Moyne Shire council’s decision to ban horses from Killarney Beach was an inevitable result. But the debate on whether it was the right decision rages as we enter the region’s biggest week of the year – the May Racing Carnival.
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Mayor Jim Doukas used his casting vote at Wednesday’s meeting to end a deadlock on the controversial issue of whether commercial horse trainers should be allowed to use the public beach for training purposes.
The vote ended a long-standing practice. For years small numbers of horses cantering on the picturesque strip of beach between Warrnambool and Port Fairy had been tolerated – there was something mildly romantic about their presence.
But an explosion in the number of horses being exercised in the soft sand was the final straw. Residents and users protested on safety and environmental grounds.
The heart of their argument was a public beach should not be turned into a sand track for horse trainers who make a living out of racing. The fact public safety could never be guaranteed made it a compelling argument.
The Standard has consistently advocated for a compromise solution.
The public should be free to walk along a sandy beach without risk of injury from powerful thoroughbreds. And beaches and wildlife we value should not be destroyed at the expense of a profit.
But we have also backed the value of the racing industry to our region and its place in our social fabric. The industry thrives because swimming horses in the ocean and exercising them on soft sand instead of harder surfaces provides a competitive edge.
Where would Warrnambool and the region’s economy be without next week’s racing carnival? Prince Of Penzance’s famous 2015 Melbourne Cup victory after the horse was trained exclusively on the beach was priceless tourism promotion.
The Killarney ban though is not a disaster for the racing industry. It has to be seen as part of a broader compromise. Trainers are allowed to use other beaches, just not Killarney. Restricted numbers of horses at set times at other beaches are set aside for them under a state proposal. It is yet to pass through parliament but the industry has already adopted it. Horses are still being exercised on beaches and locally-trained runners are still winning at tracks around the state. Those in the racing game know only too well – you win some, you lose some, but this ban is a hurdle they can overcome.
