racing: for or against?

tigerlily12345

tigerlily12345

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i have been reading the threads today about GN etc and think ive come to the conclusion that it really isnt any worse than any other event, esp cross country, which i love to watch. having ridden ex-racers, not to mention most other horses, i know they love to gallop! so it cant be that cruel, can it? my issue with racing is the waste, 100's of TB being PTS or sold from pillar to post (apart from the lucky minority that get re-homed that is) and, correct me if im wrong, but i would have thought most competition horses that dont 'make the cut' are sold down the line to lower levels (if that makes sense :confused:) so there would be much less wastage. im just wondering what everyones else's views are?
 
shysmum said:
100 % against. Animal welfare issues.
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completely agree. i think peopel involved with racing have more concern over the amount of money they are worth than the welfare of the horses. i hate watching it in the fear that something will go wrong.
 
You obviously have no concept over the care and attention that horses in training get then. Do you really think that a horse would be fit enough to run if it wasn't cared for properly? They have the best veterinary care possible, and the whole industry is highly regulated. If you want to see welfare issues then I suggest you get down to your local livery yard asap and see the ponies with laminitis because they get fed too much and the horses being tied down with the latest gadget to get them 'on the bit'.
 
lhotse said:
You obviously have no concept over the care and attention that horses in training get then. Do you really think that a horse would be fit enough to run if it wasn't cared for properly? They have the best veterinary care possible, and the whole industry is highly regulated. If you want to see welfare issues then I suggest you get down to your local livery yard asap and see the ponies with laminitis because they get fed too much and the horses being tied down with the latest gadget to get them 'on the bit'.
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My thoughts exactly. The deaths today were tragic, but not long drawn out months/years of pain and discomfort. Look at any local dressage/showjumping comp to see amateurs riding lame and/or horses with muscular pain week after week. Livery yards with horses owned by incompetant owners being dragged in from the field with incorrectly used chifneys and control headcollars, over fed, fat, laminitic....
Perhaps a swift end for a well trained and professionally looked after horse is kinder than an uncomfortable long drawn out life.
 
Ive just been having this debate on facebook, and im sorry but i have no time for people who say it is cruel, they are being ridiculous. That is what these animals are bred for and they love it. Death is a part of life and they died doing something they love, if I died doing something I loved, that would be fine by me. Its the same as any other equestrian sport, we make the horses do it, but if they didnt want to, they would not. Definitely FOR racing....
 
I'm pro racing, pro hunting, pro dressage, pro show jumping and pro eventing... string me up and feed me to the crows!! :D

I did today watch the Grand National slightly hiding behind my hands because it was very fast going and if something was going to happen I had a feeling it wouldn't be minor. But I watched the whole race and then the re-run.

I was very excited with the horse I picked, Majestic Concorde, he had a fabulous run until a really unfair slip of the saddle. He broke away a bit too early and started to run out of steam by the Canal Turn so with some more fitness training I look forward to him returning next year, definately one to watch!

I love seeing nothing more than a horse with it's ears pricked, on it's toes and loving life and their job, the National is damn tough and HUGE, I watch it in awe. Of course in all horse sports there are ones that don't look like they are having fun, they are easy to spot though, they are the ones that are STOOD STILL! ;)
 
I totally enjoyed "watching" a couple of people get completely squished, loved seeing the horses break thier necks... my favourite bit that was. Stupid things, if you can't jump, then well, you die. oh and so fabulus that the rest managed to jump massive piles of tree trimmings just for fun. Can't wait for more carnage next year!!!

Rah rah, snort snort. Yee hah old bean! Top!
 
tallyho! said:
I totally enjoyed "watching" a couple of people get completely squished, loved seeing the horses break thier necks... my favourite bit that was. Stupid things, if you can't jump, then well, you die. oh and so fabulus that the rest managed to jump massive piles of tree trimmings just for fun. Can't wait for more carnage next year!!!

Rah rah, snort snort. Yee hah old bean! Top!
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you don't have to watch it....?
 
cuppatea said:
you don't have to watch it....?
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Oh but it's so much fun!

