Ruby worries about impact on his children of Twitter abuse
Jockey Ruby Walsh has said that online abuse he received during last week’s Cheltenham festival had an unsettling effect on him as he is worried about its potential impact on his children.
Walsh, a columnist for the Irish Examiner, was targeted by social media users after the jockey said that horses are replaceable unlike people, in the wake of Our Conor being put down following a fall at the Festival last week.
“Horses are horses. You can replace a horse. It’s sad, but horses are animals, outside your back door. Humans are humans. They are inside your back door,” said Walsh at the time.
“You can replace a horse. You can’t replace a human being. That’s my feeling on it,” he added.
Walsh who suffered a fall on the final day of the Festival was subjected to abuse on Twitter following his comments.
“It’s spineless people that tweet [abuse]. I’m 35 so I can ignore it,” Walsh told the Irish Independent.
“But I would worry for my kids that people could tweet them. Bullying on Twitter is a serious problem. There is no place for bullies,” he added.
Walsh also stood by his comments despite the criticism he received in the last week.
“I don’t apologise for what I said and stand over it. Horses are animals and you keep them out your back door, you don’t keep your family out your back door,” he said.
The top jockey, who it is expected will not race again this season, was speaking at the eighth anniversary of Whitewater Shopping centre in Kildare.
Great to see @Ruby_Walsh looking so well over at @Whitewater_SC even shopping with its developer Sean Mulryan! pic.twitter.com/2tVIwJ00Z9
— Tamso Doyle (@Tamso) March 18, 2014
Walsh has two children, Isabelle who was born in 2009 and Elsa born in 2011, with his wife Gillian.
The couple are expecting their third child this week.
