Grand National to be made 'safer'

[Hedgewitch13]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/horse_racing/14529603.stm

I doubt it will stop fatalities, sadly that's racing for you, but it might give the not so clever horses a chance...

 

[Dancing Queen]

finally it goes a little way but i do feel the number of runners should be halved, if they have to have this race.

 

[Little Squirrel]

I can't really see how the changes will make a whole pile of difference. Speed is a major factor with the National, if they shortened the run to the first so the horses could get in a good rythmn and not such a battle charge then maybe that would be a good idea. I think the raising of the toe board is a good plan but then this could go in the other direction and horses may overjump which in turn would cause more falls.

It's a hard one, if they keep making it easier it's not going to be the ultimate test but at the end of the day The National is just a handicap with quite frankly a moderate field of horses with a few exceptions. Maybe they should think of having "qualifing races" run over 4 miles to see wheter horses can cope with the trip at Liverpool? Or maybe like they do in the x-country race at Cheltenham all horses are to be schooled over a few of the National fences the morning before to judge how they jump the big fences .... if they don't take to them they don't run.
I love the National and have watched it since a little girl, setting up a course in the field and galloping the ponies over it on the day of the race, it's why I got involved in racing but they can't go on loosing horses every year, it's far too bad for the sport to be watched on a big stage and horses dropping like flies every year. I just don't think it's going to be as simple as dropping the fences an inch.

 

[Fools Motto]

I am sad that they are altering Bechers again. I bet Red Rum would be furious if he knew.
I doubt the other changes will make much difference.

The Grand National should stay as it is in my opinion. It is meant to be a tough test, and those who enter it know the risks. Why does everything get so 'elf and safety-fied these days!! ?

 

[Elf On A Shelf]

They may as well run it over regulation chase fences at this rate. Keep the unique ones just as a visitor attraction!

 

[BonneMaman]

Crying shame - that is all I can really say :-(

 

[Miss L Toe]

If someone is willing to pay £250K to the winner, than so be it, as horse peeps we wan't something unique, without loss of life

 

[Merry Crisis]

Quite ridiculous, speed kills, horses will be going faster and there will be 40 horses. The Grand National years ago had huge fences, not much ground line and those fences encouraged horses to jump off their hocks. The pace was slow compared to today and they fiddled the fences. Having said that, horses that were National quality had 9ins of bone and bred for National Hunt. In todays world the fences are becoming more like park fences and therefore horses are racing at a fast pace. Having ruined the GN the ONLY way they can make it safer is to half the entrees.

 

[Onyxia]

I am also all in favour of reducing the number of runners to select the very best out there while keeping the course the same.

 

[BeBopTalulah]

Sorry if I'm being controversial, but I think horse racing is a cruel sport. I don't think changing the Grand National is going to make any difference at all. We've come to EXPECT fatalities at big races now, and it's a disgrace. Thousands of TBs are bred every year, lucky if 200 of them see a race, how many of those will have 'forever homes'? There is a fantastic movement of people in this country willing to rehabilitate and re-educate these horses to become great all-rounders, but those are the lucky ones.

 

[irish_only]

Just playing devils advocate-if you had a horse that was proving to be an absolute star and a real national hunt horse, you wouldn't enter it in the National unless you really thought it would get round safely - would you?

I love the national, and when I sit watching the run up towards the start, I often wonder what I would do in the above situation. But I think I do know. If my horse was that special, he was fit, strong, clever, and had a hell of a jump in him but was careful too, I'd run him.
Yes, I'd be a nervous wreck, and all I'd hope for was that he comes home safely, but I'd only enter him if I thought he could do it, so he should come home safely.

Accidents happen in any horse sport. They even happen in the field.

 

[Merry Crisis]

Sorry if I'm being controversial, but I think horse racing is a cruel sport. I don't think changing the Grand National is going to make any difference at all. We've come to EXPECT fatalities at big races now, and it's a disgrace. Thousands of TBs are bred every year, lucky if 200 of them see a race, how many of those will have 'forever homes'? There is a fantastic movement of people in this country willing to rehabilitate and re-educate these horses to become great all-rounders, but those are the lucky ones.

Well, without racing there would be no TBs to rehab. How many other horses have "forever homes". I get sick and tired of people slagging off racing, would you feel better if the Thoroughbred went into extinction? What sort of world do you live in?

 

[BeBopTalulah]

Well, without racing there would be no TBs to rehab. How many other horses have "forever homes". I get sick and tired of people slagging off racing, would you feel better if the Thoroughbred went into extinction? What sort of world do you live in?

You think TBs are only good for the race course? What kind of world do you live in?!

I refer to the breeding of horses in huge numbers, for most of them to be sent to slaughter when they have not fulfilled their remit. I'm entitled to my opinion, just as you are.

