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Should horse racing be banned?

My name is URL

Or at least, should they get rid of jump racing?

Two horses died at the Grand National today. I never actually watch or bet on the sport but just happened to see the race today. Loads of other horses fell while going over the fences. It's a wonder that there were only two fatalities.

Is it worth it? Would the sport not be just as enjoyable if there were no fences? Doesn't make any sense to me to risk the lives of both jockeys and horses by having them jump.

What say you?

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Born to Die

gsxr1 wrote: »

love racing . As does the horses and riders by the look today. Horses could not wait to get away and run. Its what they want.

But why do the horses get put to sleep with a broken leg??

I broke my leg 2 years ago. Im well again now.

Im sure the vet has the best interest of the animal in question, but surly with a bit of time and effort , the horse could at least be let heal and live out its life. Especially after the contribution synchronised made in the past?

Horses I believe are missing the marrow that repairs bone, I think I read that somewhere,.

My name is URL

Born to Die wrote: »

Would anyone care if they raced pigs over the grand national course and a couple of them got killed?

Born to Die wrote: »

Would anyone care if they raced zebras over the grand national course and a couple of them got killed?

What are you on about? :pac:

byhookorbycrook

It takes a long time for a horse to heal a broken leg, they would have to be immobilised for a no. of months and even then, may never heal.it is downright inhumane to expect a horse to be tied up for that length of time.

Born to Die

My name is URL wrote: »

What are you on about? :pac:

Give it a minute, it will come to you.

Joey.

gsxr1 wrote: »

love racing . As does the horses and riders by the look today. Horses could not wait to get away and run. Its what they want.

But why do the horses get put to sleep with a broken leg??

I broke my leg 2 years ago. Im well again now.

Im sure the vet has the best interest of the animal in question, but surly with a bit of time and effort , the horse could at least be let heal and live out its life. Especially after the contribution synchronised made in the past?

It depends on how it's broken. I've heard of horses recovering from broken splint bones but oftentimes the injury is severe enough that it's not worth the recovery process which can be very distressing for horses, especially highly strung ones like racehorses. Many horses just can't cope with months upon months of box rest.
Usually being put down is in the animal's best interest.

mikemac1

gsxr1 wrote: »

But why do the horses get put to sleep with a broken leg??

Im sure the vet has the best interest of the animal in question, but surly with a bit of time and effort , the horse could at least be let heal and live out its life.

A horse leg is far more complex and has more bones then a human leg.
What makes it so fast also makes it fragile

Also a horse cannot support itself with a broken leg
You can with crutches. So can your dog and your cat but a horse weighs several hundred kilos and cannot

If it's not a full fracture then there are options but it's very difficult to bring about a full recovery. It's possible but it's unlikely
Vets don't make these decisions lighty and of course either do the owners, whether it's a family horse for children or a racehorse worth thousands.

But with a full fracture there is very little that can be done. The horse cannot stand up and the best quality of life is crawling and struggling around the ground in a stall in pain.

Putting it down is for the best

NoelJ

Joey. wrote: »

It depends on how it's broken. I've heard of horses recovering from broken splint bones but oftentimes the injury is severe enough that it's not worth the recovery process which can be very distressing for horses, especially highly strung ones like racehorses. Many horses just can't cope with months upon months of box rest.
Usually being put down is in the animal's best interest.

They were saying on BBC that the horse usually gets pneumonia and will die from that anyway.

irishgeo

family guy did a great sketch on this.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mjq9tIJVenc

AngryBollix

Soon everything avenue of pleasure will be closed off by cranks.

gsxr1

Joey. wrote: »

It depends on how it's broken. I've heard of horses recovering from broken splint bones but oftentimes the injury is severe enough that it's not worth the recovery process which can be very distressing for horses, especially highly strung ones like racehorses. Many horses just can't cope with months upon months of box rest.
Usually being put down is in the animal's best interest.

I dont know. I cant see if it was any creatures best interest to be dead as opposed to alive with a sore leg.

