Horse racing - they killed the horse

[ludothedog]

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?

Also very confused about people's ideas about what constitutes animal cruelty. A horse pampered and lovingly cared for and then one day needing to be shot is not cruel- it doesn't have a notion of a future life missed out on and wouldn't be alive at all if it didn't have a job to be doing.

In all equestrian activity, over-use of the whip occurs and is subject to sanctions in the sporting arena at least as there are regulations regarding its use. I've probably seen more overuse of the whip at some riding schools unfortunately.

For anyone who really wants to support equine welfare, look at the charities like Brooke, WHW or Redwings and see how you can support horses who are really suffering.

kate in brief, a horse is a large flight animal, and injecting one full of adrenaline isn't going to lead to the same peaceful, lying down to sleep it does for other smaller animals. The sheer quantity needed takes a lot longer to get in and through the system for starters.

There's also the fact that the vulnerability that comes with losing control can be distressing for a flight animas. A necessary evil if it's for tranquilising or anaesthetic, but not how you'd really want them to spend their last moments. Whereas shooting they're gone before they drop.

That's not to say that for all horses in all situations the injection can't be a peaceful, kind end, many do go that way at home. But for some situations and some horses being shot is quicker and kinder.

Racehorses are pampered and cosseted and live much better lives than many pets. They have higher incidences of broken legs leading to euthanasia than hobby/pet horses, this is true, but a quick death at the end of a life lived in luxury, even if it is a short life, is not a bad thing. It is totally illogical to oppose racing on the grounds of animal cruelty, but then happily drink milk or eat eggs (even free range). I’d far rather be a racehorse than a dairy cow.

Is it normal?

In that it happens every day in the world of racing, and that it’s the humane thing to do for a horse with a broken leg, yes.

Should it be normal?

If a horse has an accident, that’s one thing. If a horse has an accident whilst being used to entertain and make money for humans, that’s a very different question, and I know what my answer is!

Stevia, you presumably oppose the keeping of any animal as a pet, then? Ultimately they live incredibly unnatural lives for the purposes of human entertainment.

I've been riding since I was 6 and I m now a qualified BHS advanced riding instructor at 38 and have been qualified since I was 23, I've had many horses and ran riding schools and unfortunately horses have accidents, not just on the racecourse, I had a horse trip and she had been with me for 9 years but she broke her leg and I had to have a vet called out to my local bridal path and had her put down on the spot...she had been part of my life and my girls life for 9 years so it's not an easy decision....when a horse breaks a leg, it can not stand still for the length of time it would take to heal the bone...due to its "flight" nature, it has to be able to stand on four legs, I know this sounds so harsh but it's much worse for the horse...I know many horse trainers and it kills them when they have to see their horse get put down but unfortunately it's the kindest thing to do...

I think there’s a difference between racing and keeping a horse for riding or a dog as a pet, yes. I know that racehorses don’t want for anything; I know that many people are employed by the stables; I’m not some overly sentimental person. But I don’t approve of animals being made into a spectacle to entertain the public. I feel the same way (but more strongly given the obvious differences!) about seaworld, for example.

Do all of you who hate racing take time and care to pass horses safely on the roads?

Of course! I’m vegan too as I try hard to live without exploiting animals for my enjoyment.

Anyone want to defend greyhound racing? I think it's pretty indefensible myself.

A lot of rubbish touted on this thread. Objecting to racing and an animal (rarely) being killed if it is severely injured yet have no objection to animals being treated awfully being killed for them to eat.
Most big racing yards treat their horses like kings. A visit to one will show you that. I love racing, and saying jockeys don’t care about the horses is absolute rubbish too! The people who work with those horses aren’t in it for the money. They adore their horses. It’s not the big racers you need to worry about, it’s the knackers down at the backstreet yard breaking them in then selling them off for slaughter. If you eat meat I don’t really see how you can complain about this!

But I don’t approve of animals being made into a spectacle to entertain the public

Keeping them as pets is surely the same, an entertainment

It will have been assessed by a vet on the course then shot. If it's a broken spine or cannon bone they usually can't be saved. Keeping it alive would mean suspending it in a full body sling for months (painful and distressing for the horse although occasionally done for valuable stallions with breeding potential). Even then it's unlikely the horse will ever fully weight bare again.

I hate horse racing.

Laminitis is usually the result of a treated broken leg. It isn't nice.

It really is kinder to have the horse PTS there and then.

I get it's kinder to do it for the horses sake etc etc I choose not to go see it for my sake it would upset me even though I know it's for the best 😞

Most equine sports have a 'dark side' tbh, but unless you are involved or take a special interest, you don't hear about it. Racing is the most high profile equine sport, therefore, it does attract more attention and put under more scrutiny.
Having a horse, from the best racer in the world, to the scruffiest little Shetland, pts because of a broken limb is more or less protocol. As already explained by pp horses do not deal well with trauma like this at all.
There are welfare issues, for me, in racing. But more that the horses are started too young (because they are faster when Young) while still developing and this can cause problems later on. The ones who don't make the grade or break down physically but can be rehabilitated for another use, are often given to, or bought very cheaply by inexperienced people, who don't know how to look after them and they suffer through ignorance and lack of knowledge, and either end up with life changing illness or labelled dangerous. There are trainers and owners that are responsible, and they rehome retired horses to suitable homes, take them back if needs be and ensure they are cared for properly.
Horses are extremely sensitive creatures physically, and a horse that doesn't have the right environment, the right food, and all their needs met won't thrive and won't race. Trainers who want to succeed have to make sure the horses in their care have the best of everything. And to be honest, unless you've tried to get half a ton of horse to do something he doesn't want to, or tried to stop him doing something he does (usually that will potentially injure it because horses are crap at self preservation!) You can't appreciate how strong and single minded they are, and how much they are ruled by instincts thousands of years in the making, that you can't train out.
As I said at the start every equine sport has a dark side, with unscrupulous people. In dressage we have 'Rollkur' which is basically strapping or holding the horses head in an unnatural position that causes pain and breathing problems - it's a short cut to the years of training some people do to teach the horse to carry himself in the best way possible to carry a rider. But it's what you're marked on in dressage. Showing can use the same or similar techniques to get the 'pretty pony' arched neck.
In show jumping there's 'Rapping' where the horse jumps the fence, and someone each side lifts the pole so no matter how high the horse jumps, it catches it's legs. Makes them jump higher without the lengthy training that should be done.
Polo is a high speed and contact sport where players 'Ride off' opponents, literally bumping each other, horses are often injured like this, hit by the mallets or balls by accident.
There's just a couple of examples that I'd imagine no one's heard of that happen, but because they're not high profile sports most people don't know.

