A BRIC-a-brac sale at Saint Paul’s Anglican Cathedral in Nicosia tomorrow will benefit the newly formed Cyprus Racehorse Rescue Centre (CRRC), raising funds to treat and care for horses that can no longer compete on the track.
Cyprus breeds hundreds of racehorses every year and many animals are left to an uncertain fate when their professional careers end. Most racers must retire by the time they reach the age of five, while a horse’s life expectancy is generally around 30.
Afterwards, some are found abandoned, starving, dehydrated or otherwise neglected when they are no longer of economic use to their owners.
“Cyprus has a big problem,” says CRRC president Dr. Akis Petris, a veterinary surgeon and former chairman of the Jockey Club who has spent a lifetime caring for horses. He feels that, “for such a small island, we are producing too many racehorses. We are over-breeding – around 700 racehorses are being bred every year”.
Before the organisation came into being, individual CRRC committee members had rescued several dozen racehorses over the years. Since the centre began operating two months ago, it has come to the aid of two more horses. “We need to have this CRRC because there are a lot of horses suffering after they have completed their careers,” said Petris and added: “I’m hoping we can educate people to take care of their horses.”
The centre, located in the Nicosia district village of Ayioi Trimithias, hopes to lead by example, allowing people to visit the grounds and see for themselves how the former racehorses are cared for.
“By showing what the horse were like before and seeing the beautiful, quiet and lovely animal they can become after being treated properly, this will be the best way of educating people, showing that these horses have a future,” said a CRRC spokeswoman.
Tomorrow’s sale is one way through which the CRRC seeks support from people concerned about cruelty to animals in Cyprus and horse lovers. The organisation also plans to raise money through membership, events, subscriptions and horse adoption programmes. Proceeds from these activities will help build shelters, pay vets fees and feed the rescued horses.
The organisation would also like to encourage the sport of riding on the island and maintains that former racers can be trained
The CRRC invites anyone interested in supporting the new charity to attend tomorrow’s event at Saint Paul’s Anglican Cathedral on Byron Avenue in Nicosia from 9 am to midday. The organisation will gratefully accept clothes, bric-a-brac, books or other quality second hand items.
The Cyprus Mail is the only English-language daily newspaper published in Cyprus. It was established in 1945 and today, with its popular and widely-read website, the Cyprus Mail is among the most trusted news sites in Cyprus. The newspaper is not affiliated with any political parties and has always striven to maintain its independence. Over the past 70-plus years, the Cyprus Mail, with a small dedicated team, has covered momentous events in Cyprus’ modern history, chronicling the last gasps of British colonial rule, Cyprus’ truncated independence, the coup and Turkish invasion, and the decades of negotiations to stitch the divided island back together, plus a myriad of scandals, murders, and human interests stories that capture the island and its -people. Observers describe it as politically conservative.
