Should horse racing be banned?

Where To · 14-04-2012 05:47PM

I love horses and I love horse racing. I think the Aintree National is one of the finest spectacles in world sport, but I feel sick to the stomach every time a horse is put down(no matter what race it is), and I'm sure all horse racing fans do.

I don't know what banning would achieve though, what would be next?

Ban flat racing because horses burst blood vessels?
Ban showjumping because riders and horses get injured?

Robdude · 14-04-2012 05:48PM

Princess Peach wrote: »

You are bringing up a whole different topic here.

And its not only about the horses who die in the race. Its also about the treatment of the race houses, and the treatment of the horses who aren't good enough to race.

Which are all much, much better than the countless other animals we treat worse.

We have entire industries that either raise animals for the purpose of slaughter or to harvest something they produce. I don't see how anyone could claim that the treatment of a race horse is worse than that of a chicken or a cow. Heck, most race horses get better medical treatment than most people do.

FueledByAisling · 14-04-2012 05:48PM

Maire2009 wrote: »

How could it run with a broken leg? Surely if its leg was broken it couldn't move it properly and wouldn't have supported its weight? Didn't anyone else notice? Like, if you see a person with a broken leg you know they aren't moving right, whether or not they feel the pain.

Calling for an all out ban is wrong. Sure, do something about the fences at the Grand National, do everything to reduce the risk, but ban it? The same people calling for it to be banned today will not even think about it tomorrow. Not saying its the case for all, but the majority won't give a second thought to a horse again until the next big name dies at a big meet.

Horses have more then 2 bones in a leg like humans, some are small so breaking a small bone wouldn't prevent the horse from moving especially when drugged.

cynder · 14-04-2012 05:48PM

I would love to see a ban in using the whip while racing..

I would like to see fences lowered.

I wouldn't like to see a complete ban on horse racing.

something has to be done to stop all the horse deaths...

DEFTLEFTHAND · 14-04-2012 05:48PM

Oh Christ just read the confirmation that Synchronised has been put down. Sad news.

mackg · 14-04-2012 05:49PM

Morricone wrote: »

Are you for fúcking real?! One of the horses put down had won the Cheltenham Gold Cup, the most prestigious event in National Hunt racing.

You're either trolling or else your an incredibly stupid thick fúcking cúnt.

I'm gonna take the ban that comes with that because someone needs to call you out on your bollocks.

Terrible that someone can't make a joke without people getting on their high horse.

Mickeroo · 14-04-2012 05:49PM

Robdude wrote: »

If killing animals is wrong; the top priority should be banning the things that kill the most animals.

While some horses do die while racing, it is not the intent and it represents a small percentage of the horses. The owners pay a lot of money for the horses and want to see them alive and healthy.

Meanwhile, our store shelves are literally lined with dead animals we've killed for no reason other than we want to eat them; despite having the means to avoid it.

I was taking the p1ss with my comment. Those are entirely seperate issues, the deaths in the races are accidental as you said, a lot of those would be prevented if they remove the hurdles. It would benefit everyone involved from a financial and ethical view.

There's nothing unethical about eating other animals and there's nothing wrong with killing an animal to fulfil a purpose.

MagicMarker · 14-04-2012 05:50PM

Morricone · 14-04-2012 05:51PM

mackg wrote: »

Terrible that someone can't make a joke without people getting on their high horse.

It wasn't a joke it was an incredibly stupid comment. If Billy No Name with 29 posts had said that he'd have been infracted without question.

Maire2009 · 14-04-2012 05:52PM

FueledByAisling wrote: »

Horses have more then 2 bones in a leg like humans, some are small so breaking a small bone wouldn't prevent the horse from moving especially when drugged.

Thanks for clearing that up. I was wondering, because if it was noticeable and nobody said anything :mad:

I'm not for banning it in any sense, but better regulation, definitely.

Da Shins Kelly · 14-04-2012 05:53PM

baz2009 wrote: »

Where are all these horse's rights activists the other 364 days of the year? Ye only come out of the woodwork on Grand National day.

I've had an active interest in horses all my life and have always been an opponent of the Grand National. More should be done to reduce the risk of horses being killed in one race like that, and if they won't do that then just get rid of it. And I know plenty of others involved in the horse world who agree with me.

