To wonder why people still bet on the grand national

[Springtime336]

-2 horses have already died at ladies day

• approx 200-250 horses die every year in the uk in horse racing

Really sad

To cheer anyone up who has felt very sad over Up For Review and all the horse deaths from racing this year, we are making a difference. I’ve seen a lot of people say they won’t place a bet again and Blackpool Breaks made this statement:

ANNOUNCEMENT

In light of events at Aintree this weekend, Blackpool Breaks would like to announce that we will no longer be participating in the Grand National weekend. For too long, we have buried our head in the sand with regard to the cruelty involved in the "sport" of horse racing, and we are ashamed to say we did not take into full consideration the welfare of the animals involved. Three horses lost their lives this weekend, which in our opinion, is three too many for a nation who call ourselves animal lovers. Overall we believe public opinion of the sport has changed in recent years, with many coming to the conclusion that the use of animals in sport has no place in a civilized society. We will still be running our usual Blackpool express service on this particular weekend, and we have lots of exciting new things happening in 2019. We would like to take this opportunity to thank our loyal customers who have travelled with us to Aintree in the past, and wish you the best of luck for the future. If you would like to read more about why we have come to this decision, these articles are a good place to start:

news.sky.com/story/i-loved-the-grand-national-until-i-saw-what-i-saw-11683970
www.independent.co.uk/life-style/grand-national-boycott-racing-animal-cruelty-a8856866.html?fbclid=IwAR2Vz83-TE8adLdN4z_rHVFGvatLlTTMnuQMzhIweda8lpUVF2biCfnOwQQ
twitter.com/Toffeetim/status/1114567996444430336

I admire that company very much
As a PP said, I’m glad I’m not the one defending horse racing after watching the footage of the death of Up For Review

Yes. Those people saying "it's ok" just need to watch the last link Kiki posted (twitter one).

How can you watch that horse fall so badly and writhe in agony and still justify your acceptance?

It's not ok.

Why is racing picked out as so "cruel"? Is this JUST because it's in the public eye?

Horses suffer at the hands of humans all around the country, every single day.

How many little darlings attend riding schools where the ponies do 2/3+ lessons a day, the ponies are "saints" - they are pulled in the mouth, kicked in the ribs and have their backs bounced upon by untrained riders?

Cross country/eventing - how many horses are asked to jump enormous solid fences at great speed and fall and injure themselves every week all around the country?

Showjumping? How many horses are whipped and spurred and "forced" to jump huge fences? How many are pinned down with draw reins?

Dressage? How many horses are forced into unnatural carriage, trained in Rolkur, worked for hours a day in an arena. How many of these horses are never turned out in the field?!

Plenty more horses suffer at the hands of the novice owner, that can be found on almost every livery yard around the country, who doesn't have a clue what they're doing and end up laming/over feeding/under feeding/over rugging/under rugging and not fulfilling a horses basic needs.

If you're going to ban one, you need to ban them all. Anything else is downright hypocritical.

For what it's worth, I have had horses all of my life and I am pro-racing.

It’s possible still to feel empathy for all animals in every situation . I don’t know how people can defend racing if they watch the death

I don’t know how people can defend racing if they watch the death

Because it’s a horse that was humanely despatched after an accident. So what?

I’m too upset after watching that to think ‘so what’

The horses are treated with the best care, best feed, best routine, best health care, best training by knowledgeable specialists. They want for nothing.

The horses that fall are attended to quickly, they are pumped full of adrenaline and do not suffer.

It's not racing that needs looking at, it's the thousands of neglected horses all around the country. The horses that aren't worth anything to anyone so they don't bother with them. That's what needs all this media attention, not the 0.2% of racehorses that die each year after living a life of luxury.

I like horse racing. Accidents will happen.

I can defend racing - or aspects of it, it's not perfect - despite having seen Up For Review's fall because I know that his death was virtually instantaneous. It looked ugly because of the involuntary muscle spasms causing his hind leg to kick out, but it was over in an instant. He was full of adrenaline so will have suffered little to no pain.

