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Gordon Elliott photograph

Silly Gilly

Over the weekend an image was posted on social media showing one of Ireland's most successful horse trainers sitting on a dead horse. The horse had apparently died during exercise and there has been mounting criticism over the apparent lack of respect shown by someone who has animals in their care.

There was a discussion on this on the Horse Racing forum but the mods there are very protective of the "sport" and any criticism is regarded as trolling.

What are people's opinions?

https://www.rte.ie/sport/racing/2021/0228/1199928-gordon-elliott-issues-apology-for-controversial-photo/

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Vic_08

Visual confirmation of what many already assumed about the horse racing industry.

You know you're in trouble when online betting platforms are distancing themselves from you on moral grounds.

Hangdogroad

realdanbreen wrote: »

I'm sure Elliot will be gutted to hear that you would be really worried. :rolleyes:

Hi Elliot.

Curse These Metal Hands

Allinall wrote: »

The horse was dead.

How can you show empathy to a dead horse?

Do the knackers arrive in a floral laden truck and say a decade of the rosary before taking it away? :rolleyes:

Well considering they invest so much time into declaring their love and respect for the animals this doesn't exactly reflect that does it?

top floor

Silly Gilly wrote: »

The horse had apparently died during exercise and there has been mounting criticism over the apparent lack of respect shown by someone who has animals in their care.

I see what you did there.

Allinall

Curse These Metal Hands wrote: »

Well considering they invest so much time into declaring their love and respect for the animals this doesn't exactly reflect that does it?

That's live animals.

Can you love or respect a dead horse?

Should they have a wake and let all the other horses come?
They could hand round plates of horse nuts and have a mournful neighing session.

tayto lover

I wonder what the cause of the horse’s death was?

Dyr

Pig ignorant thing to do but all the outrage is a bit OTT, what do people think the horsey industry is about? Feeding them sugarcubes until they run to the rainbow bridge at a ripe old age?

Silly Gilly

Curse These Metal Hands wrote: »

Well considering they invest so much time into declaring their love and respect for the animals this doesn't exactly reflect that does it?

This is the nub of it. The hypocrisy in the difference between the horse racing industry's public words and private actions.

Curse These Metal Hands

Allinall wrote: »

That's live animals.

Can you love or respect a dead horse?

Should they have a wake and let all the other horses come?
They could hand round plates of horse nuts and have a mournful neighing session.

If you think it's illogical to show a level of decency to the remains of an animal you supposedly cared about then there's really no point in talking to you.

You can't go from caring about something to posing comically with it's dead body shortly after it died. If you do, then it's just clear you really don't care about the animals you work with. Which is clear from this photo.

[Deleted User]

Allinall wrote: »

That's live animals.

Can you love or respect a dead horse?

Should they have a wake and let all the other horses come?
They could hand round plates of horse nuts and have a mournful neighing session.

So you'd be fine with someone posing for a photo op/laugh over a family member's dead body, then?

Can't love or respect a dead thing, right?

DelaneysMule

It's a terrible industry. The horses are slaughtered and shipped to France to be eaten once they've been retired. That's the last few quid to be made out of them.

Former Former Former

tayto lover wrote: »

I wonder what the cause of the horse’s death was?

Heart attack, according to Gordon.

Ash.J.Williams

Allinall wrote: »

The horse was dead.

How can you show empathy to a dead horse?

Do the knackers arrive in a floral laden truck and say a decade of the rosary before taking it away? :rolleyes:

that's what i was thinking

randd1

The poor horse was likely ran to death. Had a sulky been attached there's be universal outrage. But it's perfectly fine once it's proper racing.

Yet the outrage is over him sitting on the animal?

If the outrage was of him sitting on the horse after having it run to death I can understand that.

realdanbreen

Vic_08 wrote: »

Visual confirmation of what many already assumed about the horse racing industry.

You know you're in trouble when online betting platforms are distancing themselves from you on moral grounds.

You're kidding, Betfair are lapping this up, they've been mentioned 200 times in the media already today!

Muahahaha

Gregor Samsa wrote: »

His explanation, that he absent mindedly sat on the dead horse while taking a phone call without realising it, and was then gesturing to someone who tried to speak to him to wait until he had finished his call, should be in the running for the Booker Prize for Fiction.

https://twitter.com/arfser/status/1366338148054269953

kildare lad wrote: »

Just seen that betfair have dropped him now . Better stupid to be allowing himself to be photographed like that

Must say I was pretty surprised that a horse trainer is allowed to take sponsorship money from a gambling company. People who gamble on horses really are being taken for mugs.

walshb

Bad error of judgment

But worse things happening every day on race courses.

