Racehorses are now banned from Killarney Beach near Warrnambool.

By Equestrian Life

The dispute between racehorse trainers, environmental groups and local beach goers continues in Warrnambool with Moyne Shire moving to ban horses from Killarney Beach.

The council’s decision, which was only decided by mayor Jim Doukas’ casting vote, means that racehorses can no longer access the beach. The ruling also prohibits any horse from galloping, cantering or trotting on Killarney Beach. While some councillors were in favour of the ban, others supported a proposal that would have allowed up to sixteen horses on the beach between 7am and 10am from April until November.

Before coming to a decision, councillors heard presentations from Warrnambool Racing Club and Belfast Coastal Reserve Action Group. In addition, 71 submissions from the community were received; 86% of these were opposed to horses being trained on the beach. Public safety was a leading cause for concern, as was the protection of endangered Hooded Plovers; these birds nest on the beach and are vulnerable to human foot and horse hoof alike.

An endangered Hooded Plover.

The commercial use of Belfast Coastal Reserve — that is, the strip of coast between Warrnambool and Port Fairy — by horse trainers has been a contentious issue for some time.  These beaches have been used to train a number of notable horses, including the 2015 Melbourne Cup winner, Prince of Penzance. The sand dunes at nearby Levys Beach were closed to racehorses last year after numbers surged following Prince of Penzance’s win; the horse’s trainer, Darren Weir, believes the dunes provide trainers with an edge in terms of horse fitness.

Nearby Lady Bay, which is close to the city, is also said to be nearing a tipping point between horses and humans. At present, horses can be trained there from March 1 to November 30, although they can be swum all year round. They can only be on the beach between dawn and 10am.

At present, racehorse trainers can still use other parts of the coastline providing they follow the rules that are in place.

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