'Thoroughbred horses are bred to race - it's in their DNA' but PETA wants a ban
 

https://news.sky.com/story/thoroughb...r-dna-11685167
[For jockeys, trainers, punters and
bookmakers, no other day in the
sporting calendar generates
the same excitement as the Grand National.
But the fervour that surrounds Aintree
also attracts the attention of those opposed
to horse racing, claiming it is a brand of animal cruelty.
Racehorse trainer Lawney Hill defies
such criticism - she says racing is
in these animals' very DNA.]

https://www.peta.org.uk/blog/the-gra...-horse-racing/

1 Horse Died on the Grand National.


3 Horses died in total over on the Grand national weekend
If they did not Die PETA would not be on this.

Over £3 Billion goes into this race.
These Horses are bred to only race
it can not be stopped

Greyhounds are bred to race, but when they're around three years old they stop racing, and (hopefully) become household pets.

The horses won't explode if they stop racing.

Honestly even if you argue that it's in their DNA to "run with the herd" which it probably is and they undoubtedly get enjoyment out of that behaviour, I don't think anyone can possibly argue that it's "in their DNA" to jump over large obstacles as part of that and it is ALWAYS on the jumps that horses are injured or killed. The hurdles exist specifically so that some horses will fall, to add to the excitement, despite them being dangerous for both the horses and riders. There's no real justification for it.

Yes maybe make them less high
to jump.

Most don't unfortunately

We used to re-home them - train them to be able to be pets (knowing to go outside for the toilet, being okay with cats and kids, only their food is for them, etc), and then let them go to their new homes. I miss it.

Imo,it's just another way we cruelly treat animals,horses have no choice,humans do,the pictures of the horses that died at the national were horrific ,not to mention the many that die every time there is a race,I get annoyed with the "They are bred for it" so what is the point of being bred for it if it means they die a painful horrible death, it's just all about money and the silly dressing up ,it's laughable for us,but certainly not the horses,I am sure some of us love a good whipping but really don't think horses do,maybe we should stop breeding them,there are plenty of sports we can bet on and dress up for, no need to use horses and Beechers Brook is barbaric 4'9 and as they go over it that side is nearly 7' no wonder they fall,so for me,it should be banned,no excuses just banned.

one of my friends on eurovision discord server saw that happen right in front of him, how that horse broke it's neck :sad:

The grand national and similar races test the horse and riders endurance above all else. That's not in a horses dna

Yes shocking but rare.


However , you can not Stop our TS
in his Betting Shop
having a busy day on the Grand National
the biggest money taker in the World.

I have no problem with flat racing, it's over the sticks I think should be banned.

Meh. Thankfully it's dying out year-on-year as people are slowly losing interest in horse racing in general and also, it'll be my last :hee: (but don't tell my employers yet :joker: )

Oh also to add some financial stats; the VAST majority of Grand Nationals are break-even or loss for bookmakers. I think we made a small profit this year due to there not being many large-price places but most years we pay out everything we take on the Saturday by the Monday and the race itself usually is a small loss, made up for by increased footfall on other products (machines and football, as people who are in for the GN bet on other things at the same time).

The event itself is chaos and the odds are nonsense. The sole purpose of the heavy promotion of the GN for bookmakers is essentially to advertise the sport and get people into "regular" horse betting. Obviously it's a big money maker for trainers, jockeys and Aintree.

Too bad most greyhounds don’t become pets after racing

It's a shame because they're really good natured dogs. In fact the main problem with greyhounds as pets is that they're bred to run, and their "fight or flight" instinct is heavily geared towards... getting the **** out of there... which on the positive side means they are LESS likely than other dogs to fight or bite (humans OR other dogs), but on the negative side if they're startled they will head for the hills at 45mph and are thus prone to getting lost if for example they're threatened by another dog, and they'll be out of sight in seconds.

a reason why i prefer equastrian over horse racing is because the jockeys in equastrian bond a lot more with their horse than in horse racing when they are there just being used for audiences to bet on them

also show jumping is fun to watch, how lots of training can pay off with amazing results


and we dutch have quite a few olympic gold medals at equastrian via one of best women in equastrian Anky van Grunsven who has lots of respect for these animals



horse racing is just a no no for me and should be forbidden asap

But there is room for Both

Jumping over obstacles should be banned. There’s other, less deadly, obstacles they can put in if they want

'Only' 1 horse died this year at the grand national..thats unusual isn't it?

Also agree, not any real issue with flat racing, its the jumps. And I genuinely hope that TS is incorrect about the hurdles being specifically so the horses get injured/more excitement. Though, not sure what I thought they WERE there for really, thinking about it. I know hes not wrong, but I still hope he is, if that makes sense :(

I think so. They don't want them all to finish the race. :laugh:

3 died Vicky ,over the Grand national festival ,one on the day,but one is really one too many,the horse was distressed apparently before the race but it's not just the national ,Horses die all the time at races across the country.The pictures of the horses were awful.

It's not specifically to make it more dangerous for excitement or "danger"; it's because flat races are straightforward speed / strength contests - the fastest horse on the day wins the race (with a few caveats, e.g. a horse that usually wins by having a very fast "burst" at the end could lose if the jockey mistimes the surge forward, meaning the horse doesn't reach the front by the line, or gets there too early then tires and falls back).

Jumps add an element of unpredictability: A horse that is a clear "paper favourite" could stumble or fall on a jump, falling right back or being out of the race entirely, or losing their jockey. Occasionally a horse will just refuse to jump at all. Likewise a horse with huge odds could get lucky with space / timing / confidence and clear the jumps more easily than faster horses, and get far enough ahead to win or place.

The aim of the jumps isn't to get horses to fall or be injured, just to "slow them up" as they try time the jump right, or lose speed on the landing, which adds a "chaotic" element to the race where the random horse than Granny picked actually stands a decent chance of being in the top 6. Flat out, generally speaking, 1st and 2nd favourites win nearly 60% of races. Conversely, the rate of 100/1 Grand National winners is over 5% where the number of 100/1 winners in "standard racing" hovers around the more accurate 1%.


So it's to make it more exciting but not because of the risk factor, but simply because it makes predicting the winner harder and thus the event more "surprising" (each jump is a gamble). But the obvious side effect is injuries and worse.

:clap1: Absolutely agree, Kazanne. Enjoying running is one thing, but that doesn't mean they enjoy racing. And if they enjoyed it so much, why do they need to be whipped to force them to run faster?

I'm on the same page as you- it is animal abuse and comments such as 'bred to race' are made by those who enjoy it and want to make an excuse for what they know is the truth. I'd have more respect for those who said they enjoyed it and are willing to accept that animals die in order for them to do so, than for those who try to somehow justify it. At least there's an honesty in that.

So, if it is their fight or flight instinct that is making them run so fast, this seems to suggest that they are running out of fear, rather than because they enjoy running? That makes me very sad.

In showjumping the fences are designed to collapse if a horse hits them.

In steeplechasing the fences stay up and the horses collapse.