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Home / Equine Research Bank / Animals (Basel) / Responding to Risk: Regulation or Prohibition? New Zealand M...
Animals : an open access journal from MDPI2019; 9(5); 276; doi: 10.3390/ani9050276

Responding to Risk: Regulation or Prohibition? New Zealand Media Reporting of Thoroughbred Jumps Racing 2016-2018.

Abstract: Jumps racing involves a higher risk of accident and fatality than flat racing. The wide accessibility of media, combined with alternate views regarding the place of animals in society, raises the question of the acceptability of the continuation of jumps racing. Racing data and media articles from Newztext and Google news search were collected for the 2016/2017 and 2017/2018 jumps racing seasons, during which the fatality rate was 5.8 per 1000 starters. Jumps racing articles comprised 3.4% of all race reporting, and the volume of discussion about jumps racing was minimal (2.9% of jumps race articles related to the continuation of jumps racing), short-lived and related to horse fatalities. Articles were categorised and analysed using rhetorical analysis to determine the main arguments. The inherent risk posed by jumps racing to the horse formed a basis for two argumentative positions. Proponents of jumps racing argued that risks were reasonable, with risk minimisation measures best determined by expertise and care from within the racing industry, labelling opponents as naïve extremists. Opponents of jumps racing used anthropomorphism of the horse to argue that any risk was unacceptable and jumps racing should be banned. Horses were attributed with rights, and from this perspective, the racing industry exploited horses for entertainment. These two different arguments were used to shape claims for and against the continuation of jumps racing, allowing both to be built upon a shared acceptance of inherent risk.
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Publication Date: 2019-05-24 PubMed ID: 31137709PubMed Central: PMC6562469DOI: 10.3390/ani9050276Google Scholar: Lookup
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Summary

This research summary has been generated with artificial intelligence and may contain errors and omissions. Refer to the original study to confirm details provided. Submit correction.

This research paper explores media reporting around thoroughbred jumps racing in New Zealand between 2016 and 2018. It reviews the debates on whether this type of horse racing poses unreasonable risk to the animals involved.

Research Methodology

  • The researchers collected racing data and media articles during the 2016/2017 and 2017/2018 jumps racing seasons.
  • The media sources included Newztext and Google News search.
  • The fatality rate during these seasons was 5.8 per 1000 starters.
  • The study found that jumps racing constituted only 3.4% of all race reporting.
  • The media coverage that discussed the continuation of jumps racing was minimal, with only 2.9% of all articles.
  • The researchers then conducted a rhetorical analysis to identify and categorize the key arguments presented in these articles.

Key Findings

  • Most of the media discussion around jumps racing was triggered by incidents of horse fatalities.
  • There were two primary argumentative stances found in the media: one advocating for jumps racing and the other against.
  • Supporters of jumps racing believed that the risks were acceptable and should be managed through expert care within the racing industry. These supporters called their opponents naïve extremists.
  • On the other hand, opponents used anthropomorphism to look from the horses’ perspective. They argued that any risk was unacceptable and that the sport should be outlawed.
  • A common rhetoric from opponents was that horses have rights and the racing industry was exploiting these animals for entertainment.
  • The researchers noted that both arguments accepted the inherent risk associated with jumps racing. The disagreement lay in how the risk should be approached – whether to regulate or to prohibit.

Cite This Article

APA
Legg KA, Breheny M, Gee EK, Rogers CW. (2019). Responding to Risk: Regulation or Prohibition? New Zealand Media Reporting of Thoroughbred Jumps Racing 2016-2018. Animals (Basel), 9(5), 276. https://doi.org/10.3390/ani9050276

Publication

Animals : an open access journal from MDPI
ISSN: 2076-2615
NlmUniqueID: 101635614
Country: Switzerland
Language: English
Volume: 9
Issue: 5
PII: 276

Researcher Affiliations

Legg, Kylie A
  • School of Veterinary Science, Massey University, Private Bag 11 222, Palmerston North 4410, New Zealand. K.Legg@massey.ac.nz.
Breheny, Mary
  • School of Health Science, Massey University, Private Bag 11 222, Palmerston North 4410, New Zealand. M.R.Breheny@massey.ac.nz.
Gee, Erica K
  • School of Veterinary Science, Massey University, Private Bag 11 222, Palmerston North 4410, New Zealand. E.K.Gee@massey.ac.nz.
Rogers, Chris W
  • School of Veterinary Science, Massey University, Private Bag 11 222, Palmerston North 4410, New Zealand. C.W.Rogers@massey.ac.nz.

Grant Funding

  • 1/2016 & 9/2017 / New Zealand Equine Trust

Conflict of Interest Statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest. The funders had no role in the design of the study; in the collection, analyses, or interpretation of data; in the writing of the manuscript, or in the decision to publish the results.

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Citations

This article has been cited 1 times.
  1. Legg KA, Gee EK, Breheny M, Gibson MJ, Rogers CW. A Bioeconomic Model for the Thoroughbred Racing Industry-Optimisation of the Production Cycle with a Horse Centric Welfare Perspective.. Animals (Basel) 2023 Jan 30;13(3).
    doi: 10.3390/ani13030479pubmed: 36766368google scholar: lookup
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