Ruby Walsh has spoken about the impact of the Twitter bullying he received in relation to comments made about horses during the Cheltenham festival.
The jockey received online threats after he spoke about how horses can be replaced, unlike humans. The comments were made in the wake of the death of Our Conor, who was euthanised after a fall.
He received a flurry of mindless Twitter abuse, withsaying they hoped he would die in a fall, and that he would be replaceable if he died. One Tweeter said Walsh should have his “skull crushed”.
"It's spineless people that tweet, I'm 35 so I can ignore it," he told the Irish Independent.
"But I would worry for my kids that people could tweet them.
"Bullying on Twitter is a serious problem... There is no place for bullies."
Walsh stood over his assertion that "horses are animals and animals are pets". He said "I don't apologise for what I said and stand over it."
"Horses are animals and you keep them out your back door, you don't keep your family out your back door."
I'm no great fan of horse racing, but what's most surprising in all this is how these people see no contradiction in calling for the premature death of a sentient, morally upstanding human being with inalienable rights, instead prioritising the wellbeing of an animal that doesn't possess the necessary cognitive function to appreciate the pampered athlete's lifestyle it was given - comparatively speaking, a domestic and nutritional arrangement that would be the envy of millions of people around the world.
Ruby, on the other hand, is an entirely different kind of beast. He suffered a compound fracture on the last day of the festival and is unsure of when he would be back in the saddle.
"I've had far too many injuries at this stage but I'm still standing," he said.
"I doubt I will be riding again this season, I hope to make a good recovery for next season but I'm still a bit in the dark at the moment."
[Irish Independent]
