Beaten with whips, dying on tracks and slaughtered in knackeries – horse racing is nothing to celebrate for horses (and the people that love them!). If you’re one of the many people outraged by the routine cruelty in horse racing, the good news is there are plenty of ways to celebrate compassionately for horses this ‘Melbourne Cup’ day!
1. Join CPR’s horse-friendly festivities
Our friends at the Coalition for the Protection of Racehorses (CPR) are hosting a picnic at the park opposite Flemington Racecourse.
- Plant-based BBQ ✔️
- Animal friends welcome ✔️
- Dress to impress and race yourself ✔️
- Show racegoers that kindness is more fun than cruelty ✔️
RSVP at the Facebook event page: Farshans on the Field.
This image contains content which some may find confronting
2. Head to one of the many ‘Nup to the Cup’ events
As the backlash against horse racing continues to grow as the reality of horses trapped in this industry is exposed, so too does the number of ‘Nup to the Cup’ events being held around Australia. Instead of supporting gambling and animal cruelty, these events are held to raise money to help horses and animals through advocacy and rescue. Check out the ‘Nup to the Cup’ event listing here.
This image contains content which some may find confronting
3. Host a fancy dress party
If you love to dress up and want to have a fun day with your friends without supporting horse racing, what better excuse to host a fancy dress party… Get your mates together, put a fake feather in your hair, clink glasses and voila… who needs a horse race to have fun with friends?!
This image contains content which some may find confronting
4. Organise sweeps, but with a kind twist
A lot of workplaces and even schools have sweeps on race day or place bets in other ways. Why not convince your work or school mates to put their dollars towards helping animals this year instead of betting on cruelty?
You could all pitch in a few dollars, draw a name out of a hat to win a box of animal-friendly treats or another prize, and then donate the rest to an animal charity of your choice.
Shape a kinder future for horses – take the pledge and share it with friends
- If you love horses — not horse racing — be sure to take action today by pledging never to bet on horse racing.
- Beyond choosing to spend the day doing something fun and kind, horses need you to speak up for them. You can share information with friends and family by sending a link to this page: Understanding the background of horse racing.
- You can also let your network know that you’ll be thinking of the horses this ‘Melbourne Cup’ day by sharing the image below. (Maybe along with an invite to your cruelty-free party?)
This image contains content which some may find confronting
There are heaps of ways to avoid the cruelty of racing and still have an awesome day on November 5th! Check out some other fun things to do that don’t hurt horses here:
