Please don't shoot me down....

M

mickey

Well-Known Member
Joined
11 November 2005
Messages
5,169
Location
Kent
Visit site
for raising this!

Thinking about the Grand National at the weekend, and that some horses DO get killed in this event (and other racing events), do you think it is fair to ask a horse to take part??

I suppose the same could be asked of eventing too - There was a french horse that died in a particulary horrible way at Badminton last year.

I wonder what you think?

I follow eventing and I enjoy watching it. I don't follow racing and I have stopped betting on the National because I feel partly responsible if a horse is killed.
 
This is an interesting question and one that a friend of mine and I were discussing yesterday.

I raised the question about eventing. Has it just got too taxing / difficult?

I have competed in the past, to International level, in rifle shooting and I have experienced courses of fire getting more and more difficult in order to challenge the top shots.

I have never watched eventing, but it occurred to me, after seeing that eleven rider were killed during the last season (I don't know how many horses were killed and injured). If that were to happen in Formula 1, the sport would be modified out of existence.

It is the nature of competitive sports and sports people to reach for ever higher standards and results, but has it gone just a little too far?
 
It's a tough one.I dont follow racing and dont watch the National not because i think it's cruel but it's not something that appeals to me.I would rather watch eventing or showjumping and yes horses have died in those sports aswell.It is always sad when a horse loses it's life in any sport but horse die playing in the fields aswell.I think everybody concerned with horse racing do there upmost best to make it as safe for the horses as they can.Like lowering the fences at Aintree for instance,correct me if i'm wrong but the fences at Aintree used to be alot bigger/wider or is it because of people pressure that the fences were made more pc for the veiwers??..
 
Its sad when they die..... but hey what a life they have otherwise.....

Always said I would rather die doing the National, than live being a riding school neddie!!!!
 
its a very difficult one, as you say they do die as do the humans, i would say as an extreme sport there will always be awful accidents, i think (my opinion) that as long as we take all the precautions we can and follow the health and saftey legislation as it grows thats all we can do!( apart from not take part and not bet on the grand n if thats your choice) I do feel that we(as a nation) really look after our horses (vets, sports this sports that, ect ect) and they get the best of what we offer>
 
Didn't a horse that pulled a milk float win the GN years ago ? Can never remember it's name!

I personally don't watch the grandnational - think the jumps are too big (or alteast they used to be andI don't follow it now) and just think its a wreckless way to compete a horse.

Only my opinion though!
 
QR: Of course it is absolutely tragic when a rider loses their life or is seriously injured, there is no getting away from that. However, a rider has the CHOICE of whether to do certain disciplines or not, a horse does not.

Last yr I was at Badminton, and I was thoroughly enjoying it until I was very near to where the French horse (Isle d'aulay??) died. It made me feel really guilty enjoying myself and sitting there eating lunch. I felt guilty that I was enjoying the event for the rest of the day.
 
[ QUOTE ]
i may be wrong but cant any horse enter the gn where as you cant out a novice into badminton?

[/ QUOTE ]

Not anymore - they have to have a certain handicap rating - 110 or higher I think. Then also, there is a restriction on the number of runners so only the top 40 in the handicap who want to run can get in.
 
[ QUOTE ]
I have never watched eventing, but it occurred to me, after seeing that eleven rider were killed during the last season (I don't know how many horses were killed and injured). If that were to happen in Formula 1, the sport would be modified out of existence.

[/ QUOTE ]

Some would say that has already happened to Formula 1. I do think though that you have to bear in mind the relative numbers of people competing in the sports. Only 22 drivers compete in Formula One during a season (barring substitutions) compared to the vast numbers of people taking part in eventing. Of course 11 deaths is 11 too many, but has this increased proportionally over the years as things get more technical and more competitive or is the increase simply a result of more people participating.
 
I personally don't like it, I think the jumps are far too big and too many horses start for it to be safe. I can't watch it, it makes me feel sick.
 
The reason it is such a contested race is because it is so difficult and scary.
Surely it's the 'ultimate' test to be won by the 'ultimate' horse?
The fame and glory the winner recieves is equal to the feat it has just achieved.
And IMO directly comparable to Badminton.
 
[ QUOTE ]
Of course 11 deaths is 11 too many, but has this increased proportionally over the years as things get more technical and more competitive or is the increase simply a result of more people participating.

[/ QUOTE ]

That is a good point, but when I heard of an American rider being seriously injured and hospitalised then a week later a top level American horse was injured and had to be PTS immediately, it occurred that maybe the courses are just getting too difficult / technical.

Some years ago I visited Aintree, as it still has a car circuit around the infield. Those jumps are as big as they look, and the ditch at Beeches Brook looked like it could swallow a saloon car
shocked.gif
 
[ QUOTE ]
QR: Of course it is absolutely tragic when a rider loses their life or is seriously injured, there is no getting away from that. However, a rider has the CHOICE of whether to do certain disciplines or not, a horse does not.



