Am I the only one who doesn't agree with horse racing?

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MissCandy

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With the Grand National tomorrow (is it?) a sweepstake has been arranged at work. They do it every year but this year half of the proceeds are going to charity. I would not normally give any money because I don't agree with horse racing but I have this year because charity is involved - I haven't picked a horse though.

Everyone looks at me like I'm strange, so am I the only one?
 
I go to the races and I enjoy the racing but when it comes to the Grand national its a different story.
So many Horses and injuried at this race simply beacuse I feel there are too many horses racing at one time. There isn't enough space over each fence for each horse to jump safely and also I dont feel horses can comfortably jump that height at the pace. But thats my own opinion.

Also at work they are doing the same thing but I cannot and will not entertain it.
 
No a lot of people don't agree with it, everyone has their reasons but it's a big event for those who take part, work within the racing industry, follow and enjoy horse racing and like other sports (both equestrian and non equestrian) it has it’s risks and fatalities.
 
stacey_lou said:
I go to the races and I enjoy the racing but when it comes to the Grand national its a different story.
So many Horses and injuried at this race simply beacuse I feel there are too many horses racing at one time. There isn't enough space over each fence for each horse to jump safely and also I dont feel horses can comfortably jump that height at the pace. But thats my own opinion.
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Have to agree with this ^
 
You're not alone but I do like racing to some degree - I hate when horses are injured and I think there's far too much wastage overall in the raching world (young horses destroyed for not being deemed 'good enough' - half the time they are under 2 yo!)

I sort of try not watch the GN and I get so nervous about watching it - I do like when the horse decide they've had enough and just refuse and then b*gger off back to the stables! lol. However, too many are killed or injured and I don't think this should be the case. I think they run FAR too many horses in it - 40? That's ridiculous - horses get so het up it's like a stampede to the first few fences before they are split up a bit -mainly due to fallers. I think the fences do not need to be so huge (although i know there have been steps made to make them safer over the years). I think the main issue is the amount of horses that are allowed to run, they should reduce the max and I think that would make a difference.
 
I can see why people don’t like it and do find it upsetting when bad things happen, but have to say I love it!

I got quite upset last year when we went to our local meeting (Uttoxeter), we were in centre course nr the last fence. A horse fell at the last (chase) and didn’t get up for ages – 5 mins at least, really horrible but he jumped up eventually and was fine, must have just winded himself. In the next race another horse came over the hurdle equivalent of the same fence, landed normally but his/her leg just broke! Sadly it wasn’t such a happy ending for that horse.

After that I did question whether it was something I wanted to be interested in, but at the end of the day, they are looked after well, the majority of them love their racing and to be fair they wouldn’t even exist if it wasn’t for the racing industry! It is dangerous but then so are other horse sports (evening/hunting/TCing), even hacking on the road is dangerous!
 
Glad to know I'm not the only one!

The thing is it's not just the GN for me, but horse racing in general and not just because of the danger involved for the horses but more and more for the amount of waste produced by the industry.

I'm not extreme about it or anything but I don't wish to become involved in it.
 
Starbucks said:
Those who don’t agree with it do you think it should be banned?
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I think there are certain aspects of it that should be changed - may be a restriction on how many horses can be bred each year, a change in the age the horses are broken in and more responsibility to retrain the horses that are not suitable for racing but could still be useful elsewhere.
 
dogcalleddill said:
I hate the racing industry, but it's the wastage I hate the most, just like greyhound racing.
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Agree. I'm not a fan of the GN because it does seem to be more high-risk than other races but there's risk in all horse activities and racing in general is always going to seem to have more injuries because there's so much of it happening and it's so intense.

We've got two retired greyhounds. Our local stadium does a lot to support the Retired Greyhound Trust including sponsoring kennels and promoting re-homing. I don't know if anything similar exists for horse-racing (I know there are rehab centres but do the racecourses and bookies contribute?).

Though I don't suppose you can target re-homing adverts for horses to the general public as successfully as can be done for dogs...!?
 
MissCandy said:
I think there are certain aspects of it that should be changed - may be a restriction on how many horses can be bred each year, a change in the age the horses are broken in and more responsibility to retrain the horses that are not suitable for racing but could still be useful elsewhere.
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I think there should be a fee associated with each and every horse that leaves racing, be it through injury, retirement or for those that don't make the grade. That fee should go to rehab/rehoming centres to cover their costs which may include PTS horses that are unlikely to thrive as regular riding horses or which cannot be found homes.

