“2076 horses have died at the festival including a couple last year” Rob Hopkins told us as we met on the high street ahead of the first day of racing at this years Cheltenham Festival.
https://x.com/AnimalAid/status/1899030135442915775
Rob Is helping Animal Aid and the League Against Cruel Sports to gain more attention about the amount of deaths that occur every year at the worlds most famous jump racing festival.
“Every year a racehorse has died here at Prestbury Park except 2006 which was only because the races were cancelled for the foot and mouth disease” Hopkins tells us on a busy high street.
The crowds are building in the centre of Cheltenham and although Rob tells us people have stopped to chat to them this morning, no one stops at the protest while we were present.
“In the wild horses run in packs so they are only doing what comes naturally to them” but they are pushed beyond their natural limits” highlighting to us how many heart attacks happen after the race is over.
Hopkins and his team stand on the high street every year for the last six years “we are hoping by being here it highlights the campaign and changes some peoples views about horse racing”.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IOSHAgZ3_6w
“I used to go horse racing myself until a horse died right in front of me on the race track. and since then I have been dead against it” Hopkins talked us through the day that changed his opinion on the sport that this small Cotswold town has built it’s whole reputation on.
“They took time out to speak to us after they had been interviewed by the BBC “It has not been to bad this morning people have been coming up to us and being nice.
“It is normally more towards lunch time when people have had a few more drinks and they start coming up to us unhappy with us being here. That is part and parcel of being out here we expect it now.
“Basically, we are about the treatment and welfare of the animals during and after the races.”
