Horseracing.

littleshetland

littleshetland

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The OH just received an e mail from The League against cruel Sports mentioning the plight of racehorses highlighting the compromised welfare of these horses.

I just wondered what other posters feel about the horse racing industry?


p.s.I just found out its the chinese year of the horse!
 
Horses in racing get pretty good care etc as far as I've seen! Its the ones who don't make the grade/get injured i feel for. Don't agree with some jump racing (eg grand national) as i feel there are too many deaths but on the whole there are much worse things for a horse than to break a leg and be pts! Having seen some of the ways "pet" horses suffer when the owners just cant be bothered, a quick death is preferable Imo
 
without horse racing and the money it brings in we would not have the medical car and facilities we as horse owners now have. So no matter what your views it what keeps the equine world going
 
Horse racing is nasty and cruel and vile! I mean these tiny little midgets that weigh next to nothing have to risk life and limb on these huge powerful creatures every time they sit on them! It's just not fair on them! And as for jumps racing! Well! These midgets don't stand a hope in hell when they get smashed into the ground at 25+mplh with half a tonne of wriggling muscle landing on them! And thats before the other horses come along and kick and trample them as they gallop along on their merry way! These midgets break bones, do soft tissue damage, get shouted at, sworn at, abused by the punters and all they have to defend themselves with is a silly little foam and air filled whip that couldn't hurt a fly! And even then they are carefully watched on how they use it and lose a few days pay if they use it wrong!

I say ban horse racing for the midgets sake! Or give them shetlands to ride which are much more their size!
 
having worked at a NH Racing yard for 6 years i can say that they all get treated like kings and queens, whether they are gold cup winners or have never been placed let alone won a race in their lives! they have the best medical care available for horses and due to laws and regulations they are kept in brilliant environments, (clean stables etc.) they get exercised 6 days a week and are fed on the correct diet. this i have to say is much beter than some horses and ponies being kept for pleasure. (some not all!!) they are never asked to give their all at home and when asked at the racecourse many love their jobs! some not so much but just look at Mad Moose...he didnt want to do it so he didnt! there is no way in hell you can make an animal of that size and strength do somethhing they dont want to do and do it well!

As for the Grand national, yes i have been and yes i have looked after and taken horses that have ran in it. In my opinion all those "do-gooders" that have complained about fence height etc. have just made it more dangerous. by having lower fences they can go faster which is how more accidents happen.

What about eventing? the rotational falls and the accidents/death of horse and/or riders never seem to get as much attention as those injured in racing. personally i would rather go at racing speed in virtually a straight line over fences then i would going round some cross country courses.
 
I mind the fatalities injuries less but I wish that management was more in fitting with a horses basic needs, lets have racehorses on a high forage diet (or at least having breakfast/hay before exercise) to decrease the incidents of gastric ulcers, saddles that fit them, turn out in suitable groups and plenty of thought for their future after racing. (I'd ideally also like them not ridden or shod before they're reasonable physically mature but this seems much less likely to be achieved.)

I'm aware that some yards have excellent management but others clearly don't, I'm not saying they're not loved and the probably receive much more attention than the average horse but I still feel some industry minimum standards would be great.
 
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EKW said:
Sorry! That wasn't very pc of me! I should have referred to the midgets as vertically challenged!
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That was brilliant EKW! I have worked in racing, and in quite a few yards (did it as my summer job when at uni) and never once did I see anything that worried me from a welfare point of view. I think its a great life for a horse. You cannot force a horse to race, some just don't like it but it is working quite closely with the horse's natural instincts. I only worked in flat racing.

But I went into the Law to do a job to earn money to have my own horses, which I keep at livery. And some of the things I see novices do at livery yards fills me with fear. Not all novices, but some people manage to have horses for years and still remain novices. Turning out late and overfeeding are my particular bugbears. Very small things, but the first means a horse standing in a stable for hours with no feed and possibly no water, while the owner lies in bed, and is a colic risk, and the second causes strain on joints, laminitis, and all sorts of problems. And theres the general ineptitude when handling horses, of course the horse always gets the blame and then has to be pts for having "issues" when its often the owner lacking ability/confidence/experience.
 
