views on horse racing?

I enjoy watching it, prefer jump racing to flat but, like anyone I hate seeing any horses injured.

The negatives - I dislike the fact that horses are broken and raced so young (flat racing) and that so many are destroyed before they ever reach the track, or shortly after as they are deemed "useless". I think something needs to be done about that aspect, these horses are bought for thousands if not hundreds of thousands as yearlings yet may be deemed worthless and shot with 2 years. The lucky ones get retrained and picked up as cheap riding horses but they're not the majority.

I think there's more love for the horses and dedication eral in genin jump racing to be honest (less money involved I guess) and I like following horses over the years. I mean look at Denman now, off team chasing after a fab racing career. God, I am so envious of the woman who's got him to ride! :)
 
I work within the racing industry and am stuck on my opinion. I am in it for the horses not the racing and wouldn't be unhappy if my future career was not in racing. However, I love thoroughbreds and I love the history associated with racing. I scream at the tv and feel the thrill when our horses cross the line. I have seen the ultimate highs, but equally, the ultimate lows. Racing, like any sport (and any top level equine sport) means that the athletes/horses are pushed to the max, resulting in injury. I hate it when the horses get injured, like anyone, and it is heartbreaking when the injurys are so serious that the horse has to be PTS.

From my experiences in racing there is a considerable variation between training methods and vet care. Some are old fashioned, treat when lame, some juice the horses up as they see symptoms to prevent the lameness to start with. Some race as 2yos and push to get best out of the horses, some wait until the horse is a little more mature. Many of these things depend on the horse, breeding, distance, trainer type and I don't think that everything about racing should be stereotyped, there are people in racing I love, and people I wouldn't go near.
But this is the same in 'normal' horsy environments. Eg people taking their horse to dressage seemingly unaware it is lame, riding with saddle sores or just simply comparing modern and traditional horse care methods.

I disagree with the age that TBs are broken in at and raced, 2yo horses are just babys
 
I enjoy watching it but like everyone else I hate it when a horse gets killed.

Also think more needs to be done for the horses that are no good and think there should be more charities like Hero's etc- perhaps the bookies etc should be made to pay into them.

Also see several horses being used as pacemakers/ those owned by the high powered owners that are no good and cant help wondering what will happen to them eg no stud value etc.

There are some trainers/ owners who seem v considerate/ caring towards their retired horses and think ROR is a v innovative idea. Also these classes show how horses can be retrained and live a new life which is why more should be done to try and retrain if poss.
 
Gawd.. Stupid iphones.. I now can't edit my unfinished post that I accidentally posted so will repost and have asked for previous one to be removed! :o

I work within the racing industry and am stuck on my opinion. I am in it for the horses not the racing and wouldn't be unhappy if my future career was not in racing. However, I love thoroughbreds and I love the history associated with racing. I scream at the tv and feel the thrill when our horses cross the line. I have seen the ultimate highs, but equally, the ultimate lows. Racing, like any sport (and any top level equine sport) means that the athletes/horses are pushed to the max, resulting in injury. I hate it when the horses get injured, like anyone, and it is heartbreaking when the injurys are so serious that the horse has to be PTS.

From my experiences in racing there is a considerable variation between training methods and vet care and this should be taken into consideration when building opinions (I know there are strong ones out there!). Some are old fashioned, treat when lame, some juice the horses up regularly as they see symptoms to prevent the lameness to start with. Some race as 2yos and push to get best out of the horses, some wait until the horse is a little more mature. Many of these things depend on the horse, breeding, distance, trainer type and I don't think that everything about racing should be stereotyped, there are people in racing I love, and people I wouldn't go near.
But this is the same in 'normal' horsy environments. Eg people taking their horse to dressage seemingly unaware it is lame, riding with saddle sores or just simply comparing modern and traditional horse care methods.

The majority of people in racing are in it for the horses, visit a yard and the lads and lasses that care for the horses love them to bits. Horse racing brings people from all walks of life together - and I think that is fantastic too.

I sometimes think that because racing is so mainstream it gets more attention than other disciplines. I disagree with the age that TBs are broken in at and raced, 2yo horses are just babys, but the TB does mature faster than some other breeds. There does need to be something done about the number of horses coming out of training each year, where they go and what causes this, but that is something that is always going to be an issue. You could track it all the way back to the breeders... (and that is a whole separate discussion)

I still can't decide if I agree or disagree on racing, and whether I prefer flat or jump (again, a different discussion). At the end of the day, every aspect of the equestrain world has different ways of doing things, somethings I wouldn't dream of doing things others have done for years with no problems. Horse racing is a sport that has its flaws, but so do a lot of people and sports and I don't think the negatives are what should just be focused on.

xMoodyMarex - I hope that is ok, I am not a 'for' or 'against' sort of person, and your open ended question appealed to me as is a question I often ponder. I don't often post in 'hot' topics for the fear of being battered by other HHO members for my opinions, I like to share ideas not argue :)
 
Much prefer national hunt to flat racing, but that's because I worked on a NH yard with a string of good horses and got to enjoy the Cheltenham festival with a very near winner :p but with the likes of Frankel I can't not watch the flat racing too. Really miss working in racing, my old yard have a fabulous bunch of horses and very exciting juveniles so will just have to do with watching it on the tv.
 