Human beings whipping horses that are breaking their hears to run for us..running at full tilt as well. But that is not enough for us. We also need to whip them!

Not much said about the constant pain delivered to these beautiful carefree animals, and all for our enjoyment!

realdanbreen

randd1 wrote: »

The poor horse was likely ran to death.

Wow, glad to see you don't believe in spreading wild gossip!

DelaneysMule

Muahahaha wrote: »

https://twitter.com/arfser/status/1366338148054269953

Must say I was pretty surprised that a horse trainer is allowed to take sponsorship money from a gambling company. People who gamble on horses really are being taken for mugs.

You only have to watch a couple of horse races to know that there is a huge amount of corruption involved. Betfair brought about the ability for people to bet on horses to lose races. If you understand jockeyship, its very very clear that some jockeys are riding horses in a manner that ensures they won't win the race. Some horses don't run up to the standard that they usually would run. Some horses display an incredible amount of improvement out of nowhere. I know they are not machines but it's quite clear that the entire sport is very corrupt.

ballsymchugh

Gregor Samsa wrote: »

I'm no fan of PETA, but that's one of the more bizarre claims I've seen made on Boards.

might be a south park fan....

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=awzr0aErOQw

DelaneysMule

walshb wrote: »

Bad error of judgment

But worse things happening every day on race courses.

Human beings whipping horses that are breaking their hears to run for us..running at full tilt as well. But that is not enough for us. We also need to whip them!

Not much said about the constant pain delivered to these beautiful carefree animals, and all for our enjoyment!

Yes, being whipped past the point of exhaustion every time they race. It's quite barbaric. Maybe Usian Bolt could have run 100 meters under 9 seconds if there was some machine whipping him in the a*se throughout the race

Silly Gilly

The whole industry is problematic from the treatment of animals to the inextricable links with betting companies, who are well overdue much stricter government regulation. Added to that you have the questionable characters involved that invest large amounts of money such as the daughter disappearing Sheik Mohammed.

Bodjhrjekekr

DelaneysMule wrote: »

It's a terrible industry. The horses are slaughtered and shipped to France to be eaten once they've been retired. That's the last few quid to be made out of them.

I wouldn't consider that any worse than pig/sheep/cattle/chicken industries where animals often held in tiny cages and killed after a few months of life? They are all animals, horses get a significantly better life than most animals used for money making

tayto lover

[QUOTE=Muahahaha

Must say I was pretty surprised that a horse trainer is allowed to take sponsorship money from a gambling company. People who gamble on horses really are being taken for mugs.[/QUOTE]

I didn’t know that they were allowed to take sponsorship from betting companies either. Surely there’s a conflict of interest here?

StupidLikeAFox

[Deleted User] wrote: »

So you'd be fine with someone posing for a photo op/laugh over a family member's dead body, then?

Horses aren't people

Bodjhrjekekr

walshb wrote: »

Not much said about the constant pain delivered to these beautiful carefree animals, and all for our enjoyment!

Are you vegetarian/vegan? If so I accept your opinion - if not then it's just not valid. All animals are beautiful and carefree that does not stop people from eating them after a few months of their lives.

Millions of people, probably billions are vegetarian without issue, so health reasons are just not good enough excuse to eat meat too (so much studies have shown how bad dairy and meat actually are for people too).

tayto lover

Bodjhrjekekr wrote: »

I wouldn't consider that any worse than pig/sheep/cattle/chicken industries where animals often held in tiny cages and killed after a few months of life? They are all animals, horses get a significantly better life than most animals used for money making

Whataboutery.

extra gravy

Allinall wrote: »

That's live animals.

Can you love or respect a dead horse?

If your dog died, would you just dump him out with the rubbish or some show respect by burying him? Really hope you don't have pets.

Bodjhrjekekr

StupidLikeAFox wrote: »

Horses aren't people

Would you pose over a photo of your dog if it died, sitting and laughing on it?

The owners of his horses pay thousands of euro a year too - if that was a small trainer or any other trainer I'd imagine they would be heartbroken - if anything else they've lost a client and money!

Witcher

Bodjhrjekekr wrote: »

Are you vegetarian/vegan? If so I accept your opinion - if not then it's just not valid. All animals are beautiful and carefree that does not stop people from eating them after a few months of their lives.

Millions of people, probably billions are vegetarian without issue, so health reasons are just not good enough excuse to eat meat too (so much studies have shown how bad dairy and meat actually are for people too).