I thought it was glamorous. I thought it was cool. I thought it was a place where the rich and poor rubbed shoulders shoulders, everybody equal. I thought it was sport. I was wrong. Horse racing is not a sport, it is an industry. The animals who participate ar not willing participants, and like any industry, if they do not perform, they are terminated. Like chickens who are 'spent', and no longer produce enough eggs, a losing horse is killed and ground up for pet food. Even winning horses do not escape this fate. A winning horse who does not produce champion offspring, or whose breeding no longer attracts a good price, are shot and turned into pet food. The death of a race horse is not the worst thing for a horse to suffer. It is the life of a race horse which is even more horrific. The life of a race horse is one of constant training from birth, even before they skeletons are fully developed. They live on a diet of drugs, abuse and adrenaline. Like many racegoers, I was once lured by the glamour and spectacle of a day at the races, with no idea of the carnage upon which the industry was built. So my plea now is not to admonish race goers, but to educate, and make people aware of the horrors that support their party. Animal cruelty is no longer tolerated in our society, however, the horse racing industry remains immune from this, as it underpins the national gambling problem. The treatment and slaughter of Australian cattle overseas has caused huge backlash from Australians and the government. Again, horse racing seems to be immune from this sort of scrutiny, or at least, a blind eye is turned. Over 10,000 race horses are killed each year in Australia to produce the few champions which are held up like poster heroes. If you have ever purchased a can of pet food, then congratulations are yours, you own part of a race horse. But once again, it is the life of the horse which brings horrors. The horses are whipped, they bleed internally, they fall and break bones. Make no mistake, horse racing is a blood sport. Whilst Australians are quick to point out the cruelty of other nations and cultures and label them as "developing nations", yet, lack the collective ability to look within to see our own lack of ethics and consciousness. Even the jockeys do not escape the fervor as we, as a nation, seek escape. At last years Melbourne Cup, two horses died, and the debate raged about the ethics of the industry. In that same week, two young women died racing horses. In South Australia, jockey Caitlin Forrest died after a horrific fall at Murray Bridge, and in Queensland, jockey Carly-Mae Pye lost her life in a barrier trial at Callaghan Park after another tragic fall. Where was the outcry? Where was the investigation? Our lack of connection has slipped to a point where we accept these sort of deaths as industrial accidents. Tragic, but acceptable. Perhaps the racing industry reflects our own level of consciousness. As we are driven each day, in a race to stay ahead. Ahead of the bills, ahead of the Jones, ahead in our career. Like cattle, we arise and with a herd mentality, go off to our jobs, just to afford the essentials in life, and if we can just get our head in front at the finish line, we may find the rest and peace we have striven for. This Melbourne Cup day, take a moment to reflect on your own race. your own need to finish first, to stay with the pack, and what price you are willing to pay to win.