The RSPCA Victoria has confirmed it received multiple animal cruelty reports over several months regarding horses at properties in the Macedon Ranges and Mitchell Shire council areas, many of which referenced social media posts.

In a statement released in recent weeks the RSPCA said: “We appreciate the community’s concern, and can assure those who are worried, our Inspectorate has active investigations into these matters and have attended the properties reported more than 20 times over the last few months and will continue to do so based on animal welfare needs”.

The RSPCA statement also stated:

“This is a complex matter, with multiple animals, properties and multiple different owners now involved.

“RSPCA Inspectors have previously dealt with two primary properties, however with movement of horses this has increased.

“We can confirm any previously reported injured horses have all received appropriate veterinary care.

“Our Inspectors will continue to attend the sites and monitor the wellbeing of the horses ensuring those responsible for their care comply with their legal obligations to provide food, water and vet care.

As we receive new reports with any new information, we will continue to investigate them; however, it is vital reports are based off eye-witness accounts and not only from what is seen on social media.

While we understand how distressing it can be to see photos of injured and neglected animals on social media, it can be incredibly challenging for our Inspectors to investigate matters when cruelty reports only contain details of what was seen on social media posts.

“These often contain incorrect or out of date information such as inaccurate addresses making it difficult to investigate causing unnecessary delays in an investigation.

“As this is an active investigation, we urge people not to take matters into their own hands as any interference from the public could compromise the outcome, so we ask people to please show restraint.

RSPCA Victoria’s Inspectorate currently has only 28 Inspectors on the road to investigate more than 10,000 cruelty reports across the state, and as a necessity their work is triaged to ensure the most vulnerable animals are investigated first along with continually monitoring ongoing situations like this.

“RSPCA Victoria Inspectors are the only authorised officers under the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act who can enforce and prosecute horse welfare in the state and we have received nearly 390 jobs related to horses since December 1, 2024.”

Anyone with concerns about the welfare of animals with first-hand information was urged to make a report to RSPCA Victoria at rspcavic.org/cruelty-report or by calling 03 9224 2222.

It’s estimated it will cost RSPCA Victoria more than $10.7 million to operate the Inspectorate this financial year.

This story based on an RSPCA report. Image: Supplied

The Melbourne Cup is coming to Trentham as part of the 2024 Lexus Melbourne Cup Tour.

The tour, courtesy of the Cup’s manufacturer W.J. Sanders, and its sister company ABC Bullion, will start in Cowes on June 28 and will arrive in Trentham on October 16.

Along with Australia, the Cup will also visit New Zealand, Ireland, the UK, the USA and Japan.

The final route was decided after a record-breaking number of applications were received by the Victoria Racing Club from towns and cities around the world.

Manufactured in Australia for the VRC using 1.69kg of ABC Bullion 18-ct yellow gold, and recently independently valued at $750,000, the Cup has been hand-forged by W.J. Sanders since 2016. Each year, the Cup takes over 250 hours to produce at the W.J. Sanders workshop in Marrickville, Sydney. Every team member contributes to making the trophy, starting up to eight months before the race, which occurs on the first Tuesday of November.

“We are deeply honoured at W.J. Sanders and ABC Bullion to play a role in crafting this remarkable legacy,” said Darren May, general manager at W.J. Sanders. “The Lexus Melbourne Cup embodies the true essence of being proudly Australian made and it fills me with immense pride that, in a world of mass production and lean manufacturing, our team of talented craftsmen and women have been entrusted to create this iconic symbol of international sport.”

Melbourne Cup Day is on Tuesday, November 5.

Words: Donna Kelly