 

[mon]

Red Rum jumped 150 of the testing national jumps with hardly a foot wrong bet he would be turning in his grave, any life is a risk even us getting in cars, leave national alone

 

[Elf On A Shelf]

Well, without racing there would be no TBs to rehab. How many other horses have "forever homes". I get sick and tired of people slagging off racing, would you feel better if the Thoroughbred went into extinction? What sort of world do you live in?

To add further to this - TENS OF THOUSANDS of people would be out of a job - myself included! It's not just the jockeys and the trainers, you have the stable staff, yard staff, groundsmen and they are just the ones that work in the actual training yards. You also have the studs that breed the horses themselves. At the racecourses you have the groundsmen, the stableman, all the cooks, cleaners, bar staff, betting staff, stewards, clerks, PR people - the list is endless. Slightly less directly involved who would be affected by a blanket ban on racing are the vets, knackermen, journalists, farriers, bloodstock agents, auction marts, bedding and feed companies. Even the old dudes that go to their local tracks to show people where they are supposed to go all for their love of racing - they don't get paid, they volunteer, it gives them something to do once a week or once a fortnight to get out of the house doing something they enjoy.

Racing produces millions of pounds of income that is pumped back into the industry - where do you think the money comes from to research into illness and injury in horses? Not from show jumping, eventing or your generic happy hacker that's for sure! Racing has FAR more to offer than meets the eye!

We currently have a film crew in the yard for a few days to show the "behind the scenes" parts of racing that Joe Bloggs never gets to see just by watching the racing on TV. When I find out when it is on, I'll let you know and you can then decide for yourself just how useful racing can be.

 

[BeBopTalulah]

To add further to this - TENS OF THOUSANDS of people would be out of a job - myself included! It's not just the jockeys and the trainers, you have the stable staff, yard staff, groundsmen and they are just the ones that work in the actual training yards. You also have the studs that breed the horses themselves. At the racecourses you have the groundsmen, the stableman, all the cooks, cleaners, bar staff, betting staff, stewards, clerks, PR people - the list is endless. Slightly less directly involved who would be affected by a blanket ban on racing are the vets, knackermen, journalists, farriers, bloodstock agents, auction marts, bedding and feed companies. Even the old dudes that go to their local tracks to show people where they are supposed to go all for their love of racing - they don't get paid, they volunteer, it gives them something to do once a week or once a fortnight to get out of the house doing something they enjoy.

Racing produces millions of pounds of income that is pumped back into the industry - where do you think the money comes from to research into illness and injury in horses? Not from show jumping, eventing or your generic happy hacker that's for sure! Racing has FAR more to offer than meets the eye!

We currently have a film crew in the yard for a few days to show the "behind the scenes" parts of racing that Joe Bloggs never gets to see just by watching the racing on TV. When I find out when it is on, I'll let you know and you can then decide for yourself just how useful racing can be.

And from these millions of pounds, how much goes into retiring these horses? 200 horses are rehabilitated each year at the expense of the racing industry, out of 10,000 -15,000 foals bred for racing. Is that a fair deal? I don't believe it is. I don't believe it's fair to breed animals that you have no intention of providing for past 3 or 4 years. We all gasp in horror at the family pony who's been tied to a lamp post as his owners cannot afford to have him anymore, and yet the former is perfectly accepted. I'm not a fluffy bunny-wabbit kind of person, but I clearly just don't see a horse the way you do. I would have no problem with horse racing if I thought that most of these TBs would progress into other disciplines, but in the grand scheme of things, only a handful do. Such a huge waste of life, healthy animals being sent to France. Which begs the question, if we're all so comfortable with this mass slaughter, why do we not eat horse-meat in this country on any kind of scale? Seems like a huge double standard to me.

 

[dizzyf]

My husband reckons it wont be long unti; health and safety puts a ban to the whole thing!

 

[Merry Crisis]

My husband reckons it wont be long unti; health and safety puts a ban to the whole thing!

Really? FFS!

 

[Merry Crisis]

You think TBs are only good for the race course? What kind of world do you live in?!

I refer to the breeding of horses in huge numbers, for most of them to be sent to slaughter when they have not fulfilled their remit. I'm entitled to my opinion, just as you are.

I live in the real world. Go to some bin end sales and see for yourself about breeding in big numbers. Horses are bred in HUGE numbers all over this small island, not just TBs. Where do you think most of the horses and ponies go at sales? to the meat man. Its a hard tough world out there, at least the TBs have had a chance.

 

[dizzyf]

I don't want it to happen! It's just an observation of what the world is coming to!

