Golden button challenge

Every report I have read says it was absolute carnage - I wouldnt ever go again after seeing a horse break its back in the first running of the race. Accidents happen with horses, I fully realise that, but the time it took for the vet to get to the horse was unacceptable :(
 
I went today, I must say I really enjoyed it. Would I take my own across the ground, yes but only in walk.
Very well organised but very sad to hear 3/4 horses lost their lives today and one rider was air lifted to hospital.
As the event was run by the hunt the horses didn't have long to wait.
My thoughts go out to those who lost their horse today, but at least they went doing something they loved.
 
I went today to support a friend who was competing. We had a great view & could see most of the course. I enjoyed it as far as my friends horse came home very well but a poor horse dropped dead infront of us in a busy area near the end and the horse ambulance took ages to arrive before they put the screens up. Not an image I want to see. This upset me and we swiftly left...would I go again? No
 
nuttychestnut said:
I went today, I must say I really enjoyed it. Would I take my own across the ground, yes but only in walk.
Very well organised but very sad to hear 3/4 horses lost their lives today and one rider was air lifted to hospital.
As the event was run by the hunt the horses didn't have long to wait.
My thoughts go out to those who lost their horse today, but at least they went doing something they loved.
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How do we know whether they loved it or not?
 
I did hear it was 5 horses that lost their lives.... It wasn't good watching the stragglers at the end dodging the dead horse in full view......😠
 
So sad for the ones that lost their lives. The thought of the exhausted stragglers at the end makes me feel just as sad , shame on the people who raced horses that were not fit enough. Well done to those who did take fit and competent horses and extra well done if they made it round, very unfortunate for those who suffered falls. I read that the airlifted rider was fine and went home with bruised ribs. There is a video here of a fence with a lot of falls, started counting but there are so many horses you can't see, https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=10203777906348264&pnref=story
 
Moomin1 said:
How do we know whether they loved it or not?
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Try getting 500kg horses around that if they dont. If you wish to balance it up how many horses died today because they were neglected,starving or just nobody wanted them anymore I suspect many more than those in the Golden button..
I am not trying to defend them for losing that number and I suspect they will need to look more closely at it for another year but this is about the pinnacle of hunt racing and it is not for the feint hearted.
 
popsdosh said:
Try getting 500kg horses around that if they dont. If you wish to balance it up how many horses died today because they were neglected,starving or just nobody wanted them anymore I suspect many more than those in the Golden button..
I am not trying to defend them for losing that number and I suspect they will need to look more closely at it for another year but this is about the pinnacle of hunt racing and it is not for the feint hearted.
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How on earth does the fact that the horses went around it, mean that they 'love' it? What a ridiculous thing to say. That's akin to saying that if a kid goes to school, then they must love it. It's more to do with compliance and conditioning...
 
The video in Fools Motto's post shows the grey horse getting a fair few cracks to go over the fences, for pretty much every fence we see. Why are there such a ridiculous number of starters!?
 
Moomin1 said:
How on earth does the fact that the horses went around it, mean that they 'love' it? What a ridiculous thing to say. That's akin to saying that if a kid goes to school, then they must love it. It's more to do with compliance and conditioning...
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Yes I suppose they were all beaten with whips and spurred. Get real ! You know most of the riders I doubt had to push their horses on at all probably had more issues holding them at least in the early part of the race.
 
JustKickOn said:
The video in Fools Motto's post shows the grey horse getting a fair few cracks to go over the fences, for pretty much every fence we see. Why are there such a ridiculous number of starters!?
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A lot of riders want to do it !! it is not like a horse race on a track you mainly take your own line
 
popsdosh said:
Yes I suppose they were all beaten with whips and spurred. Get real ! You know most of the riders I doubt had to push their horses on at all probably had more issues holding them at least in the early part of the race.
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Are you for real? So you think if you don't beat and whip a horse, but they go around a course/hunt etc that the must 'love' it? As opposed to simply complying and being conditioned/trained to listen to a rider and do as they ask? Really?

Of course I have no doubt some horses enjoy it. But to say that all horses go around these things out of love and enjoyment is ridiculous.
 
I agree there are some that will not have enjoyed it but you dont really know that until they are faced with a course like that and then its down to rider resonsibility to know when to call it a day.I have yet to have a horse that has not enjoyed hunting from a personal view, if I thought they didnt I would not take them as my neck is on the line.
 
Ok I don't know if the horses loved it, but I didn't see any napping or not galloping around. The horses I did see refusing the fence the rider tried to jump it twice then went around it.
It's very sad that those horses lost their lives but as it hasn't been stated how they died we cannot blame it on the race/owner/etc. All I can hope for it they run it a little later in the year as that would make the ground a little less sticky.
At the end of the day no one was forced to ride their horse. 30 people or so decided to withdraw. When something like this happens no one is going to agree completely but hopefully the event H&S will be looked at.
 
I was there and AFAIA it was three horses that died, one at fence 15 and two at the finish. If the two at the finish collapsed 'cause they weren't fit enough/pushed too hard it was not the fault of the organisers. I was told the person who was airlifted had been kicked in the collecting ring after the race and as that was where he/she was lying on the ground being treated by the first aiders I doubt he/she had been hurt on course.

This is something I would have been totally up for in my younger days, but it started the year I was pregnant and I'd already sold my ace xc horse. I stood by fence 2 (which dropped downhill on landing) as they went over and it was carnage and I thought it was just as well I'm past it now! But it looks great from the headcam angle so I might just be tempted in future if I have the right horse. With a fit horse that's a safe jumper while keeping yourself out of trouble it would be great!
 
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Hoof_Prints said:
So sad for the ones that lost their lives. The thought of the exhausted stragglers at the end makes me feel just as sad , shame on the people who raced horses that were not fit enough. Well done to those who did take fit and competent horses and extra well done if they made it round, very unfortunate for those who suffered falls. I read that the airlifted rider was fine and went home with bruised ribs. There is a video here of a fence with a lot of falls, started counting but there are so many horses you can't see, https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=10203777906348264&pnref=story
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That was fence 2 and had the most casualties as far as I could see.
 
It is a huge assumption to make that those horses that died were not fit enough. Certainly looking at the facebook page one of those that sadly had a heart attack and died after finishing was very fit looking and his owner/rider (a previous poster on here) has evented to a high level and is a licensed jockey so most definitely knows how to prep a horse correctly. She posted a lovely pic of him being washed off with his ears pricked after completing the course. Minutes later he had a heart attack. Sadly where you have livestock you have deadstock
 
So, 3 (or 4, or 5) horses died, and that's OK because they "loved" it? I can think of no sport other than equine ones (that is, with a partner which has no say in the matter) that regularly has fatal casualties (well, in the Western world anyway).
 
Sadly it true about livestock and deadstock It can all be so blown out of proportion by comments ie at the beginning of this thread ,many by posters who clearly did not have a clue what it was all about.
Accidents happen , horses have heart attacks nobody goes out there expecting it or abusing horses into doing it.
 
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