (pictured below). </p>
<p>In his <a href="http://www.tate.org.uk/whats-on/tate-britain/exhibition/hogarth/hogarth-hogarths-modern-moral-series/hogarth-hogarths-4">Autobiographical Notes</a> Hogarth says the images:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>were done in the hopes of preventing in some degree that cruel treatment of poor Animals which makes the streets of London more disagreeable to the human mind …</p>
</blockquote>
<figure class="align-right zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/62961/original/rhtgsczx-1414465712.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/62961/original/rhtgsczx-1414465712.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/62961/original/rhtgsczx-1414465712.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=728&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/62961/original/rhtgsczx-1414465712.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=728&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/62961/original/rhtgsczx-1414465712.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=728&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/62961/original/rhtgsczx-1414465712.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=915&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/62961/original/rhtgsczx-1414465712.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=915&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/62961/original/rhtgsczx-1414465712.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=915&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">William Hogarth’s Second Stage of Cruelty in which Tom Nero whips his horse in public.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Wikimedia Commons</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Hogarth’s First Stage of Cruelty shows youths already comfortable in their abuse of animals such as dogs, cats and birds. As his series progresses, it becomes apparent society as a whole is either indifferent to or encourages cruelty, and that this augurs very badly. </p>
<p>Hogarth’s images nail the nexus between animal cruelty and human crime and violence, and are as relevant today as they were 263 years ago. Images of horses being whipped on the streets of Victorian England are recognised as a major impetus to the birth of the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Royal_Society_for_the_Prevention_of_Cruelty_to_Animals">animal protection movement</a> as we know it today. </p>
<p>These were exhausted work and carriage horses and observers could see they were being thrashed to deliver more effort, where none was possible. </p>
<p>Today horses are still whipped in public, but only in the name of sport. And while there are restrictions on the number of times the whip can be used during a race, the Sport of Kings removes these safeguards in the last 100m, when the horses are tired and unlikely to be able to give any more. As if this isn’t futile enough, there is no peer-reviewed evidence that shows using the whip at any time increases performance. </p>
<p>Indeed, in 2011, my laboratory used cutting-edge imaging technologies to demonstrate the futility of whipping, and was awarded a Eureka Voiceless Prize for this work. </p>
<p>The racing industry assures us that every whip used in racing <a href="http://www.plosone.org/annotation/listThread.action?root=18659">must be padded</a> and that “when used properly, the whip stimulates a horse and should not cause pain”. However, my analysis of high-speed videography shows that the padding fails to protect horses in 64% of strikes. It also shows that 70% of whip strikes are delivered “backhand”, so are not counted under rules limiting the number of strikes. </p>
<p>While there are plenty of <a href="http://www.horseracingintfed.com/agreementDisplay.asp">international agreements</a> on whip use, they seem to achieve little. One ruling embraced by more than 40 countries, including Australia, is that horses should not be struck on the flank (the side of the abdomen). When we studied more than 100 strikes with frame-by-frame analysis, we discovered that more than 75% were flank strikes. And yet, to my knowledge, no Australian jockey has ever been penalised for flouting this rule.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/62964/original/b9tnmb26-1414466274.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/62964/original/b9tnmb26-1414466274.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/62964/original/b9tnmb26-1414466274.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=741&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/62964/original/b9tnmb26-1414466274.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=741&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/62964/original/b9tnmb26-1414466274.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=741&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/62964/original/b9tnmb26-1414466274.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=931&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/62964/original/b9tnmb26-1414466274.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=931&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/62964/original/b9tnmb26-1414466274.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=931&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption"></span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Liss Ralston</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The use of animals in research in Australia, including to investigate whether whipping a horse hurts, requires compliance <a href="https://www.nhmrc.gov.au/guidelines/publications/ea28">with rules</a> adopted under animal welfare legislation. These include the proviso: </p>
