The Grand National. When will they stop this cruel race for human entertainment?

Why is nobody in outcry about "Watchful Protectors" death today?.....ahhh not high profile enough evidently.

Why is nobody in outcry about "Watchful Protectors" death today?.....ahhh not high profile enough evidently.

I spent a large chunk of my teens on racing yards in the West Midlands/South West, that wasn't an AI response, though that is the second time this week I've been accused of being an AI.

I went to Hartpury to do a breeding/stud management Btec after several years as a general dogsbody on various (NH) yards, then afterwards some stud yards and finally a carriage driving outfit (weddings, the odd funeral, and bizarrely, canal boats) before my health failed me.

@Treadcarefully11 You've seen the 'pretty' side of racing, tarted up for owners days. Keep drinking the Kool Aid, you're paying for all this abuse.

As a society we’re very quick to call out other countries poor treatment of animals, especially using animals for entertainment in circus’ etc.

Very hypocritical, the treatment of horses in general is appalling here. I live opposite a huge horse paddock and have been saddened to see, it’s all about class, status and money.

I spent a large chunk of my teens on racing yards in the West Midlands/South West, that wasn't an AI response, though that is the second time this week I've been accused of being an AI.

I went to Hartpury to do a breeding/stud management Btec after several years as a general dogsbody on various (NH) yards, then afterwards some stud yards and finally a carriage driving outfit (weddings, the odd funeral, and bizarrely, canal boats) before my health failed me.

@Treadcarefully11 You've seen the 'pretty' side of racing, tarted up for owners days. Keep drinking the Kool Aid, you're paying for all this abuse.

Love a good AI response....I dont need a bracketed explanation of what crib biting is......get educated on the things you hate so much.

According to this BBC article from a few years ago, hundreds of horses bred for racing are slaughtered each year, the majority of them young: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-57881979.

What gets me is how anyone can pretend the industry values animal rights at all while this routine slaughter is going on. And yes I obviously am aware that animals are routinely slaughtered in the meat and dairy industries too, I don't personally support those industries either. But it's the hypocrisy of the racing industry that I can't get my head round, all the people saying that race horses love to race, they are treated like kings, the owners, riders and trainers love them etc. How can that possibly be true when they are sending such large numbers of their animals to slaughter each year? If they love the animals so much, why are they training and racing them so young, why don't they take responsibility for providing happy lives for failed racers?

Just call it what it is, these animals are viewed and treated as livestock, they are there to make money. Let's stop pretending the horses are benefiting from this industry. At least nobody tries to pretend that battery hens have a great time laying eggs.

And the reason this comes up around grand national time every year is because that's when it's in the news, it's perfectly normal for people to feel upset about the cruel death of a beautiful animal when it's a headline news story.

According to this BBC article from a few years ago, hundreds of horses bred for racing are slaughtered each year, the majority of them young: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-57881979.

What gets me is how anyone can pretend the industry values animal rights at all while this routine slaughter is going on. And yes I obviously am aware that animals are routinely slaughtered in the meat and dairy industries too, I don't personally support those industries either. But it's the hypocrisy of the racing industry that I can't get my head round, all the people saying that race horses love to race, they are treated like kings, the owners, riders and trainers love them etc. How can that possibly be true when they are sending such large numbers of their animals to slaughter each year? If they love the animals so much, why are they training and racing them so young, why don't they take responsibility for providing happy lives for failed racers?

Just call it what it is, these animals are viewed and treated as livestock, they are there to make money. Let's stop pretending the horses are benefiting from this industry. At least nobody tries to pretend that battery hens have a great time laying eggs.

And the reason this comes up around grand national time every year is because that's when it's in the news, it's perfectly normal for people to feel upset about the cruel death of a beautiful animal when it's a headline news story.

Let me guess, you’ve never visited a racing yard in your life?

I love horse racing. I was at Aintree this week and also attend around 50+ other meetings every year.

I’ve been to every UK racecourse and many overseas. I’ve owned/part owned a number of racehorses and have visited many yards over the years. I can safely say that the majority of posts on this thread are complete nonsense and written from a place of total ignorance.

