Horse Racing...... ? Cruel or Not ?

It's extreme steeple chases that are cruel, and maybe some techniques for training eventers. I dont think hurdles races are cruel although I wait to be informed

I’m an animal lover and I’m involved with animal welfare charities. I used to ride regularly. I’m not militant and believe it’s ok for animals to work in return for food, water and shelter. Humans have to work so why shouldn’t animals as long as it’s humane and the welfare of the animals is high priority. I no longer have my once a year wager on the Grand National as it is so exhausting for the horses.

Racehorses, on the whole, live a pampered life but it’s what happens to them after they are no longer of any use that worries me. Some are retired to good homes and live out their days grazing in fields, but very few. Flat racing thoroughbreds in particular, aren’t suitable for riding after retirement so, unless they’re used for breeding it’s off to the knacker’s yard. There are very few wild horse herds in the world so unless horses are ridden or used in some way there wouldn’t be many about.

Just to add - horses are natural jumpers. They very rarely jump in the wild and will always find a way round something before jumping over an obstacle. We make them jump.

Typo - should read aren’t natural jumpers.

I hate seeing animals used for sport or entertainment. Human beings choose to do these things.

Bloody hell! For once I can agree with Gabriella (whatever the next bit is)

So, if racing is banned [I've just been sent a petition to sign to have it banned] what should then be the horses role in society? Should they exist at all?? Live as wild animals out on the moors? Be used for food? Pets? I'm sure that peta [who are behind a lot of animal campaigns] don't believe that we should have any animal as a pet. The strange thing is, if there was one animal whose extermination would actually benefit the world as a whole, it's human beings, as we serve no purpose whatsoever.

I'm glad we agree about something, GG13

I found an elderly article in New Scientist that discusses the running of 2yr olds. It ends up being a bit inconclusive but it certainly does make it clear that ultimately, it's the money that counts, not the welfare of the horses.

www.newscientist.com/article/mg13718652-600/

I'd take issue with this, Luca Carmani, one of Britain’s leading trainers, acknowledges that there is a long-standing debate about the merits of racing two-year-olds, but says he is unaware of scientific evidence to support claims that early training is harmful. He says galloping does not come naturally to horses, so they have to be trained to run fast: and the earlier, the better.

That's nonsense. My daughter's cherished horse, homebred for eventing, was galloping around the field from the start! And you only have to see a group of horses turned out with a 'newcomer' having a good old high speed hooley round the field. Galloping is a natural pace.

Also, jumping is not unnatural. Horses mostly don't bother in the wild, but they jump if they have to. Training a horse to jump is just building on its natural ability; there's no cruel forcing involved. Same for dressage, which refines a horse's natural paces.

Another startling statistic from the article is that about 8,000 foals are produced annually for racing. Very few of them end up on the racetrack. Nor do many of them end up as pleasure rider's much loved 'pets'. More likely to be dog food or sent for human consumption in Europe.

I'd also take issue with GabriellaG. Foals aren't born late in a year. Most foals are born in late winter/early spring because they need the lush new grass for growth and development. To feed substitutes for grass to a foal born in the autumn or early winter would be far too expensive. So, as the article points out, they are mostly about 18 months old when they go into training.

Racing isn't the only thing that horses do, Labaik

I wouldn't want to see it banned, but as its main function for most punters is to win them a bit of money by betting on a winner would it really matter if they started later and were a little bit slower? There'd still be a winner...

(I actually find it a bit boring, I'd rather watch any of the other disciplines in preference to racing..)

CRUEL...

I suppose its gone the way of most things these days, to the extreme.
It was probably a lot more fun when people just jumped on their horses and had a race.

The same with dog breeding; not good enough now to have a healthy example of a breed.
All sorts of conditions have found their way in, to the extent of turning out dogs that can't function properly.

MaizieD and phoenix, thanks a lot for your positive contributions. Mustn't forget Gabriella whose posts show real understanding of the horse racing industry. Horses, like dogs, make great companions. Children who grow up around dogs n horses are healthier physically and emotionally. Horses are also used in psychotherapy by a number of people, including Monty Roberts and a number of psychotherapists in the UK.

I’m reminded of the Pam Ayres poem about Fred the Racehorse ‘being sound in mind and hoof’ making his will before running in the Grand National.

Evidently Pam A is not a fan of horse racing, esp. given the line about Fred’s jockey - ‘the little spiteful short-arsed b*****d’, flexing his whip.

Lovely reminder Witzend

It was interesting to hear what the lady who bred French Bulldogs said at Crufts, in the there were only two or three colours that were healthy; all others had been manufactured and had led to breathing problems. I know years ago when I had spaniels everyone wanted golden ones but they were evil tempered due to inbreeding to get the colour. One in ten were put down which didn't include the ones whose owners put up with being bitten on a regular basis. People still wanted them, though.And I spoke to someone that had a pugle type crossbreed that said that, due to their squashed faces, crosses between different breeds often caused terrible dental problems.

Labaik - I agree about the issues affecting any breed that becomes over popular. Maybe we should start a separate thread though it does link to our love and devotion to companion animals which included dogs as well as horses.\\

Laibik I’ve known of that issue from friends. Many years ago, we moved to the far north of Scotland. Our new neighbours had a beautiful black Labrador dog. However, he had a bad temperament, so much so they had to walk him at night in order to reduce the likelihood of meeting anyone. About six weeks later I noticed he wasn’t around anymore and I asked the neighbour about him. She said they’d had him PTS because we had a small child and a baby on the way and our other neighbour was also expecting, and dog-owning neighbour said they wouldn’t have been able to live with themselves if their dog got out and attacked a child. We felt absolutely terrible that they’d felt the need to take such steps, as we’d never expressed any concern but I could understand it.

The problem was that there had been a lot of inbreeding of black labs in Orkney & Caithness over the years and it resulted in a highly strung, aggressive animal. It was so sad. . They went on to get a beautiful golden Labrador, a gentle giant.

Since race horses have to be killed when no longer used, it is important that low value horses are not allowed to be exported or transported overland .

Do they?
I'm not being facetious; I genuinely don't know, but surely not?

You wouldn’t believe the so called legal cruelty humans do to animals.

Race horses don't "have to be killed when no longer used". Some are but others are sold to be riding hacks. I mentioned up thread that my favourite ride for a good few years was a retired race horse. He was a gentle soul, a great riding school hack but put him on the big gallop field and his true nature came out, he was unbeatable.

Iam64, i was taking this info from some other gran who posted earlier. I don't actually know however it seems likely that steeplechasers and eventers can be rehomed as hacks and even hunters , but flat racers are not easily rehomed.

I suppose the best information is available from PETA

Miss |Adventure, the treatment of low value horses was a scandal a few years ago, on several fronts, including long distance transport. I fear a retired racehorses may not be a sort that is generally marketable as a living animal.

Iam24's experience is happy however that may not be typical.

Cruel. Like you I have previously watched the Grand National but it breaks my heart when I see the horses hurt or injured as I know that they could have been prevented.

What most of you seem to be ignoring is that some 7,000 horses bred for racing are 'discarded' every year. Yes, a few get rehomed, mostly very successfully For example, I have a friend doing very good dressage on an ex-racehorse. But the rest go into petfood or for human consumption... There aren't enough people who want a horse to be able to absorb that many into the general horse world every year.

Tthere are just too many bred each year (and raced at too early an age)

Alexa, Eventers aren't racehorses.

"Eventers aren't racehorses."

True. I guess specialist horse breeding is less of a scandal than specialist dog breeding.