Another horse has died after being seriously injured during the final weekend of the racing season at Hastings Racecourse. Her tragic loss was the fourth fatality of this year’s racing season, with the first occurring less than a month after the season began.
There were four horse deaths at Hastings in 2024:
- On May 25, a 3-year-old horse named Lizzie’s Rayne sustained a complete fracture of her left hind leg and was euthanized, less than one month into the racing season.
- On August 9, a 2-year-old horse named Kiki’s Song of Life sustained a compound fracture in his left front leg during a timed workout and was subsequently euthanized.
- On September 6, a 4-year-old horse named Lucky Cowboy suffered a compound fracture to his front leg during a race and was euthanized.
- On October 12, a 2-year-old horse named Anstruther suffered a compound fracture to her right hind leg and was euthanized. Her death occurred during the final weekend of the racing season at Hastings.
Last year, eleven horses died at B.C.’s two racecourses – eight at Hastings and three at Fraser Downs.
The pattern of regular deaths is not the only threat to horses’ well-being in the racing industry. Horses also suffer stress and pain as a result of aversive training and the use of painful tools like whips and bits to tightly control their movements in these risky, fast-paced events.
The VHS continues to encourage the public to not attend horse races and to take the pledge to reflect their concern for horses.