<blockquote>
<p>Pain and distress may be difficult to evaluate in animals. Unless there is evidence to the contrary, it must be assumed that procedures and conditions that would cause pain and distress in humans cause pain and distress in animals.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Given there is no evidence to show that whipping horses doesn’t hurt, I decided to find out whether having my leg struck with a racing whip, as hard as jockeys whip horses, would cause me pain and distress.</p>
<p>Well, the answer is a resounding “yes”, and the thermographic images I took clearly show heat at the site of impact. In the image below you can see white areas of inflammation in my upper leg 30 minutes after it was struck – only once. And a warning: this material is disturbing.</p>
<figure>
<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/pdp5LDWxUkE?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
</figure>
<p>My view is that – because there is no evidence to the contrary – we must assume that, just as I felt pain and distress from the impact of the padded whip, similar whipping in a horse would also cause pain and distress. </p>
<p>Representatives from the racing industry will doubtless say horses have thick skin and are therefore immune to pain from whip impacts but there is actually no evidence of such pain resistance in horses. Indeed, horses can feel a fly on their skin such that it triggers a characteristic shake called the “panniculus reflex”. </p>
<p>As sports journalist Patrick Smith <a href="http://www.theaustralian.com.au/subscribe/news/1/index.html?sourceCode=TAWEB_WRE170_a&mode=premium&dest=http://www.theaustralian.com.au/sport/opinion/protesters-flogging-a-dead-horse-but-racing-needs-to-get-a-grip-on-reality/story-e6frg7uo-1227084295316?nk=90676cb1e2a75f3964edf02750bb6e71&memtype=anonymous">recently wrote</a>: </p>
<blockquote>
<p>if whips didn’t cause pain there would be no use to them.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Unfortunately, the Australian Racing Board has recently advised me that “it will not be participating” in a non-invasive study I proposed using the thermographic camera on horses before and after races to investigate exactly what changes whipping causes to horseflesh. </p>
<p>As a veterinarian and scientist, I believe that when such thermographic images become available, they will remove the public’s blinkers to reveal the unnecessary cruelty caused by whipping in horse racing, just as Hogarth’s engravings did for work and carriage horses.</p>
<p>Since 1888, the winning jockey at the Melbourne Cup has been presented with a <a href="http://www.nsm.org.au/Whats%20On/Latest%20News/2013/November/Wirths_Whip_Oliver.aspx">golden whip</a>. At the very least, isn’t it time to stop glorifying an instrument of, at best, discomfort and, at worst, pain? You bet it is. </p>
<p><br></p>
<p><em>The Conversation <a href="https://theconversation.com/violence-is-here-to-stay-we-need-to-understand-it-31411">is currently running a series</a> looking at the history and nature of violence.</em></p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/33470/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Professor Paul McGreevy is a member of the:
International Society for Equitation Science - Co-founder and former President (2002 – Present),
Editorial board: Journal of Veterinary Behaviour (2005 – Present).
RSPCA NSW (Life member).
He receives funding from the Australian Research Council for research into the welfare of racing Thoroughbreds. He consults to RSPCA Australia.</span></em></p>It’s not just the horses that wear blinkers during the Melbourne Cup, the so-called “race that stops a nation”, which takes place next Tuesday. Perhaps it’s the excitement, the champagne or the extraordinary…Paul McGreevy, Professor of Animal Behaviour and Welfare, University of New EnglandLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/335262014-10-28T19:07:27Z2014-10-28T19:07:27ZFor this year’s Melbourne Cup, consider a charity rather than taking on Tom Waterhouse<p>In the lead-up to next week’s Melbourne Cup, bookmaker Tom Waterhouse is heavily marketing a <a href="http://promos.tomwaterhouse.com/25-million/?utm_source=google&utm_medium=ppc&utm_campaign=Horse%20Racing_Melb_Cup_Top%20Level&sctp=ppc&scvn=google&scsrc=google_search&sckw=+tom%20+waterhouse">“$25 million bet that stops a nation”.</a> All you have to do is give him A$10 and if you place the first 10 horses in correct finishing order in the Cup you have a chance, stress “have a chance”, to win A$25 million. If other punters happen to place the same bet, then you’ll have to share the $25 million with them.</p>
<p>Tom’s number crunchers will have done their sums, of course, so he’ll know that the probability of any person correctly placing the first 10 horses is extremely low. In fact, it’s likely to be much lower than we might expect. As Princeton University psychologist <a href="http://psiexp.ss.uci.edu/research/teaching/Tversky_Kahneman_1974.pdf">Daniel Kahneman</a> found, in <a href="http://www.nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/economic-sciences/laureates/2002/">Nobel Prize-winning work</a> with Amos Tversky, humans overestimate the probability of rare events occurring. Bookies love that flaw in our mental processing ability.</p>
