grand national

Yes you are right the thoroughbred industry needs to look hard at this.
BUT the horses are looking as if they enjoy it but again it is instinct to follow as I have said. The fences have been adjusted but nowhere near enough for the distance...............
 
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Yes eventing is more dangerous but look at the speed and the height and distsance covered.............
I say no more but that is my view of the national and wnt be watching it as I cosider it very wrong ............

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The Badminton course is 4 miles long.....the fences in the National are generally no higher than on park tracks such as Haydock or Kempton, and IMO look far more inviting to jump than park courses.
 
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think still says a lot about how insane the GN is insane

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There is alot of different things that could cause the horses to refuse etc etc such as ground conditions this doesn't simply mean that the GN is insane!?!?
 
A loose horse was in front most of the way round....there are loads of places where they can run out quite easily. Many of them did....without slowing down.
Watching the race again, there were many unseated riders too.
 
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The Badminton course is 4 miles long.....the fences in the National are generally no higher than on park tracks such as Haydock or Kempton, and IMO look far more inviting to jump than park courses.

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Totally agree with this, the fences are ALOT softer in the GN therefore the horses are able to jump at full gallop as they are not wooden etc.
 
The pace is generally dictated by the state of the ground, which this year, due to the wonderful weather we're having, was on the fast side.
I take your point re:loose horses...they are simply following the herd as it were.

As with most things, some horses simply do not take to the track, which is why you get horses who love it there being referred to as Aintree specialists....and why some simply don't like it and therefore refuse to take part.
Horses for courses as they say....
 
Maybe not full pelt, but there is an optimum time, and the fences are very technical so you could argue that the level of difficulty is on a par with the National, although it's obviously difficult to compare the disciplines against each other.
 
Those horses love what they do, their breed for it. Didnt you see at the start they were rareing to go. And they all carried on if they were rider - less and i dont think any horses died
 
None were injured, all up well and fine. The fact is these horses love what they do, they are well trained for it its not like they're running unfit or unprepared. And like i said before, the fact loose horses carry on is NOT an instinct - if it were why some wander off onto another course etc. Last year a horse fell at the first and continued aruond the entire course riderless, ears pricked and happy. Really fed up of bunny hugging attitudes when very few people with these attitudes know a damn thing except "oh but this horse died yesterday" well accidents happen and they happen more often now like i said before because of inbreeding making them have weaker bones, not because they're being asked to do anymore than they were in 1905! In fact these days theres a lot better training, treatment, everything.
 
If my maths is right then 7 horses fell, the remaining 20 non-finishers either refused, were pulled up or unseated the jockey. I don't think the refusals etc show how 'insane' the GN is but more highlights the point that horses are animals not machines and have good and bad days. You will never have the perfect ground and weather conditions for every horse, some will get on with it anyway and some will object, that's the way it goes.
 
I agree with the vast majority of what you say there K&R, but I do personally believe that the loose horses follow as a matter of instinct. They are flight animals and in the wild to stray from the herd makes them vulnerable to predators. This is something deep seated in their psyche, and which is why, IMO, they follow those still technically in the race.
 
The grand National is a champion race. The horses are fit athletes and the danger of damage is the same leading up to the race, training, traveling.. The only difference is that the National is on television and so highly publisised...

Talk of horses enjoying racing.. If you have ever sat on the back of an ex racer you will understand that they do.. If you want to sit on an ex-racer and go for a gallop.. PM me.

Most horse injuries, fatalities and such.. happen on the road..

The Grand National cruel?
No..

The Grand National dangerous?
Absalutly..

Lou x
 
And also the fact 2horses did refuse shows that they no longer wanted to carry on...so didnt. So the argument "they'll carry on because of instinct" was proven incorrect. If they want to stop, they will. If they dont want to start, they wont. The fact only 2horses out of 40 decided they didnt want to carry on says something imo
 
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And also the fact 2horses did refuse shows that they no longer wanted to carry on...so didnt. So the argument "they'll carry on because of instinct" was proven incorrect. If they want to stop, they will. If they dont want to start, they wont. The fact only 2horses out of 40 decided they didnt want to carry on says something imo

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I hardly think that's conclusive evidence that your point has been proven!!
 
I don't like it so I don't watch it never have. I find it extremely sad but I do beleive in recent years the authorities involved have worked very hard to improve safety.
The vast majority of horses clearly love it but I can't bear to see any horse hurt which is why I choose not to watch.
 
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At Badminton the horses if I remember go at the fences one at a time.
Not 40.....

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Quite true, but in wet weather it's the luck of the draw wether you go round safely or up to your knees in mud.
Aintree is manicured & preened like a supermodel....in previous years it's been watered when too dry the night before a race & had giant fans on wet spots.
If it was risk free nobody would aim to ride in it. Just like event riders jockeys must be adrenalin junkies. (I'd never do it )
 
Not concrete nothing is but its suggestive. If they did follow because purely of instinct then 100% of loose horses would follow, when the fact is some get up front, some follow along behind, some stop with their riders, some go off onto another part of the course....
The main point im trying to make though is if the horses didnt WANT to do it, then they wouldnt. A horse in one of the races before the GN just stood at the start while the others went, looked as if he was saying 'bye guys'. He clearly decided he'd rather be in his stable so decided not to start. If it was entirely down to instinct, surely he would have followed anyway.
 
I know what you're trying to say, guess I'm just being pedantic
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Thing about instinct is that some have a strong will to survive, hence they move with the herd, and some don't, hence they'd probably become food
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Lol ah the joys of quick reply, thats ok then
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and now thats sorted, i completely agree with you! I get so frustrated about this whole 'do good' attitude it just all seems so paranoid and prissy, much like a lot of peoples attitudes to horses in general is becoming. And by saying that im not saying that im cruel to horses, i just dont wrap them up in cotton wool and dress them in pink...ok well that might be a lie
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lol i think we share views.. it does p*** me off when people are so pernickity about there horses and other peoples horses.. I am regularly told i am under feeding my horse and am being nasty to it by telling it off for standing on me...
Everyone wants to change methods which really donmt need messing with.
And before nayone mentions the fact that beechers has a 10 foor drop on it.. i would like to say that the ditch was filled in substantially yeasrs about and the jump if fairly level now!
Lou x
 
Tell me about it! And the fact of the matter is, all these people saying 'youre cruel, do this do that, there are nicer methods etc etc' are actually (and this is a sweeping generalisation) the ones making trouble horses...look on project horses...most have been started with NH methods and although i actually do use some NH methods myself as well as others...people dont understand that horses need discipline and that not all horses respond to it.
And dont get me started on the feeding thing lol
 
lol i dont know why i complain about fat horses.. they will hopefulyl keep me in business in the near future.. all having laminitus and such =oP
Lou x
 
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