Two horses slaughtered already!

[Slime]

What can I say.
Two horses have already been slaughtered at Aintree, and that's before the Grand National.
Why can't they stop this.
Horses are being killed in the pursuit of humans making money, can this be right.
I'm not suggesting they ban the sport, but why can't they make it less dangerous?
The jumps are too big and there are far too many runners in the Grand National, but perhaps that just adds to the excitement/enjoyment for some people.
Are there odds on how many horses will die tomorrow?
I just can't watch it, but maybe that's because I'm an animal lover ............ who knows?
What are your thoughts and are you placing a bet or two?

Slime.

P.S. I'm not judging, just expressing my opinion.

 

[Dodger]

Burgers all round.

It's a risk that has been taken since it began so why the need to stop the risk?

Put lesser jumps up and it would lose the appeal IMO.

 

[Fish]

Its a wonder there hasn't been more deaths or injuries.

The race on Thursday that Battlefront lost his life was said to be "stomach-wrenchingly chaotic from start to finish and several horses fell or were pulled up, tired and potentially injured".

Little Josh was destroyed today after breaking a shoulder after a fall.

I truly hope we don't experience more deaths tomorrow but there is an almost inevitability that there will be, and that is so wrong.

 

[AuburnWarrior]

What can I say.
Two horses have already been slaughtered at Aintree, and that's before the Grand National.
Why can't they stop this.
Horses are being killed in the pursuit of humans making money, can this be right.
I'm not suggesting they ban the sport, but why can't they make it less dangerous?
The jumps are too big and there are far too many runners in the Grand National, but perhaps that just adds to the excitement/enjoyment for some people.
Are there odds on how many horses will die tomorrow?
I just can't watch it, but maybe that's because I'm an animal lover ............ who knows?
What are your thoughts and are you placing a bet or two?

Slime.

P.S. I'm not judging, just expressing my opinion.

If you banned it, where would TESCOs get their stock from?

 

[brendy]

If you banned it, where would TESCOs get their stock from?

Blackpool pleasure beach?

I agree that horses, as graceful as they are very easily injured and not a thought for them is spared once they are injured. You would think that with todays technology injuries such as leg breaks could be repaired even if just to give the horse a decent civvy street life expectancy instead of a death sentence when they are of no use to the owners.

 

[Slime]

Burgers all round.

It's a risk that has been taken since it began so why the need to stop the risk?

Put lesser jumps up and it would lose the appeal IMO.

It's a risk taken by the riders, who have a choice, the horses don't understand 'risk'.

What's the appeal of seeing horses die, or am I not sick enough?

Slime.

 

[Slime]

Blackpool pleasure beach?

I agree that horses, as graceful as they are very easily injured and not a thought for them is spared once they are injured. You would think that with todays technology injuries such as leg breaks could be repaired even if just to give the horse a decent civvy street life expectancy instead of a death sentence when they are of no use to the owners.

Of course they can, but the career as a racehorse would be over rendering the horse worthless so they shoot it & claim the insurance.
After all, who would want a horse they can only ride and not race? Oh yeah, .....!

Slime.

 

[Fish]

Burgers all round.

It's a risk that has been taken since it began so why the need to stop the risk?

Put lesser jumps up and it would lose the appeal IMO.

There is plenty of appeal in lots of races which have no fences so why have them so bone crunching high?

Or is it just part and parcel of the titillation that some get from seeing car wrecks whether they be mechanical or live animals?

 

[Hacker Khan]

According to the trainer of the horse that died today "It could happen anywhere. It could happen at home and it's not the fences - it could have happened at a park course."

Also the one that dies yesterday "died of a suspected heart attack after being pulled up at the 11th jump."

So one may argue with the emotive term of slaughtered.

 

[AuburnWarrior]

I'm not too sure that I agree with it. As has been said, the riders know the risk and do so at their own choice - the horses don't have that same choice.
I reckon that the course should be made easier.

 

[smange]

The horses do have a choice, if they don't want to run they don't.

If you watched all the races today instead of just highlighting the ones that suited your arguement, you would have seen a horse called Mad Moose (IIRC) refuse to even start the race which he also done at Cheltenham, and there was nothing the jockey could do about it, he just plain refused to even take a step.

These horses are bred for racing and jumping, it's there life and they love it.

As for the Grand National, making the fences smaller would increase the deaths due to the horses being able to go faster over jumps. Every safety measure is taken to make it as safe as possible but unfortunately accidents happen.

 

[Dodger]

Where do you stop?

Stop golf as there is a chance that we could get whacked on the heed and die?

A horse can die during a gentle trot in the countryside.

 

[Fish]

According to the trainer of the horse that died today "It could happen anywhere. It could happen at home and it's not the fences - it could have happened at a park course."

Also the one that dies yesterday "died of a suspected heart attack after being pulled up at the 11th jump."

So one may argue with the emotive term of slaughtered.

I'm not convinced a broken shoulder from a high fall can "happen anywhere".