Would take some admin though. Do all racehorses, and potential racehorses, have to be registered somewhere before they can race? (numpty question)
 
I sit each year totally transfixed by the Grand National. It is such a test of horse and rider.

But I have very mixed feelings about it. On one hand it is tremendously exciting, but on the other hand like others I find the falls and injuries upsetting.

Two things only need to happen to improve the race. Reduce the number of horses and remove the handicaps.
 
amymay said:
I sit each year totally transfixed by the Grand National. It is such a test of horse and rider.

But I have very mixed feelings about it. On one hand it is tremendously exciting, but on the other hand like others I find the falls and injuries upsetting.

Two things only need to happen to improve the race. Reduce the number of horses and remove the handicaps.
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I agree with this - I also think that the horses that are entered into the race must be proven horses & as such should have had runs over similar distances / conditions beforehand.
 
There are a few things I disagree with in the racing world such as backing babies and horses kept with low fibre high cereal diets and no turnout. The Grand National is a very cruel race. I cannot watch it unless I know there are no horses killed and then I will sometimes watch the replay. I specialise in retraining ex-racers, and love them, but boy are some of them messed up!
 
I specialise in retraining ex-racers, and love them, but boy are some of them messed up!
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That's really interesting. I have to say all the race horses and ex-racers I know of and have had dealings with have been amongst the sanest and un-messed up animals I've ever come across.
 
amymay said:
That's really interesting. I have to say all the race horses and ex-racers I know of and have had dealings with have been amongst the sanest and un-messed up animals I've ever come across.
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Yes, but they are the ones that you or others have chosen to be involved with. All the ones I have retrained have been wonderful because I have chosen them, but I source them from my friend who owns around 20 racers and her trainer. The ones that I choose, I know will make wonderful riding horses. But the majority are the ones most people never see. I've seen many with severe vices, terrible gastric ulcer problems, colic, tendon injuries, socilising problems, phobias, you name it. We have one on the yard now (sired by a Derby winner), not mine, I might add, but he's completely doolally (though sweet) and even though 6 years old, is built like a yearling. Luckily, he has a very loving and patient owner, though I don't think she'll ever be able to ride him.
 
Well I'll stick my neck out and say that I adore racing and only wish I was still as involved in it today as I used to be. I have been charging through my work just so I can watch Aintree this week, and nothing will tear me away from the telly tomorrow afternoon (we have rearranged pony club round it).

I have over the years been involved in almost all horsey disciplines, and I've seen far more cruelty and unnatural things forced on horses in, say, dressage yards than I've ever seen in racing. No, I don't like seeing fallers either, and I dread hearing that any horse has had to be pts at the end of a race - but horses break down hooning round the field too. And the National is safer today than it used to be - but it is still the ultimate test, otherwise it wouldn't be the National.
 
I've watched once or twice guiltily, and probably will not tomorrow, it will be hot and I can't imagine it will be death-free.

Why can't we just bet on humans to race a hurdle?

Oh sorry, that would be cruel wouldn't it.
 
I agree with Rowreach, there are many disciplines that have shall we say sinister methods to reach theyre goal. I think it very much depends on the ownership, scruples of trainer and the ability of the horse,whether it is capable of doing what is put before him and if well trained and fittened enough to do so. and i do agree that field size is a worry.

I like the rest of you, hate to see anything happen to them ...im one of those who is more interested that a horse is back on his feet and never mind about the jockey lol (unless its Ruby :rolleyes: )

What gets me is the waste and throwaway attitude that seems to prevail. If any of you have read the Daily mail article on this, you will see what i mean..
As for retraining and rehoming, this such a wonderful gesture, giving these beautiful horses the chance to blossom, being ridden with a comforting leg, unpicking the neuroses and being allowed to be a horse and not a machine. I commend all of you that do so. Incidentally, Im sure one of th Sheikhs does have a re homing scheme from what i can remember.

Having non horsey owners could be an issue too (ok there are probably plenty of good uns too), but again it comes back to the point of being throwaway, get another one, like they are just a commodity, which to unscrupulous connections, they are.

Thats what I hate.
 
I think last time the ground was so dry and hard, there were four horses that died in the race. Faster ground but harder falls.
 
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