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My brother is a jockey, my parents LOVE racing and we have lots of trainers that are family friends, I have worked in racing from age 11-16 part time and 16-19 full time. I'm now 23 And I have to say I don't really like or follow the racing. I occasionally get dragged to watch my brother and I'm going in a box at Newbury for the hennesy but I'm not really bothered about it tbh. Race horses look skinny to me now and I just want to take them back and feed them up and love them!!

In reality all the racers I have known and loved and see at trainers yards etc now are well loved and cared for and I'm afraid accidents happen.

I do however have a huge issue with GN that is another thread intireley but saying 'horses die in the field' is not a good argument IMO! I think the race is **** and won't support it!
 
Don't like jump racing at all, too many injuries, am not against flat racing in principle, but the racing industry as a whole chews up and spits out hundreds of horses every year, from those who arn't good enough to those who break down in training. Horses are raced far too young and many racehorses are kept so un-naturally they are permenantly stressed, the vast majority suffer from ulcers and most probably have a pretty miserable life. IMO, it would be much better if they were broken in later and had a more natural lifestyle. If ALL trainers had to adhere to the same rules, it wouldn't disadvantage anyone and would seriously improve the lives of the horses. Just my opinion.
 
Don't like The Grand National. Full stop.

Other races...ehhh, I don't really follow it! It's heartbreaking to see horses hurt and die, but it's great when they do well :)

Having visited Newmarket, it's given me a great respect for the horses, jockeys and trainers! I met some lovely horses :)
 
I dont like it.

I dont like the grand national- way too many horses racing, way too many having a fall and being PTS :(

Dont like how young they are raced- Frankel is like 4, rising 5?? was foaled in feb 08 and first raced in Aug 2010 :( dont agree with it.

too many that dont 'make it' get PTS, i think there are far too many produced, how many ex racers are there out there :(

Dont know if its just I dont know enough about the industry itself but its mainly the amount of falls/injuries that result in deaths :(
 
I love it. I understand all the negatives that people point out, but negatives always make the news more often than the day to day stuff, or even the positives, so people who don't follow racing or aren't involved in the industry get a warped view of it.

As far as injuries and deaths go, I'm afraid it happens in all equine fields. I saw a horse out hunting walking with other horses along a road. It slipped and the next thing it was down on the ground with a broken leg. The guy riding it didn't have a chance to do anything, it happened so suddenly. A woman I know was hacking across a hill with a friend of hers and without warning the horse she was riding dropped dead underneath her. And by hacking, I mean she was walking across a hill, on a fit horse who had shown no previous health problems. Thing is, the news doesn't tell us about people's horses who die or get injured whilst hacking, doing gymkhana, dressage, just training at home. Nobody wants to hear about that, or start a campaign to ban horse riding altogether, do they?

It's an industry worth millions, that brings a lot of enjoyment and excitement to a lot of people. I am in awe of the animals that are brought to the races, for their strength and power, and I'm in awe of the people who get them looking like that. I'm not saying it's perfect, but nothing would make me stop loving horse racing.
 
Horses are started way too young. We all have a bash at those on certain websites who are sitting on the backs of 2 year olds, but racehorses are already racing at that age. Don't agree with it at all.

No wonder so many are pts or broken by the age of 5 - All for for the sake of entertainment and money.

If the horses were started at the age of 5, I don't think I would have a problem with it at all.
 
me&Harvey said:
I enjoy watching it but like everyone else I hate it when a horse gets killed.

Also think more needs to be done for the horses that are no good and think there should be more charities like Hero's etc- perhaps the bookies etc should be made to pay into them.

Also see several horses being used as pacemakers/ those owned by the high powered owners that are no good and cant help wondering what will happen to them eg no stud value etc.

There are some trainers/ owners who seem v considerate/ caring towards their retired horses and think ROR is a v innovative idea. Also these classes show how horses can be retrained and live a new life which is why more should be done to try and retrain if poss.
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Ideally all many horses would like to live in a nice field with their best friends and come inside on a cold winter's night, but some like being given a job.
Some racehorses don't like where they are, we bought one 4 year old, very top breeding but had been banned from racing on UK tracks, she had been all over Europe and was sold to us for not a lot.
She won several races for us [flapping], loved it, esp when she realised she was "our mare" and she never got smacked for anything, no nothing at all, in the end she just chilled out.
I am not fluffy bunny, but she had had all the smacks she could take.
 
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