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Horse-Racing- Cruel?
129 Answers
To avoid disrupting Ken's thread, and to allow people to have their say...
My view is no. Because I believe mental health is just as important for animals as it is for people... and I have worked in Racing yards, Polo yards, Riding schools etc...
When you have bred an animal throughout hundreds of years to want to race, is it actually "kind" to wrap them in cotton wool instead forever? I now work with older people, and feel the same. Anything "fun" comes with some risk.
Obviously,there is no justification for cruelty or abuse, no matter what- and I doubt anyone would suggest there is.
So- horseracing? Fair or not?
My view is no. Because I believe mental health is just as important for animals as it is for people... and I have worked in Racing yards, Polo yards, Riding schools etc...
When you have bred an animal throughout hundreds of years to want to race, is it actually "kind" to wrap them in cotton wool instead forever? I now work with older people, and feel the same. Anything "fun" comes with some risk.
Obviously,there is no justification for cruelty or abuse, no matter what- and I doubt anyone would suggest there is.
So- horseracing? Fair or not?
Answers
Whips will never be banned totally because in the majority of cases they are a safety aid used to keep the horse moving straight - if you watch you will see a jockey pull a whip through to his other hand if a horse is veering towards another horse or the rail. Use of the whip to encourage them to go faster is very limited and most of the time is waved in the air. This...
15:26 Fri 09th Apr 2021
//does anyone know how many horses raced over jumps in the same period?//
Does it matter what the percentage of racing: horse deaths are? Would you have the same opinion if, say, show dogs were dying at Crufts and the like? " oh yes well two poodles died today at Crufts but hey ho there were 2000 competitors -not bad going eh?!
Does it matter what the percentage of racing: horse deaths are? Would you have the same opinion if, say, show dogs were dying at Crufts and the like? " oh yes well two poodles died today at Crufts but hey ho there were 2000 competitors -not bad going eh?!
Every time I read this thread, I think of the greyhounds that are injured or die every year in racing...or are euthanized. Up to 1,000 I think. I saw a horrific video of a young dog that was crashed into by another...and broke her neck.
So many suffer with broken legs...and arthritis later in life. And there's the unnatural conditions they are raised in. They may/might/or not get the best food and good healthcare, but are often not socialised properly...living in kennels their whole racing life. Yes, they do love to run, but why do humans feel the need to make money from that instinct? And how many are aware of the dark side of the industry?
So many suffer with broken legs...and arthritis later in life. And there's the unnatural conditions they are raised in. They may/might/or not get the best food and good healthcare, but are often not socialised properly...living in kennels their whole racing life. Yes, they do love to run, but why do humans feel the need to make money from that instinct? And how many are aware of the dark side of the industry?
Apg //ou obviously do not know much about the racing industry. You think Racehorses are turned out for 10 hours a day -do you think Racehorses can race 'off grass'.
You think Racehorses are not broken in at 18 months old -just how do you think they race at two? It takes 6 months to train a horse for racing.....//
Not quite what I said, apg, at all. Ours were mostly in for 4 months, ridden in mornings, out for an hour afternoons. Not ridden at all nov, Dec, jan- just turned out and brought in, and the other months, ridden in morning and turned out in the afternoon. I'm well aware all yards don't do the same, but that doesn't mean I'm "pretending". Just showing all racehorses are not boxed 22 hours a day all year round.
I do agree about the age though, 2 year olds are much too young.
Where I worked was mostly anglos and flat, and they were between 4 and 12.
As I said, I'm sure nobody would condone mistreatment, cruelty or abuse on here- and improving welfare can only be good, I was more asking whether people thought "racing" was cruel... than is "cruelty" cruel...
Of course it's risky, as is just about anything with horses and tragedies happen.
