Another Death at Aintree

There’s a lot of cruelty behind the scenes in horse racing. Horses being beaten for failing to win for instance. The Grand National is a particularly gruelling race. I know improvements have been made but some of the jumps are still too dangerous and too many horses are allowed to run.

Fallacy 1: racehorses are well cared for. They lead a completely unnatural life, most are stabled 24/7 which is not healthy, they are fed on unnatural diets to provide more energy to run, often develop ulcers from the stress of their lifestyle along with repetitive behaviours (unfairly named ‘stable vices’) similar to those seen by animals in zoos.

Fallacy 2: they can’t be forced to race. Horses can be made to do a lot of things they don’t want to do. Sons will rebel (and be rewarded with a bullet) but most horses are all too willing to do things humans ask them to do - it is in their nature - that’s why humans have used them since time began as transport, labourers, and war machines. Racehorses who carry on running after their riders fall off are doing so out of the same herd instinct that makes warhorses continue into battle with the same mix of fear, adrenaline and an instinct that tells them to stay with the herd at all costs.

Sorry whitewave I know you raised these points and I’m not getting at you but these are things that are said all the time in defence of racing.

Sorry winterwhite and whitewave I got you mixed up!

nightowl 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

I know the fences were reduced in height and less horses run now but it looks like the fences need reducing again and the field reduced to 30/35 to save both horses and jockeys being injured or killed.

Reducing the height of the fences just makes the race faster. That’s why there are more fatalities now than there used to be.

BlueBelle

Where’s the petitions ?
Anyone come across one ?

Here

www.change.org/p/the-rt-hon-karen-bradley-mp-ban-the-cruel-grand-national-horse-race

Yeah? Really? That’s interesting, always thought they were reduced in size for safety.
Maybe just less horses in the race then, they seemed to stay in a mob this time rather than strung out more.

merlotgran

Reducing the height of the fences just makes the race faster. That’s why there are more fatalities now than there used to be.

Remind me please why it was decided to reduce the height of the fences?

Remind me please why it was decided to reduce the height of the fences?

I remember the concerns at the time and they were not all unfounded.

I'm not a racing defender, but I suspect that behaviour like that is the exception rather than the norm.

Sorry Maizie- what do you mean?

Barbaric activity. Future generations will wonder how it was allowed to continue for so long. It's not just the ones that die in the track but others that are destroyed because of injury later. There's no excuse.

I think any horse racing with jumps is full of risks. Deaths happen far more than is reported. My son saw one last year at Newbury. It wasn't nice.
If we ban it here won't it just get taken somewhere else? Those horses fly the world over.

merlotgran

Reducing the height of the fences just makes the race faster. That’s why there are more fatalities now than there used to be.

According to the Independent the fatality rate has fallen following adjustments made to the course 11 years ago. That fatality rate has dropped from 3.3% at the turn of the century to 1.2% over the last 10 races.

www.independent.co.uk/sport/racing/horses-died-grand-national-2023-b2320676.html

I agree that the number of runners should be reduced, but it wouldn't stop the bunching as every jockey is trying to get into the most effective position, so they're all after the same area of the course.

Fleurpepper

Sorry Maizie- what do you mean?

Oh, I'm sorry. I should have quoted GSM's post in which she claimed that horses were beaten for not winning races...

I get many horse posts on my Instagram account and many about how careful horses are with little children.. they really are the most intelligent,sensitive creatures. It's a pretty barbaric race to make them perform IMO and for what?

Human's really need to become more aware of animal rights.. and protect them

MaizieD

Fleurpepper

Sorry Maizie- what do you mean?

Oh, I'm sorry. I should have quoted GSM's post in which she claimed that horses were beaten for not winning races...

You'd have to be very, very stupid to beat a horse for that reason. Most people who handle horses aren't that stupid.

Strange isn't it. We have been very vociferous in the recent past about bull fighting and the habit of throwing donkeys from the top of church towers and other brutal activities involving animals that formed/still form part of Spanish religious ceremonies. And yet, we still have people who accept that horses get killed in the pursuit of pleasure.

So, when it’s banned what’s going to happen to all the horses and the people employed in racing? I’m a bit confused as to why this race has generated such strength of feeling when in the past I’ve raised the issue of the American mustangs being rounded up and sent to kill pens because they don’t want them running free and also, in this country, bobby calves being taken from their distressed mothers and killed and no one has seemed to be particularly bothered about those issues. I know of no one that has beaten a horse for losing a race ( then again, although I know a lot of people in racing I don’t know everyone). And, in general NH horses get turned out into a field most days ( not so much with flat horses but one of the problems with that is they’re dealing with young colts, older stallions and fillies and mares at a time of year when their hormones are going bonkers.).There is an unconfirmed suspicion that the horse that died had a heart attack, probably due to the stress caused by the delay, as he was the soundest of jumpers. Either way, the rushed start meant that there were fallers at the first two fences, something that, because of recent modifications, hadn’t been happening. I’m all for peaceful protest and a dialogue between the animal rights groups and the racing authorities but protests that affect these beautiful, intelligent but highly charged animals must be avoided in future. Hill Sixteen was one such horse and, believe me his stable and it’s staff are distraught today and people accusing them of not living and caring for horses is only exacerbating their grief.Cape Gentleman sustained a tendon injury but is undergoing treatment ( maybe stem cell?) and will be retired to his American owners house, and Recite a Prayer is perfectly ok. One for Arthur, the winning trainers previous winner, had his ashes scattered at Aintree yesterday. He died of colic* (I think it was colic and not a heart attack) whilst having a wonderful retirement and is much missed.
*imo the worst thing that can happen to any horse or pony

there is too much money in horse racing for anything to change unfortunately

I used to live a short ride from Aintree racecourse in Liverpool and know the area well. I was a librarian then and always worked that saturday as some of my staff wanted it off to attend. I was never interested in either horse racing or betting.

Someone would be sent to the betting shop to place bets. However I did not prevent my staff bringing in a radio (latterly a small TV) to follow the race. We never had more than two or three readers in the library and I would go around asking them if they minded while the staff followed the race. No one ever did. Inevitably they all gathered around to watch or listen.

I read that sixteenhill broke his neck MayBee is that not correct? And that Cape gentleman severed a tendon and is undergoing surgery today? If that’s the case his fate is still very much in the balance. I’m happy to be corrected, and would love to be wrong on both counts.

I agree about the protestors; although I absolutely sympathise with their feelings I don’t agree with their actions - I just had a horrible feeling before the race that they were playing into the hands of all those who are involved in and support the industry and would be blamed for any fatalities - even though fatalities are a very sad reality in this race.

Apologies his name was Sixteen Hill

Hill Sixteen grrr