Horse Racing

BlueBelle

I totally agree Farview I too think it’s a horrible ‘sport’ I don’t consider it a sport it’s harsh cruel and unnecessary
I don’t care who says they don’t, they do whip the horses (oh it doesn’t hurt !? no sure it doesn’t hurt at all ummmm)
Why should animals be forced to run, jump or do ridiculous tricks (as in dressage) for humans entertainment !
I can’t bear dog racing/ bird shooting/ bull baiting /bull fighting/ dancing dogs / dancing bears or any other form of animal cruelty

I’m with you BlueBelle. It’s an horrendous sport. I hate even calling it a sport.
The horse nor indeed any other animal forced to participate in these sorts of activities have no choice in the matter. I hate it.
Someone is going to come along and say but the animals enjoy it…who asked them? Who gave them the choice?
As a vegan I think that no animal should be forced to participate in such a potentially dangerous sport. 😡

farview

I think it’s horrendously cruel…interested to know what others think

Totally agree with you

There are always comments that show a profound lack of understanding about horses’ needs

And a profound lack of knowledge about horses in general.

One of the awful things about the horse world is the bigoted views of so many involved. Poor old horses, strap their heads down, beat them, shout at them. Look at the string of 'professional' riders who have ended up shame faced about what they've done to their horses when they thought no one was looking.
It's been going on for years, electric shocks, painful paste under the bandages, how innocent I was before my daughter got into riding. She went to a Pony Club camp, I saw a child who threw a saddle at her pony because she was angry, a child who pulled herself up by the reins at the trot and every time she sat down in the saddle whacked her pony, 'broom up the bum' if they won't load and no one appeared to see a problem because of course, so many of these 'knowledgeable people think they're right! Poor horses, so many years of service to humans....

'So many years of service to humans' Absolutely.
I love horses. The horse - human bond is akin to that dogs or elephants can develop.
Horses are athletic, dangerous (hooves & teeth) fellow-travellers who have been associated with us for millenia.
You cannot make a horse do anything they do not want to do. A horse with brain disease is a real risk to humans because they do not behave in the compliant way that a healthy horse does, & you cannot control them.
IE those who are trying to say horses are forced to do this are wrong - we cannot physically force them to. They do it to please us because that's in their make-up.
I don't condone things like the Charlotte Dujardin video, but most horse-riders are very concerned for their horse's welfare, horses like to race even unridden (loose horses doing their best to win, jumping without their jockey - if they're hating it, why?) and as others have said, racehorses are totally pampered & extremely unlikely to end up as dogmeat after their last race.

Taunton

Ridiculous comment. Ignorance cause these unfounded comments. Perhaps attend one of the Racing Yard open days to see the horses and speak to the trainers and the staff to get a balanced, true and professional view of this?
I won’t comment again on this thread as unfortunately most comments will be made from having no idea of the industry.

I agree with you.

Yes it's ignorance & maybe un-acknowledged envy.

I’d rather be a racehorse than any farmed sentient animal. Fancy a Sunday roast?

I have often wondered why elephant riding is generally considered unethical and harmful to the elephants but horse riding is considered quite OK.

Oh dear oh dear, well done 'farview', for opening up a Niagara of ill-informed guff!

The folk criticising racing are doubtless doing so because they mean well, but a bit of research would help them.

The critics ALL seem to be labouring under the severe misconception that young, soon-to-be racehorses are out in fields, all waiting to be selected to go racing. In fact, worldwide, many tens of thousands of horses are SPECIFICALLY bred for racing, and without the sport (which it is), they would HAVE NO LIFE AT ALL.

In that racing life, contrary to the "cruelty" misnomer, they do indeed (as some have reported) live a generally pampered life, and they don't usually race that often. All those of us at an advanced age will take far longer to get a GP appointment than the time most racehorses have to wait to get a vet attending them!

And yes Gilly, there are some casualties, some sadly early deaths, but it's NOT "many", it's a tiny minority - unless you have a very odd way to quantify "many"?

IF folk on here are criticising, I'll ask them if they eat meat, any eggs, chicken, pork, beef or lamb crossed your lips lately? If so, that marks you as a hypocrite, as THEIR early death rate is just about 100%, nothing like what it is for racehorses. And for quite a chunk of them, their living conditions are far worse, but campaigning re battery chickens or veal isn't as easy as attacking racing?

