Much has been said on the heartbreaking death of Mythical Man in the past few days. I take the liberty to address you with my suggestions which I hope will be taken on board in your efforts to ensure that such a tragic episode is not repeated.

My suggestion is the set up of a licensing system which would be under the responsibility of a Committee. A procedure would thus be enacted and subsequently adopted by the Committee for implementation as follows:

● All persons (person includes an individual, a company, an association or other entity) wishing to take care of a horse which is not a race-horse would apply for a licence and register the horse in his name. The procedure for obtaining such a licence would be for the person to:

? show in a reasonable way that he has the means to take care of this horse, the basics being a stable and grounds on which the horse can roam freely everyday, knowledge of grooming and feeding a horse, be it via the employ of a groom or association with a person having such knowlegde;

? undertake to take good care of such horse to the best of his ability;

? produce a letter dated of not more than two months from a veterinary certifying that the horse is in good health prior to the issue of a licence or the renewal thereof;

? pay a reasonable annual licence fee;

? renew his licence every year;

● A horse would thus be registered to a person by virtue of the licence and any person wishing to sell his horse must also do so to a licensed person, the latter being obligated to register the horse in his name, failing which the previous owner remains responsible for the horse and any lack of care that the latter may suffer;

● Any person wishing to purchase a race-horse must undertake (in his application form as owner) to take the necessary measures to retire his horse to a licensed person following the retirement of his horse as a race-horse;

● Upon a horse being declared to be no longer fit for horse-racing, the trainer last responsible for the horse would write to the Committee to inform the latter about whether a licensed person has already been identified to take care of such horse or whether a new person will apply for a licence to take care of the horse or the need to find a licensed person to take care of such horse. Until and unless the horse is transferred to a new licensed owner, the responsibility to take care of the horse remains with the owner;

● Horses which are sick or cannot enjoy a good quality of life should be put down strictly by veterinaries;

● The Committee would also apoint one or more persons to visit horses are being taken care of by licensed owners on an hoc basis to ensure that theses horses are being properly taken care of.

I am aware that the above procedure may prove to be administratively onerous but I strongly believe that it may also lead to an improvement in the manner horses are treated in Mauritius leading to less cruelty and also to an awareness amongst lovers of the racing world that horses are also living beings deserving some kindness. My belief is the creation of such awareness can only lead to better racing culture in Mauritius.

<B>Developing ecotourism</B>

The Governement may also consider the creation of a national park, part of which would be dedicated to an equine centre where activities would be organised such as horse-back riding for children and adults. There are several different kinds of programs that utilize horses and horseback riding for recreational benefits but horses are also used in other countries in therapeutic programs for children and adults with disabilities. The development of this park could be a part of a project of developing ecoutourism in Mauritius, thus attracting a different type of tourist to the island.

It is primordial that Mauritians be made aware of the importance of treating animals without cruelty. I hope that with the help of volunteers, a rescue equine centre will eventually be set up one day in Mauritius so as to ensure that these horses, which once thrilled hundreds of Mauritians every week on the race tracks, have a better end than that of Mythical Man.

I hope that the necessary efforts will be made to prevent this tragic event from tarnishing the good image that people worldwide have of horse-racing in Mauritius.

<B>Melissa VIRAHSAWMY</B> [email protected]