(Don't worry, I didn't really watch it... I went and watched Bath play and almost get thrashed by Exeter - plenty of human carnage - better for the soul)
 
I love racing.
A lot of the people who are against are completley uneducated about the indusrty (which it is, an industy), unrealistic and have come biased conclusions based on little actual fact.
I do beleive though it is not for everyone, and that's fair enough, just like some people don't like showing or eventing or show jumping etc
 
tallyho! said:
I totally enjoyed "watching" a couple of people get completely squished, loved seeing the horses break thier necks... my favourite bit that was. Stupid things, if you can't jump, then well, you die. oh and so fabulus that the rest managed to jump massive piles of tree trimmings just for fun. Can't wait for more carnage next year!!!

Rah rah, snort snort. Yee hah old bean! Top!
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You are very stupid. I have asked this elsewhere but perhaps you will explain why evening is acceptable and horse racing not? There is much more racing, probably the ratio of deaths to runners is similar. Why are the people who chose to run their horses in this race more unkind than an eventer whose horse dies. I can think of a few prominent ones.
 
Hmmm, I know of one well known event rider who's horse had a fall and put it straight in the box with a broken pelvis. It had bled to death by the time it got home. He was berated by another very high profile rider for his bad riding too. Now that would not happen on a racecourse.
 
I am 100% for racing, having worked in it for most of my life I love it.
I don't understand how people can pick out one sport and say it's cruel. If we're nit picking then IMO keeping a horse domesticated for any reason is cruel.
There's nothing wrong with any equine sports, its the over breeding of horses we should be worrying about right now, not the Grand National, which as mentioned plenty of times on TV today, is the best race in the world!
 
lhotse said:
Hmmm, I know of one well known event rider who's horse had a fall and put it straight in the box with a broken pelvis. It had bled to death by the time it got home. He was berated by another very high profile rider for his bad riding too. Now that would not happen on a racecourse.
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Why on earth do you think this will not happen on a racecourse - that is total crap. Racing for the sucessful horses is the best ever life. They are looked after like royalty and end their days as heroes. For those that are too slow or break down too early it is a completely different story.

You are now thinking "oh she is a bunny/tree hugger" oh far from the truth - I love hunting, shooting, racing the whole shebang, but I will not close my eyes to the wastage of the racing industry and nor should anyone else.

Those horses that died today were at the top of their sphere - they were and would have always been treated like equine royalty and died doing what they were good at and bred for but we must NEVER forget those that do not make the grade and for that I hate the racing industry.
 
I think you have mis-understood my post. A horse on a racetrack would not have been able to leave with a broken pelvis, it would have been dealt with at the track. I was not referring to the ones who do not make the grade.
 
Racing has never really interested me, didnt watch the GN, but then I never do, the only GN I have watched from start to finish was the movie 'Champions' with John hurt in it! (interestingly, you see some VERY scary falls in THAT....)

I guess you have to think....where do you draw the line? Racing? Eventing? Show Jumping? even Endurance......?

I don't know, I don't have the answers, it's sad that people and horses are injured and killed, but I can't stop it, and I don't watch it.

Not sure about banning it, it's a massive industry whether we like it or not, and many people depend on it, that aside from the gambling.....

As for safety, a rethink perhaps on the size of the field maybe....?
 
shysmum said:
Oh dear, I'm getting it tonight !!! hahaha !!!! Lmfao.
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Shysmum, you are entitled to your opinion, and I applaud you for having the guts to go against the grain (even if I do disagree with you ;):D)

I would like to ask you (genuinely) - do you ride?

I adore racing, but if we banned it on the grounds of it being cruel, I think that might be the start of the slippery slope towards all horse sports being banned....
 
I love NH racing, tbh flat racing is a bit boring and it's always the rich owners that win it .... jump racing is fab, I love the fact that a horse from a little village in the middle of nowhere can train a horse that qualifies for the national :) it was a fab race today :) so exciting and I didn't even have a bet :rolleyes:
 
I have loved racing from being a small child (with a gambling much older Brother In Law who used to take me because I liked horses). I'm not sure I 'like' the racing industry as such, especially with what is going on at the moment. I love/hate the GN, it is such a momentous event in the racing calender but the fatalities/injuries are sad and seem such a waste. The jumps were far bigger and more dangerous when I was younger but I think the numbers need to be a little more limited as half the problem is the sheer number of runners. So, I am for racing (and all other equine sports if it comes to it)
 
