Poll: Do you see racing being banned?

[Crazy_cat_lady]

Linked to the debate around the Grand National, I thought I'd set a poll up as to how people can see racing going on the future. OH asked an interesting question before the GN as to whether I thought it will eventually be banned. I answered with what I could see but thought it an interesting question and will be interested to see what others think, and why

I did try to have a balanced poll with flat racing only banned as an option for each time period, but there weren't enough options so have stuck with NH as it's the most hotly contested, although we also know about the issues relating to flat, hence why I wanted to include it

As a follow on poll to this, it would be interesting to see another poll around using horses for sport in general and whether people can see some activities going faster than others, a blanket ban, or none at all banned

 

[Bobthecob15]

Will continue with lower jumps and smaller field is my prediction!

 

[fetlock]

Haven’t picked a choice yet as found it harder to than I thought beforehand.

I don’t think it will be banned outright (£4 billion industry in the UK, powerful figures influencing, the hit to gambling, depends on who wins the next GE etc being why) but do expect major changes and well before this decade is out.

 

[tda]

Too much money in it , will never be banned

 

[TPO]

Too much money in it , will never be banned

This

 

[PipsqueakXy22]

I don’t personally like racing but I don’t think it will be banned, not in my lifetime anyway, there is just so much money involved

 

[Honey08]

It doesn’t need to be banned, but it needs to change. I hate The Grand National, but I’d love it if it had a much smaller number of runners. It wouldn’t even need much lowering of fences if that was to happen. But I don’t think the racing industry is very good at evolving and seeing beyond their blinkers.

 

[rextherobber]

Has any other horse sport caused the death of 60 horses in 4 months?

 

[ycbm]

I think both will stop eventually but not in the timescales you've given. 50 years perhaps. But i can also see riding any horse becoming perceived as unethical in that sort of time period, especially as animatronic alternatives become more available.
.

 

[bonny]

Has any other horse sport caused the death of 60 horses in 4 months?

How many horses overall have died in the last 4 months? Or do only deaths racing count ? Our quest for competing horses in all disciplines leads to who knows how many deaths but they aren’t as public as the racing ones.

 

[Caol Ila]

I think both will stop eventually but not in the timescales you've given. 50 years perhaps. But i can also see riding any horse becoming perceived as unethical in that sort of time period, especially as animatronic alternatives become more available.
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So long as we continue to do an excellent job of electing governments who could not find their a*rse with both hands and a flashlight, I don't think racing, much less riding in general, will be banned in the lifetime of anyone posting on this forum.

 

[PinkvSantaboots]

Too much money in it , will never be banned

Agree

 

[FinnishLapphund]

To me Grand National (and eventing) is like Formula 1, there will probably always be people interested in the thrill of seeing/gambling on the fastest cars/horses competing on the most difficult courses.

I view animal right activists as just another version of militant vegans, and the crazy idiots who e.g. are ruining art on museums in the name of trying to save the environment. I'm worried sick about climate change, and the way we're treating our poor planete, but I still wouldn't want to be associated with any of the militant lunatics.

 

[Elf On A Shelf]

I'm not trying to pass the bat but there is honestly a lot more wrong in racing on the flat and the bloodstock than in National Hunt. The wastage rate there is incredibly, incredibly scary.

I don't think all racing will ever be banned but I can see the Grand National, and all races over those fences, being lost at some stage in the next 2 decades. (And in all honesty I wouldn't be that sad about that!)

 

[J&S]

It is impossible for any of us to predict what the world will be like in the coming decades, and tbh I don't really want to think about it! BUT.......I would imagine , if horse racing was banned but horses per se were still around, there would be a couple of chaps or girls, who would want to see who had the fastest horse and then slowly horse racing would build up again, just like it did back in the day.

 

[toppedoff]

I'm not trying to pass the bat but there is honestly a lot more wrong in racing on the flat and the bloodstock than in National Hunt. The wastage rate there is incredibly, incredibly scary.

I don't think all racing will ever be banned but I can see the Grand National, and all races over those fences, being lost at some stage in the next 2 decades. (And in all honesty I wouldn't be that sad about that!)

Do you think if those races are lost, there would be more major changes on the flat?

 

[splashgirl45]

I think they need to look at the size of the fields for the GN but not lower the jumps any more as the lower they are the faster they will go . It would be interesting to know how many racehorse deaths happen in hurdles against chase fences as they seem to go much faster in hurdles . If racing is completely banned it will have a huge impact on the economy as well as putting thousands out of work so I can’t see it being banned on the near future although they might end up not running the GN

 

[Identityincrisis]

I’m not sure about banning it but my two major concerns are the wastage rate to find the Special One and whip use, I would love to see whip use banned

 

[Honey08]

I’m sorry, this is not a personal attack, but I get so sick of people whining about “militant vegans”. In the U.K. farmers and hunting fans seem to bang on about it all the time. Anyone who actually stands up for anything in the U.K. gets called militant. It really bugs me! We are such a pathetic country nowadays.

 

[MagicMelon]

I don’t personally like racing but I don’t think it will be banned, not in my lifetime anyway, there is just so much money involved

I’m sorry, this is not a personal attack, but I get so sick of people whining about “militant vegans”. In the U.K. farmers and hunting fans seem to bang on about it all the time. Anyone who actually stands up for anything in the U.K. gets called militant. It really bugs me! We are such a pathetic country nowadays.