[/ QUOTE ]

The same could be said of horses hit by cars yet many of us are guilty of choosing to take the risk of riding on the roads. The fact is horses need a job to warrent the time and expense of keeping them, this includes race horses and competition horses IMO.
 
The horses do enjoy it. We'd a horse in our yard that ran in 3 Grand Nationals and even into his twenties you could see him eyeing up the hedges around the fields
wink.gif
His owner said he enjoyed the National and jumping in general
grin.gif


I have to admit though in the last few years I haven't been able to watch the Grand National live. I tape it and when I find out all horses are okay, I'll rewind it and watch it then!!
grin.gif


P.S King John's Castle to win it!
grin.gif
 
Sometimes I think they should raise the rating, as some of the horses are totally out of the handicap. I think that it has been a victim of circumstance in recent years, if the ground is bottomless the horses tire quickly and are more likely to fall, if the ground is fast then the horses travel to quickly and that causes as many problems. Anyone who knows these horses will tell you that it is there complete reason for being, they love the thrill of the race,those that don't want to race won't make it very far in their career and certainly not to the big race meetings!
 
I have a ex racer and he has had so many lameness issues I think they are all related to his early start in life.He was racing at three and its too much for them.He has osteoarthritis at the age of 6 im sure its wear and tear.I dont have a problem with racing but I think they should wait until they have matured and developed properly.I dont like the grand national Ill only watch if a horse isnt injured and I dont bet.
 
i do watch it (im waiting for the boos)
there is danger in any sport that is to do with horses
jumping jumps that high is no different to jumping 7ft 3 wall etc it is sad when horses die though
 
Of course one dead horse or human is one too many and all sensable precautions need to be taken but I dont have a problem with the race.
Yep,it's extreme and carries risk,but a horse can die in the field-should we not turn them out?
 
Haven't read other replies, but my feeling is that yes, it is pretty fair.

There is a risk involved of course, and some horses do get killed but as you say, the same can be said of eventing, which is equally dangerous IMO.

In any horse sport, particularly one involving speed and jumping there are going to be casualties, but unless you abolish them completely you can never really remove that risk.
 
[ QUOTE ]
Of course one dead horse or human is one too many and all sensable precautions need to be taken but I dont have a problem with the race.
Yep,it's extreme and carries risk,but a horse can die in the field-should we not turn them out?

[/ QUOTE ]

I suppose the thing is, that there are far fewer horse deaths from turning out in the paddock? And going out in a paddock is far more natural than racing over huge jumps?
 
I'm going to the Grand National on Saturday.......last year I was standing at the jump when Icare D'Auzay hit the flag pole at Badminton.......yes, these deaths are horrific, but they are not that common.

I'm pretty sure that statistically a horse is more likely to die in its field than at one of these events when they're at their physical peak.
 
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Of course one dead horse or human is one too many and all sensable precautions need to be taken but I dont have a problem with the race.
Yep,it's extreme and carries risk,but a horse can die in the field-should we not turn them out?

[/ QUOTE ]

I suppose the thing is, that there are far fewer horse deaths from turning out in the paddock? And going out in a paddock is far more natural than racing over huge jumps?

[/ QUOTE ]

Are there really fewer deaths out in the field though, or is it just that all fatalities in racing are recorded and publicised, so anyone who wants to can find out the exact numbers, whereas nobody really knows how many horses die in field accidents, because no-one counts them?
crazy.gif
 
I never miss it on the telly and my heart is in my mouth throughout the race BUT I must admit that it does bring me down to earth with a bump when I hear that they've put screens up around a faller. I love NH racing and have shares in two horses - my winter Saturday afternoons are always spent infront of the box if I'm not out following hounds on foot.

Most NH chasers are not broken until they are rising 4 years old and are doing what they enjoy doing best and are bred specifically for the job. How many times have you seen loose horses, albeit sometimes a nuisance, carry on around the course with the others? They definitely look as though they are enjoying themselves.

On a personal note I would really like to see a good friend of mine, AP McCoy, win his first ever Grand National as it seems to have alluded him all this time. I was so gutted for him when Clan Royal was taken out by a loose horse a couple of years ago. This year he has chosen to ride Butlers Cabin - I do hope it is the right choice!!
laugh.gif
laugh.gif
laugh.gif
 
I love the Grand National and dont think its cruel. they have modified the fences to make them less dangerous. There will always be fatalities in NH racing, however, the horses wouldnt even be here if the sport didnt exist. I obviously hate to see a horse get hurt, however see no reason to ban eventing or racing. There will always be risks and like people have said, horses can get injured simply being turned out in the field.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top