There’s An Anti-Melbourne Cup Party Where You Can Bet On Shitting Shetlands Happening In Sydney Today

Happy Melbourne Cup Day, Australia! It’s that time of the year again, where the “race that stops a nation” will probably directly kill at least one horse in the name of gambling, overpriced watered-down booze and terrible headwear — oh, and the horses, of course! They LOVE it, apparently.

But if you’re one of the few who only celebrate Cup Day for the public holiday — or public holiday rates — and don’t much like the ethics of the thing, you might be interested to learn there’s something for you today: The Vic, a pub in Enmore, Sydney, is hosting an anti-Melbourne Cup Day party — and instead of betting on horses, you can bet on where exactly a Shetland pony will take a dump.

The ‘Shitting Shetland’ contest consists of a live Shetland pony grazing all afternoon in a broad fenced-off area, which is marked with a grid. To make a bet, punters buy a square on the grid and at the end of the day the square with the most crap on it wins.

It gets better: the rest of the takings and the money made from drink sales will go to the NSW Thoroughbred Rehabilitation Trust, which helps rehabilitate and maintain ex-racehorses. There you go — you can actually party in the name of helping horses (and watching them poop).

If you’re scratching your head over why there even is such thing as an anti-Melbourne Cup party, here are some not-so-fun facts about the horse racing industry in Australia, which we also published last year after two horses died from running the race:

– During the years they spend in training, racehorses are stabled for most of the day, encouraging aggressive behaviour and in some cases self-mutilation. They are fed high concentrate diets which often leads to gastric ulcers; a 2000 study of racehorses in Randwick found that 89% had stomach ulcers.

– Section 9 of Victoria’s Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act states that “a person who overrides, overdrives, overworks, abuses, beats, worries, torments or terrifies an animal; commits an act of cruelty”.

– As we saw last year, and the year before that, racing is dangerous. If a horse breaks a leg or shoulder, the complex network of bones can shatter, making them almost impossible for a vet to repair; this, coupled with the inability of horses to lie down for extended periods (they sleep standing), makes it difficult for them to recover. This is why they are put down.

– Additionally, you can also watch this short documentary on the horse racing industry, put together by Coalition for the Protection of Racehorses:

–

The Shetland Shitting Contest is happening at The Vic, 2 Addison Rd, Enmore, on November 3 (today!) from 1pm.