The dark side of the horse racing industry has been exposed on ABC’s 7.30 program. A gruelling two-year-long investigation gathered damning evidence of the mass slaughter of racehorses who are deemed no longer ‘useful’.



After being whipped to exhaustion, heartbreaking footage reveals what the ‘final race’ looks like for thousands of Australian horses every year.





In filthy slaughterhouses and knackeries, they’re sworn at, kicked, beaten and slaughtered in front of their companions. Their flesh is exported overseas for human consumption or sold locally for pet food — some of which ends up in the dinner bowls of fellow victims of the racing industry: greyhounds.



Peak racing bodies have long understood and accepted the mass deaths of healthy horses. In fact, it’s also been revealed that significant funds allocated to rehoming programs have gone unspent, and breeding restrictions are yet to be implemented.





significant funds allocated to rehoming programs have gone unspent, and breeding restrictions are yet to be implemented.



And it’s not only horses exploited by this industry, as nearly half of all regular race bettors say they’ve experienced gambling-related problems.



The big question is: how can sponsors and governments continue to support a socially destructive and cruel industry?