The photo of Gold Dancer caught me this morning and I’m now sat here with tears in my eyes for that poor horse. It’s barbaric. But then some people get enjoyment of fox hunting so 🤷🏻‍♀️

No! No! Horses run when they’re riderless because they are herd animals. They are prey animals and it is staying with the herd that is their instinct in order to keep them safe. They are safe when they are together and they are vulnerable on their own. It is not within a horse’s psychology to stop running when the rest of the herd is charging away. They cannot do that.

Herd animals simply cannot leave the herd: it’s against every instinct to do so. Therefore, they will run with the other horses. They do not do this because they have made some considered decision or for some kind of fun. Anyone that tells you that doesn’t know what they’re talking about and if it’s a horse racing person that tells you that, then that really is a key to their lack of understanding of horse behaviour.

It’s also worth bearing in mind that horses in any sports industry have very little autonomy. So little, in fact, that some stallions simply cannot serve as stallions after they retire because any sexual instincts have been suppressed, at best by chucking cold buckets of water at them. Very few animals are given choices, although it’s fascinating to watch them when they are. Giving choices to race horses would be a financial disaster.

Horse racing people only know how horses behave in a racing environment. It is very difficult for them to change their beliefs because that would mean confronting things which they do not wish to confront. It’s human nature. Nobody wants to accept that what they have been doing all their life is unkind and unnatural. Some racing people are beginning to do that, but it’s not easy for them. Humans just don’t behave that way. Therefore, you double down, deny and tell those who criticise you that they simply don’t understand or have the deep insight and knowledge that you have.

That is also a clue to how we changed this: confrontation does not change peoples’ minds.

It’s an annual event…

…the MN anti-Grand National thread.

And they’re off! Sentimental’s in an early lead, closely followed by Hypocrite. Horse Racing Ignoramus coming up on the outside, with Mawkish Nonsense challenging. Not A Clue is coming through strongly. But Pointless Ill-informed Whingeing is now ahead, and wins by a length from Nothing Better To Do.

Funny thing is, I'm in agreement with you, but have common sense and awareness because I've done my research. The GN is absolutely nothing to worry about compared to the rest of the racing industry. It will never be banned. There are prime time adverts on my local TV showing what a fun family day out the races can be. I still stand by the fact the horses have a great life, and its just something I have to accept.

Well then you are missing out of some of the simplest pleasures in life.

milk, beef, bacon - delicious

your time on this earth is infinite (100yrs if you’re lucky) and long before you and long after you, cows will be milked and beefed, pigs will be bacon’d and people will enjoy (and make fortunes) off horse racing

162000 cows were slaughtered in the UK in February this year for the meat industry.
so I can’t get too worried about a few horses tbh.

With the dubious of benefit of having worked in the industry when I was a lot younger and stupider...

Campaigning to ban it at this stage is futile, as previous posters have pointed out the revenue it generates across multiple industries is vast, you would not achieve your goal even remotely - all that might happen is that racing HERE in the UK is ended and horses bred here are shipped to Ireland, to Australia, Japan, USA, Dubai etc etc.

What would make a significant difference to horse welfare is some rule changes.

Ban putting horses under 3 years old into training. Ban them touching a racecourse until 5.

Instantly you cut the 'wastage' that is, horses bred excessively 'just in case they're good enough', many of whom are broken down through early training before they see a track, because the costs of keeping them around until old enough is prohibitive.

You also cut down the numbers breaking down because they're raced too young.

You'd also likely improve the handling/early training of those horses because you cannot simply leave them in a field until 3 then bring them in and start riding them, they'd need some handling and education - that stands them in better stead for a future after racing.

More time to get them properly fit to race means fewer injuries on the track, it means fewer jumping accidents too as there is time to school them properly over fences and its far less likely you'd have wild crazy jumpers people take risks on because their fast or because they have incredible stamina (many of the early fallers in the National are this type, nutters with guts but poor jumping skills).

It would also cost more to have a racehorse if you're not seeing a return on your money for four or five years, which reduces the numbers, sharpens peoples minds about taking care of them (remember with the exception of high value stallions, they're rarely insured because the cost outweighs any payout you'd get!).

Theres various other rules I'd bring in, like stipulations on access to turn out, social interaction with others etc... but this ONE change would reshape horse racing in the UK and in a way that produces higher quality, longer lasting, sounder and happier horses, which would lead other countries to follow suit.

If everyone pushing for an outright ban that will never happen in their lifetimes, pushed for this... it could happen.