Agree with first point - I dont like it and believe major changes will happen, I believe the GN will go eventually but they'll make big changes to it first.

Also agree with second point. If anyone disagrees with something like racing then so many people start slagging them off as bunny huggers (is that a bad thing?), vegans and city dwellers. Such rubbish. Many of us country folk disagree with it too.

 

[MagicMelon]

To me Grand National (and eventing) is like Formula 1, there will probably always be people interested in the thrill of seeing/gambling on the fastest cars/horses competing on the most difficult courses.

I view animal right activists as just another version of militant vegans, and the crazy idiots who e.g. are ruining art on museums in the name of trying to save the environment. I'm worried sick about climate change, and the way we're treating our poor planete, but I still wouldn't want to be associated with any of the militant lunatics.

What a crazy opinion, to view ALL people fighting for animal rights as "militant vegans". First of all why bring in that they're vegan, why target what they eat in a negative way? Im vegetarian but really cant stand the hatred veggies and vegans get, nobody should care what anyone else eats! And militant? Really? You get extremes of anything, I agree some of the extreme activists do not go about it the right way but I also have a lot of respect for the vast majority of peaceful ones who are actually trying to improve animals lives ultimately.

 

[Honey08]

I actually saw someone to do with racing being interviewed on the bbc news yesterday morning and he actually said something along the lines that they’d discovered that animal rebellion were all vegans and probably only targeted the race to push their cause! Even the presenter was shocked and replied why would them being vegan mean they weren’t genuinely protesting. The man said, well no, you know what I mean bla bla. He was as closed minded as can be, and made himself look really stupid. And he was meant to be representing the racing industry! And I see similar comments on pro hunting things, talking about protestors. Or farmers talking about vegans. They don’t do themselves any favours. They all need to open their eyes and look at other viewpoints. Just blasting them as townies or stupid just reflects on them as thoughtless and unable to debate. And that’s WHY they get protests.

 

[marmalade76]

All vegans are extremists, humans are not herbivores, the human body is not designed to survive on a plant only diet.

 

[FinnishLapphund]

What a crazy opinion, to view ALL people fighting for animal rights as "militant vegans". First of all why bring in that they're vegan, why target what they eat in a negative way? Im vegetarian but really cant stand the hatred veggies and vegans get, nobody should care what anyone else eats! And militant? Really? You get extremes of anything, I agree some of the extreme activists do not go about it the right way but I also have a lot of respect for the vast majority of peaceful ones who are actually trying to improve animals lives ultimately.

I clearly said I viewed them as another version of militant vegans, and those who ruins art in museums in the name of the environment, I have no idea if the later are connected to veganism or not.
I think it's great if persons can peacefully keep an eye on e.g. how slaughter house transports are done, and I think it's great that my local public transport system peacefully had a Pride flag campaign etc.

But protesters e.g. gluing themselves to a course fence just as a race is about to start, gluing themselves to tarmac closing a motorway for around 3 hours, getting up on the stage probably less than a metre away from Loreen as she was singing in our "Eurovision trials" and for all she knew could've been there to try to hurt her instead of holding up a sign about saving wetlands, or jumping out on a cross country skiing course spreading out red liquid over the tracks just before the competing skiers reached that part of the course resulting in at least 2 skiers nearly crashing into trees, are not something I view as peaceful protests.

By the way, I also don't like militant anti-abortion groups, nor militant religious groups either, and the later includes the Westboro Baptist Church in USA, with their "peaceful" protests at military funerals, against homosexuals, and everything else they hate (which is a lot). They're a disgrace for the Christian community as far as I'm concerned.

 

[sakura]

All vegans are extremists, humans are not herbivores, the human body is not designed to survive on a plant only diet.

 

[Elf On A Shelf]

The only issue I have with extremist protestors is that won't sit down and have a rational debate.

Most peaceful protests the people are willing to listen to you argue your case whilst they argue theirs. The extremists just shout you down and shout louder. Hence why we have to prove them wrong rather than fight with them.

 

[LEC]

There has been no government intervention on this. When government gets involved then you will see a change. Mind you a ‘sport’ which involves actual killing still goes on and hasn’t been banned so we will see!

 

[Lexi 123]

Yeah NH is definitely going to be banned completely I hate to be that person but one big accident with multiple horses being put down will ban jump racing you have to remember Ireland and the uk are the only countries were jump racing is popular it doesn’t exist most countries. It all flat racing in other countries because of the money . Also most studs only have flat racing stallion and mares. You rarely hear of successful Nh stallion and mares at stud Because flat racers are more expensive breeding wise than NH.

 

[Most Curious]

To me Grand National (and eventing) is like Formula 1, there will probably always be people interested in the thrill of seeing/gambling on the fastest cars/horses competing on the most difficult courses.

I view animal right activists as just another version of militant vegans, and the crazy idiots who e.g. are ruining art on museums in the name of trying to save the environment. I'm worried sick about climate change, and the way we're treating our poor planete, but I still wouldn't want to be associated with any of the militant lunatics.

During the 60's and 70's there were many Formula 1 racing fatalities. Since then many safety improvements have been to make the sport safer.
I believe the Grand National and other horse racing sports can be made safer as well, first for the horse and then the rider.
Making a horse jump huge fence's whilst bunched up with other riders seems rather risky.
Having all the fences 1 meter max in height would make a huge difference.

 

[rara007]

Whilst more of the masses are into gambling than welfare I expect little will change beyond slight alterations.