That the Grand National should end

Why are they on the road in the first place?

So that makes horses being killed on the road ok?

@RefreshingCandour Well then you must do your own thing, but the horse that died in this incident wasn't actually being ridden.

What if you strongly oppose horse riding?!

Apparently yesterday was the first national to not have a horse facility since 2018.
They reduced the number of horses - but only by 6 - changed the time and reduced fence height in some cases - in order to improve safety. It seems like reducing numbers by 6 doesn't feel like very much.

However, 2 horses were killed the day before after falling at the same racecourse.

Can everyone who has strongly opposed the Grand National please sign this petition?

Almost 50 x the number of horses killed in the Grand National on a bad year are killed on the roads in the UK annually by careless and dangerous drivers. This also sadly results in more human fatalities too.

https://www.change.org/p/katie-s-law-enforce-highway-code-section-215-as-law-for-safer-horse-riding

I did watch the Grand National on TV yesterday. No horses fell. Some pulled up and others unseated riders. Fences are smaller and softer, fewer horses race in this now all increasing safety and no loons unsettling the horses before the race like last year.

It was successful.

33% think you're unreasonable?
That's fucking depressing, think I'm off to hug one of my animals.

So because they have been bred for our pleasure that should continue? Hmm.

I don’t imagine for one minute that wild animals have carefree existences. But they have choices.

I’m demonstrably not. If you think the original claims are correct, please provide evidence.

@TheFireflies you're talking nonsense. If anyone is wrong, it's you.

Yes me too. I find it impossible to get the horror out of my mind.

Why do we have to keep horses at all?

Because for many hundreds of years they were bred to live alongside us and provide us with our only means of transport. They are not completely wild and some are not completed domesticated, but the majority still continue to live alongside us in as natural conditions as we can mimic.

Every proper horse owner knows that being privileged to have one of these animals in your care requires 100 per cent commitment 24/7 whatever the weather, whether you are ill, heavily pregnant , working late… the horse comes first. It’s a vocation and an all encompassing lifestyle involving huge sacrifices in terms of hours, and labour and financial commitments.

People think that horses are not adaptable but in fact they are hugely adaptable animals and have adapted to live and work alongside us over many years; down the pit, travelling on aeroplanes, in horse boxes , carrying out a multitude of different disciplines from endurance riding to dressage and show jumping to pulling a carriage to racing. Done skilfully, a horse can adapt very happily to all of these different tasks and environments as long as their essential needs are met.

Btw, if you ever see horses close up in the wild like mustangs or those that live semi feral existences in Argentina for example who are rounded up once or twice a year, their life is not the ideal, carefree existence you might imagine. They roam miles to seek water and food, some while dragging excruciatingly painful foot injuries. Diseases go untreated. Some have huge parasitic burdens. Some are massively underweight. It’s a natural life but it’s just as challenging, probably much more so, than domesticated life.

They have extremely unnatural lives. And yes I have horses myself so I do know what I am talking about.

@RefreshingCandour the same reason we keep other pets.
We love them. And the vast majority of horse owners idolise their horses and do everything possible to give them the best lives they can.

My two cents - don’t particularly like the horse racing industry due to the age the horses are started and their lifestyle but racing itself is strictly regulated. Accidents and fatalities happen but I know only too well how easily a horse can suffer a fatal injury in the field despite every endeavour to keep them safe. They are fundamentally very badly designed (yet incredible!) animals.

I hear all of this. I’m not comparing racehorses to caged horses though.

Why do we have to keep horses at all?

Extrapolation works both ways though!

People just choose to criticise this race without mentioning the welfare changes that have been made recently: the different starting point, the lower fences (which causes greater speed which is potentially as harmful an issue ) the smaller number of horses taking part, the cooling systems in place at finish.

Everyone involved makes a huge effort so that the horse’s welfare comes first.

And welfare standards have never been better in racing as a whole. There is greater aware now of the need for turnout and a more natural way of living. Look up Philip Kirkby’s stables on line as a great example of how well race horses are kept.

And there are huge efforts going in to the retraining of racehorses once their careers are over. More than ever before.

Horses that take part in the GN are massively strong, fit, athletes with hearts the size of volley balls which pump 75 gallons of oxygenating blood around the body. They have 25 kilos of muscle on each back leg propelling them forwards.

The ones taking part in the Grand National weigh about the same as a Formula One racing car. Their lungs, which expand and contract up to 150 times a minute when racing, are two metres long and, if opened out, would cover the same surface area as ten tennis courts. Over the course of the GN, a horse will breathe in 21,000 litres of air, the same as an adult human breathes in 2 days. It breathes perfectly in sync with each stride when galloping.

At certain speeds these horses can release extra blood cells from the spleen to turbo charge their performance.

They are phenomenal animals and should be allowed to do what they are are physically adapted and bred to do. Not stay cosetted in stables. We as humans are no longer used to witnessing the extreme physical force of nature up close and racing is one opportunity to do that. The horse as a prey animal is ALL about movement. And they are beautifully adapted to run the short distances needed to get themselves out of danger from a predator.

If you want to look at horse welfare why not also look at all the ponies suffering excruciating foot pain because they are overweight, laminitic and under exercised and under stimulated, standing virtually motionless neglected in the corner of a field.

So if you choose to extrapolate, please extrapolate from a broad, objective, knowledgeable perspective.

These figures are entirely wrong too.

I understand why people don’t like racing, but it doesn’t help to get all hyperbolic or roll out obviously false statistics.

Your understanding is wrong

It's a fucking disgrace.

Well I don't think there was 1 horse fell except a loose horse at the second but he got up and was fine. So hopefully all home save and sound.

Thing is people pick and choose what to be outgraged about and call for things to be banned as long as it doesn't affect them.

People who eat meat by the truck load and then get massively emotional about horses dying at Aintree are pretty hypocritical.

Please help horses

Prince Fluffy Kareem

This. I care not one bit what happens to the Jockeys, zero sympathy for any casualties. The trainers, the losers that get all dressed up , spending money to win blood money. Revolting.

The whole thing is a disgrace and everyone who participates in any way is disgusting.