Treatment of horses

Press, 2 October 1979, Page 18

Treatment of horses

Sir, — One is grateful to N. Smith (September 29) for raising the subject of horse whipping again, the familiar sight of the whip savagely beating while the animal is obviously doing its best on the home stretch. The comment from the S.P.C.A. president :s depressing. One may ask Mr Coulbeck what he would consider “excessive” if he were a horse. His remarks reflect the timid S.P.C.A. attitude towards powerful commercial interests who make fortunes from the suffering of animals: horse racing, battery farming of hens, cosmetics, and fur trade, bobby calf “industry,” helicopter shooting of deer, and now battery rabbit farming and the threatened introduction of myxomatosis, an obscenely cruel rabbit disease. The S.P.C.A. excuses or silently condones these, or at best raises a faint voice against them. The S.P.C.A., however, still deserves support for rescuing individual victims of accidents or cruelty, and for finding homes for some homeless cats and dogs. — Yours, etc.,

MARGARET MAYER. September 29, 1979.

Sir, — In reference to Mr M. G. Coulbeck’s reply to my letter (September 29), I do not share his confidence in the racing fraternity. Is it possible to get an unbiased judgment from a group with vested interests in racing? With regard to the whipping of racehorses shown on TV it seems the S.P.C.A. is a society in name only. If it cannot do anything about it, who can? Are we to be forced to watch this revolting spectacle for evermore? — Yours, etc..

N. SMITH September 29, 1979.