Is Our Entertainment Worth It?

[sp1814]

Two horses have died at Aintree already...is there an argument for banning this sport?

Cards on the table...I am ambivalent. I don't want a ban, but I wouldn't care of jump racing was banned.

Where do YOU stand?

[emmie]

yes, and no don't ban it. I did hear this on the news, i don't have the answer, but lots of people's livelihoods and lives revolve around racing.
Horses get killed on the flat as well. They only have to slip, break a leg and generally there is nothing to be done.

[emmie]

it is a multi billion pound industry, it's not just UK but worldwide. The National is the greatest race in the world, i know of the fatalities, have seen some when we went to Kempton and Ascot, can't say as i wasn't upset, but what would be your or anyone's suggestion, other than ban it outright.

[AlwaysConfused]

I think that more people have been worried about whats in their lasagne than who will fall at the first post!

[woofgang]

Ban it. Its not an argument to say that people's livelihoods depend on it, you might just as well argue that we should allow some lawbreaking because policemen's livelihoods depend on it.
Its not just the fallers, its the horses who are bred who are "surplus to requirements" or are sold off because they become injured or don't make the grade.

[emmie]

animals lovers who might want to see it banned, may have no problem eating meat, or wearing leather, and those animals are killed so we can eat, or wear their skins. Those animals are not always killed in a way that we like to think, humanely. So i reckon that racing will continue, that they have made endless alterations to the course, that more horses will likely be killed, it is a very sad thing, i do get that, and still don't think it will be banned any day soon.

[emmie]

so ban all horse racing, or just this race.

[Gromit]

I don't really gamble and I do not watch horse racong, but I guess if you took all the risk out of it, it would be very dull and predictable. The animals seem to enjoy it, and they are usually shot because they cease to be worth anything if they break a leg. Which is probably recoverable from.

Maybe they should set up a fund where 1% of all bets on the race goes to a sanctuary for ex-runners that get injurred.

[emmie]

a horse breaking a leg isn't quite the same as a human, and i suspect the cost of vets fees may well prohibit it, having said that i do believe there are horse sanctuaries, where some go to live out their days.

[Dodger666]

Let's ban all forms of driving while we're at it. Far more people die on the road than racehorses on racecourses.

A jockey named Neville Sellwood won the 1962 Derby on Larkspur. Just 5 months later he rode "Lucky Seven" on a wet track at Maison Lafitte racecourse, near Paris. The horse slipped and rolled on him. He died on the way to hospital. Jockey JT McNamara was left paralysed after breaking his neck at Cheltenham a few weeks ago when his horse fell, I don't recall a call for a ban on racing after those events.

[emmie]

you have to admit that more horses die than jockeys, and these animals are bred specifically for racing, and unless they are a Desert Orchid or Red Rum, then generally they won't live out their days in the lap of luxury.

[jno]

maybe the humans have a choice, Dodger?

[LazyGun]

Flat Racing accounts for 0.6 equine fatalities per 1000 runners
Steeple Chasing accounts for 4 equine fatalities per 1000 runners
Grand National 2000-2010 7 fatalities per 450 odd runner, so 8 per 1000 runners.

Animal Aid have detailed the destruction of 945 horses as a consequence of racing in the 6 years since the 2007 Cheltenham Festival.

Thats quite a tally of deaths. The difference between a jockey injuring themselves during a race and a horse is that a jockey has made a conscious, informed decision to participate - a horse does not have that choice.

So no, we should not ban Horse-Racing, but we should do whatever we can to improve the safety of the events, and the Grand National is an extremely dangerous event for the horses.

The distance of the race is too long at 4 miles, 4 furlongs or so - exhausts the horses.
Fences, particularly Beechers Brook, are especially difficult - the ground level on landing is lower than at take off, which can cause problems for the horses. The jump-off and landing should be levelled.
They should redesign the fences - something they are already doing, which is good but they can do more.
And they should restrict the field - 40 is just too many horses all competing at the fences in not enough room. The field should be reduced to 30 or less.

[cathfromsaron]

see how it goes this year ... they RE supposed to have made lots of improvements x

[Buenchico]

LazyGun refers to Animal Aid's campaign. This link is worth scrolling all the way down, just to see the size of the problem:
http://www.horsedeathwatch.com/

[Sycamore3House]

3 horses died at Catterick races on Feb 26 th this year. No publicity there. It is what happens. Mad Moose today refused to race. If a horse of whatever type breaks its leg it is no longer viable. If you suspend a horse whilst its leg heals there are far more complications. That is why they are destroyed.

[Gromit]

On the plus side, we can expect the price of Findus Lasagna to tumble as a consequence.

[Valmave]

I think there would be a dramatic improvement in equine welfare if everytime a horse has to be put down so should the owner.

[emmie]

no horse racing, then no race horses.

[Maydup]

I never really understand why the breeding of horses for racing or showjumping is frowned upon by some, while the breeding of pigs, cows or chickens for eating is fine.

[jim360]

I'm not a fan of horse racing anyway. But first is to see if it can't be made safer, and if not only then start to talk of banning the thing. I wonder if horses actually enjoy jumping and racing, in their own special horsey way. Though they probably don't fully understand the danger.