Extrapolation works both ways though!
People just choose to criticise this race without mentioning the welfare changes that have been made recently: the different starting point, the lower fences (which causes greater speed which is potentially as harmful an issue ) the smaller number of horses taking part, the cooling systems in place at finish.
Everyone involved makes a huge effort so that the horse’s welfare comes first.
And welfare standards have never been better in racing as a whole. There is greater aware now of the need for turnout and a more natural way of living. Look up Philip Kirkby’s stables on line as a great example of how well race horses are kept.
And there are huge efforts going in to the retraining of racehorses once their careers are over. More than ever before.
Horses that take part in the GN are massively strong, fit, athletes with hearts the size of volley balls which pump 75 gallons of oxygenating blood around the body. They have 25 kilos of muscle on each back leg propelling them forwards.
The ones taking part in the Grand National weigh about the same as a Formula One racing car. Their lungs, which expand and contract up to 150 times a minute when racing, are two metres long and, if opened out, would cover the same surface area as ten tennis courts. Over the course of the GN, a horse will breathe in 21,000 litres of air, the same as an adult human breathes in 2 days. It breathes perfectly in sync with each stride when galloping.
At certain speeds these horses can release extra blood cells from the spleen to turbo charge their performance.
They are phenomenal animals and should be allowed to do what they are are physically adapted and bred to do. Not stay cosetted in stables. We as humans are no longer used to witnessing the extreme physical force of nature up close and racing is one opportunity to do that. The horse as a prey animal is ALL about movement. And they are beautifully adapted to run the short distances needed to get themselves out of danger from a predator.
If you want to look at horse welfare why not also look at all the ponies suffering excruciating foot pain because they are overweight, laminitic and under exercised and under stimulated, standing virtually motionless neglected in the corner of a field.
So if you choose to extrapolate, please extrapolate from a broad, objective, knowledgeable perspective.