Racing today

reynold said:
The two articles @Marshpiper mentioned above are these:


The above one about Gold Dancer is free to read.

This one by Joe Collins about the welfare case for pulling up is subscriber only sadly.

www.theirishfield.ie

Riding responsibly: the welfare case for pulling up

Veterinary surgeon Joe Collins calls for smarter riding on tired horses
www.theirishfield.ie www.theirishfield.ie
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Thank you for the article, I'm not a vet but tbh, I stopped reading after the sentence, Paul Townend is an exceptional horsesman.....

Any pony club rider or in this case, anyone with eyes could see that the horses wasn't rigfht... It's all about money and no article will ever change that.
 
rabatsa said:
Years ago I worked at a small stud that bred horses for jump racing. The mare which produced the most winners was only three quarters tb. They produced good substantial youngsters and kept them until 3 years old when they sold them at the sales. The year that I worked there they had two they had bred in the Grand National. It was the year Rag Trade won.
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That's when chasers looked like chasers and not flat horses that took a wrong turn somewhere and ended up on a jumps track. I think a lot of it started with the precocious French hurdlers coming over. They are a lot lighter and a lot quicker and just don't seem to have the substance that you used to see. I owned a French-bred ex-hurdler, and although he was a big horse, he was very leggy and had broken down twice. He was all TB though, rather than SF.

Racehorses have, in the main been bred for speed over soundness and it's catching up. Although why there are seemingly more catastrophic injuries on the flat these days, who knows? They've always been started as yearlings and raced early. Maybe they're not being trained as hard, so they are breaking down later on racecourses, rather than early on at home where they're not seen in public. Or maybe there actually aren't more than there used to be, it's just more widely known about with more televised races and social media.

I'm sure someone has been looking into it. Whether the information is useful, who knows?
 
Janique said:
Thank you for the article, I'm not a vet but tbh, I stopped reading after the sentence, Paul Townend is an exceptional horsesman.....

Any pony club rider or in this case, anyone with eyes could see that the horses wasn't rigfht... It's all about money and no article will ever change that.
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It’s a shame you did not fully read the article…
 
Beausmate said:
That's when chasers looked like chasers and not flat horses that took a wrong turn somewhere and ended up on a jumps track. I think a lot of it started with the precocious French hurdlers coming over. They are a lot lighter and a lot quicker and just don't seem to have the substance that you used to see. I owned a French-bred ex-hurdler, and although he was a big horse, he was very leggy and had broken down twice. He was all TB though, rather than SF.

Racehorses have, in the main been bred for speed over soundness and it's catching up. Although why there are seemingly more catastrophic injuries on the flat these days, who knows? They've always been started as yearlings and raced early. Maybe they're not being trained as hard, so they are breaking down later on racecourses, rather than early on at home where they're not seen in public. Or maybe there actually aren't more than there used to be, it's just more widely known about with more televised races and social media.

I'm sure someone has been looking into it. Whether the information is useful, who knows?
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I’m sure I read that them only being trained on artificial surfaces doesn’t help.
 
I need to read it again, to fully form an opinion….but I am sorry the Joe Collins article cannot be linked, because it does make a lot of sense…..
Just to add I don’t think racing should be banned, as I truly believe the authorities are working to make it safer..
Also there is a lot of talk re 2 year olds racing and I do wish the age limit was three, but the Irish Field does cover harness racing and those horses also start competing at 2…
There are far more knowledgeable racing people than me on here…
 
Janique said:
Thank you for the article, I'm not a vet but tbh, I stopped reading after the sentence, Paul Townend is an exceptional horsesman.....

Any pony club rider or in this case, anyone with eyes could see that the horses wasn't rigfht... It's all about money and no article will ever change that.
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Any rider "could see." Well could you see? Even my vet says it is very hard for any rider to detect hindleg lameness. At a gallop, at the end of a race? The horse was going forward a few yards from the finish line.

I wonder how many critics of racing have actually ridden a horse at a gallop over jumps to know what it feels like. They are getting tired, not matter how fit, the jockey has to keep them in balance.
 
Crazy_cat_lady said:
Good to see when connections make the right decision. Shame the same can't be said for Hewick who they will continue to try and milk on Thursday at punchestown.

Surprised Edwardstone wasn't retired on a high Saturday

Wonder what Energumene will get up to in his retirement
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Yes agree with Hewick. He has done the rounds.
 
Orangehorse said:
Any rider "could see." Well could you see? Even my vet says it is very hard for any rider to detect hindleg lameness. At a gallop, at the end of a race? The horse was going forward a few yards from the finish line.

I wonder how many critics of racing have actually ridden a horse at a gallop over jumps to know what it feels like. They are getting tired, not matter how fit, the jockey has to keep them in balance.
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The horse was only going forwards because the jockey pushing him and using his whip...

I haven't ridden at racing pace but in training and if there was any doubt in the jockey's mind then he should have pulled up.

Having the balls to stop the horse and stick to his decision, that what a real horseman would have done, sorry.
 
Orangehorse said:
Any rider "could see." Well could you see? Even my vet says it is very hard for any rider to detect hindleg lameness. At a gallop, at the end of a race? The horse was going forward a few yards from the finish line.

I wonder how many critics of racing have actually ridden a horse at a gallop over jumps to know what it feels like. They are getting tired, not matter how fit, the jockey has to keep them in balance.
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The (very brief) enquiry into the Gold Dancer fatality found this.

"After reviewing the footage, the director of equine, safety, and welfare explained that Gold Dancer's action was typical of a three-mile chaser in the final stages of a race and supported the evidence of Townend. After hearing all of their evidence, the stewards noted Townend’s explanation."

Do you find it acceptable that the racing authorities consider it to be acceptable that a horse can be pressed so hard at the end of a race that it loses its action so much that an experienced jockey can’t be expected to notice that the horse is not just exhausted, but is fatally injured?

Racing, and supporters of racing, do not come out of this at all well.
 
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