Discodog · 14-04-2012 05:53PM

AskMyChocolate wrote: »

There can be no doubt that when it comes to animal welfare,and the treatment of animals race horses have a far far better life than 99% of all other animals. I'd far rather be a race horse than a chicken or a lamb.

4618 Thoroughbred horses were killed in Ireland in 2010.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-12682680

Mickeroo · 14-04-2012 05:53PM

My name is URL wrote: »

I guess that's a subjective thing. Personally I wouldn't call what happened to those horses today 'humane'.

They were put down in a humane fashion. I don't think an accident can be called inhumane, but I fully agree the circumstances which caused the accident should be removed from the sport.

Mickeroo · 14-04-2012 05:54PM

Morricone wrote: »

It wasn't a joke it was an incredibly stupid comment. If Billy No Name with 29 posts had said that he'd have been infracted without question.

No he would not. This is After Hours ffs.

Morricone · 14-04-2012 05:56PM

Mickeroo wrote: »

No he would not. This is After Hours ffs.

He would've imo. The comments show no hint of jest, no humour and frankly for another less known user it would have been seen as trolling, plain and simple.

14-04-2012 05:57PM

Horse racing is a fantastic sport and the thought of banning it is crazy, racing makes up my favorite times of the year Cheltenham, Aintree, Galway summer festival, Christmas meetings. Banning jump racing is just as carzy, its far more exciting and a much better sport than flat racing.

Nobody wants to see a horse put down but it happens from time to time, they are put down so they dont suffer, so its the right thing to do. Were horse racing banned, where would all the horses end up? Why would people pay to keep horses, they would end up put down or wandering around starving like so many unwanted horses are already.

Race horses are treated like kings, much better than an awful lot of humans.

Also people calling for an outright whip ban havent a f***ing clue, can they not understand you cannot compare giving a few smacks of a whip to a horse with hitting a human with a whip. The whip does not hurt the horses. Just for comparison a horse kick can kill a human, but horses often kick each other with little or no effect, with this in mind how can a few slaps of a stick hurt the horse.

Really use yer heads and ignore the bandwagon that rears its head this day every year.

Guy:Incognito · 14-04-2012 05:57PM

Princess Peach wrote: »

The footballer chose to play the sport knowing risks, the animals aren't given a choice.

They are bred for racign so they wouldnt even exist otherwise.

Discodog · 14-04-2012 05:57PM

Da Shins Kelly wrote: »

And I know plenty of others involved in the horse world who agree with me.

If owners stopped entering their horses we wouldn't have a National. It would be nice if the rest of the equine community spoke out.

Scanlas The 2nd · 14-04-2012 05:57PM

Robdude wrote: »

Princess Peach wrote: »

You are bringing up a whole different topic here.

And its not only about the horses who die in the race. Its also about the treatment of the race houses, and the treatment of the horses who aren't good enough to race.

Which are all much, much better than the countless other animals we treat worse.

We have entire industries that either raise animals for the purpose of slaughter or to harvest something they produce. I don't see how anyone could claim that the treatment of a race horse is worse than that of a chicken or a cow. Heck, most race horses get better medical treatment than most people do.

+1

It's a bit ridiculous really that anyone would complain about horse racing while having no problem eating meat. The meat industry is basically the holocaust for animals.

MagicMarker · 14-04-2012 05:57PM

Morricone wrote: »

He would've imo. The comments show no hint of jest, no humour and frankly for another less known user it would have been seen as trolling, plain and simple.

Personally I think all horses should be skinned alive for my pleasure.

Joey. · 14-04-2012 05:57PM

grindelwald wrote: »

I would love to see a ban in using the whip while racing..

I would like to see fences lowered.

I wouldn't like to see a complete ban on horse racing.

something has to be done to stop all the horse deaths...

Lowering the fences won't help as they'll probably just go faster over them, possibly causing more injuries.
The main problem I think is the size of the field. When one horse falls it tends to take a number of others with it. It does seem like there are fewer fallers once the field has been halved, but they could just be better jumpers than the ones that fall.

KeithM89_old · 14-04-2012 05:57PM

Morricone wrote: »

He would've imo. The comments show no hint of jest, no humour and frankly for another less known user it would have been seen as trolling, plain and simple.