Also the horse that died today after a "suspected heart attack" again was in a field of horses that many pulled up, tired or injured. If the horses are not fit enough comfortably to be ridden to complete such a testing track, then the trainers should be prosecuted for putting them in.

 

[Doon frae Troon]

Quite agree with you Slime, I see The Grand National like F1 in England.
Thousands of ignorant punters got to watch in the hope that something 'sensational' will happen and brighten up their boring wee lives.
The Grand National should be banned. The racing industry and 'proper' gamblers side step it. The bookies love it as it is a bonanza day for them making money off mugs.

 

[PhilTheFragger]

They have rebuilt all the fences this year, so that even though they look high, most of the fence is bits of recycled xmas trees, that the horses can almost jump through, The inner core is now a forgiving plastic rather than timber.

You hear of footballers having heart attacks on the pitch, (muamba) , but I dont hear calls to ban that.
The trainer today said that the horse that got the shoulder injury , could have fallen and sustained the injury almost anywhere.
many Horse welfare campaigners have applauded the new fences and the steps taken to protect the horses and riders, but you cant please everyone

If you ban horse racing , what will they turn to next, Fishing?

 

[USER1999]

Thousands of grey hounds are put down every year as there is no where for them to go after racing. It's what they are bred for. If there are no homes for them, bang. It's the way 'sport' is. A short but happy life. Horses are the same.

The answer?

Ban betting.

It won't be popular though.

Personally, I don't get torturing fish, but many on here against the grand national will be recreational fishermen. I Can't see a difference.

 

[Fish]

They have rebuilt all the fences this year, so that even though they look high, most of the fence is bits of recycled xmas trees, that the horses can almost jump through, The inner core is now a forgiving plastic rather than timber.

You hear of footballers having heart attacks on the pitch, (muamba) , but I dont hear calls to ban that.
The trainer today said that the horse that got the shoulder injury , could have fallen and sustained the injury almost anywhere.
many Horse welfare campaigners have applauded the new fences and the steps taken to protect the horses and riders, but you cant please everyone

If you ban horse racing , what will they turn to next, Fishing?

Who said anything about banning racing per se? Don't dramatise this, you get very few deaths throughout the racing calender in general but as soon as Aintree comes to the fore there is the smell of death immediately and we have 2 before the big race!

The horses are either not up to it which the trainers are culpable for or the track is still too tough.

 

[Rooter]

They have rebuilt all the fences this year, so that even though they look high, most of the fence is bits of recycled xmas trees, that the horses can almost jump through, The inner core is now a forgiving plastic rather than timber.

You hear of footballers having heart attacks on the pitch, (muamba) , but I dont hear calls to ban that.
The trainer today said that the horse that got the shoulder injury , could have fallen and sustained the injury almost anywhere.
many Horse welfare campaigners have applauded the new fences and the steps taken to protect the horses and riders, but you cant please everyone

If you ban horse racing , what will they turn to next, Fishing?

I a. With phil. I grew up in a village where racing was a livelihood for most of the community. Even today my wife works for a racing trainer. The horses love it, as has been said they wouldn't run if they didn't, watch one where the jockey is unseated. 9 times out of 10 it will keep running, it's what they are bred and trained to do and they love it.

I will be watching and having a flutter!

Where do we stop? Fishing, dog racing, falconry?

 

[Siren]

You can not make it any easier than it is now. The fact is shortening the fences has lead to more casualties. Why? The horses and Jockeys dont treat them with the same respect. Should we ban football because players are having heart attacks on the pitch? Ban Motor Racing because drivers have died in the past 12 months?

People have to understand that horses that race are bred specifically for racing. Take Horse racing away and they will not longer be bred. If you ban Horse racing what do you think will happen to the tens of thousands of horses in the UK that are either being trained to race or are currently racing? The owners will not continue to look after them the way they do know most of them them will be shot dead on the spot.

What would you prefer a few dieing or to cull part of a species?

Google Dvinsky, I think he is either 13 or 14 and ahs been retired quite a few times, but he just pouts and refuses to do anything other than race. He also won again a few months back.

You would think that with todays technology injuries such as leg breaks could be repaired even if just to give the horse a decent civvy street life expectancy instead of a death sentence when they are of no use to the owners.

To do that involves putting a Horse in suspended air for a long period of time leading to muscle wastage and a very poor quality of life. Due to the low success rate of that treatment it is kinder to shoot them there and then rather than put them through that.

I cant stand horse racing btw but it has nothing to do with the treatment of the animals( they are treated better than many of us on this forum) just the fact I think its boring.

 

[Dodger]

Who said anything about banning racing per se? Don't dramatise this, you get very few deaths throughout the racing calender in general but as soon as Aintree comes to the fore there is the smell of death immediately and we have 2 before the big race!

The horses are either not up to it which the trainers are culpable for or the track is still too tough.

143 in 2012.

How many is enough then? Go on.......