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Original poster

Horse racing - they killed the horse

184 replies

ludothedog · 20/08/2018 16:58

On Saturday I attended a day at the races. Great day but... one of the horses and rider fell. The horse was hurt. They killed it. There and then. On the race course. No trip to the vet to see if it could be saved, no second chance.

WTF!

I had no idea it was so ruthless. Everyone carried on with their day out like it was no big deal, like it happens all the time. It just felt so wrong but it seems like no one else was bothered.

Any horse owners out there - is this normal?

OP posts:
Norma27 · 20/08/2018 17:54

I used to have a pony. One night the horse in the stable next to mine somehow broke her leg and had to be put to sleep. We were all devastated.
It isn’t because they are racehorses and now worthless to the owners that they do it.

Sammyham88 · 20/08/2018 17:54

Horse racing is horrific, if they aren't being put down for broken legs then they're getting put down/ dying instantly from shattered spines and broken necks, being pumped full of drugs and dying from exhaustion.

Jockeys really couldn't give a toss about the horses they're riding either, to them it's like an F1 drivers relationship to their car, if it's not going to help them win, then get rid.

I mean, come on, how could you not know it's a cruel "sport"? It's literally a guy beating an animal with a whip to make it go as fast as possible.

Spreadingcudweed · 20/08/2018 17:55

Not supporting horse racing would not save animals, indeed the reverse is true, the majestic thoroughbred woulld no longer exist if it didn't have a purpose. Just like some breeds of cart horses are becoming extinct and are now rarer than pandas since the tractor took over their job.

Original poster
ludothedog · 20/08/2018 18:00

He didn't fall - he broke his leg while galloping and the jockey, recognising what had happened, pulled him up straight away. This happened three fences from home on a track renowned for having a long run in, so would barely have been visible from the grandstand, far from "pretty much in front of it".

I perhaps have assumed incorrectly that the horse was hurt jumping - perhaps it was whilst galloping. I did not see the horse fall but the rider was dislodged and so I assumed that it was from a fall. and yes I would describe it as being pretty much in front of the grandstand. Sorry I don't know the name of the horse but it was at Perth.

OP posts:
Springersrock · 20/08/2018 18:00

A horse at my daughter’s yard had to be put to sleep a little while ago.

He was hit by a twatty, fucking driver who drove off without stopping to see if rider or horse were OK.

It was awful, poor girl was utterly devastated

I hate horse racing and won’t have anything to do with it. I was the group killjoy when I refused to go to a race night at Newmarket this summer.

stressedoutpa · 20/08/2018 18:04

I grew up with horse racing. Hate it for this very reason. Sad

MeyMary · 20/08/2018 18:10

It sounds to me like part of the shock was seeing it happen right then and there. I understand that... But it was imo the kindest option for the horse. Should they have moved it out of view (additional pain...) just to spare your eyes?

Animals do die for my entertainment.

I made a delicious moussaka (my mother's recipe. We're not Greek so it's probably not particularly authentic..) this weekend.
I don't need to consume meat (and milk, butter etc...). Neither do I need to eat the delicious tiramisu waiting in our fridge. (Mascarpone, eggs... More dead animals for the entertainment of my taste buds...)

MeyMary · 20/08/2018 18:11

I must however admit, I don't enjoy horse racing. (Or other kinds of races, tbh...)

megletthesecond · 20/08/2018 18:13

That's what they do.
I don't watch or bet on horse racing. I'm the office grump who won't even do the grand national sweepstake.

HoleyCoMoley · 20/08/2018 18:14

This is why horse racing with fences and jumps should be banned, people only breed race horses and go to the races for the money and because they think it's a prestigous thing to do.

Frouby · 20/08/2018 18:18

There are far worser fates for a horse or pony being PTS on the racecourse within minutes of an injury.

There are some welfare issues surrounding the industry. But being PTS in this way isn't one of them. Racehorses don't make good leisure horses as a rule. A small % will, a small % will be used at stud or as broodmares. But many more go through the sales. The lucky ones go straight to slaughter. Some are bought by novice owners who have no idea how to keep a shetland pony, nevermind a highly strung thoroughbred trained to race.

They can then get passed from home to home, before ending up with the meat man.

The person who PTS the horse you saw will have been highly trained and professional. I used a slaughterman last year for our much loved old pony. He was very, very kind to me and the pony. It was instant and she felt nothing. She died with half an apple in her mouth and the sun on her back.