<p>The odds of winning <a href="https://tatts.com/tattersalls/games/oz-lotto/game-rules-and-odds">OZ Lotto</a> are disclosed as one in 45 million, while the odds of winning Powerball are disclosed as one in 76 million. A bit of standard probability analysis shows that your odds of winning with Tom may be estimated to be significantly lower.</p>
<p>Assuming no scratchings, 24 horses could start the race. Note also that the fine print of Tom’s offer provides that bets will be null and void if there are fewer than 20 runners. But let’s assume you have a considerable head start as a punter – a head start that you almost certainly won’t have in reality. You know that only 20 horses are going to start the race and you know that fact before placing your bet.</p>
<p>This helpful assumption – helpful at least from Tom’s side of the bet - is of course extremely unrealistic and unlikely. The final field will not be declared until the weekend before the running of the Cup and there are likely to be more than 20 runners.</p>
<p>To make the calculation tractable we need to make the standard assumption first applied to horse racing by the statistician <a href="http://amstat.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/01621459.1973.10482425#.VEnGV2MavIs">David Harville</a> – namely that of conditional independence. If we also assume for simplicity that the horses have equal chances in the race, then the probability of correctly selecting the winner is one in 20, the probability of then selecting the second-placed horse is one in 19 (given the same horse can’t finish first and second) and so on down to the probability of correctly selecting the tenth-placed horse being one in 11.</p>
<p>So a bit of mathematics (20 x 19 x 18 x 17 x 16 x 15 x 14 x 13 x 12 x 11) provides that the probability of correctly selecting the first 10 horses in correct order is one in 670,442,572,800. Let’s round that down to 670 billion. So a “fair” bet would see the punter receive 670 billion times $10 or $6.7 trillion if he or she won.</p>
<p>Of course, Tom’s number crunchers will say that the horses don’t have equal chances of winning. This does change the probabilities a bit.</p>
<p>Suppose we take the most likely finishing order of the top 10 horses, which is that the favourite finishes first, the second favourite finishes second, and so on. Using the odds for the top ten favourites in last year’s Cup, or the current fixed-price odds for this year’s Cup, and assuming that only 20 horses start, estimates of the odds of correctly placing the first ten horses are still of the order of one in hundreds of millions. That suggests a fair “bet” would see the punter receive billions not millions if he or she won.</p>
<p>Enjoy Melbourne Cup day. But perhaps consider making a donation to <a href="http://www.beyondblue.org.au/">beyondblue</a> rather than to Tom.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/33526/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>In the lead-up to next week’s Melbourne Cup, bookmaker Tom Waterhouse is heavily marketing a “$25 million bet that stops a nation”. All you have to do is give him A$10 and if you place the first 10 horses…Steve Easton, Foundation Professor of Finance, University of NewcastleAdrian Melia, Lecturer in Accounting and Finance, University of NewcastleRichard Gerlach, Professor, University of SydneyLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/197712013-11-04T19:36:21Z2013-11-04T19:36:21ZGai Waterhouse’s ‘Living the Dream’ is gambling writ large<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/34338/original/6jt7qrcw-1383537183.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Gai Waterhouse wants everyday punters to 'live the dream'.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Marianna Massey/AAP</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Wouldn’t it be wonderful to be the part owner of a Melbourne Cup winner?</p>
<p>Horse trainer Gai Waterhouse says you could be, by investing in a new company called “Gai Live the Dream” (GLD). </p>
<p>The “live the dream” <a href="http://gailivingthedream.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/Gai-Living-the-Dream-Ltd-Prospectus.pdf">prospectus</a> invites subscriptions for an upfront cost of A$3,500 a share, or for those that prefer it, monthly instalments totalling A$4,608. </p>
<p>Floating such an idea in the heady atmosphere of the spring racing carnival makes sense. It’s likely punters and horse racing fans will be tempted to throw a measly A$48 per fortnight at a chance for a share of the action.</p>
<p>But is it a long shot or a fair bet? </p>
<p>The plan is to use the subscribed funds, which depending on the uptake could be anything from A$5.25 million to A$17.5 million, to buy, acquire an interest in, train, trade and enter racehorses in high stake races. Gai Waterhouse has been engaged to train the horses.</p>
<p>But the prospectus also clearly states the company has no revenue. The only revenue it will earn will be from prize money or from sales of horses that the company sells at a profit. With luck, investors may see a return on their money, after the many expenses that come with owning racehorses.</p>
<p>Depending on the amount raised by the subscription, between 56% and 76% is budgeted to be spent on acquiring bloodstock of high racing quality. Between 9% and 12% goes to training fees; between 3% and 7% goes to directors’ fees; and between 6% and 12% goes to administration and management. </p>