I have to agree with Ihotse but I cant speak for livery yards.
I run a Small private flat tb stud and the horses get the utmost of care.If they were a person they would have private healthcare all the way.If we cant figure out a problem then they get every test,scan,x-ray available to them until we find the cause.If they need a break from training they come home and go out to nice lush grass for as long as they need to settle and chill out and if they are not up to scratch they are found loving,caring homes where they can pony club,jump and hack etc.They never go to slaughter but if they get a life threatening injury at the races then they are pts for their own good as we would never let them suffer,I can tell you the vets bills are scary at times but they are given every cahnce so please dont tar everyone with the same brush.
 
I would have no issue with horses who race in the GN or the likes as they so obviously recieve top care. They are a business and are treated as such, it is in everyone's interest to have them at peak health so all provisions would be taken to ensure their health/happiness. When things do go wrong they are pts humanely. Although their lives may be cut short, I do believe they lead a quality life which is a lot more than can be said for other equines.

My problem with the racing industry is the vast numbers of unwanted animals that it produces and the sorry fate many of them face. The ones who are lucky enought to make it to the tracks like the GN are lucky IMO and are treated preciously because of what they mean to the owner/trainer in terms of livelihood etc. It is a passion for people, they love the animals involved. Its the less talented ones who people should be going on about.
 
BallyshanHorses said:
I have to agree with Ihotse but I cant speak for livery yards.
I run a Small private flat tb stud and the horses get the utmost of care.If they were a person they would have private healthcare all the way.If we cant figure out a problem then they get every test,scan,x-ray available to them until we find the cause.If they need a break from training they come home and go out to nice lush grass for as long as they need to settle and chill out and if they are not up to scratch they are found loving,caring homes where they can pony club,jump and hack etc.They never go to slaughter but if they get a life threatening injury at the races then they are pts for their own good as we would never let them suffer,I can tell you the vets bills are scary at times but they are given every cahnce so please dont tar everyone with the same brush.
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That is wonderful and very commendable, but, I believe you are sadly the exception rather than the rule.
 
I adore NH racing and just love to see the old favourites come out year after year. The only downside is when horses get killed on the track but Im enough of a realist to know horses die in every discipline.

I wouldnt walk up the road to watch a flat race not unless it was of the calibre of Sea The Stars.
 
The Grand National is what got me into horses, I remember watching the race a looooooong time ago and placing a 'bet' (I was about 10!) on Party Politics. I love it, but do prefer NH racing.

People have said to me today that the GN is 'barbaric and unnecessary', but these horses are treated with the best care which can't be said for a lot of the downtrodden riding school horses and fat show ponies, etc etc etc......

Of course it's sad when any horse dies, but these horses are not 'pets' and they have a job to do, a job which contributes to an industry that is worth millions in the UK economy.

People who say it's cruel, does that mean you think the same of ensurance, western, polo...? The list is endless, we can say every horse sport is wrong and 'barbaric' if you look at what we ask horses to do for us
 
a good TB is a wonderful creature , created from hundreds of years of selective breeding for courage, ability, stamina and soundness. There are trainers, jockeys, grooms and owners who are a credit to racing and those who are not.
I have seen more miserable horses owned by non racing people, if I think about it - wrongly fed, badly ridden, lameness (especially back or hind lameness) unrecognised and illness, pain, stress and discomfort caused by a lack of knowledge.
A racehorse, imo, is less likely to experience this lack of knowledge.

However, I would like to see the racing industry take more responsibilty for horse welfare after their racing career is ended. - don't we owe them that?
 
lhotse said:
You obviously have no concept over the care and attention that horses in training get then. Do you really think that a horse would be fit enough to run if it wasn't cared for properly? They have the best veterinary care possible, and the whole industry is highly regulated. If you want to see welfare issues then I suggest you get down to your local livery yard asap and see the ponies with laminitis because they get fed too much and the horses being tied down with the latest gadget to get them 'on the bit'.
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I understand what your saying but what hapens afterwards, when the horses are no lobnger fit to be raced? do they still recieve the best vetrinary care possible or so they end up with ailments caused by racing and whos job is it to deal with this?
 
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