Its hard to know with out being a vet or knowing the severity of the the injury. But just ending its life without an effort to try and heal the nag seems unjust. Hard as recovery is, could it be more of an economic decision as recovery cost would not be worth it?

EDIT.

Explained by mike. thanks. Maybe it is fo the best.

Joey.

NoelJ wrote: »

They were saying on BBC that the horse usually gets pneumonia and will die from that anyway.

That's the thing, even if it is possible for the break to heal, the horse becomes far more susceptible to infection.

Born to Die

It's difficult for a horse's leg to heal due to a combination of factors. Their legs must absorb considerable shock as their powerful bodies gallop at high speeds. Horses engage in a lot of physical activity, and the consequences of this behavior can eventually lead to deteriorated leg bones and increased opportunities to fall. Another thing to consider is how many leg bones horses have. Out of the 205 bones that make up a horse's entire body, 80 of them are located in its legs. The complex system of joints, bones, ligaments, tendons, cartilage, lubricant, laminate and hooves that contribute to a horse's amazing speed can also be the cause of its downfall. What's more, between 60 to 65 percent of a horse's weight rests on its front legs -- that's why most of its injuries occur here.

http://animals.howstuffworks.com/mammals/broken-leg-horse.htm

Copy and paste job.

Dyr

AngryBollix wrote: »

Soon everything avenue of pleasure will be closed off by cranks.

You can always go and take a running jump yourself

Frank Black

Hands up.

How many people calling for horse racing to be banned ate a bit of an animal today?

Joey.

gsxr1 wrote: »

I dont know. I cant see if it was any creatures best interest to be dead as opposed to alive with a sore leg.

Its hard to know with out being a vet or knowing the severity of the the injury. But just ending its life without an effort to try and heal the nag seems unjust. Hard as recovery is, could it be more of an economic decision as recovery cost would not be worth it?

Without knowing the exact injury and the animal's temperament, I can't judge. Some cope fine with box rest, others become raving lunatics due to stress. If it were my horse, I'd rather that he not suffer.
Cost is definitely a factor, it's expensive and the horse won't race again. That makes a very expensive field ornament!

ETA- just saw your edit, I think it's a case by case situation really. It just seems that most of the time it's not what we want to hear

foxinsox

Born to Die wrote: »

Giraffes?

Can Giraffes jump, the fences wouldn't be an issue if they can.
Would it be unfair to change the animal used to a more suitable animal, I just can't think of one that is suitable!!

Kangaroos?

I'd say they might be suitable, not so sure about the running bit though.

AngryBollix

Bambi wrote: »

You can always go and take a running jump yourself

Zinged me

sheepfield

Grand National is an incredibly stressful race, by the looks of things. The fences are HUGE (The Chair and Becher's Brooke up close are monstrous) and the size of the field (40 horses or thereabouts) is a serious hazard (impaired vision, pushing and shoving, several loose horses causing accidents). There are some horses that are 100% suited to it, but there are some seriously irresponsible trainers and owners out there who put horses in that are simply not capable, be it jumping-wise or stamina-wise, to complete the race, and those horses are being put at great risk of being seriously injured or killed. For example, I think it was utter insanity on the part of the connections of Synchronized to run that horse today. The whole race itself is just asking for trouble, really.

Hello? What do you actually know about national hunt racing? The above indicates without any question the sheer ignorance and idiocy of the people who decide - once a year - to indulge in an ill-informed rant about horse racing. For me, the race today was one of the most exciting and thrilling in years. The winner put up an extraordinary performance, winning off 157, carrying 11st 6lbs and galloping right to the line. He is a french-bred former Cheltenham Gold Cup runner-up, trained by one of the sports best trainers, treated better than most people in the industry, who for seven seasons has demonstrated a great attitude to jumping and galloping. I don't buy into this "my little pony" animal rights bull**** that decrees that if a horse is injured or, unfortunately, dies in the race we should therefore ban all horse-racing or at the very least turn the worlds greatest steeplechase into a glorified hurdle race. For context, a local trainer close to me lost his best horse on the track lately: an unfortunate event whereby she broke a shoulder during a race: an injury that could not be foreseen or prevented, bar you ban the whole concept of horse racing. All connected with the horse would be hugely disappointed, from the financial point of view to the genuine feeling of loss of an animal close to their heart.
What is wrong with people nowadays? Millions of people are starving in the developing world, the economy of this country is shagged but still a few dewey-eyed idiots are hogging the media spotlight (even the mainstream media are infected) in an attempt to disrupt what is for me one of the most iconic and memorable ten minutes in all of sport.

