The grand national is cruel to horses

[McHappyPants2012]

Alot of the horses will be injured and whipped into going faster, it's also a long race course.

I can't believe people would bet on this event

I won't be betting on it, but I don't object to it nearly as strongly as I do to meat production (which is why I'm a vegetarian).

I find it really hypocritical that people will eat animals but get all misty-eyed when they're 'forced' to race each other. Yes, the horse didn't have a choice - but if it did, I think it'd be more likely to choose to race than the cow would choose to be stuck on a bun with some ketchup.

Whilst I have a great deal of understanding of the objections, I cannot help but ask the following questions...
How many of the above contributers opposed to the race have ever owned or ridden a horse, or have a realistic understanding of the conditions that racehorses are kept in?
How many are vegetarians? Do you wear leather? Which country did it come from?
Of those who eat meat, how many can put their hands on their hearts and say that they have never eaten battery chicken or imported pork (Danish??) from countries where welfare is lower than UK? Really? Even in a restaurant?

This is by no means a comparison to the above potential examples of animal cruelty, far from it. Horse racing is an extremely regulated industry, particularly in the UK, and the horses live in the most incredible conditions, with constant veterinary care. All efforts should be (and are being) made to improve the safety of the horses - the aim of course is for no deaths.

My point is that, whilst there is obviously a great deal of room for improvement, most of the objections I have read are hysterical, hypocritical and downright ignorant. It is easy to make sweeping statements, harder to make a considered judgment.

Queenofsiburbia, yes I am vegetarian and have been since the age of 4. I am against using animals for any reason, even medical testing. I do agree with you though in that a lot of people become squeamish when the abuse of animals is obvious (ie the gn) but do not give a thought before eating a bacon sarnie.

somewhereinsummertime, British racing is amongst the most heavily regulated in the world. We have some of the strictest rules and heavy penalties for those that don't abide by those rules.

Horses are not put down lightly. Those that are put down are horses that are injured too severely to be saved. There are several horse ambulances on every racecourse and if a horse can be treated and saved, he/she will be. As many people have said on this thread, broken limbs are incredibly difficult to treat in an animal as big as a horse. The only chance is if the break is clean and straight, which sadly is rare.

Ok, I'm no veteran campaigner but even I can see that going onto a parenting website and saying "Ban It!" like the Queen in Alice in wonderland is neither effective nor particularly grown up.
Surely the following would make more sense???...

An industry that makes as much money as racing is not going to cease to exist. Let's face it, like any industry, some of the money goes towards building schools and hospitals. Write to your MP and state that it is important that some tax is spent on inspecting racing yards.
Wouldn't it be better to encourage best practice? Make the UK world leaders in racing safety and welfare? Other countries may well follow suit. Do some research, find out what you want to change and write to your MP, the yards, the betting companies etc. Apply pressure with knowledge!

Companies like Betfair take CSR seriously. Write to them and say because of the good work they do in supporting retired race horse charities, you will transfer your huge gambling problem to them ;-)

I can see it is important to many people. Good luck!

We bet on it every year.

We watched Cheltenham this year too and it was upsetting how many horses lost their lives this yeaqr , i do enjoy watching hores racing but i also believe the jumps in the national are too big and the course is too long, i would like to see it changed (it can still be a great event). I have been to wactch flat racing but i'm not sure if i could go and watch jumps as i would hate to see a horse fall . I don't think racing should be banned though, i think the horses enjoy it, it just needs to be made safer.

I think that at some point in the future it will go the same way as bull fighting and be banned; at least I hope so. Why is horse and dog racing deemed acceptable yet dog and cock fighting isn't? One could argue that the animals are behaving in a natural manner when in those situations too.

It is a plutocratic system and as we live in a capitalist society it will take time to change. The tax argument is unfortunately valid and is the same reason the government hasn't banned smoking; they just make too much damned money from it.

It's fucking disgraceful,I hate it:(

Personally I think unless you are totally vegan then by all means moan away but you are being a hyprocrite.

Do you know how the animals that allowed you to have that cake this afternoon were treated, the animals that have allowed shoes on your feet etc etc.

Horses DO like to gallop and run. Maybe the whip should be banned altogether maybe not. Maybe jump racing should be banned maybe not.
Personally I have no problem in the racing of horses but those that do need to remember that if they are stating cruelty then they need to look at their own lifestyles as well.

this point has probably been made already but we owe SO MUCH to the racing industry - I do think some aspects of it are cruel but not so much the occasional death during a race (horses die, they injure themselves or one another in the field and die, these things happen) other things that you see/hear about that are a bit but this is true of riding schools, police horses, those used for driving carriages in built up areas, cross country, eventing

the thing is horses everywhere benefit from the continuing advances in veterinary medicine and research because of racing. think this goes a very long way to mitigate its less desirable outcomes

anyway the very idea of keeping pets is pretty cruel once you start thinking about it

we destroy the natural habitats of so many plants, invertebrates, birds and animals and drive or hunt them to extinction, why pick on racing and hunting?

YANBU.

It's one thing for humans to drive fast cars around a track at the Grand Prix, but a horse doesn't have a choice as to whether it wants to risk its life in a dangerous race.

Money should not come ahead of doing the right thing, in any circumstances.

It's all very well saying anyone against the Grand Prix should be a vegan but two wrongs don't make a right.

bbqjuly have you ever tried making a horse do something it doesn't want to?

My horse died having a roll in the field.

I will be watching my friends horse go round tomorrow with pride.

