Anyone watching the Grand National?

[PinkLemonadee]

Just put it on to see protesters being dragged off the track. Feel bad for the horses in the ring, it looks warm and there's so many people about.

What I can't get my head around is those that are OK with some deaths but not others - what's the distinction? Horse killed in the Grand National bad, horse killed on the roads, in the arena or around a course acceptable?

Why do you think you know that people who care about this don't care about other animals. What a bizarre thought

It's a shame but at least he died doing something he loved. Unlike most other animals that die.

Did you just attach a human state to an animal doing what it is trained to do?

Really?

Died doing something he loved 🤦🏻‍♀️🤦🏻‍♀️🤦🏻‍♀️

The riders choose to do it, no-one makes them, or beats them with a whip to make them go faster.

Mind you, I'd ban it. There's scarcely been a single year without a death or very serious injury. And I love motorbike racing, I've got MotoGP on as we speak.

@Instructionmanual thank you for your reasoning.

It's an abhorrent sport.

@Instructionmanual

Thank you so much for your insight and information.
Even though I have been around horses, in many different settings, for most of my life, I have still learnt something from what you have written.

Very very sad to hear about Hill Sixteen.
So many fallers early on; I hope the protestors can live with themselves.

Nope no horse death is acceptable. Deaths on roads are due to careless or aggressive drivers and lack of public off road riding
Very few deaths occur in arenas.
Deats around a XC are unacceptable but Eventing is reviewing this yet again.
The fact remains that racing contributes to over 220 deaths per year in UK, far higher than any other discipline plus the issue of unwanted racehorses being live exported for meat.

The thing is, those horses were only stressed because they'd been brought to the racetrack, kept in small stables for hours with a load of strange horses and people around them, were in the middle of a noisy crowd and with other nervous horses, and they would inevitably have picked up on their owners' and carers' tensions. . If they are so highly strung that they would be stressed by a waiting 20 minutes or so, then that alone is evidence that this is a highly unnatural activity for horses. If they'd been out and about in their home field they wouldn't be stressed at all.

Some people might like to watch this

Sorry, link didn't appear.

a lot of pony and trap racing going on the A413 at the moment which is happening every weekend , no protesters about those poor ponies being hammered up and down the road week week or even police !

You need to look beyond this country. An awful lot are exported and end up in meat markets abroad.

For those who support racing I have yet to have an answer to how the following is acceptable:
-the number of deaths on UK racecourses per year compared to any other equine discipline

• the number of failed racehorses who are live exported for meat
• the unnatural state that racehorses are kept in which creates physical and psychological issues

But yeh racing is fine 🙄
It's funny but those who support it generally have zero clue about horses ie good welfare/management standards and what happens to the horses after racing.

No protests but this is also cruel yes, police won't get involved though because of the members of the society who undertake this practice

What would happen to all the horses if horse racing was banned?

In reality it will boil down to people either being OK with this or just not caring.

This. Funny how quickly people forget about racehorses being cruelly slaughtered in abattoirs, and the abuse these beautiful creatures are forced to endure all for pleasure and financial gain.

@Rosula

It was a bigger shit show than normal, and the only difference this time was delays by protestors. So it probably has had an impact.

Plus, what if one of the protestors had been able to run out onto the track in the middle of the race? That could have endangered horse and rider.

@Greycheck ultimately they don't care

Presumably those trap racers are members of a certain ‘community’ @billysboy and that’s why nothing is being done about it..

Yes other half got 1st and 2nd. I have the knack of picking the ones that don't finish!

What happens to all the racing horses that are no longer needed for racing - remind us?

There won’t be a market for them in the long term - same as with all the hounds who were bred to tear foxes to pieces.

I got 1st and 3rd :)

Immediately nothing but medium-long term it would be better breeding which would mean a better class of TBs. As a breed they are highly in demand for other disciplines so the breed wouldn't disappear but there wouldn't be such a surplus that they would need shipping off for meat. It would hopefully mean an end to endless treatments for ulcers/kissing spines/SI issues and an end to animal cruelty and abuse in the name of sport, in 1 discipline at least.
I really urge you to educate yourself and take a long hard look at your views on racing. Watch the video posted above "The Dark Side of racing" then come back and tell me you still support it.

If you have limited capacity to protest, you are obviously likely to have a greater effect if you concentrate on high profile events.

Do you believe all protestors are just attention seekers? Is that also the case for, for example, people who protested about George Floyd's death, or all the protestors against gun laws in the US? If you are a woman, how do you feel about the suffragettes?

I got 7th in the work sweepstake. It was more popular than ever this year, they had to run 2 separate sweeps so that everyone could get a go. I don't see horseracing going away anytime soon. A lot of younger colleagues are into it which wasn't the case 10 or 20 years ago.