Horse Racing

[Theland]

A part of our British culture, but watched five minutes of the Cheltenham racing today.
Am not a fan.
Struck me that it is nothing more than cat food on legs.
Rather cruel.
We could live without it, or at least retire the horses to a decent rest home.

[jno]

I don't think racing usually involves that much carnage, does it?

[Theland]

No carnage, but when they can no longer race?

[Mamyalynne]

No horse meat in pet food in UK.

[woofgang]

look into what happens to race horses when they can't race or those who don't make the grade or get injured. Many horses are well looked after but many aren't...and lower down the scale the care is worse.

[choux]

I am not a fan either, Theland, especially of National Hunt racing.

The Cheltenham Festival is an awful risk, imo. According to this link the chances of a horse falling or being brought down is 1 in 8.

Another horse, Ballyward, had to be euthanised on the opening day, yesterday. 3 jockeys were suspended for continuing to ride after the horses had already given their all. It is nothing short of brutal, imo.

https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2019/mar/12/horse-dies-ballyward-three-jockeys-suspended-cheltenham-festival-national-hunt-chase-horse-racing

[woofgang]

https://www.horsedeathwatch.com

[Buenchico]

Woofgang has just beaten me to it with that link. 8 horses dead already this month. Racing should be banned.

[Theland]

Sick! And the great and the good parading their fashions! Even more sick!

[Theland]

More publicity needed.

[spathiphyllum]

it is barbaric when they crash

[spathiphyllum]

you'll be happy to know theland there is a newage wave of homosapians who take it upon themselves to sabotage anything that seems to harm animals.. So soon it may be a tradition of the past.

[ummmm]

I hate it.

[spathiphyllum]

dog racing seems a bit better, but it's not

[albaqwerty]

lets just get of horses altogether and put a few thousand folk on the dole.

Anybody heard of ''you can take a horse to water but you can't make it drink''?

If they didn't want to run, either on the flat or jumps, they wouldn't and don't.

[chrissa1]

I agree alba. Horses love to race, it’s in their genes.

[woofgang]

They are bred to want to run with no thought for the consequences.

[chrissa1]

Oh for heaven’s sake, woof. What on Earth do you mean. Horses in the wild have been around for hundreds/thousand of years.

[NellieMay]

They don't love to race they love to run. Being pushed to their limits cannot be right. I don't think any sport that pushes animals beyond their limits is ethical. I loathe horse racing.

[chrissa1]

Their fitness level is of the highest calibre.

[ummmm]

They need to be whipped as well!!