Black Caviar was euthanized shortly after giving birth to her 9th foal. She allegedly was suffering from laminitis, which is likely to have been exacerbated by her pregnancy.

“Black Caviar has been hailed as a hero for horseracing but the truth is she was a victim of a ruthless sport that puts profit above all else” said Elio Celotto, Campaign Director for the Coalition for the Protection of Racehorses.

“Black Caviar was put on the racetrack first time as a 2yo, and she had no choice but to race just like every other racehorse. And then when she was retired from racing, she was forced to breed. Instead of giving her the retirement she deserved, she was exploited up until the day she died.”

In an interview with trainer Peter Moody, he explained how Black Caviar was prone to poor blood flow in her hooves and that there was no blood flow at all on the day she gave birth, which became the reason for euthanizing her.

“The question that needs to be asked now is, what did the vets know about her supposedly laminetic condition and how long was she suffering from it? If they knew Black Caviar was at risk, why would they continue to impregnate her?

“Pregnancy is well known to exacerbate laminitis in horses who are prone to it. And the added weight to her body from carrying a foal, would without a doubt have caused excruciating pain in her laminetic feet. Was her health compromised by the greed of owners wanting to produce as many foals as possible?”

“We will never know the true circumstances but almost certainly she would be still alive today if she wasn’t treated like a breeding machine.”

The Breeding Process

Mares are pregnant for 11 months. So, one month after giving birth often with their newborn foal standing next to her, she will be forcibly mated from again. And again, the following year and the year after that.

Mares are commonly restrained so that they cannot say no. If the mare was a human, it would be called rape. In many cases, they’ll use a twitch to twist and apply pressure to the lip of a mare to immobilize her. Hobbles are attached to the hind legs of the mare to prevent her from kicking the stallion away. Her tail is forcefully pulled to the side to prevent her from interrupting the mating.

These breeding procedures will be happening again soon as the breeding season starts on September 1.

“In the month of August approx. 13000 foals will be born around the country. Many mares just like Black Caviar simply won’t make it due to complications caused by being pregnant for 11 months of every year.”

For the estimated 3000 mares reaching the end of their breeding careers every year, most will be suffering various conditions that will make them difficult to re-home.

“Nobody wants a 12 years plus mare that’s been repeatedly bred from. The industry doesn’t have a retirement plan for them or even keep any records. These horses are almost certainly condemned to slaughter, buried out the back of a stud out of sight, or sent to a knackery,” Mr Elio Celotto said.

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