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?

Horses are all about movement. Thoroughbreds are all about speed. Horses being prey animals are built naturally to run fast enough in short bursts of speed to get a far enough distance away from a predator. The thoroughbred has been bred over hundreds of years to build on that trait (and stamina and strength) like a kind of speeded up evolution. Imho, there is nothing unnatural or wrong about an animal doing what it was bred to do.

If a thoroughbred with its enormous heart and lung capacity and capacity for speed (those of you on here who have ridden one know that they are usually very keen to run; you are usually holding them back, not slowing them down!) ) cannot race; it simply will not exist.

Welfare standards in British racing have never been higher and huge efforts are being made with regard to the retraining of racehorses post retirement; see some of the activities listed here.

So yes, the horse racing is an industry and an entertainment business. But there is so much more to it than "horses being made in to an entertainment spectacle". Huge skill, time, money and effort goes in to the breeding, schooling and training of racehorses (not to mention massive amounts of manual work, 365 days a year, 24/7 in all weather conditions). And never before has so much trouble been taken to ensure that the quirks and preferences of individual horses are taken in to account.

And as with all sports only the creme de la crème of jockeys, trainers and owners make money from it and even then there are lots of ups and downs. The vast majority of people involved are doing it for the love of the game. In fact, given the hard work and commitment involved, you'd be mad to be involved if you didn't love horses!

I am pretty sure that there would be many people upset by the horse's death you witnessed op. The trainer, the owner, all the connections and fans and admirers of that individual horse, and not least it's lass or lad who would have been travelling home in an empty horse box which is a soul destroying experience.

Racing people are generally down to earth and not given to excessive sentiment. But, speaking as someone who is involved in a tiny way (part ownership/member of syndicate) that doesn't mean that they don't care.

Or bus they opt for a chunkier type, that would be suitable 10yrs down the line, as a school master and kept under the eye of a paid professional. But of course bought young & green & fed copious amounts of high energy feed, because the comp yard down the road feed it. But a morbidly obese horse is of course just a sign of love, and it doesn't need to come in or have a vet at the first sign of laminitis because it's cruel on a lovely sunny day. Once they are forced to do something it is a massive surprise because there wasn't any reason to suspect crippling illness. But nevermind you can just loan it as a companion.

@hog

Oh the 'get a cob because they're quiet and live on fresh air' brigade. Yup. Only a 4yr old anything is not quiet, and they may have been professionally broken and schooled, but it's not like a modification on a car....... It's an ongoing thing keeping a horse fit, healthy and schooled. And I've met some cobs that are beligerant buggers to be polite, and that's with firm handling and the right environment. The warmbloods I've had have had the athletic ability to launch me into outer space ditch me easily, but I've never been dragged across the yard by one on a mission for food. looking at you buscob

But back to the topic of racing, there are aspects I don't agree with but I do think there are horses much, much worse off than a horse in training. The horse in the OP will have been looked after by professionals from virtually conception and had the best of everything, because it would have never been fit enough to race if not. And when the accident occurred, it was PTS almost immediately to prevent suffering. The connections of that horse will be gutted. And yes, they may be insured (I'm sure someone mentioned insurance further up) however most insurance companies won't pay the value of the horse unless it was medically necessary (as deemed by a vet) to destroy the horse, they would however pay vets fees or loss of use. So it's not a case of the owner saying "Shoot it I'll get the insurance" even if it could be saved, if they don't do what the vet decrees is best for the horse, the insurance becomes invalid anyway.

If your in Perthshire OP the nearest race yard is Lucinda Russell.
I suggest you have a look at her Facebook to see how "mistreated" they are
They rested the Grand National winner for months after the race.
As PP has said even if their life does end up being short it is one of luxury- abused horses wouldn't race well. Save your sympathy for ponies bought by clueless owners.

*you're

Proud to say I’ve never attended, never bet and never entered a sweepstake.

My partner plays into a sweepstake at our workplace but when he forgot to pay someone else paid it for him and said ‘thought it was best not to even ask you TDP’

Let’s stop this silly excuse for entertainment :)

Toomuch, you said it perfectly!!! I need say no more.

It's certainly not because they're no good for racing afterwards. Recovery from a broken leg is rare, depending on the type of break, and if it's a high speed fall it may be a hugely traumatic injury where immediate dispatch is necessary whilst the adrenaline is still pumping and the horse is not in obvious distress. Horses are surprisingly delicate creatures and a broken leg can sometimes be an almost amputated leg, no one wants to see a horse live with that kind of injury for longer than necessary. I used to help out a lot fence stewarding at Point to Points and have unfortunately been close by when horses have been destroyed as a result of falls. I've seen jockeys cry, owners cry, trainers cry, it's always absolutely dreadful and is certainly not just dismissed or considered to be part of the sport. I love horses but I also love racing and I adore off track TBs, my current horse is an absolute superstar, and I've had him since straight out of training. They can be quirky, but they're also hugely rewarding.

It's not necessarily just racing. Horses are accident prone creatures who can do an amazing amount of damage in a short time. My parents had racehorses and one of our horses managed to sustain a massive injury out in the field and had to be put down as a result. He was much adored, we would have done whatever we could but recovery was just not an option, he would never have coped with the amount of time it would have taken, he would have had to be suspended in order to avoid weight bearing, which comes with its own massive complications, and his prognosis was terrible anyway. It broke our hearts and he had raced with no ill effects and this happened during what was meant to be his long and happy retirement at home.

@5000KallaxHoles completely agree. Wonderful dogs who make amazing pets. I've had all sorts of dogs but greys are my absolute favourite.

My girl came off of a flapping track - where she'd broken her hock. If people really knew what went on in a lot of greyhound racing they'd never go to a race again. There are some good and old-school trainers there - who will teach their dogs to run corners properly, look after them and ensure that retirees are re-homed or given to a good rescue with an appropriate donation to support them. Sadly these people are increasingly rare.