Amicus said:
I mind the fatalities injuries less but I wish that management was more in fitting with a horses basic needs, lets have racehorses on a high forage diet (or at least having breakfast/hay before exercise) to decrease the incidents of gastric ulcers, saddles that fit them, turn out in suitable groups and plenty of thought for their future after racing. (I'd ideally also like them not ridden or shod before they're reasonable physically mature but this seems much less likely to be achieved.)

I'm aware that some yards have excellent management but others clearly don't, I'm not saying they're not loved and the probably receive much more attention than the average horse but I still feel some industry minimum standards would be great.
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the yard i worked at the horses did get fed and hayed before exercise. as suggested by the vet. the idea was to let the Hi-Fi and the hay form a layer in the stomach to stop the acid "bubbling" (for want of a better word) against the stomach so it decreased the chances of stomach ulcers. we also had specialists out to scope certain horses believed to have ulcers and they were treated. a couple had to had gastroguard. (obviously when entered to race they couldnt have it for days before). many also got turnout. we had 6 medium sized paddocks between 110 horses. not all of them could go out due to injuries, past histories etc. butmany did get to go out for a few hours when the weather was good enough. also come summer we had a herd of 60 horses turned out together in a much much bigger field. they had 2 months out, also being checked twice daily and wormed/foot trimmed when neccesary.

unfortuantly it is a few yards that dont abide by the rules and regulations that give other yards a bad rep. all the yards i have been to have had exellent standards and happy healthy well looked after horses.
 
Amicus said:
I mind the fatalities injuries less but I wish that management was more in fitting with a horses basic needs, lets have racehorses on a high forage diet (or at least having breakfast/hay before exercise) to decrease the incidents of gastric ulcers, saddles that fit them, turn out in suitable groups and plenty of thought for their future after racing. (I'd ideally also like them not ridden or shod before they're reasonable physically mature but this seems much less likely to be achieved.)
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Hmmn, I never saw horses not given their hard feed as breakfast before work. That was the Head Lad's job in every yard I worked on, to get up ridiculously early and give hard feeds in time for exercise. I didn't see any turnout at any of the yards I was at, however that's similar to many showjumping and dressage yards and not exclusive to racing, and before they reach racing yards, youngstock do have a nice life of turnout with other youngsters, so at least they learn to behave like a horse. Many of them spend periods turned away or resting as well.

I'm not sure what you mean by saddles that fit them. Racing saddles don't have a tree and are pretty flimsy creations. The rider's weight is suspended above the saddle any time they are out of walk. It would be pretty hard to cause damage by one of those saddles. I saw quite a few unshod racehorses but I guess its dependent on how far the gallops are from the yard.

I quite like the idea of doing what the Swiss and Swedish have done in terms of minimum standards, but I don't think its the racing industry that would be caught out, apart from maybe in terms of turnout, but the novices on DIY yards which have no management. And I suspect any such rules in the UK would be subject to an expensive, unwieldy licensing system that doesn't work particularly well in covering those likely to not comply!
 
EKW said:
Horse racing is nasty and cruel and vile! I mean these tiny little midgets that weigh next to nothing have to risk life and limb on these huge powerful creatures every time they sit on them! It's just not fair on them! And as for jumps racing! Well! These midgets don't stand a hope in hell when they get smashed into the ground at 25+mplh with half a tonne of wriggling muscle landing on them! And thats before the other horses come along and kick and trample them as they gallop along on their merry way! These midgets break bones, do soft tissue damage, get shouted at, sworn at, abused by the punters and all they have to defend themselves with is a silly little foam and air filled whip that couldn't hurt a fly! And even then they are carefully watched on how they use it and lose a few days pay if they use it wrong!

I say ban horse racing for the midgets sake! Or give them shetlands to ride which are much more their size!
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I've had a really tough day and was just feeling sorry for myself, thank you for making me laugh out loud, that cheered me up immensely :biggrin3::biggrin3:, especially the bit about the whips!
 
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