Animal rights protesters gathered outside a Coral betting shop in Nottingham on the 5th of April to call attention to racehorse deaths linked to the Grand National.
Leading the protest was 29-year-old Alex Patterson, a ‘Nottingham Animal Rights’ activist.
Alex said: “Horses in the racing industry are utterly exploited and killed.
“Despite the thickness of their skin, horses still feel the pain of whipping.”
The 29 year old added: “The only reason these horses exist is to make money, these companies profit from vulnerable people, a lot of whom go bankrupt from gambling their savings away
“People can find enjoyment in other things, stop killing innocent animals!”
Alex Patterson told Platform that members of the public have hurled abuse and even threatened him during the demonstration, which was organised through a Facebook group.
Mr Patterson added: “People present the argument of what a racehorse’s purpose would be if it didn’t race
“I say, if it were you, would you rather live for a sole purpose, risk death and be overworked or not exist in the first place
“It’s in the animal’s best interest to not exist in the first place, unfortunately they cannot make such a decision.”
This protest was the first held by a new organisation, that Alex is also a member of, called the ‘Nottingham Animal Coalition’.
Platform approached RoR (retraining of racehorses), a British charity ‘for the welfare of horses who have retired from racing’.
Commenting on the Coral protest, RoR spokesperson Toni Levey said: “RoR acknowledges the concerns raised by the recent protests and shares the commitment to the welfare of former racehorses.
“While demonstrations can bring attention to important issues, RoR believes that meaningful progress for horse welfare is best achieved through constructive dialogue and collaboration between stakeholders including welfare organisations, racing authorities, and the public.”
Discussing the accountability of betting shops in ensuring horse welfare, RoR commented: “Yes, we believe that betting companies, being a part of the wider racing ecosystem—do have a role in supporting racehorse aftercare. RoR would like to see all stakeholders contributing to and investing in long-term welfare solutions.”
When challenged on the adequacy of the industry’s efforts, RoR said: “While progress has been made, there is always more to do. RoR believes that ongoing collaboration across the industry, increased funding for aftercare, and continued public education are key to driving meaningful and lasting change for horse welfare.”
Kay Wan, 61, of Hong Kong, is a Coral customer.
Kay said: “Gambling is not a good thing, but it is generational
“There is no point getting rid of it, it’s a huge industry, if a horse is not there to be bet on, what is its purpose?
“People would find other ways to bet, addiction is a problem, it depends on people’s upbringing
“all farm animals are feeding humans, not everything is fair, but you cannot stop people from what they want to do.”
Karen Edwards, 66, was also involved in the protest.
Karen said: “I have very strong views on animal rights, I have been vegan for 25 years.
“The future is looking up, Nottingham City Council have voted to go entirely plant based for catering events.”
Mrs Edwards explained how she feels animal abuse is hidden from the general public, especially children, and tries to conduct extensive research on the matter to inform passers by.
She added: “Most people are nice, I think my approach is non-confrontational and it really shows in the interactions I have
“Most people are willing to learn, I think change can happen”.
According to a 2024 report by Animal Aid, 214 horses were killed that year on British racing courses.
Five hundred and thirty eight Irish horses were killed in British slaughterhouses, despite having racing industry passports.
The report also states that there were 557 whip offences in 2024.
A study funded by the RSPCA in 2020 concluded that the thickness of a horse’s skin ‘does not insulate them from pain that is generated during a whip strike.’
Another protester, who requested to stay anonymous, said: “Cows are artificially inseminated, which is evil, calves are taken away from their mums within 24 hours, most male ones are killed.
“These are all RSPCA practices, and its written in the law that this is permitted, it is disgusting and humans are not designed to eat meat multiple times a day.
“So many processed meats like bacon are class one carcinogens, they are killing you, open your eyes.”
The protestor added: “This all comes down to money, do we really need to kill animals?
“Instead of greed and profit driven practices, let’s all focus on saving our wonderful planet, intensive farming is producing methane gas and worsening climate change
“We can’t change the world overnight, but we can educate farmers, children and the public about this terrible issue.”
