Dear Supporter,

In early 2025 CPR made a Freedom Of Information (FOI) request about the “Onsite Humane Euthanasia Program” (OHEP), which was implemented by Racing Victoria in 2021. OHEP offers free assistance with euthanasia of ex-racehorses at the owner’s property, including removal of the horse’s body afterwards. 

The aim of the program is to prevent sending horses in need of euthanasia on welfare grounds to inhumane slaughter or being left to suffer – a sentiment that CPR fully supports.

However, we are concerned about some of the criteria for eligibility under the program, which doesn’t require a veterinary assessment before a racehorse can be killed under Racing Victoria’s OHEP:

•  The first (criteria iv) refers to any horse who is deemed too “dangerous” by their owner/trainer to be suitable for rehoming.

• The second (criteria vi) refers to any horse following two failed attempts of rehoming across 14 days.

According to Racing Victoria’s annual reports, 78 racehorses were accepted for euthanasia under OHEP in 2023/24 and 151 racehorses in 2024/25. We assumed if the majority of the horses were euthanised for genuine, humane reasons, Racing Victoria would be happy to provide CPR with some more information. However, CPR's FOI request into the number of horses and their age, that were accepted under each OHEP eligibility criteria, was firmly refused by Racing Victoria in June 2025.

CPR strongly disagrees that horses who have been mentally traumatised by racing should be killed without a veterinary assessment determining that it is the only humane outcome. If a “dangerous” horse has any chance of being rehabilitated or would have good quality of life living freely in a herd, the racing industry should be funding these options instead of killing the horses they are responsible for putting in this situation in the first place.

CPR also strongly disagrees that being unable to rehome a racehorse after trying for 14 days is a valid reason for killing them. These are exactly the horses most in need of Racing Victoria’s so-called “welfare safety net” to secure them a safe, lifelong retirement. They most definitely do not deserve to be killed simply because racing won’t take responsibility for them.

What have Racing Victoria got to hide that they don’t want the public to know?