Press Association News, June 29, 1991, by Della Matthews
"Downing Street Bloomer by Dessie"
-----------------------------------------------------------

Desert Orchid, the nation's favourite racehorse, left his 
mark in Downing Street today as he trotted towards No.10 to 
help champion the cause of his four-legged friends who face 
the prospect of being exported alive for slaughter. As the 
grey neared No 10 he became frisky and then disgraced 
himself. The racehorse, his owner Richard Burridge, and 
other animal welfare campaigners handed in a petition urging 
Prime Minister John Major to take action against such 
trafficking of hundreds of horses, donkeys and mules. 
Existing British welfare regulations prevent live export but 
these could be swept away by the single European market in 
1992. "I think we have a responsibility to horses less 
fortunate than Desert Orchid that if they had to die at 
least they do so in a humane fashion," said Mr Burridge. 
"The European Community is there for the betterment of the 
members of the Community and that should include the animal 
members of the Community as well," he added. Dessie, the 
former Cheltenham Gold Cup winner, was given special 
dispensation to be in Downing Street. Former jockey and 
racing commentator Lord John Oaksey, who helped hand in the 
petition bearing more than 250,000 signatures, said it would 
be "a disaster" if the new regulations were introduced. 
Actor Anthony Head, a keen horse rider, urged everyone to 
write to their Euro-MPs against the live export of horses. 
"If this protection is removed it will put animal welfare 
back by hundreds of years," he said. 



-----------------------------------------------------------
                     Bentley's Bedlam
            http://www.BetsyDa.com/bedlam.html

This website is for information and entertainment purposes only 
and is not intended to infringe on copyrights held by others.