Anyone want to defend greyhound racing? I think it's pretty indefensible myself.

Nope. I have greyhounds - on my second retired racer but the sport as it currently is is fucking despicable in some of the stuff that goes on - especially on the flapping tracks.

Injured, failed or just simply "past it" greyhounds quite frequently get dumped, with their ears cut off (to remove their ID tattoos in them)... look at the greytexploitations website for more about what goes on there.

And they are such beautiful, wonderful, generally daft although our current one's very clever and can do things like open zips, drawers and eat passports (thanks for that) - dogs.

I don't agree with horse or dog racing - although I stay as far away as fucking possible from horses as I can't stand the animals and I'm terrified of them (I was chased by some kids from the local stables on their horses as a child and it's stayed with me).

bus and lets not forget the bottom end of the sport, parents who buy their darlings horses when they don't have the experience, and proceed to keep it on cheap diy/ farm, with no yard manager to call the shots, and no intention of following advice from anyone who does try and help. And naturally no money for vets or lessons, but petunia has had 2yrs at a dodgy riding school so she knows it all. Ditto adults who buy them for themselves.

I hate rolkur and rapping as much as the next person, but at least they get cared for between that. Rather than some poor sod being yanked onto the bit, with half a tack shop on its head, or booted and yanked round jumps. And then dumped back in its filthy stable at 3pm with a leaf of hay until petunia rocks up at 11 the next day.

And all the horses that suffer and on occasion die because some selfish fuckwit wants to entertain themselves/ their dc by feeding them.

Most pets live worse lives than racehorses, I reckon. All the dogs left alone for 8 hours a day whilst their owners are at work, or the ones who get a quick walk round the block once a week if they’re lucky but are ignored the rest of the time. The pugs and French bulldogs with awful breathing problems as a result of their unnatural skulls that humans have bred. Rabbits locked in hutches with no access to a run. Hamsters and gerbils kept in those awful cages from Pets at Home (there’s not a cage in the place that’s big enough for an animal to live in comfortably). Goldfish in tanks far too small because people haven’t bothered to read up on them so don’t realise that you need a 200 litre tank for them to be healthy. Don’t get me started on caged birds or exotics. Of course, not all pet owners are like this, but a lot are, so why not the protests about that? The boycotting of shops like P@H until they start to sell cages big enough for the animals they sell, or the refusal to buy dog breeds which cannot be classed as healthy however much the Kennel Club tries to pretend otherwise? It’s easy to be an armchair critic of animal welfare but I maintain that actually, racehorses have a pretty good deal, all things considered. Much work has been done to reduce use of the whip and to modify courses such as the Grand National. It’s not a perfect industry, by any means - I would like to see an increase in the minimum age a horse can race and better rehomung systems after they’ve retired - but they have better lives than many ponies kept by hobby owners who don’t really know what they’re doing.

Thoroughbreds, especially young ones as most racehorses are, have highly strung temperaments and require experienced handling. Retired ones are difficult to rehome for the same reason.

I've seen a child's middle-aged pony be treated and recover from a broken leg but the same intervention would probably be judged as cruel and with no guarantee of success if the same thing was ever done with a TB.

TBs also fall whilst competing from heart attacks and embolisms. The whole industry ends up treating many of these poor, brave creatures cruelly.

I think a lot of leisure horses have it a lot worse than race horses but people just aren’t aware of the heart attack rates in polo ponies, the awful standard of horsemanship a lot of owners have, I’ve been to BHS accredited riding schools where 2/10 lame horses are doing hours a day with wobbly novice riders etc.
The industry isn’t perfect and I am not comfortable with it (and yes I am a vegan) but at least they are looked after by professionals, most UK staff will have gone to a racing school/college after leaving school, and only really ridden by professionals.

I agree toomuch

AlphaBravo
@ludothedog are you a vegan? If not, get a grip. The meat industry is 1000x worse than horse racing

100% agree. Millions shrug off the terror that goes on out of sight in slaughter houses. At least a spent hen having its throat slit won't ruin anyone's 'entertainment'

@Thehogfather

Totally agree, I have lost count of the amount of times I've seen older (mostly women ime) go and buy something because it's pretty and cheap, and usually an OTT TB which is in full work when tried and the new owner had a pony 30 years ago, which transpires was actually someone else's they rode now and again, but they think they have the experience. This horse is then fed the wrong stuff, not exercised enough, not handled properly and as a result gets ill or dangerous.

An OTT TB is a specialised area, I have 40 years experience and some tricky horses in my time, yet I'd think long and hard and absolutely need help if I were to rehabilitate one.

And @Lastqueenofscotland

Totally agree - I'm not sure of the actual stats now but I remember a lecture way back when doing my BHS stages where it was mentioned more horses die each year from colic - induced by poor feeding and management than do from on course incidents (racing, eventing, sj etc)