The fact is that racing will not be banned. It is an industry that employs tens of thousands of people directly, and indirectly and contributes a huge amount to the British economy? Deloitte carried out an economic impact study into racing in 2009 and the key findings were as follows:

"Racing has retained its position as the second biggest sport in Britain after football, including revenue generation and attendance, in a major new Economic Impact Study published today. British Horseracing generated expenditure of £3.40bn in 2008, up from £2.86bn in 2005. Once capital expenditure is added this figure rises to more than £3.7bn.

The British Horseracing business contributed at least £325m in tax in 2008, taking the five year tax total to over £1.5bn. British Racing has 18,600 full time equivalent jobs within its core industry, a vast number of them within the rural economy.

There are an estimated 52,000 full time equivalent jobs in the onshore betting industry which, given the considerable proportion of gross win provided by Racing (to the betting industry) indicates that a significant proportion of these jobs are supported by the sport.

Taking into account secondary expenditure generated by the Racing industry in the economy as a result of Racing, over 100,000 full time equivalent jobs were supported, directly or indirectly, by British Horseracing.
Other key findings of the wide-ranging Study, which has sections on the sport?s varied participants and customers, as well as comparisons with the leisure market and international competitors, include:

Core British Racing industry expenditure of over £1bn, with racecourses generating £361m
Owners? gross expenditure totalled £367m, whilst receiving income of £92m through prize money and expenditure to give a net contribution of £275m
The expenditure of the breeding industry was estimated at £207m
Capital expenditure over the last five years within the industry of £706m, of which 80% was accounted for by racecourses, and a further estimated £110m by trainers and breeders
Bookmakers? gross win on British Racing in 2008 totalling £1.05bn
In terms of Racing?s standing within the competitive sports market in Britain:

Racing once again had four of the top eight attended sporting events in 2008
Total attendances of 5.7m last year placed Racing second only to football, with Rugby Union overtaking Greyhound racing to third place, followed by Cricket and Rugby League
The Study also analysed betting turnover and returns to racing of the major racing nations.

Britain was second only to Japan in the total amount bet on racing, with £12.1bn wagered in Britain compared to just under £14bn wagered in Japan. However, the return to racing in Japan was £741m (5.3% of the amount wagered) against just £118m in Britain (1%). Both the USA and France see 8% of money wagered returned to racing (£589m and £531m respectively).

As with all sports, Racing has not been immune to the effects of the economic downturn, experiencing reduced bloodstock sales. However, attendances at its flagship events generally held up well in 2009, suggesting it is well placed to re-bound when the economy improves."

You can read the full study here

Ok, I don't eat meat myself, only buy organic free range meat for other people, always buy organic eggs, am a horse owner (including an ex-racehorse) and I used to exercise race horses in my younger years (think that covers most things mentioned on the thread! :) ) My opinion on the GN - I don't like it and I will not be betting on it.

I have hated the GN for years - after last year DH is also against it. He has been to racing since he was a child and knows a trainer so does know what he is talking about. He supports racing but thinks this one race isn't safe enough.

The grand national meeting has an average of 3 deaths per year, so one per day. I think that is too high.

The national is getting safer - but there is still more emphasis on making money than on animal welfare. It is supposed to be a great spectacle. I personally won't watch it and won't let my son watch it until he is much older. Its not a family event at all. I don't want to have to explain why there is a big green tarpaulin on the course. Because the BBC won't do it.

A lot of horses that die could be saved not just by making the race safer but by extended veterinary care when injured. Of course the horses are worth nothing economically when injured so they just put them down.

Arrghghghg

That is NOT why they are put down ffs.

The vet doesnt walk out onto the course and go - "oh that one won't race again, I'll shoot it"

It really annoys me when people say "oh they just put them down when they break their legs because they are not worth anything"

"won't watch it and won't let my son watch it until he is much older. Its not a family event at all. I don't want to have to explain why there is a big green tarpaulin on the course. Because the BBC won't do it."

Really vj32? How do you explain where meat that we eat comes from. Having grown up in rural New Zealand I *knew where it came from from a young age. I have made sure even though my son is being brought up in urban south east england he sure knows what and how his meat gets to him before he was even 5. Knowledge is power.

Sorry posted too soon . My last comment was death animals or hum,an should not be a hidden thing.

"bbqjuly have you ever tried making a horse do something it doesn't want to?"

Yes Mightynice. But I doubt very much whether the horse truly knows what it could be letting itself in for during the Grand National. It won't have the capacity to understand the raised chances of being injured or killed. It trusts its rider and goes along with it.

I have hated it since the Dark Ivy episode. He didn't drown, he broke his neck. Fucking awful race, made worse when they attempted to reduce the danger of Becher's Brook (the worst jump) because then the trainers started putting in younger, less well-tried horses, who couldn't handle it.

It's a disgrace of a race, IMO. :(

Rather predictable the few who rush to defend horse racing and trot out the same old garbage. The industry as a whole is awful from conception to winding up in some dead end sale and being sold for 500 quid to the meat man. I spent 10 years working in the stud/ racing industry and left because of how vile it is. Saw some pretty dreadful things that I still think of to this day.

@fivegomadindorset
Not sure what your point is. Were there 30 fences in your field?
Pride???..... your choice of word is unfortunate

Well if you can't get my point the more fool you.

i will be betting, i am well informed, i own horses of course i think of any horses that die in the field its tragic. i watch it because i like to see the best of the best champions amazing animals that you could only dream about. athletes of their kind.