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In May 2010 the proposed Bickham coal mine near the Pages River in the Upper Hunter region of Australia was formally rejected because of its potentially deleterious impacts on hydrology and the likely negative impacts on a valuable thoroughbred breeding region. In this paper we focus on the 'psychoterratic' mental states of topophilia and solastalgia and highlight how people's intimate personal relationships with the river and "the environment" were concealed through the formal assessment process. We argue that these relationships and the emotional states they sustain are critical, are at present little understood by geographers, that geography is well placed to develop and incorporate these understandings, and that the formal impact assessment system could be greatly improved by the incorporation of psychoterratic geographies. Detailed response to the reviewersThe revised submission was accepted subject to minor amendments being made to the paper. These amendments included removing some theoretical and contextual material from the background, emphasizing stories where possible later in the text and drawing stronger links between psychoterratic geographies and the impact assessment process.We have made the changes to the Introduction as required, deleted some other material to free up space in the paper, and have included greater emphasis on the stories of local people. We have also provided more material on the Bulga case, which we referred to in the earlier versions of the paper as upcoming, but has been a landmark case in the introduction of psychoterratic relations into the impact assessment process, albeit through a legal appeal. We also highlight the NSW government's response to this scenario.Overall we believe that this is a much stronger paper and thank the referees and editors for their work in helping to improve it. Hunter region of Australia was formally rejected because of its potentially deleterious impacts on hydrology and the likely negative impacts on a valuable thoroughbred breeding region. In this paper we focus on the "psychoterratic" mental states of topophilia and solastalgia and highlight how people"s intimate personal relationships with the river and "the environment" were concealed through the formal assessment process. We argue that these relationships and the emotional states they sustain are critical, are at present little understood by geographers, that geography is well placed to develop and incorporate these understandings, and that the formal impact assessment system could be greatly improved by the incorporation of psychoterratic geographies.

Simple SummaryThis paper identifies the various perceptions held by advocates and opponents about the use of the whip in thoroughbred racing, as portrayed in print and social media. Three time periods in two countries were investigated, Australia (2009) and the UK (2011), following the introduction of new whip rules and the period August 2014–August 2015 for both countries to identify whether perceptions had changed. The major area of contention between advocates and opponents was whether the whip is an essential tool or a cruel instrument. This tension remained in 2015. The research also revealed that people opposed to the whip were more likely to express their views on social media than in print media.AbstractChanging social values and new technologies have contributed to increasing media attention and debate about the acceptable use of animals in sport. This paper focuses on the use of the whip in thoroughbred horse racing. Those who defend its use argue it is a necessary tool needed for safety, correction and encouragement, and that it does not cause the horse any pain. For those who oppose its use, it is an instrument of cruelty. Media framing is employed to unpack the discourses played out in print and social media in the UK (2011) and Australia (2009) during key periods of the whip debate following the introduction of new whip rules. Media coverage for the period August 2014–August 2015 for both countries is also considered. This paper seeks to identify the perceptions of advocates and opponents of the whip as portrayed in conventional and social media in Australia and the UK, to consider if these perceptions have changed over time, and whose voices are heard in these platforms. This paper contributes to discussions on the impacts that media sites have either in reinforcing existing perspectives or creating new perspectives; and importantly how this impacts on equine welfare.

New Zealand is an important place for thoroughbred breeding and racing. Most races are on the flat, but jumps racing is conducted in the cooler months. The 2013 National Jumps Day at Te Rapa, Hamilton, was a significant space for the construction of human-animal relations. Drawing on three bodies of accounts, we ask whether social media contributes to the realignment of perspectives or reinforces existing human-animal relations. We explore competing narratives and demonstrate how animals, people, activities and places are constructed, including making animal deaths unrecognisable to perpetuate activities that are questioned by contemporary animal geographies.

Thoroughbred breeding and racing has survived on the ability of racing administrators to capture gambling revenue, whether it is proximal, remote or virtual. Given this relationship, there is surprisingly little academic work on the perceptions of gambling, preferences for different forms of gambling, preferences for different types of thoroughbred races that may facilitate gambling, and the relationships between viewing thoroughbred races and gambling on these events. We address this important gap in the literature through a study involving racing patrons at two Sydney racecourses, including midweek and weekend racing meetings, and a corresponding study of four Sydney suburbs, with differing socioeconomic characteristics. Our research highlights the variety of attitudes to gambling and the diversity of gambling experiences among participants. It situates contemporary technological innovations such as internet gambling within a longer history of approaches to revenue capture that address the impermanence of existing borders and revenue arrangements based on the control of defined space.