As I said upthread, there are far worse things that a horse can suffer than a quick and almost painless death. Most people never see those worse things though. They never see the starving horse as thin as a hat rack, the overfed pony shifting from foot to foot from laminitis, the horse left in the field for hours with a broken leg after a kick from his field mate. I've seen all of those things and I would always rather the quick death than the hours, days, weeks, months of lingering pain and suffering. Death in and of itself is not automatically cruel.

I respect people who think that we shouldn't own, eat or use any animals, including pets. I don't agree with them (although I am vegetarian) but I respect their position because it's consistent. Some of those people are on this thread. Many, maybe even most, people are hypocrites though. They want to be able to keep their pet dog or cat or hamster, they want their child to learn to ride at the local riding school, they still want to tuck into their steak or bacon or Christmas turkey, despite the fact that there can be, and often is, far more cruelty involved in all of those things than there is in racing. The Grand National is just more visible, and protesting against it involves no personal sacrifice. Some of those people are on this thread too.

TheTit If Up For Review had a broken leg (as has been reported) then why would he have "involuntary muscle spasms"?

And risking animals' health and lives and making them work so hard for entertainment is very different from keeping pet cats (for example). The two aren't comparable.

That horse was not having involuntary muscle spasms. You must think people are stupid of you think they will believe that. The footage of that horse is very clear.

And risking animals' health and lives and making them work so hard for entertainment...

It’s the puritan streak again. Of course pets are almost always kept for entertainment. But it’s not entertainment that means putting on a frock and a hat and having a drink and a flutter.

Kissing Is there any example of animals being kept (and at risk of harm, mental suffering or death) for entertainment purposes that you wouldn't agree with?

Sure there are. Making animals fight is wrong. Mere performance in cages/on chains. And Crufts.

That's breathtakingly hypocritical of you then isn't it Kissing. But I wouldn't expect anything less by now.

That makes no sense.

I think animals in sport is acceptable, subject to conditions. What’s hypocritical about that?

You’re the one making out you’re a latter-day St Francis of Assisi, not me.

But, if you’re willing to say, where do you stand on pest control? Obviously necessary? Tolerable? Unthinkably terrible?

Watching a horse die in agony isn't my idea of fun or sport but we're all different (thankfully). I don't think view that makes me St Francis of Assisi or puritanical. You go on telling yourself people just want to spoil your fun rather than look at that footage of the agony that horse was in.

A friend posted a meme on fb saying more animals are killed creating make up than die in horse racing. I just can’t believe her. How is that justifying racing?

The horse was killed humanely very quickly. Just as happens to domestic pets every minute of every day in vets surgeries, by the sides of roads, at animal shelters etc etc. All because ‘kindly’ people want to ‘befriend’ animals. Still, they’re luckier than the creaking and pained pets kept alive by soppy owners who think they’re being decent by stringing out the life of an animal beyond any sensible point (which of course is to make the owner feel good, not the animal).

I have no problem with magnificent creatures like racehorses being bred, trained and raced. Accidents happen in racing as they do in all activities.

And the accidents and fatalities come in the course of a proper pursuit carried on by people who know and understand their animals. Unlike the handiwork of misguided animal lovers who create misery for no good reason at all.

What about pest control?

I like the GN these horse's are cared for like royalty they have the best of everything, racing is what there bred to do, they are well looked after in retirement. Of course it's sad when they die during a race, there are thousand's of animal's dying everyday due to cruelty and severe neglect you just have to watch the animal rescue programmes, there the one's we should really worry about

Sadly, I think any move to ban horse racing would be met with a similar mocking of that of the recent macho anti-vegan crusade. It would be thrown out in the mainstream as another nanny state ploy.

Fair point holly . I think it could be at least better regulated. The number of deaths is awful

There is a glimmer of hope, in that greyhound racing is practically extinct these days. Maybe horse racing could follow a similar downfall, but I doubt it. But yes the 'sport' could and should be regulated a lot better than it is.

I didn’t think greyhound racing was virtually extinct. I majorly wish it was . I think greyhound racing is even worse then horse racing
I hope you are right