Horse hit at Winnipeg racetrack in ‘hard to watch’ video prompts calls for change

A video of a jockey hitting a horse at a Winnipeg racetrack is prompting calls for increased surveillance in private stables to ensure equestrian safety from an animal rights group.

In the video, which was shot in the track barns at Assiniboia Downs last year, a jockey is shown hitting a mare, Animal Justice said in a news release.

The video from 2023 was recently shared with Animal Justice, an animal law advocacy organization operating across Canada.

“When I first saw the video, I had to turn it off. It was just so hard to watch,” said Kaitlyn Mitchell, the director of legal advocacy with Animal Justice.

“This is an individual who’s hitting a horse over a long period of time. The horse appears terrified — she can’t escape. I think what really struck me is that the person doing this was really doing it out in the open.”

The jockey was charged with animal cruelty, and those charges were stayed, according to Animal Justice. The rider was also subject to a one-year court order limiting their contact with animals in non-work-related capacities in March 2025, the organization added.

“It raises concerns for me about the incident, but also about the culture at the Downs and what’s considered normal,” Mitchell said.

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“We are extremely disappointed to understand that this very unacceptable situation occurred. We take the protection, safety and health of our equine athletes very seriously. We were unaware that this happened and only learned of the incident late (on Thursday),” Assiniboia Downs said in a statement for Global News.

“The backstretch barn area has a security-controlled entrance, daily security foot patrol through the barn area, and the provincial government — through the L.G.C.A. — has a licensing process in place for trainers and jockeys,” it added.

Racehorses “are inspected by a licensed veterinarian to ensure maximum health, fitness and well-being of the animals,” according to the Downs.

Ultimately, Animal Justice is calling for mandatory security cameras in Manitoba racetrack stables.

Its legal advocate said the cameras could act as flies on the barn walls for regulators.

“The one thing that the cameras would do would be to, hopefully, deter conduct like this,” said Mitchell.

“My hope would be that if folks in that barn know that there are cameras and that the commission, or other overseers, can actually see what’s happening, perhaps they would be less inclined to do something like this in the future.”

Animals can be victims of crimes and require protection from being victimized, the animal advocate added.

“It’s something that, actually, facilities in other jurisdictions have done, and continue to do. So, it is a really reasonable step that I think that they should take,” said Mitchell.

Looking to the rest of Canada, the intensity of surveillance regulations for non-racetrack areas varies.

Following a 2017 report, Ontario said equine welfare would be prioritized, among other issues including addressing horses being fed performance enhancing drugs.

“Enhanced control and surveillance measures, such as … increasing surveillance cameras on the backstretch and in race paddocks,” were said to be in the works in Ontario, according to the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario’s report from that year.

Saskatchewan and Alberta have no specific stable surveillance requirements, but both provinces’ regulators emphasized the importance of horse safety and race integrity.

B.C. mandates cameras in restricted areas. However, the Gaming Control Act does not state that they must be placed in individual stalls.

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