Four Hastings Racecourse horses die, advocates speak out

The Vancouver Humane Society wants animals to stop being used for entertainment, raising concerns after four horses died at the Hastings Racecourse over the last month.

B.C.’s Ministry of Public Safety confirmed the four deaths to CityNews.

David Milburn owns horses and trains them at Hastings, and he says of those who died — two were euthanized after injuring their legs during races. One had a heart attack during a workout at the racecourse and died, and another flipped over in the paddock.

“It reared up, which is a natural reaction for a horse, it lost its balance, it came down with the full force of its body on the top of its head and regrettably the skull fractured into multiple fragments and the horse died instantly. And that is so rare — it can happen anywhere though,” he said.

The province says eight horses died over the course of the racing season last year, but not during races.

Aside from physical safety, the Humane Society says racing is stressful and takes a toll on horses’ mental health too.

“They force them into these fast-paced running situations and you can see, looking at these horses, their ears are back and they don’t enjoy what they’re doing and they sometimes need to be calmed down after the race as well,” said Communications Director Chantelle Archambault.

But Milburn disagrees.

“Thoroughbred horses are bred to run,” he said. “They’re competitive, they want to run… horses can have a heart attack in the field, just like a human can have a heart attack in the field, so in my view that’s not related to racing nor the stress of racing.”

Mike Heads has taken care of the horses at Hastings Racecourse for 29 years — he says losing four is sad, but he’s doing his best to keep the remaining 400-500 horses safe and healthy.

“99.99 per cent these horses are fine and they come back great and they’re happy and they enjoy what they’re doing,” he said.

In a statement to CityNews, racecourse spokesperson Chuck Keeling says the safety and well-being of the course’s horses is their “utmost priority.”

“We are devastated by this series of events and our sympathies extend to the entire thoroughbred racing community in B.C.,” the statement reads.

The Gaming Policy and Enforcement Branch says it will continue to listen to its veterinarians and protect the health of racehorses.