<p>If horses that are acquired run races and win, Gai Waterhouse is entitled to get up to 15%, and if any horse owned by GLD is sold as a stallion to stand at stud the trainer will be allocated either a share or 2.5% of the sale price. The remainder goes into the coffers of GLD.</p>
<p>So there is a great deal of guaranteed cash outflow, but no guaranteed cash inflow. As the prospectus states: “an investment in GLD should be considered as highly speculative”. </p>
<p>The prospectus, quite rightly, points out the key investment risks of horse racing. They include: the health and character of the horse (will it respond to racing?); will the regulations stay the same (will the winning post be shifted?); will the racing events with prize money accept the horses?; and what if most investors take up partly paid shares so that the company has a lagged cash inflow with which to buy good horseflesh?</p>
<p>Then there’s the sticky question of how the Tax Office will treat GLD for GST purposes, and whether investors will be able to claim losses as a tax deduction.</p>
<p>There’s also the illiquidity of the shares. Given GLD is not a listed company there is no ready market through which to sell the shares.</p>
<p>The proposal initially runs for four years, after which shareholders will need to decide whether to continue or not. And that might depend on whether sufficient cash has been generated to pay ongoing expenses or to pay a dividend to investors. </p>
<p>So, just like the spring season – hope is in the air! This is when once-a-year punters come out to play. But ultimately, Gai Waterhouse’s “living the dream” involves throwing money away, with the outside chance of feeling the joy of being a horse racing winner. Sound familiar? </p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/19771/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Warren McKeown does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Wouldn’t it be wonderful to be the part owner of a Melbourne Cup winner? Horse trainer Gai Waterhouse says you could be, by investing in a new company called “Gai Live the Dream” (GLD). The “live the dream…Warren McKeown, Teaching fellow , The University of MelbourneLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/40932011-10-31T19:38:48Z2011-10-31T19:38:48ZBart Cummings has never won a Melbourne Cup (because he hasn’t run in one)<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/5028/original/melbourne_cup_AAP.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Everyone gets a slice of Melbourne Cup profits, except the winner.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">AAP</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>In the lead up to the 2011 Melbourne Cup I have heard numerous interviews with Australian racing legend Bart Cummings. Apparently Cummings has “won the <a href="http://www.abc.net.au/rn/breakfast/stories/2011/3350203.htm">Melbourne Cup</a> race a record 12 times”. I had no idea Bart Cummings could run so fast!</p>
<p>The way we talk about the Melbourne Cup is indicative of the problematic nature of horse racing. The horses do most of the hard work and the humans get all the rewards.</p>
<p>That is not to suggest that Bart Cummings does not rise early or that he has not worked hard. But it should give us pause to think about the so called “sport of kings” from the horses’ perspective. </p>
<p>Jockeys reading this article might feel that they too are not given their just deserts. The media focuses predominantly on trainers by claiming – contrary to all other sporting etiquette – that the person who trained the winner was in fact the winner. </p>
<p>While jockeys would probably be justified in feeling that way, the situation they occupy also gives us an insight into the disempowered life of a race horse.</p>
<p>In early 2011, jockeys in Queensland were in a <a href="http://www.thoroughbrednews.com.au/australia/archive.aspx?id=52091&page=13&keyword=">pay dispute</a> with the Queensland Racehorse Owners’ Association. As is typical in such cases the jockeys wanted a larger share of the wealth generated by racing. </p>
<p>More recently, the Australian Jockeys’ Association mooted <a href="http://www.smh.com.au/sport/horseracing/jockeys-sitting-tight-20111029-1mppr.html">industrial action</a>, concerned about low government contributions to the National Jockeys’ Trust. The <a href="http://www.australianjockeys.org/?q=node/33">National Jockeys’ Trust</a> provides financial support to jockeys injured while riding, or to their families, in the case of a fatality.</p>
<p>Jockeys are undervalued, but horses get an even worse deal. What mechanisms are in place to protect horses who succumb while competing? The short answer is “none”. </p>
<figure class="align-left ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/5027/original/Screen_shot_2011-10-31_at_12.26.30_PM.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/5027/original/Screen_shot_2011-10-31_at_12.26.30_PM.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=533&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/5027/original/Screen_shot_2011-10-31_at_12.26.30_PM.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=533&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/5027/original/Screen_shot_2011-10-31_at_12.26.30_PM.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=533&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/5027/original/Screen_shot_2011-10-31_at_12.26.30_PM.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=670&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/5027/original/Screen_shot_2011-10-31_at_12.26.30_PM.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=670&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/5027/original/Screen_shot_2011-10-31_at_12.26.30_PM.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=670&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Winning a horse race is hard work.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">AAP</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>While clearly it makes no sense for race horses to be drawing a salary of their own they could, at the very least, be better remunerated for the hard work they do. For that remuneration to be fair, from an animal welfare perspective, it would have to be applied to <em>all</em> race horses, not just the few who win a prestigious event such as the Melbourne Cup. </p>
