Boundless and NSPCA ‘Jack the Durban July’ to expose cruelty in horse racing

In partnership with the National Council of SPCAs (NSPCA), creative agency Boundless launched ‘Rein in the Pain’, a national awareness campaign that hijacked the very spectacle that celebrates the industry it seeks to reform. From fashion to radio to race commentary, the campaign didn’t just attend the Durban July, it hijacked it. The objective: to apply public pressure and bring the National Horseracing Authority (NHRA) back to the table to sign and ratify the NSPCA’s proposed amendments to their rules for Equine Welfare.

“We knew if we wanted to challenge the cruelty behind the glamour, we had to do more than raise awareness, we had to take over the stage itself,” says Roanna Williams, chief creative officer at Boundless. “So we jacked the July, the race, the fashion, the entire moment, and turned it into a platform for animal welfare. Some of the world’s most loved animals needed the power of the world’s most loved ideas to amplify the protest.”

A campaign that couldn’t be ignored

From start to finish, ‘Rein in the Pain’ was crafted to hijack the spotlight, not politely, but powerfully:

• A haunting protest dress, worn by actress and activist Nirvana Nokwe, was stained from the hem up as if soaking blood from the red carpet. Designed by art activist Carlo Gibson, the gown didn’t just turn heads, it won its fashion category and made front-page news, exposing the brutality hidden behind the glitz.

• An alternative race commentary, broadcast online, took the familiar tones of race-day excitement and repurposed them to expose abuse. Horses were renamed Chemical Passion, Whipped Into Shape, Duct-Taped Dreams, a chilling narrative that reframed the fanfare.

• A national radio campaign, echoing the same subversion, disrupted ordinary programming with commentary that forced listeners to confront truths too long buried.

• Striking OOH placements appeared across airports, cities and commuter hubs, with lines like “The Finish Line”, “Whipped for your entertainment”, and “Raced Young. Killed Fast.” Each urged the public to sign a national petition and demand real reform.

“When people think of cruelty in horse racing, they imagine it’s all in the past or illegal events,” says Williams. “But this campaign says: it’s still happening, right here, right now, on regulated tracks. So we made it impossible to look away.”

This campaign had to be unignorable – from the visuals to the message to the media strategy. “The market is inundated with cause marketing, and you have to break through the clutter to demand real change”, says Carla Van Pletzen, CEO of SLAPS. “Unfortunately, ‘press here to donate’ while effective, can’t stand alone, and we had to immerse our audience in the reality of the ongoing cruelty through visual and audio aids. We turned a single day’s event into an ongoing national conversation.”

The real race: Reform

At the core of the campaign is a clear, uncompromising demand: that the National Horseracing Authority adopt the NSPCA’s proposed amendments to its official rules. These include:

• An end to whipping
  
• A ban on harmful drugs and training aids
  
• Phasing out tongue-ties and other cruel devices
  
• A stop to racing horses before skeletal maturity
  
• A commitment to lifetime welfare, not just race-day care

Pulling back the curtain on a hidden crisis

The campaign highlights the often-ignored realities of horse racing, which include:

• Tongue-ties, which cause discomfort.
  
• Performance-enhancing drugs push horses beyond their natural limits.
  
• Whipping, which inflicts pain under the guise of motivation.
  
• Collapsed lungs, fractured legs, and premature deaths often result from overexertion and unsafe conditions.
  
• Early racing places strain on young horses before their skeletons are fully developed.

“Getting the NHRA back to the table is no small task,” says Jacques Peacock, head of communications at the NSPCA. “But this campaign made cruelty visible, and made public pressure impossible to ignore, and we’re not letting go until real reform is signed and ratified.”

The NSPCA urges the public to continue supporting the campaign by signing the petition at nspca.co.za/ReinInThePain. With enough public momentum, the industry can be compelled to evolve, from silent cruelty to visible accountability.

“The cruelty is real. But so is the momentum,” adds Peacock “It’s time to rein in the pain, and rewrite the rules.”

For more information on the campaign, follow the NSPCA’s social media channels or visit https://nspca.co.za/ | Instagram: @nspca.rsa | X/Twitter: @NSPCA_SA | Facebook: @NSPCA – National Council of SPCAs | LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nspcasouthafrica/ | TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@nspca_rsa