The Grand National

[number8]

Wonderful sporting event or a demonstration of legal animal cruelty? I firmly believe the latter.

[monty0703]

I agree. There are always campaign groups (e.g. Animal Aid) who try to raise awareness of the cruelty of the Grand National but don't get much publicity.

[woofgang]

me too

[Tat]

i love it! won �44 on it this time.

[saffstar]

There's certainly something about it that doesn't sit well with me. I know that they're treated very well when they're not racing, but the whipping and the fact that they're so unsuited to life that they're shot when they break a leg seems because they can't function just seems wrong. I apologise to anyone who knows more about the subject than me (not hard!) if I'm sounding terribly badly informed, but that's just the way it seems to me.

[saffstar]

Sorry about the extra 'seems' in that last post!

[archbishop]

I don't agree.Horses are born to run and jump,all we do is harness(sic) that natural ability for our entertainment.

[woofgang]

what you don't see are all the horses (and greyhounds) that are bred but are not winners so end up at the "cheap" end of the market, either abroad or here, badly treated or just destroyed because they are not worth their keep. In nature horses do run and jump but they don't choose to face obstacles that can injure them unless their lives are at risk. When you rear a foal to ride, you grow it slowly, train it slowly and don't put weight on its back before it is ready, you ceratainly don't expect two and three year old to race with people on their backs

[honkytonkman]

I agree, it's cruel. Woofgang and saffstar sum up my feelings.

[mucko]

i'm in the middle on this one. I don't think any of us fully appreciate what goes on both in the horse's mind or in the stables where it is brought up. If the horse was wild i'm sure it would go through more traumatic events than jumping fences at aintree. plus i'd emphasise that if your talking of animal cruelty - surely it's not only the grand national thats cruel?

[woofgang]

1. If we can't understand what goes on in the horses mind, then how can your statement about the relative trauma of Aintee hold true? 2. The fact that there are other activities that are more cruel, doesn't make a "less cruel " one any more acceptable Can we please have a little logic here?

[Jaybee]

Why pick on the Grand National? Why not the Derby, where the horses are much younger and prone to damage? I personally believe there isn't much wrong with racing that weeding out of the less honest human element (that you find in any sport, not just racing) wouldn't cure.

[mucko]

Woofgang, let me just say, at the end of the day we DON'T know what the horse is thinking so no-one can tell if it's cruel or not. but it is MY opinion that a horse that runs in the national would have a better life than a wild one. totally my opinion - right or wrong. so take your logic and think about it a bit. i think jaybee is correct when saying there isnt much wrong with the exception of a few cruel humans (which, incidentally, you would find in the wild i.e poachers etc etc)

[Spellmaster]

it's interesting that, in my experience, the vast majority of people who claim the National is cruel and who campaign for horses' rights are not riders, horse owners or horse lovers themselves. Racehorses are treated exceptionally well, usually with access to facilities, pasture, food, etc that they would never otherwise get. Moreover, evidence suggests that horses do enjoy running - witness the behaviour of riderless horses in the National; even when they have the opportunity to veer off the course, they mostly carry on jumping the fences and keeping up the chase. In this year's National, one riderless horse jumped a fence of its own accord, fell, and still got up and carried on running. The fact is that horses are intelligent enough to decide for themselves what they want to do and, moreover, if they don't want to do something, it is extremely hard to make them do it.

[jridgeback]

It is a lot safer for the horses now than it used to be. Due to the high hedges many horses used to get seriously injured or die, however it is much safer now. I personally think it is a grand sporting event and bet every year ! never win though !

[the_brainbox]

i think that they give them there own little houses painted pink and blue and padded horse shoes so they can't hurt themselfs