Medoca
A collaborative effort between the public, the racing industry and the SPCA has seen a Thoroughbred mare named Medoca removed from a property in the Darling area and surrendered into the care of the Cape of Good Hope SPCA in Grassy Park.
Residents of the Darling area spotted a group of horses looking neglected in January 2016. Recognising them as Thoroughbreds, they alerted a member of the racing industry, who enlisted the help of local NHA officials. Steve Naude and NHA vet Eugene Reynders attended the horses and alerted the SPCA, who dispatched inspectors from their Swartland branch on 7 February. Colette Mang of the Swartland SPCA reports, “The complaint was logged at our SPCA and our inspector immediately went out to investigate. She was met by a lady called Astrid who was looking after the horses on behalf of John de Vries. Two of the horses on the property were underweight, the condition of the other two horses were acceptable. It was evident from the discussion that Astrid was not knowledgeable about caring for horses. Our inspector then spent time with Astrid and explained what needed to be done to improve the lot of the horses.”
The horses were found to belong to John de Vries, a former jockey and one-time colour holder, although he is not currently registered with the NHA. SPCA officials met with Mr de Vries to discuss the condition of the horses and carried out follow up visits on 9 and 23 February. On their last visit on 23 February, the SPCA noted that the horses’ condition had improved to their satisfaction.
Intervention
Intervention necessary
Unfortunately, on Sunday, 22 May a Darling community member noticed that the horses’ condition had deteriorated again, with the grey mare Medoca looking particularly poor. The matter was again reported to an individual within the local racing industry, who rallied authorities from the NHA and SPCA and Mr de Vries agreed to sign the mare over into the care of the SPCA. Due to limited resources at the Swartland SPCA, Allan Perrins of the Cape Of Good Hope SPCA agreed to accommodate Medoca and she was transferred to their Grassy Park premises on Monday, 23 May. The three remaining horses will continue to be monitored by the Swartland SPCA.
While Medoca and her friends were retired from racing before the implementation of the new NHA racehorse retirement rules, it is again a stark reminder of the uncertain future our Thoroughbreds face in the unregulated world beyond racing. Without an adequate system of tracking and monitoring horses after they leave racing, Thoroughbreds will always remain at risk of neglect or abuse and we will remain dependent on animal welfare organisations such as the SPCA to save less lucky equines.
Solution needed
There is currently no system in place to record the names of individuals associated with animals that have been subject to neglect. Neither do the NHA do any welfare background checks on prospective colour holders, potentially exposing the NHA, the racing industry and more importantly, our horses, to welfare risks such as these. With increased debate on the ethics of racing, particularly among more right wing animal welfare groups, it is perhaps time for a multi-organisational approach to the system of awarding privileges as well as a renewed reminder to find a workable solution to managing horses once they leave racing.
The public, the racing community, NHA and the SPCA should all be commended for the speedy, coordinated manner in which the matter was handled. The SPCA depends on donations to keep their doors open, so should anyone wish to contribute towards Medoca and her rehabilitation, please email [email protected] or call 021 700 4141 for more information.
