Syncronized dies in the national

[clapham_gull]

Everybody associated with horse racing agrees that any death of a horse is one to many.

I struggle to believe that to be honest.

 

[danwa08]

Not the same thing at all. Football isn't intrinsically dangerous but even if it was, the participants make aninformed decision to play. I have no problem with dangerous sports like Rugby, Boxing or motorcycling where the players are free to choose but racehorses have no choice.

What crap!! If a jockey feels a horse is not up to the task he will pull it up, LIKE RUBY WALSH DID WITH KAUTO STAR at cheltenham. And if a horse does not want to jump it will refuse!!! So a racehorse does have a choice!! It chooses to race, or it refuses to race.

 

[northampton_seagull]

I struggle to believe that to be honest.

So you believe that people watch horse racing just waiting to see horse a get put down?

 

[danwa08]

Its sad that two horses lost their lives but they have a great life and wouldn't do it if they didn't want to.

The winning trainer talking sense.....

Winning trainerPaul Nicholls has told BBC Radio 5 live that spectators have to be aware of the risks inherent in horse racing:
"When you are in competitive sport, whatever you do, motor racing, hockey there is an element of risk," he said. "The worst thing you can do is to go too far. You make the fences smaller, they go faster and you get more fallers.
"Sport is risk. We have to live with that and get on with it. We have to grow up, basically. A lot of people have to grow up, and realise that it is life, and get on with it."

Also this perfect

 

[hola gus]

I think that you are viewing The National in isolation. Most of the fences are used across the whole meeting and deaths are not uncommon. It's just that the National is watched by lots of people who are not regular racegoers who see their horse go down on live tv and not get up again and then worry. I'm sure there are plenty of other deaths which never come to public attention.

This. You are right Vegster there are plenty of other races over a distance close to the national, with simular fences and big fields but some people on here seem blind to that fact. For some reason the National does seem to have high death rate which I can only put down to my weather/ground post earlier in this thread. I don't want to see horses dying hence my attempt earlier at a solution but I'm also not naive or ignorant enough to know that jump racing carries a certain risk of death to either horse or jockey that is inevitable at any possible time.

 

[BadFish]

yes its all vey sad, but it really annoys me when people who know nothing/little about Horses and Racing voice opinions such as these, please do some more research

yes more research is definitely what is needed.

http://www.animalsaustralia.org/issues/horse_racing.php

or from personal experience: my mum bought two horses from a racing stable (they didn't make the grade). Both showed signs of being mistreated, both nervous and both had nervous ticks (wind sucking, horrifically shying away at the sight of a whip). One had to be put down as it threw my mum (a very experienced horsey person having kept horses since she was a teenager) a number of times.

 

[BadFish]

A livorno player died on the pitch today, about time we knocked football on the head as well.

With the number of players collapsing over last 10 years or so we should definitely be looking at the way football players are training.

There are surely too many players dying or collapsing and I think their must be a reason for it.

 

[BadFish]

Not true at all. If a horse refuses to run or jump it will get shot!.

edited for you .

 

[BadFish]

I have seen lots races where a horse refuses to start. If they dont want to run they will not run.
I have seen lots of horses refuse to jump an obstacle. if they do not want to jump they will not jump.

I dont understand why you think boxing, a sport in which people train to cause serious damage to another opponent, the whole point to try and knock them unconscious to win, is better than horse racing.
The aim of horse racing is not to cause serious injury.

Horses are highly trained animals and will do as their jockey instructs them to. What a horse wants to do doesn't really come into it.

 

[Dave the OAP]

yes its all vey sad, but it really annoys me when people who know nothing/little about Horses and Racing voice opinions such as these, please do some more research

If that is aimd at me, my auntie is jenny day, a horse breeder and trainer in new Zealand, who has sold horses at Newmarket and various studs in America and Japan...all flat racehorses and has had winners in hong kong, Australia and the uk But do carry on as I know f*** all about it

 

[hola gus]

edited for you .

Hahahaha brilliant. Well off you trot with your proof of this to any Sunday newspaper who will just so happen to be delighted to pay you a tidy sum for this information as it would make a terrific story. But the facts are you know that's complete bullish!t

 

[BadFish]

what i want to know is why there is no "dogdeathwatch.com" website to track all the dogs that die as the result of neglect, where i'm afraid the number will be greater than 800 in five years. at least here, the horse are put down to stop suffering, maybe for what would in a domestic pet would be treated and left for them to suffer with for years. just an observation that the high profile nature of this sport seems to draw more attention to the welfare of the animals.

But this web site doesn't track the horses that die of cruelty and neglect either, only ones that have dies at race courses doesn't it?

 

[drew]

yes its all vey sad, but it really annoys me when people who know nothing/little about Horses and Racing voice opinions such as these, please do some more research

Perhaps you could divulge your knowledge and experience of horse as you seem to be making assumptions about everyone elses. Do you own a horse and if so, what do you use it for, drag hunting, racing or just for general riding. I don't claim to be an expert but I bow to my wife's knowledge as she has owned horses for 35 years, currently having and ex racer. She, and many of her friends in a similar situation hate the national and won't watch it.

they should reduce the number of jumps IMO. i watched the race and thought jesus christ 30!!!

