Uruguay | Lascano | Long-distance horse race | Horsemeat import

“Raids” are long-distance endurance horse races. The distance is usually between 60 and 115 km. There is prize money for the winners, which incites the riders to get the most out of their horses. It happens regularly that horses collapse due to exhaustion or that they stumble and fall. Some horses that are injured are sold to the horse slaughter plants, which are all EU approved. From the point of view of food safety, this is alarming because “raid” horses receive drugs on almost every single race. This is probably the reason why in Uruguay it is prohibited by law to slaughter sport horses for human consumption, explicitly including those used in “raids”. But this law is obviously not enforced. Several horse owners told us that they had sold injured “raid” horses to the slaughterhouses Sarel and Clay.

The distance of the “raid” we visit today is 60 km. Following the horses by car, we notice that the horse with the starting number 20 is exhausted but forced to keep running. The mare’s name is Pico Blanco. After approximately 50 km, she stops running and starts shaking all over her body. She staggers and the rider quickly gets down and takes off the saddle. The mare’s trembling legs finally give out and she collapses. She remains lying on the ground, her whole body shaking. Later, Pico Blanco gets an intravenous infusion and people pour buckets of water over her body. After a while, she finally stands up. Her legs are still trembling. She is later loaded onto a trailer, but we do not know what will become of her.