You think Racehorses are not broken in at 18 months old -just how do you think they race at two? It takes 6 months to train a horse for racing.....//
Not quite what I said, apg, at all. Ours were mostly in for 4 months, ridden in mornings, out for an hour afternoons. Not ridden at all nov, Dec, jan- just turned out and brought in, and the other months, ridden in morning and turned out in the afternoon. I'm well aware all yards don't do the same, but that doesn't mean I'm "pretending". Just showing all racehorses are not boxed 22 hours a day all year round.
I do agree about the age though, 2 year olds are much too young.
Where I worked was mostly anglos and flat, and they were between 4 and 12.
As I said, I'm sure nobody would condone mistreatment, cruelty or abuse on here- and improving welfare can only be good, I was more asking whether people thought "racing" was cruel... than is "cruelty" cruel...
Of course it's risky, as is just about anything with horses and tragedies happen.
If they are 'failed' racehorses they are sent to sales where they are bought by meat men, people who want to retrain them for riding horses or dealers. Some are Euthanised for no other reason than they are no longer useful. ( as are racing greyhounds) Some Racehorses are allowed to retire back to their owners (usually ones that have won a lot of money) but they are few and far between. Wetherby's sales at Doncaster sell a lot of 'has been' racehorses -you can pick them up very cheaply which unfortunately means some end up in terrible homes where they are not looked after properly. Horses that have been used to the best of everything take very badly to been turned out 24/7 without a rug in all weathers. The link I posted yesterday about the typical day in a racehorse's life is a charity that rehomes ex racehorses to suitable homes. They do very good work and there are now classes as most shows for ex-racehorses.
Pixie. I'm leaving it there. Some of the things you have come out with lead me to believe you know a lot less about the Racing Industry than you are making out and are now back tracking. I suggest you re-read what you have posted at 15:34 yesterday re turnout, especially the comment that they are 'in' for only 10 hours a day -that means they are 'out 'for 14 in my calculation which clearly, they are not. The cherry on the cake was you saying people who disagreed with racing and thought it cruel were ignorant of horses. I have no intention of carrying this on as its becoming personal. Anyone vaguely interested can google all the things Ive commented on and show they are true.
Thanks pasta.... my thoughts are similar to ken's really. We breed certain animals for certain reasons, the only reason they actually exist. And the majority will have happy, healthy lives- but there is an inherent risk in any sport too. So would they just not be born, due to the risk of dying earlier?
As I said, nobody will condone cruelty, I'm sure we could and should do much more.... but what I find hard to accept, is that because of a minority of cruel people, animals don't get a life at all and sports get banned.
As I said, nobody will condone cruelty, I'm sure we could and should do much more.... but what I find hard to accept, is that because of a minority of cruel people, animals don't get a life at all and sports get banned.
Thanks pasta x personally, I won't, but probably would if it was about welfare, laws etc. But others might.
Nothing necessarily wrong with it, woof. I was just asking what people expected. I get the feeling that an "innocent, beautiful animal" has died. But sometimes it seems people prefer them to be kept safely in a stable (which would send them mad...) without really acknowledging, that none would have a life at all otherwise, even a good one.
To prevent all animal cruelty, we need to either get rid of animals- or humans. (I know which gets my vote). But realistically, would rather concentrate on welfare.
Nothing necessarily wrong with it, woof. I was just asking what people expected. I get the feeling that an "innocent, beautiful animal" has died. But sometimes it seems people prefer them to be kept safely in a stable (which would send them mad...) without really acknowledging, that none would have a life at all otherwise, even a good one.
To prevent all animal cruelty, we need to either get rid of animals- or humans. (I know which gets my vote). But realistically, would rather concentrate on welfare.
//But sometimes it seems people prefer them to be kept safely in a stable (which would send them mad...) without really acknowledging, that none would have a life at all otherwise, even a good one.//
There is an in-between. The horses where I live spend their lives being cared for and happily grazing in fields - as they should.
There is an in-between. The horses where I live spend their lives being cared for and happily grazing in fields - as they should.