Take it that's the first time you have ever watched the race then?

Every time a horse dies at the National there are calls to end this barbaric spectacle.Oh,yes,let's do that ,and then we can all go to the countryside to see the nice horses romping around the fields having a brilliant time whilst their owners ply them with victuals ,house them and lavish vet care upon them for no return other than the jolly niceness of it all.

Or perhaps there would be a lot fewer horses,and a lot more dog food.

Actually there are plenty of people that own horses just for the pleasure of riding them. I hasten to add that is just hacking, not racing or jumping in competition. My wife's horse is old and cannot be riden, hasn't been for about 3 or 4 years but we keep him fed and well and will do so until nature takes it's course.

As for this nonsense about horses love to race and jump. Stick them at the start of the race with no jockeys and no one cracking a whip behind them to scare them and do you honestly think they will run a few miles and jump 30 fences? Horses are a herding animal and when the herd takes flight they stick together hence the reason fallen horses often get up and run with what they see is the herd. Nothing to do with them having a burning desire to push themselves until they burst a blood vessel.

 

[hola gus]

If that is aimd at me, my auntie is jenny day, a horse breeder and trainer in new Zealand, who has sold horses at Newmarket and various studs in America and Japan...all flat racehorses and has had winners in hong kong, Australia and the uk But do carry on as I know f*** all about it

To be fair the fact we are talking about jump racing in this conversation actually holds little weight to who your auntie is!!!!!

 

[BadFish]

Hahahaha brilliant. Well off you trot with your proof of this to any Sunday newspaper who will just so happen to be delighted to pay you a tidy sum for this information as it would make a terrific story. But the facts are you know that's complete bullish!t

‘Wastage’—
the Terrible Term Used for the Routine Discarding of Racing Horses

You can count on one or two hands, the Melbourne cup winners that now graze on beautiful paddocks in their retirement. The vast majority of thoroughbreds (flat and jumps racers) and standardbred (harness racers) horses fail to run fast enough or become injured and are just discarded by the racing industry.

A study conducted by researchers at the University of Sydney [‘Epidemiology of horses leaving the Thoroughbred and Standardbred racing industries, by Hayek AR, Jones B, Evans DL, Thomson PC and McGreevy PD - Proceedings of the 1st International Equitation Science Symposium August 2005] attempted to track ex-racing horses. Similar to other studies they found almost 40% of race horses leave the industry each year due to poor performance, illness or injury or behavioural or other problems.
^ top
Where Do They Go?

Many failed or older racehorses will be destined for slaughter, and may go to local knackeries (used for pet meat for example) or be purchased for slaughter at the two horse abattoirs in Australia (Peterborough in SA and Caboolture in QLD). Approximately 2,000 tonnes of horse meat is exported for human consumption in Japan and Europe annually (ABS figures). Over 25,000 horses per year are killed in this way in Australia.

 

[BadFish]

What crap!! If a jockey feels a horse is not up to the task he will pull it up, LIKE RUBY WALSH DID WITH KAUTO STAR at cheltenham. And if a horse does not want to jump it will refuse!!! So a racehorse does have a choice!! It chooses to race, or it refuses to race.

Really? are you really suggesting that race horses have the choice of whether to race or jump.?

If this is true then their trainers should be sacked immediately.

If you ride two horses along side each other their instincts kick in and they will try to get ahead of each other.

 

[Foster House]

I would be interested to know if the reduction in the size of the fences has made things worse. I always felt that the race would get faster, and actually more dangerous for the horses.

 

[hola gus]

Badfish...... Im in no way saying those figures or facts are ok but I'm talking about what happens in this country? We have very little control over what happens in south Africa or austrailia, so maybe you need to vent your frustrations to NSC equivalent in Sydney or Durban!

 

[hola gus]

I would be interested to know if the reduction in the size of the fences has made things worse. I always felt that the race would get faster, and actually more dangerous for the horses.

Well done sir, at last a thoughtful sensible post!

 

[BadFish]

Badfish...... Im in no way saying those figures or facts are ok but I'm talking about what happens in this country? We have very little control over what happens in south Africa or austrailia, so maybe you need to vent your frustrations to NSC equivalent in Sydney or Durban!

Why do you think that the UK is any different? Horse racing is a global sport is it not?

http://www.animalaid.org.uk/h/n/CAMPAIGNS/horse/ALL/604/

Overview of the horse racing campaign

Most people regard horse racing as a harmless sport in which the animals are willing participants who thoroughly enjoy the thrill. The truth is that, behind the scenes, lies a story of immense suffering.

Approximately 18,000 foals are born into the closely-related British and Irish racing industries each year, yet only around 40% go on to become racers. Those horses who do not make the grade may be slaughtered for meat or repeatedly change hands in a downward spiral of neglect. Of those horses who do go on to race, around 400 are raced to death every year.

The survivors are denied their freedom and pushed to their limits to serve the financial interests of trainers, owners and bookies. Because they are bred for speed, not strength, many sustain limb and other injuries and are shot.