PTS for whatever reason isn't the worse thing that can happen by a long shot to any animal.

pandarific · 20/08/2018 18:19

Why are people being so cunty to op? Hmm I also had no idea (also not knowing much about horses) that most leg breaks in horses are fatal and before this thread was only vaguely aware of horse racing animal welfare issues. I'm not an ignoramus, I simply wasn't aware, and that's not actually a crime. I wouldn't go to the races now knowing the above, because that's vile.

NotAnotherHeffalump · 20/08/2018 18:21

That's standard in horse racing and the reason I don't attend.

Vinorosso74 · 20/08/2018 18:24

I hate the horse racing industry. I read an article a few years back which sticks in my mind about the amount if horses killed because they haven't made the grade and once they're passed their racing days. Plus those who die or are PTS as a result of injuries from racing. Horrific.

OneOfTheGrundys · 20/08/2018 18:25

One of my ex racing dogs (I’m not a trainer, just adopter) nearly died on the track. The charity we adopted from were represented there and took him from the trainer trackside.
My other ex racing dog was found in a shed on an allotment in South London with her back legs broken. One leg had been ‘mended’ a while back but the pin had been left in so long skin had grown over it.

NotAnotherHeffalump · 20/08/2018 18:25

If anything Frouby has reinforced how vile it is as an industry.

In dog racing the hounds are often sold off to the Chinese meat market.

Half of all eggs hatched as layers for the egg industry will be male, and so useless for their purposes. So half of all chicks are gassed or put through a big mincer-like contraption.

Just thought I'd further open your eyes. It's a scary world out there!Confused

Peoplemaynoticeus · 20/08/2018 18:27

Have to agree with @AlphaBravo

boredmaman · 20/08/2018 18:31

I dont eat meat but I have eaten horse in the past. It's not nice

I like horsemeat, its very tasty.

I don't see why people are surprised about what the OP saw, or any aspect of horse racing. I don't see it as animal cruelty at all. Racing horses are treated very well, they have good lives enjoying what they do and if they are swiftly euthanised when its the best thing for them, then they are luckier than a lot of people.

CaveMum · 20/08/2018 18:36

I have to laugh at all the comments about people only owning and breeding racehorses “for the money”. You do realise the vast majority of breeders and owners make a loss on owning racehorses?

QuestionableMouse · 20/08/2018 18:39

@Lynne1Cat

With many types of equine leg fractures there is simply no way to heal them. Too much weight in the break, especially in the large (cannon) bones. Trying usually ends up with more complications and a horse that has to be put to sleep anyway. Look at Barbado for example. They threw millions at him and didn't get a good result.

Gin96 · 20/08/2018 18:40

The worst thing for horse cruelty is being travelled across Europe without any water or food and then slaughtered after a gruelling journey. At least it was quick. I see so many horses being given away in their 20’s because the owner can’t do the decent thing and have them put down at home. Horse meat in Europe is big business but I wish there was a law to say they were slaughtered here.

SoftSheen · 20/08/2018 18:46

I don't like horse racing for various reasons, the rate of injury being one of them. However, a valuable racehorse will not be put down for something trivial. Unfortunately, if a horse breaks its back there is no treatment, and it is usually impossible to fix broken legs (or at least cruel to attempt it). Therefore PTS is the only option. The same happens if a much-loved horse breaks its leg in its own field, as sadly sometimes happens.

Bineverywhere · 20/08/2018 18:51

Ludo - you must live very close to me. Next time you're out and about and you see some pretty horses in the field - check out the vegetation. In my village there's a field which contains ragwort (yellow flowers) which will kill a horse slowly and painfully over the course of a good few years. There's also an oak and a sycamore. Both kill horses.

The cruelty exists waaaay outside the pampered world of racehorses.

Fwiw I reported the ragwort to PKC and Scotland agriculture (or whatever they're called). Nobody gives a damn.

ScurrilousSquirrel · 20/08/2018 18:52

I work close to a stud farm where you could, if you had the cash and the inclination, spend upwards of $500,000 to have your mare covered. If those horses could be saved, I assume they would be, as they have value outside of actually racing. The horses there have an amazing life, the best of medical care, especially maternity care Hmm

Out of interest, why did you actually go to the races?

BonnieF · 20/08/2018 18:55

Horses are very large but incredibly fragile animals. Their legs and joints are subject to huge forces when the animal is running, which means that any fracture of a major bone is likely to be very serious , with little hope of being able to fix it.

Even if the fracture could be fixed, the reality is that due to joint or tendon damage the horse will never be completely sound again, and a chronically lame horse is of no use to anyone, has no financial value and is likely to be in pain. This is why quick, humane euthanasia is sadly often the only viable option.

Horses can, and do, sustain catastrophic injuries while running around their own fields with their friends, not just while racing or jumping. It’s a sad fact of life about owning horses.