Breeding & Racing Magazine

AJRA Says Vic Jumps "Safest In The World"

In the aftermath of the negative headlines which followed the death of a horse on Monday's opening day of the 2011 Victorian jumps season, Australian Jumping Racing Association president Rodney Rae released a statement noting the AJRA was "saddened by the fatality of Casa Boy in a jumping race at Warrnambool & is committed to ensuring the safety of horse & rider as the primary consideration in the conduct of jumping racing in Victoria. Racing Victoria has instituted world's best practice rules, and through the establishment of its Jumping Review Panel & Rider Skills Panel have established clear policies & procedures for safety. These incorporate rigorous education & trialling programmes for horse & rider, and the continued development & implementation of new obstacles that reduce risk in the event of a racing incident. The Victorian racing industry acknowledges that it is not possible to eliminate fatalities in horse racing, just as it is not possible to eliminate deaths in any other animal related industry. However, the jumping racing fraternity & Racing Victoria has adopted & implemented a world's best practice approach to safety that has established Victorian jumping racing as arguably the safest in the world. In the 2010 season there were 2 fatalities in jumping racing in Victoria. Most likely no jumping racing jurisdiction in the world, nor any component of our domestic flat racing industry, could deliver such low fatality numbers. To put this outcome in context, more horses died at pony clubs last year."