Oh, another couple of points, 1) horse-racing is comfortably in the top 10 of employers, if you include all the ancillary businesses. It won't be banned, but if it was, the effects would be catastrophic. And 2) the comment equating racing to fox-hunting shows the level of mental fragility involved. The best research ever done (Bristol Uni) noted that hunting is irrelevant in controlling fox numbers, and therefore it is a sad pastime for sad people seeking a bit of a social upgrade (or whatever they think it's for). Wilde was quite correct. And horses being ridden across fields chasing the 'hunt' are more likely to get injured than racehorses.

I do hope that helps, and if it hasn't, go back and re-read that "no life at all without racing" point? AND -- it's a sad irony that folk like Blue-belle will continue as blinkered on this as some of the racehorses in question?

I’m in tears! 😂😂😂🥳🥳🥳🍷

I’m on the wrong thread! 😂😂😂

Well said, DrWatson

DrWatson 👍🏻

Well said DrWatson 👏

Taunton

Ridiculous comment. Ignorance cause these unfounded comments. Perhaps attend one of the Racing Yard open days to see the horses and speak to the trainers and the staff to get a balanced, true and professional view of this?
I won’t comment again on this thread as unfortunately most comments will be made from having no idea of the industry.

Having seen a few of these yards they are very well looked after Animals.
I have shares in 9 Race horses and each one is very pampered. In Retirement they go to be re educated and looked are continuing to be looked after well.

I quite agree with you, although I dont like steeple chasing and abhore the grand national

People always use supposed knowledge of animal abuse by saying others, not in the industry, don't understand!

Why on earth don't they get that many of us have been all too close to horses in many areas and have seen at first hand what they so strenuously deny!!

Australian bit applicable and informative worldwide
What are the animal welfare issues with Thoroughbred horse racing? – RSPCA Knowledgebase share.google/8oqEs8BT4czAdtetM

I'm a National Hunt racing fan and have been for many years and have visited several racing stables. I am positive that these horses are the best looked after animals ever. They are not ill treated and would not run or jump if they didn't enjoy doing so. They have the best vet treatment and the best diets and are looked after with loving care by the stable hands.
Obviously incredibly sad if a horse is injured but the majority aren't and in actual fact more jockeys are injured than horses.

I know I’ve mentioned this before but, if people think that horses are treated badly please watch the documentary COW if ever it’s on tv again ( it was on Ch 4 a few years ago). If people think that cows lead an idyllic life this film shows otherwise. Alas, I love my cups of tea and my favourite food is cheese but I feel terrible guilt about it since I watched the documentary. If I was to come back as another creature and was given the choice of being a horse or a cow I’d choose the former. People don’t drink milk and think of the suffering that goes into producing it. I thought that cows produced milk as long as they were milked every day. I didn’t realise they had to have calves each year which were then taken away from them straight away and suffer a different kind of hell. Non dairy cattle in their short lives lead a much better existence in the time they have. Then there are the last remaining American mustangs that are rounded up by helicopter and taken to kill pens; no wild free existence for them unless they are one of the lucky ones taken in by one of the sanctuaries that attempt to keep family groups together.

I used to be ambivalent about horse and dog racing. Now I definately don't agree with it and it has nothing to do with how the animals are treated- as some have said they may be very well 'treated' but by whose standards? Does the animal get a choice?
What angers me is the amount of money made from the animals- especially when it comes to horse racing. It is more of an industry than a sport.
I just can't reconcile this with my conscience any more.

If the dogs and horses really love it then why not just hold races for nothing but the pleasure the animals get from it?
Wait... I think I know the answer...

Why don't we run the Premier League for the pleasure the footballers get from it?

I know footballers are paid but one of the lovely things about animals is that they don't recognise money. Carrots / dog treats are another matter!

I think that's the real issue! Animals don't play football. Although I agree the PL seems to be about making money on a massive scale the footballers are free to say no (although they also love the money and fame) and I suspect there are a great many talented players out there who just play Sunday league or five a side for the love of it.

My whole point is about animal based sport is that the animal is used because they don't have any concept of money- so people can make a fortune from exploiting them!

Treats or no treats...?

I don't give my money to any of it anymore.

knspol

I'm a National Hunt racing fan and have been for many years and have visited several racing stables. I am positive that these horses are the best looked after animals ever. They are not ill treated and would not run or jump if they didn't enjoy doing so. They have the best vet treatment and the best diets and are looked after with loving care by the stable hands.
Obviously incredibly sad if a horse is injured but the majority aren't and in actual fact more jockeys are injured than horses.

My family were huge racing fans, I follow the sport to an extent( although I prefer showjumping and dressage) and know the horses are very well looked after, have the best veterinary care, and if the trainer feels a race is unsuited to a horse, or the animal is unwell, it doesn't run. Also if the sport was so barbaric, it would have been banned around the same time as dogfighting and bull baiting.