<p>When a horse falls on the race track a vet is called. If the prognosis is bad a screen is erected and a shot rings out. </p>
<p>That kind of death raises its own ethical issues. But to my mind, what is more controversial are the countless racing horse deaths that occur each year not to spare the animal pain; not because it is in the animal’s best interest; not because there are no other alternatives; but because the horse was not fast enough, not placid enough, or not likely to ever return a profit to his or her owner.</p>
<p>For every 1000 horses bred by the Australian racing industry only 300 will ever race. In 1991, an estimated 7,500 failed race horses were <a href="http://theconversation.com/jumps-racing-what-a-waste-1252">killed and processed</a> for pet food. </p>
<p>In the racing industry the phenomenon is referred to as “wastage”. It occurs simply because allowing an uncompetitive race horse to live is a cost, and those who make their money through horse racing don’t wish to share their wealth with the very horses upon which the industry depends. Does that seem fair? Not to me. </p>
<p>Clearly Bart Cummings has never won the Melbourne Cup. Yes, he has trained winners. But it is the horses who do the winning. And it is the thousands of animals who are bred and then killed, in order to find that one outstanding racer, who make the biggest sacrifice of all. </p>
<p>The horses who run for our entertainment are individuals whose lives matter to them. It is not at all clear that a horse is lucky to find him or herself being trained by Bart Cummings. But, at least the horses that race successfully will live to see another day. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/5029/original/Melbourne_cup_AAP2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/5029/original/Melbourne_cup_AAP2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=433&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/5029/original/Melbourne_cup_AAP2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=433&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/5029/original/Melbourne_cup_AAP2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=433&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/5029/original/Melbourne_cup_AAP2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=545&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/5029/original/Melbourne_cup_AAP2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=545&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/5029/original/Melbourne_cup_AAP2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=545&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Trainers who fail go to Centrelink; horses who fail get a bullet.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">AAP</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>In 1924 a <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Century-Work-Animals-History-1824-1924/dp/B000861H7Q">history of the UK’s RSPCA</a> was published. Many of the issues that occupied the minds of animal welfare advocates then were the same as they are today. In one of my favourite passages from that book the authors write: </p>
<p><em>When one remembers the cruelties so often inflicted on animal workers, one can only wish that they had the power to strike, as does the human worker who, articulate with real or fancied wrongs, can take the law into his own hands and “down tools” to draw public attention to his just or unjust demands.</em></p>
<p><em>Would to heaven that the animals could pursue a like course! The world would then be a different and better place, for we should have learnt how dependent on the animal kingdom we human beings are … what a glorious change would result!</em></p>
<p>Unlike jockeys, race horses cannot organise or strike. But the humans who benefit from their hard work – especially on Melbourne Cup day when many humans are given a public holiday while the horses run for their lives – could take a moment to reflect on the sacrifice race horses make. </p>
<p>We could spare a thought for all the horses who died in an effort to bring us the Melbourne Cup, and insist on compassion for the next generation of race horses.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/4093/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Siobhan O'Sullivan is a financial member of a number of animal welfare organisations including World League for the Protection of Animals and RSPCA NSW. </span></em></p>In the lead up to the 2011 Melbourne Cup I have heard numerous interviews with Australian racing legend Bart Cummings. Apparently Cummings has “won the Melbourne Cup race a record 12 times”. I had no idea…Siobhan O'Sullivan, Research Fellow, School of Social and Political Sciences, The University of MelbourneLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.