And let me be clear: I love animals. I hate seeing them injured or abused. This does NOT happen in the grand national. For feck sake, get a grip....

Scanlas The 2nd

Discodog wrote: »

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.

We could live without meat.

blindside88

A lot of old people die in there sleep, I vote we ban old people from sleeping as it's kinder. These horses are bred for jumps races (as flat horses are bred for flat race) you can't just decide that you think they should all be changed to accommodate your narrow view. Irish races horses are amongst the most sought after in the world and there breeding, training and racing make up a massive proportion of the economy

blindside88

Born to Die

foxinsox wrote: »

Kangaroos?

I'd say they might be suitable, not so sure about the running bit though.

I thought of them but it just doesn't seem right, would they be able to carry a jockey for 4 miles?

I have thought of pairing them with koala jockeys but I think that would cause an outrage.

It's a tough business trying to create the alternative grand national and keep everyone happy.

kincsem

The problem on this thread is the people who think horses
(1) should not jump fences
(2) think they should have their leg put in plaster and recover in the horse hospital ...

... are very ignorant about the breed, its origins, who pays the bills, and what can be sorted by a vet.

If they can explain who will pay to keep 20,000+ horses as pets then imo they can follow on and explain why would they keep them as pets.

Year 2010 Ireland
STALLIONS.......240
MARES........15,345
FOALS .........7,588

nlgbbbblth

I love seeing riderless horses in the Grand National. Pity they're not allowed win.

Jen Pigs Fly

You can really see the difference between the people who actually know horses compared to the people who only make 1 bet a year on one of the most famous races known.

solerina

There was an incredibly valuable stallion(barbaro) in america a few years ago that they put a huge amount of screws, plates etc into his leg after he shattered it, and tried to save him...they ended up putting him down after a few months as he was in a lot of pain from an infection as a result of the original injury. Its better for the horse that it happens immediately.

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/01/29/sports/29cnd-barbaro.html?pagewanted=all

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barbaro

[Deleted User]

I think horses deserve to die because Jesus is right in saying animal

"Hast thou given the horse strength? Hast thou clothed his neck with thunder?

Canst thou make him afraid as a grasshopper? The glory of his nostrils is terrible.

He paweth in the valley, and rejoiceth in his strength: he goeth on to meet the armed men.

He mocketh at fear, and is not affrighted; neither turneth he back from the sword.

The quiver rattleth against him, the glittering spear and the shield.

He swalloweth the ground with fierceness and rage: neither believeth he that it is the sound of the trumpet.

He saith among the trumpets, Ha, ha; and he smelleth the battle afar off, the thunder of the captains, and the shouting."

I believe jesus once became a zombie and fought the nazis so I'm right, let the **** horses die.

Stop Lad!

Synchronised did not show signs he didnt want to run today, he himself did not un-seat McCoy. The horse was actually eager to race, he took off too early, before the tape at the start line was released. It was in fact the tape which knocked McCoy off the horse. The horse ran for ages on his own before being stopped and lead back to the start line. Just because he died and had a controversial start people saying he didnt want to race is rediculous.

On the other hand, a horse of Synchronised's size should not have been put in this race. Bad call by owner/trainer IMO

byhookorbycrook

Watching the race again. The horse was "hot to trot" ears pricked, tail up.Vet and dr, gave both AP and Synchronised a good once over too.

AngryBollix

Racing is far too valuable to ban.

Its benefits far outweigh the risks involved