 

[Elf On A Shelf]

And from these millions of pounds, how much goes into retiring these horses? 200 horses are rehabilitated each year at the expense of the racing industry, out of 10,000 -15,000 foals bred for racing. Is that a fair deal? I don't believe it is. I don't believe it's fair to breed animals that you have no intention of providing for past 3 or 4 years. We all gasp in horror at the family pony who's been tied to a lamp post as his owners cannot afford to have him anymore, and yet the former is perfectly accepted. I'm not a fluffy bunny-wabbit kind of person, but I clearly just don't see a horse the way you do. I would have no problem with horse racing if I thought that most of these TBs would progress into other disciplines, but in the grand scheme of things, only a handful do. Such a huge waste of life, healthy animals being sent to France. Which begs the question, if we're all so comfortable with this mass slaughter, why do we not eat horse-meat in this country on any kind of scale? Seems like a huge double standard to me.

It not just TBs that go to slaughter - 30gns shetlands, dartmoors, welsh, mix and match ponies - generally everything that is overbred.

Racing's problem with the public is that they are FAR too open and honest about facts and figures. They hide nothing.

 

[Hedgewitch13]

I wouldn't be surprised either. It would only take a few more deaths or maybe a jockey to lose their life and I think that would be it for the GN. Sadly I think it would be a human loss that does it as equine loses are just chalked up as a sad part or racing. Unfortunately TBs are seen as an expendable (right word?) commodity

 

[Merry Crisis]

I wouldn't be surprised either. It would only take a few more deaths or maybe a jockey to lose their life and I think that would be it for the GN. Sadly I think it would be a human loss that does it as equine loses are just chalked up as a sad part or racing. Unfortunately TBs are seen as an expendable (right word?) commodity

What about all the shetlands, coloureds, Fells, that are sold at monthly sales all over the country, they end up with the meat man too. Some are just weaned, some are sold with their mother to go to slaughter. So please tell me about "expendable"

 

[BeBopTalulah]

It not just TBs that go to slaughter - 30gns shetlands, dartmoors, welsh, mix and match ponies - generally everything that is overbred.

Racing's problem with the public is that they are FAR too open and honest about facts and figures. They hide nothing.

Last year 7,933 horses were slaughtered, at least half of which were TBs which were bred for racing (although most never saw a race).

I'm outnumbered, and I'm bowing-out Hope your next win at the bookies is a big'un!

 

[mon]

But what about the leisure horse that are pts or slaughtered before their natural time is up not every leisure horse is kept in blissful retirement

 

[Dancing Queen]

The GN is an exciting race agreed, however somewhat cruel. This year I couldnt watch it this year - well actually i did, until the two horses fell, I was beside myself - I had just lost one of my own horses and it really upset me for a good week or two. They werent my horses and im sure that the owners were upset at the time as well.

The GN brings in huge amounts of money and I dont think it will ever be banned.

 

[superpony]

And from these millions of pounds, how much goes into retiring these horses? 200 horses are rehabilitated each year at the expense of the racing industry, out of 10,000 -15,000 foals bred for racing. Is that a fair deal? I don't believe it is. I don't believe it's fair to breed animals that you have no intention of providing for past 3 or 4 years. We all gasp in horror at the family pony who's been tied to a lamp post as his owners cannot afford to have him anymore, and yet the former is perfectly accepted. I'm not a fluffy bunny-wabbit kind of person, but I clearly just don't see a horse the way you do. I would have no problem with horse racing if I thought that most of these TBs would progress into other disciplines, but in the grand scheme of things, only a handful do. Such a huge waste of life, healthy animals being sent to France. Which begs the question, if we're all so comfortable with this mass slaughter, why do we not eat horse-meat in this country on any kind of scale? Seems like a huge double standard to me.

I totally disagree, I have an ex racer, have friends who work in racing and train.
Many horses go to slaughter unfortunately, mostly due to people breeding from totally unsuitable horses and most of these do not have the care and attention tbs get in their life.

 

[Changes]

Last year 7,933 horses were slaughtered, at least half of which were TBs which were bred for racing (although most never saw a race).

I'm outnumbered, and I'm bowing-out Hope your next win at the bookies is a big'un!

Yet another muppet that plucks figures out the air and then can't sustain an argument......... seriously, why don't you go after the REAL cruelty in the UK, the P ikeys that harness unfit yearlings to drive, that dump young foals over fences, that tether animals with no hay or water at the side of the road? Or are you too spineless to attack them?

 

['S'teamed]

OFGS.
Why dont they just do away with fences altogether and just have a 4 mile flat race?

 

[giveachance]

Yet another muppet that plucks figures out the air and then can't sustain an argument.........

Have to say I completely agree, BebopTalulah where have you got the figure of 200 rehomed a year??? I'd say very few racehorses that finish racing are registered with RoR, over the eight i've had in the last few years I haven't registered any off them, so really don't quite now where you have got this from.