BLOOD DOESN’T MATTER?
We are still left wondering: if a horse in any other equestrian sport had presented with a bleeding mouth, as Melbourne Cup winner Half Yours did, would they have been declared the winner?
In show jumping, eventing, dressage — even recreational clinics — blood in the mouth is a hard stop.
WHY was Jamie Melham and her mount Half Yours declared winners of the Melbourne Cup 2025?
Should not welfare first, competition second be the norm?
WHEN BLOOD HAPPENS IN RACING – THEY CLOSE RANKS
But in racing? It was barely a footnote. A minor issue, they tell us. Nothing to see here, keep celebrating.
YET ANOTHER MELBOURNE CUP DAY SCANDAL…
And in another disturbing twist – as reported in the Herald Sun – from Cup Day, the jockey who rode Half Yours to victory — Jamie Lee Melham, the second woman ever to win the Melbourne Cup — has now been suspended for a month (30 race meetings) for careless riding later the same day as the Melbourne Cup.
Why was there a delay in suspending her?
Why wasn’t the suspension immediate?
We’re guessing that the racing community chose to hold back so as to not blemish the Melbourne Cup – although we think that 7 deaths in 8 Melbourne Cups provides plenty of ‘tarnish’ to the race that stops the nation.
Melham pleaded guilty to the charge after a dangerous incident in the Hong Kong Jockey Club Stakes, race nine, where her mount Fancify veered outward and collided with Blake Shinn’s horse, She’s Got Pizzazz, roughly 200 metres from the finish.
The contact caused the horse to stumble violently, and jockey Blake Shinn was thrown and seriously injured.
Shinn’s mount, She’s Got Pizazz, was reported to be lame in the left fore leg after the incident, but escaped serious injury. We’ll be watching to see if the horse is raced again and if so how soon.
Shinn was treated on-track before being taken to hospital, where scans confirmed a broken tibia and fibula — injuries that will sideline him for months.
According to Racing Victoria, Melham “allowed Fancify to shift out when not sufficiently clear”, resulting in the collision and the catastrophic outcome.
A horse bleeds, a jockey is hospitalized, another is suspended — yet racing celebrates.
When will welfare matter more than gambling profits?
WHAT HAPPENS WHEN THE CAMERAS ARE GONE?
A horse bleeding from the mouth wins the most celebrated Thoroughbred race in Australia. Spectators are horrified but the racing community blows it off.
No suspensions result – no disqualification?
A jockey’s reckless maneuver leaves another rider with a shattered leg…
Again, the show goes on.
Betting continues.
Headlines move on.
A very minor suspension takes place.
If this happened in any other horse sport, there would be investigations, much more serious suspensions, welfare evaluations, possibly even a shutdown of competition.
In racing, it’s another day at the office — another example of speed and gambling prioritized over the safety of both horses and riders.
At what point do we stop accepting this as normal?
And if these things happen while the cameras are rolling – what goes on behind the scenes?
AT THIS POINT WE CAN’T HELP BUT THINK ABOUT…
Horses unlike other athletes do not get to choose whether they race or not.
We’ve been called “weak and prissy” because we care about horses – we’ve also reported on the number of jockeys injured or even killed in the Australian racing industry.
Well, if caring about the well being of any sentient being makes us weak and prissy – that’s a title we will wear with pride and…
We’re not going away – we are going to keep advocating and we hope you’ll join us on ALL our social media accounts and mailing list below!
IF YOU CARE ABOUT HORSES – SPEAK UP
Help us raise awareness.
Boycott horse racing – including saying #nuptothecup.
Support our sanctuaries – they are filled with off the track horses.
What do YOU think?
Join the conversation on our Facebook page at: https://www.facebook.com/@NoAussieHorseSlaughter
#MOHM THREATENED?
We’ve been threatened by those in the horse racing industry and those who benefit from horse slaughter more times than we can count.
But we are not going away.
We are going to persist until horse slaughter no longer exists for any purpose within Australia -- and until the horse racing industry makes drastic changes.
We are going to continue our hands-on work to offer lifelong sanctuary to as many horses as possible. We generally have 20 at just one of our locations - at any given time.
We have the acreage to take on more horses as financial support allows.
BRUMBY SPECIFIC WEBSITE
#MOHM HAS A BRUMBY SPECIFIC WEBSITE TOOAs you know we are dedicated to banning the slaughter of horses in Australia for any purpose and that includes wild horses. Please join us on our "sister" website dedicated to banning the slaughter of wild horses AKA Brumbies for...
PUSH BUTTON DONE-FOR-YOU EMAIL
DEMAND CRIMINAL CHARGES - NOW!Horses died, the racing industry issued a ban. Is that justice? The death of City Limits shows us that the racing industry should NOT be regulating themselves.In January 2026, neighbours discovered the five-year-old thoroughbred City...
CURRENT PETITIONS
WE TAKE SOME PETITIONS SERIOUSLYAt Meet Our Horse Meat, we take 'some' petitions seriously—because we know not all petitions are created equal. That’s why we generally do not promote petitions that are privately hosted or lack government backing. Instead, we focus on...
Join us on social media and become a keyboard warrior.
