sad facts of racing

Hmmm, well if you want to believe that riding horses at all is 'right' then each to their own, I have seen horrific abuse in polo ponies and dressage horses, just it is covered up more than racing which is more in the public demain.
 
Quite...lets have an expose on dressage, eventing and SJ.
TB's are mainly bred for a particular sport - which in their training is probably the most natural - i.e. they are taught ot go forward and fast....not the same for dressage / SJ.
Yes there is a big fall out rate - not all TB's bred can be successful racehorses - but they do go on to be very successful in other spheres, not least as happy hackers and PC/ RC all-rounders. If we all (in the equone world) began toappreciate the TB more - and went to the Ascot sales (for instance ) for a nice inexpensive horse to have fun on, then thinking that it needs to be a warm blood or similar - then the ex racer TB would have a more secured option. The amount of happy hackers I know that heve brought expensive warm bloods (who don't hack out on theor own...) Is frightening. I have yet to buty a 2nd hand race horse who I have not been happy with - albeit it a hunter / RC horse / point-to-pointer. If I have ever sold one, it has always gone to another loving home.....unlike a WB who is currently advertised for sale locally, that is struggling because it won't hack out on its own, and maybe will perform in a 40X60 M arena and get a mediocre dressage score.....!
 
Yes i agree laafet i have seen a horrible video of dressage abuse recently and i have heard terrible stories of polo ponies in argentina. I just posted this as i feel strongly about the way these horses are disposed of when they are no longer profitable i love TB s and i have had several from a trainer i worked for in newmarket im not against racing. Just the after effects on the animal thats all.
 
Haveago i think your missing the point of the post ! I understand horses get injured in all disciplines. Im pointing out the abuse these animals recieve after they become un profitable in the raing industry.
 
Yes, no doubt there is factory racing - I know there is (as my son works in the industry, and has experienced the good & the bad) and we have pointers.....but there are lots of young and not so young horses out there who need good homes, and will thrive, if only the TB did not have such a bad press amongst the less knowledgable.
 
I do not agree with 2 yo racehorses being shot because they are deemed 'useless', I think this is horrific as such a waste of a healthy animal.

However, I work in insuring horses and, yes horse do die racing, it's not nice at all, noone wants that. We do not insure horses but I could not even tell you the amount of horse deaths we have claims for for horses who are doing nothing more than grazing in a field, running about in their fields or just doing something 'silly' out on a hack that results in a broken limb.

It's a fact of life I'm afraid. I saw the racing today, Our Vic winning a race - he's 12 years old and still going strong and, by all accounts loving it! I don't think you can say racing is any worse than any other horse sport to be honest and racehorses in general lead a more natural horse life than many others. For example dressage horses and breeding stallions spending the majority of their life couped up in a stable? To be THAT is the utmost cruelty.

Another thing I don't like are the spelling mistakes in that article!!
 
Pipe had two good winners today - Mamlock with Haddon Frost aboard and Our Vic with Danny Cook - fantastic opportunity for two young jockeys....sadly H&H forum does not do spell check.....!
 
Ah I only saw Our Vic, I was willing him to stay on, he was brilliant!!

I did like the horse who wouldn't start in one race though - makes me chuckle, you can't make them do what they don't want to! Lol
 
Absolutely right - you can't make them - and they will make fools of all of us! Full of nervous anxiety as I am running a horse tomorrow who has had a year off because of a leg problem - but he is a RACEHORSE.......and fairly crap at any other job, he hated his year off , is loving being back in training - the whole family are involved with him, we will all be in bits if it goes wrong - but other than chucking him out in a field where he is misarable- what else do we do?
 
How horses end?
Where's the section for the many that DO get rehabilitated and rehomed?

Whoever wrote that had a one track mind and I can't stand such blatently biased articles such as that.
 
Harbridge - Chipley Park - nr Milverton, Somerset (point-to-pointing) He win the race we have entered him in (Novice riders) 2 years ago at 33-1! With eldest child riding him - same scenario tomorrow, but guessing he will be more in the range of 10-1!
 
I SO AGREE. I HAVE 2 EX-RACEHORSES. THE OLDEST ONE WAS VERY SUCCESSFUL BUT WENT SOUR AFTER A BIG WIN (AFTER 5 YEARS RACING), WAS SENT POINTING BUT STILL NOT INTERESTED. I WAS LUCKY ENOUGH TO GET HIM AFTER A YEAR CHUCKED OUT IN A FIELD - WAS VERY DOWN AND DEPRESSED. HE SOON THRIVED ON HIS NEW JOB AND WE ENDED UP EVENTING - HE LOVED THE XC. HE IS A REAL TOUGHY, BOTH PHYSICALLY AND MENTALLY. UNFORTUNATELY HE HAS SPAVIN IN BOTH HOCKS NOW - NOT THAT YOU'D KNOW IT. HE STILL LOVES TO JUMP (ONLY OCCASIONALLY ON A SURFACE OR GOOD GROUND NOW - I DO WRAP HIM UP IN COTTON WOOL A BIT!) AND DOESN'T KNOW HOW TO STOP OR RUN OUT. HE IS A HORSE OF A LIFETIME AND DESERVES A GOOD RETIREMENT.

