I think it's more about keeping things in perspective; about the level of cruelty which allegedly takes place at Appleby versus that which happens in many "legitimised" industries to do with animals, food and farming; and interrogating whether an event like Appleby deserves the kind of scrutiny this thread has produced compared to the institutionalised cruelty of something like the racing industry. And asking whether people with an interest in animal welfare wouldn't be better off directing their energies towards industries which seem to produce large-scale cruelty as a by-product, rather than an annual event which has received disproportionate attention because of one sensationalised and unfortunate incident.

That's all.