Leading jumps trainer Robbie Laing believes hurdle racing in Australia can be made much safer by adopting the obstacles used in Europe.One of the many issues facing jumps racing should Racing Victoria Limited (RVL) decide on Monday to continue with the sport is whether to scrap hurdle racing while keeping steeplechases.Laing, who lost two of his horses - Pride Of Westbury and Hassle - when they died as a result of falls in hurdle races at Warrnambool earlier this month, believes both disciplines
Leading jumps trainer Robbie Laing believes hurdle racing in Australia can be made much safer by adopting the obstacles used in Europe.
One of the many issues facing jumps racing should Racing Victoria Limited (RVL) decide on Monday to continue with the sport is whether to scrap hurdle racing while keeping steeplechases.
Laing, who lost two of his horses - Pride Of Westbury and Hassle - when they died as a result of falls in hurdle races at Warrnambool earlier this month, believes both disciplines should continue but with different jumps.
Laing said the modular steel A-frame hurdles should be replaced with jumps that can be knocked down if a horse hits them.
"I think they should have the hurdles like they do in Ireland and England where they have big fields of 30 going over them," Laing said.
"They've been racing a lot longer than us. The Queen approves of them, the Royal family is happy with them.
"Each club that has jumping should have eight hurdles made - people say that they jump 12 but they go around twice and only eight would have to be made.
"The hurdles in Ireland and England are very similar to the hurdles we used to have and they have to be able to be knocked down.
"I'd rather see a hurdle laying flat on the ground than a horse.
"I've seen a field of 24 three-year-old fillies go over the jumps in France. They just embrace jumping and it's part of their culture."
The deaths of three horses at the Warrnambool carnival prompted RVL to suspend all jumps racing in Victoria.