Tash Peterson: Notorious animal rights activist joins Perth Cup protesters

Notorious Perth protester Tash Peterson joined a small group of anti-horse racing protesters outside of Ascot Racecourse for the rescheduled Perth Cup.

Earlier this month, the prestigious event was called off after the shocking death of Chili Is Hot.

The five-year-old mare died after a shocking fall at Ascot’s 2200m post. The main race was rescheduled for Saturday with many animal rights activists gathering outside the racecourse.

The protesters’ demonstration included a “horse graveyard” for the 21 horses who have been killed on West Australian racetracks since October 2021.

Among the small group was 29-year-old Peterson who took to her Facebook account to livestream the activism.

Rebranding Ascot Racecourse to “Ascot Deathcourse”, Peterson told fans the group was to stand up against the “murder” that she claims is happening in the horse racing industry.

“It’s barbaric, outdated, and cruel and it needs to end now,” she said about the sport on the social media platform.

Peterson likened the horse racing industry to slavery.

“Horses are subjected to exploitation, slavery, abuse, and murder. The majority of racehorses, once they are considered no longer profitable to the industry, they are murdered,” she said.

Peterson is no stranger to protesting at the venue, in November, on Melbourne Cup day, she poured blood at the gates.

Saturday’s protest was coordinated by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) and Coalition for the Protection of Racehorses.

“This is an unacceptable standard for any sport,” one protester can be heard saying through the megaphone on Peterson’s Instagram page.

“If the athletes were humans it would be banned.”

A second horse, Dom To Shoot, also fell during the New Year’s Day race but was not euthanised.

It was the first time in the 136-year history of the iconic event that a race was called off mid-race.