Is horse racing cruel?

[Bubbles]

The thing is, if we all stop doing things because it's a bit dangerous or uses animals, there won't be anything left.

[Shaker]

The thing is, if we all stop doing things because it's a bit dangerous or uses animals, there won't be anything left.

I'm not suggesting stopping doing anything dangerous - just limiting the dangerous stuff to participants who can say yes please or no thanks as they choose.

[Bubbles]

The trouble with that is, what if the animal appears to be saying " yes please"

Often in a horse race, after the rider has fallen off, the horse carries on and has to be removed.

Have you not noticed them trying to gallop with the horses still racing?

Isn't that a way of saying ' yes please! ' ?

I know my dog takes off after pheasants or squirrels given half a chance.

[Owlswing]

I saw a Facebook post the other day that claimed the best in breed German Shepherd was practically incapable of walking (a "desirable" trait of pure bred German shepherds is ridiculously short back legs). Whether that particular story is true or not, Crufts certainly does have ethical problems.

Not Crufts so much as the Kennel Club which decides the standards upon which the dogs are judged. They have come under increasing pressure to change the rules/standards for some dogs, German Shepherds, pugs, pekinese (and all other short nosed dogs) that I can think of at the moment, but it will take almost as many generations to breed out the offending traits as it took to breed them in!

Horse racing - on the flat not so bad, but over jumps is a different matter and the Grand national should have been stopped years ago!

And not just horse racing - show jumping, especialluy the Puissance (sic) - the High Wall  - should also be looks at from a safety point of view.

[Hope]

I think horse racing is an unacceptable and unnecessary cruelty.

john, I think you need to ask whether horses should be allowed to run around their fields or the expanses of the Camarge. 

Like you, I don't like horse racing, but horses are - by their very nature - keen to run around and jump over things.  Would stopping them doing so be more cruel?

[Owlswing]

john, I think you need to ask whether horses should be allowed to run around their fields or the expanses of the Camarge. 

Like you, I don't like horse racing, but horses are - by their very nature - keen to run around and jump over things.  Would stopping them doing so be more cruel?

If horses are so keen to jump why are riders so often the ones to go over the jumps on their own in show jumping 'cos the horse says "fuck you I 'm not jumping that!" It is called, in show jumping a refusal - yet they are turned around and made to do it again!

[Bubbles]

Not Crufts so much as the Kennel Club which decides the standards upon which the dogs are judged. They have come under increasing pressure to change the rules/standards for some dogs, German Shepherds, pugs, pekinese (and all other short nosed dogs) that I can think of at the moment, but it will take almost as many generations to breed out the offending traits as it took to breed them in!

Horse racing - on the flat not so bad, but over jumps is a different matter and the Grand national should have been stopped years ago!

And not just horse racing - show jumping, especialluy the Puissance (sic) - the High Wall  - should also be looks at from a safety point of view.

Uhh!

German Shepherds are not short nosed.

http://mentalfloss.com/article/64533/10-noble-facts-about-german-shepherds

[jeremyp]

Uhh!

German Shepherds are not short nosed.

The German Shepherd thing was only an example. There are many issues associated with pure breed dogs such as deformed backs, deformed heads. deformed skin and so on.

[jeremyp]

The trouble with that is, what if the animal appears to be saying " yes please"

If you put a single horse on the Aintree racecourse without a rider, will it run round it as fast as it can jumping over the fences at the risk of its own life or will it mooch around munching grass?

Often in a horse race, after the rider has fallen off, the horse carries on and has to be removed.

So its in a situation in which it (a herd animal) perceives the herd as running like mad. I suspect it's a flight reaction.

[Owlswing]

Uhh!

German Shepherds are not short nosed.

http://mentalfloss.com/article/64533/10-noble-facts-about-german-shepherds

Honest Rose - I thought better of you! The comment about short nosed referred to the pugs and pekinese!

Despite what has been said by some on here I am NOT THAT fucking stupid!

[Bubbles]

Honest Rose - I thought better of you! The comment about short nosed referred to the pugs and pekinese!

Despite what has been said by some on here I am NOT THAT fucking stupid!

My apologies

I just read it incorrectly.

[Rhiannon]

If you put a single horse on the Aintree racecourse without a rider, will it run round it as fast as it can jumping over the fences at the risk of its own life or will it mooch around munching grass?

So its in a situation in which it (a herd animal) perceives the herd as running like mad. I suspect it's a flight reaction.

Yep. That and the fact it's been trained to jump as as part of that.

[Rhiannon]

A big problem in horse racing is the overbreeding of yearlings. Thoroughbreds aren't much use as leisure rides so most end up being destroyed.

[Rhiannon]

Another big problem is that I don't think it can be denied that the majority of people in the racing industry (and all equestrian sports) do genuinely love and care for the horses. Many moons ago I had a job writing book reviews of sports autobiographies and most of them were by people connected to racing. John Oaksey in particular stood out as someone who adored animals - he said that the greatest tragedy in life is the number of dogs and horses that one loses - but he wasn't alone in that respect by any means.

Of course this love of thoroughbreds from those connected to them- many of whom grew up around racing - coupled with the treacley sentiment around the sport - a bit like boxing in that respect - makes it ever harder to get those within it, and its supporters, to see that there is a cruelty to it.

[Owlswing]

Another big problem is that I don't think it can be denied that the majority of people in the racing industry (and all equestrian sports) do genuinely love and care for the horses. Many moons ago I had a job writing book reviews of sports autobiographies and most of them were by people connected to racing. John Oaksey in particular stood out as someone who adored animals - he said that the greatest tragedy in life is the number of dogs and horses that one loses - but he wasn't alone in that respect by any means.

Of course this love of thoroughbreds from those connected to them- many of whom grew up around racing - coupled with the treacley sentiment around the sport - a bit like boxing in that respect - makes it ever harder to get those within it, and its supporters, to see that there is a cruelty to it.

Is this not analogous with the "sport" of fox hunting? The proponents of it have been brought up to view fox-hunting as totally natural and can see nothing wrong with it; they cannot understand the distaste with which those who do not participate, who see it from a different angle.

In some ways the same can be said of those who oppose boxing.

Not so?

[OH MY WORLD!]

I've been around horses most of my life. And I was all about my horses growing up, rarely a day that I wasn't riding, rain or snow. You know what a horse likes and doesn't like. Anybody that has been around Thoroughbreds or Standardbred knows those horses just love to race. Jumping, I'm not a fan.  I thought I would see if my Arab would do some small jumps, got her mad is what happened. And after I gave up trying to get her to jump, she dumped me off her back into one off our ponds when I was letting her get a drink. Horses will test you. My first horse was well behaved if an older person was riding her, but we had a rough beginning. My leg was quite badly ripped up after she went for the barbed wire fence and trotted along it with me shrieking and trying to get my leg up. Believe it or not, we became great friends. Some times I wouldn't bother with a bridle nor saddle, and would just use a rope tied to the halter. And when I had ridden as far as I wanted to go I would just close my eyes and slump forward on her neck and the horse would take me home.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6rmig2vgJPQ

[OH MY WORLD!]

This is Chestermere lake right next to Granddad's farm. He help build this lake back in the horse and buggy days. A couple of cowgirls taking their horses for a swim.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0pcKWm0mel0