Should horse racing be banned?

No. Hand on heart as much as I love and care for the horses we have at home it is not a spot on how our horses in training are cared for. I fully support the industry.
 
webble said:
This ^^ I would like to see breeding reduced so there are fewer lower end horses who dont make the grade
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That's going to happen anyway - even if you reduce the numbers being bred, the same percentage will be duds who will never make the track. It's not like TB breeders are trying to breed lower end horses!!!
 
I know it will never be banned but I really believe lots more should be done to improve welfare standards. For example I am horrified that such young horses are still being raced, great way to absolutely ruin a horse from the very beginning. And I also agree with someone else that whips should be banned.
 
khalswitz said:
That's going to happen anyway - even if you reduce the numbers being bred, the same percentage will be duds who will never make the track. It's not like TB breeders are trying to breed lower end horses!!!
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Agree - although the suggestion did muster a giggle!
 
Whips are essential in case horse swerves or needs some sort of correction, the jockey has to remain in balance, they are travelling at 40mph, its a dangerous game, the whips are a tool to be used with caution, they are not used to beat the horse.
 
I wouldn't like to see racing banned but I would like to see it being reviewed and some things changed.

I don't think horses under 4 should be raced and I don't think they should go into any sort of training until they are 3 (at least), I think also that the breeding should be looked at - to a certain extent yes they are overbred as in far more are bred than will ever see a race but more concerning is the level of inbreeding - it's not good and doesn't do the breed any favours.
 
Definitely not banned, it is a business as well as a sport and the horses are its raw material.

Re young horses - well this was a buisness decision, as owners weren't willing to wait until their 4 year olds were ready to race over the long distances and matches that were the beginning of racing where the horses would gallop and gallop again, during the day and over long distances. Gave TBs staying power I suppose.

There is research that found that young horses that started work early remained sound in training more than those that started work later. Just to qualify this by saying that as far as a TB is concerned they are not looking to have sound racing horses of 20, just up to 12 or so.

Horses die racing, but no one sends out a horse to get injured and die, it is a hazard of being a horse. Mix up a heavy bodied horse, thin legs and speed and there are bound to be accidents. The only way to avoid this is not race horses at all. Remember Nicky Henderson when his hurdling stable star died, he was in tears.

There is a lot of work in the background regarding welfare that ordinary racegoers are not aware of, which is good. I am all for good welfare of the horses, but I love watching racing too.
 
Bonkers2 said:
Whips are essential in case horse swerves or needs some sort of correction, the jockey has to remain in balance, they are travelling at 40mph, its a dangerous game, the whips are a tool to be used with caution, they are not used to beat the horse.
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And I'm sure if the horse was to slow down at one of those huge jumps, a little encouragement might be needed! I would hate to be faced with one of them without a whip, even just to say "C'mon, a bit more power"

Another who says no! I wasn't sure about it a few years ago, until I visited Newmarket on their open days and got to meet the horses/jockeys/trainers. Wonderful place :) I'm going again this year!

Like others have said, a few more measures should be taken, but over all I think it's doing pretty well!

A note on in-breeding...why not mix some Standardbred back in there? That's where SBs came from anyway! Maybe some arab? They're quick!
 
I would point out that a tb could also be called an arab x. After all, without the arab there would be no tb, it is not a naturally occuring breed, but one humans have created. I really do believe that arab blood should be reintroduced to tb breeding to improve hardiness, feet, bone density, all of which are excellent in arabs, especially lines such a crabbet. There is too much inbreeding in tb, for the long term health of the breed, some fresh genes would do it the power of good.

Personally I would like to see a ban on racing 2 year olds, as I don't believe in backing and working yearlings.
 
Bonkers2 said:
Whips are essential in case horse swerves or needs some sort of correction, the jockey has to remain in balance, they are travelling at 40mph, its a dangerous game, the whips are a tool to be used with caution, they are not used to beat the horse.
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The argument for carrying a whip for use in situations where safety might be compromised is perfectly sound, imo. Why then would any other striking contact be permitted, if not for "encouragement"? Why not simply disallow whip use except for safety purposes? It would be even more of a level playing field than the current situation.
 
fburton said:
The argument for carrying a whip for use in situations where safety might be compromised is perfectly sound, imo. Why then would any other striking contact be permitted, if not for "encouragement"? Why not simply disallow whip use except for safety purposes? It would be even more of a level playing field than the current situation.
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I think that is the rule in apprentice "hands and heels" races.
 
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