Youre wrong now drop it.

Paco Rodriguez · 14-04-2012 05:58PM

Lets ban everything why dont we. Lets ban crossing the street...swimming in the sea...driving...
Horses love running.....they would run too much if they could...thats why they wear reigns.

Discodog · 14-04-2012 05:59PM

Scanlas The 2nd wrote: »

+1

It's a bit ridiculous really that anyone would complain about horse racing while having no problem eating meat. The meat industry is basically the holocaust for animals.

But people can argue that killing for food is a necessity whereas killing in a horse race is purely for entertainment & betting revenue.

Discodog · 14-04-2012 06:00PM

Paco Rodriguez wrote: »

Horses love running.....they would run too much if they could...thats why they wear reigns.

That must be why jockey's get banned for whipping them :rolleyes:

Joey. · 14-04-2012 06:00PM

Carolina Disgusting Paperback wrote: »

Horse racing is a fantastic sport and the thought of banning it is crazy. Banning jump racing is just as carzy, its far more exciting and a much better sport than flat racing.

Nobody wants to see a horse put down but it happens from time to time. Were horse racing banned, where would all the horses end up? Why would people pay to keep horses, they would end up put down or wandering around starving like so many unwanted horses are already.

Race horses are treated like kings, much better than an awful lot of humans.

Also people calling for an outright whip ban havent a f***ing clue, can they not understand you cannot compare giving a few smacks of a whip to a horse with hitting a human with a whip. The whip does not hurt the horses. Just for comparison a horse kick can kill a human, but horses often kick each other with little or know effect, with this in mind how can a few slaps of a stick hurt the horse.

Really use yer heads and ignore the bandwagon that rears its head this day every year.

Successful ones are. What happens to the majority is another story.

El Inho · 14-04-2012 06:04PM

Princess Peach wrote: »

The footballer chose to play the sport knowing risks, the animals aren't given a choice.

i dunno...after a lot of falls today alot of horses kept running with no jockeys on their back :P

but on a serious note,

the jumps in the race today are far to crazy. im against tree-hugging-hippy-cráp, but i am for animal safety.

Jump racing is sound, and so is flat racing.

however the jumps in todays race were the height of men, and far too dangerous. I think normal jumps should be used.

But calling for a ban overall is ridiculous. Unwrap yourself from cotton wool and man/woman up.

For the record, I am against sports such as badger baiting, fox hunting and illegal coursing, but i myself do hunt pheasant. No im not a hypocrite. Im logical, and generally meet a middle ground in debates regarding animal welfare.

ps.

backed losers...they should all be put down :P lol jk

BackScrub · 14-04-2012 06:04PM

I posted this in the Horse Racing forum before I saw this thread.

As a devoted horse lover and racing fan, I think my time has come to pack in my interest in the Grand National.

Too many fatalities in the last few years has done it for me. Today puts the cherry on it. Seeing any animal hurt is terrible but more so when it's a Gold Cup winner. IMO, the winner of a Gold Cup deserves more respect than to be thrown into a Grade 3 handicap a month or so later.

It's hard to criticise JP and Jonjo, particularly the former because of what he gives to the sport but I wouldn't put my Gold Cup winner in that race.

It's a great spectacle but there's too much sadness thrown in these days. It's just not worth it.

14-04-2012 06:05PM

Joey. wrote: »

Successful ones are. What happens to the majority is another story.

If they are put down and dont suffer whats the issue. They are used for pet food etc so its not like they are killed for nothing. Its no different to any other animals slaughtered for food/animal food. That said I would never eat horse meat as I look on them as athletes or pets (I have no problem eating beef, lamb etc btw).

The problem is with horses that are abandoned etc. Any respected horse owner/trainer etc will treat their animals humanely good or bad.

There are far bigger problems with animal welfare in Ireland and around the world , the horse racing industry shouldn't be brought into it.

Owen_S · 14-04-2012 06:05PM

bil wrote: »

o yeah and lets ban motor racing because humans die in that. also lets ban football, running and evey sport that may involve injury. In short, shut up op

There are subtle differences between football and horse-racing. I don't recall Arsene Wenger deciding to have Aaron Ramsey put down by the physio after he had suffered a broken leg.

Should horse racing be banned?

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