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

They've just said on Radio 5 that Sychronised got up after his fall at Becher's and ran on and then was fatally injured in another fall.

Yes that's what I'm hearing too - ran on for another five fences I think.

That's so heartbreaking. I think they have to make more effort to encourage the loose horses out of the race.

she's Miss because she's a amateur. If she was a man she's be Mr. And if she was a professional she'd be initial only.

Horse racing is an extremely tightly vetted sport. It is also one of the most beautiful.

I horse ride. I understand the sport and its intricacies and yes I do see the downsides, Ive read them and made my own choice.

I will always support it.

Am I right in thinking flat races are safer?

Thanks for the 'Miss' info.

NC has been retired by owner :-

The 2012 Grand National winning horse, Neptune Collonges, has been retired from racing by owner John Hales.

Hales, said of Neptune Collonges's victory: "When he crossed the line I thought he might have got it. My first thought was if he has got it Paul (Nicholls) has won the trainers' championship. And then I thought thank you Aintree - you know why - many years ago.

"It split the family coming here. My wife was 50-50, my daughter couldn't face it. She has gone show jumping and is overcome with emotion.

He also announced the French-bred horse's retirement: "He'll never race again, that's it."

'Err, Flighty, why would you say such a thing?'

It was mainly in response to your sarky comment about getting back on my box.

The winner (Neptune Collonge?) is 11 years old most race horses are retired at around age 7 with a maximum age of 13 provided its not injured so its retirement was unlikely not due to injury but more due the the fact is in the retirement bracket and best time to retire is on a high!

I defended the Grand National and horse racing earlier in the thread so I thought I'd better come back on here after today's tragic events.

As a horse-lover, I am horribly, horribly upset by the death of two beautiful horses and the events of today certainly do give one pause for thought. As someone who has gone through the loss of a much-loved horse, I am particularly upset by the death of 'According to Pete' who was an adored family pet. The owners's must feel absolutely dreadful right now and I really feel for them.

As I said earlier, I don't think the Grand National is intentionally cruel but I do think it's risky. And I don't think lowering the jumps has made it safer, because it inevitably makes for a faster race.

I still stand by the sport of racing however. If it weren't for horse-racing, most of these beautiful animals would not exist in the first place. And, as with heavy horses followng the advent of the motor engine, the loss of their primary purpose would lead to the start of their extinction (Suffolk Punches are already endangered I think) and I personally feel that would be a terrible loss.

If you saw James May's amazing explanation of the physiology of a horse on the BBC here you will see all the amazing adaptations of these animals which are built for speed:

• 2 metre long lungs with an internal surface area, which, if laid out flat would cover the size of 10 tennis courts
• heart larger than a volley ball which can push 75 gallons of blood around the body at any one time

-28 kilos of muscle on each back leg

• and a special 'turbo charge' facility which releases extra red blood cells from the spleen when extra exertion is required

Don't you think it would be a waste if an animal with all those special adaptations just loafs around in a field all its life? The point I am making is that, in being raced, thoroughbreads are doing the job for which they were built. The same goes for dogs with webbed feet that are rescuing people from drowning, or bloodhounds that are being used for tracking. (All with attendant risks.) If you don't use them for the purpose for which they are intended, they will simply not be around anymore.

It's a tragedy - No one wants horses to be injured or killed

They don't give a flying fuck about the horses. They make their money and move on to the next race.

Don't you think it would be a waste if an animal with all those special adaptations just loafs around in a field all its life?

No.

I'm fine with gazelles being left alone too.

HTH

If there was no horse racing there would be no race horses. That sounds v sensible.

Re, this whole thread and wether it is cruel? I see Horse Racing a bit differently, I see it as a businness. Its there to make money. Its not entertainment. Its not a sport. Its a business. To make money. Its a bit like any other business. Ruthless. dog-eat-dog. Am I surprised that ex winners are not treated that well? No. Its a here-and-now business. No different to any other business. Especially now, in a recession. Are you the voice of the moment? Are you Jessie J? Great. Give it time and no one will give you the time of day. We only want you now because you are earning us millions. The moment you aren't, bye-bye. Do you work for a company? Been there 30 years and given your life to it? You leave and no one even remembers you name.
Dh's best friend of 40 years, runs a place in Newmarket. I have been to parties with Tony McCoy and Frankie Detorri. I am under no illusions that Racing is cut-throat.

official statement from the Racecourse
Aintree Racecourse today commented on the accidents in this year?s John Smith?s Grand National in which Synchronised and According To Pete received fatal injuries as a result of separate incidents.

Julian Thick, Managing Director, said: ?We are desperately sad at these two accidents and our sympathies are with the connections of both horses. When a horse gets hurt, everyone is deeply upset. Safety is the first priority for the organisers of the Grand National and we make every effort to ensure that everyone involved in the event is able to participate in safety.

?Horseracing is a sport that is very carefully regulated and monitored by the British Horseracing Authority, but risk can never be completely removed. All horses and riders in the Grand National have to meet very high standards set by an independent panel of experts. The Grand National is a professional and well-organised race. Only the best horses and the best jockeys are allowed to enter.

?Since last year?s race we have made further significant changes to the course and there have been four races run over the course without serious incident since then. After today, we will, as always, be looking at all aspects of this year?s race to see how we can improve safety further. We work closely with animal welfare organisations, such as the RSPCA and World Horse Welfare to make sure we are up to date with the latest thinking and research regarding welfare and safety.?

Prior to the start Synchronised was thoroughly checked by a racecourse vet after getting loose.

There are dogs with webbed feet?

not one mention for the jockey who broke his leg?

I'm with you Puffin.

And WHY can barely anyone of the pro racing lot spell 'bred'? It's not BREAD

The jockey chooses to do it.

A Newfoundland has webbed feet.

the horses can choose not to jump.... they pull up. Loads did.

I said much earlier upthread, whatsallthefuss, that it looked like a jockey got trampled.

I have not heard mention on the news about this yet.