THE SECOND ONE I WASN'T SO LUCKY WITH - TERRIBLE IN TRAINING AND ONLY DID ONE BUMPER WHERE HE WAS LAST (WEIRDLY WAS FROM THE VERY BEST RACING BREEDING). FOUND LIFE ON A BIG YARD VERY STRESSFUL SO CAME TO ME IN A BAD WAY - VERY SKINNY AND DOWN - FOUND OUT HE HAD A VIRUS TOO. COULD ONLY RIDE HIM FOR ABOUT 15 MONUTES TO START AND HE WOULD JUST LOSE ALL POWER. GOT 6 MONTHS BRILLIANT WORK FROM HIM - MOVED BEAUTIFULLY AND HAD GOOD NATURAL JUMPING ABILITY - NOT THE BRAVEST THOUGH. UNFORTUNATELY HE DAMAGED A TENDON, MESSING ABOUT IN THE FIELD, AND ALTHOUGH IT HEALED BRILLIANTLY, HE GOT A COMPENSATORY STRAIN IN OPPOSITE LEG THAT HAS RESULTED IN HIM BEING INTERMITTENTLY LAME. RATHER IRONIC THAT HE MANAGED TO GET THROUGH TRAINING AND A RACE WITH NO PROBLEM! SO JUST PROVES THAT IT CAN HAPPEN ANY TIME.

UNFORTUNATELY PEOPLE THINK THAT TB'S AREN'T CAPABLE OF DOING ANYTHING ELSE AND THAT THEY ARE DIFFICULT. SOME OF THE MOST LAID BACK HORSES I KNOW ARE EX-RACEHORSES - BEEN THERE, DONE THAT TYPES. THEY ARE HIGH MAINTENANCE (FEED, RUGS ETC) PARTICULARLY IN THE WINTER BUT ARE INCREDIBLY INTELLIGENT AND FAST LEARNERS. THERE'S NOTHING BETTER THAN GALLOPING ALONG THE BEACH KNOWING THAT YOU STILL HAVE MORE GEARS IF YOU NEED THEM
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DIDN'T LIKE THAT ARTICLE AT ALL - THERE ARE SOME HORSES THAT THRIVE ON RACING - OLD VIC AND SPOT THEDIFFERENCE ARE VERY GOOD EXAMPLES. POOR INGLIS DREVER DIED OF COLIC WHILE IN RETIREMENT - ANOTHER HORSE THAT LOVED HIS JOB. UNFORTUNATELY THERE ARE A HUGE NUMBER THAT DON'T MAKE IT - RESPONSIBLE BREEDING AND REHOMING ARE VERY IMPORTANT.
 
Some interesting points here one i like in particular :

"but they do go on to be very successful in other spheres, not least as happy hackers and PC/ RC all-rounders. If we all (in the equine world) began toappreciate the TB more"

its ashame everyone doesnt think like this.

I do appreciate there are the odd few horses that are bred to race and find it hard to settle into another job in that case the horse i believe should be disposed of humanley.
Good luck to the people who have horses running today and if any of you decide to give up your horse ill have it!!
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..... I don't think you can say racing is any worse than any other horse sport .....
..... For example dressage horses and breeding stallions spending the majority of their life couped up in a stable .....
Another thing I don't like are the spelling mistakes in that article!!
I totally agree with your first quote - I worked in racing for many years and saw nothing untoward compared to what I have seen with some Stallions and Dressage & Show animals.
Some Section C/D In-Hand Cobs are treated appallingly.
Re: your spelling mistake sentence - I assume you do mean "cooped" NOT couped !!
 
Remember that racehorses aren't bred for anything other than speed, and some TBs have some very odd conformation. There was a point to pointer round here that had a completely crooked leg, I have no idea how it stayed sound enough to train let alone race. (I haven't looked on the link).

I wonder if the young horses which are put down have really dodgy conformation, that no one would want to buy, or they have had an injury, or they have problems with temperament. You may think that the owners are making a reasonable decision. There are enough "problem" horses doing the rounds without adding to them.

I am sure that breeders/trainers with a decent looking horse that was OK to handle would rather send it to a sale where it could do another job rather than shoot it for peanuts.
 
I would just like to add that in USA dirt is an absolute killer. I have a friend who rides work in Los Angeles and a horse ambulance and human one are always on standby because they have horses break legs daily in training. Until USA goes to cushion track they will continue to have this problem, things are slowly changing but not fast enough.
 
yes I thought I had heard that about US dirt tracks lec.

and I think the americans have made a rod for their own back no longer having any slaughter houses anymore so now the poor things get shipped to mexico or canada instead. Madness IMO and not conducive to good horse welfare.
 
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