Racehorse Jumps Into Crowd.

The horse racing and jumping season has begun and already injuries and deaths are being reported but this time it’s not the horses or the jockeys but the crowd.

During Austraila’s Grand Annual Steeplechase, a horse who had raced the previous day jumped the wall of their enclosure and landed straight down on top of spectators. Seven people, including a 2-year old and an 80-year old, were injured in the incident that officals call a “freak accident.”

The horse, Banna Strand, is described as having a “docile temperament.” Her owners say she jumped the 6-foot wall out of habit.  She saw the wall and did what she was trained to do. 

This incident will be investigated as part of an ongoing review which officials are set determine whether the entire sport should be banned due to a high number of deaths. This season alone, 5 horses have died during competition in the Grand Annual and hundreds die in races around the world. 

The future of steeplechasing looks dim. What we are witnessing is hopefully the last days of a cruel and pointless sport.