The Student Room Group

Should Horse racing be banned?

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its sick how many horses die in the grand national and measures should be put in place to stop this
Reply 21
I personally think it should banned but I know that's very unlikely to ever happen. It's very sad when the horses die and I hate how the BBC pay very little attention to it, last year they simply referred to the dead bodies of the horses as "obstacles on the course". Many horses die in training because they are pushed to their absolute limits :frown:

The difference with football etc is that the participants have willingly chosen to take parts, an animal can't actually consent. I know that horses like to run but pushing them to run a course which might potentially kill them is cruel IMO. People can argue that the owners care about their horses but in the end all they care about is money. 12 000 foals are born into the horseracing industry every year but less than half actually go on to race. The remaining thousands are mainly slaughtered. Five horses died at Cheltenham this year but number of horses that die because of racing is a lot higher than most people realise.

http://www.horsedeathwatch.com/.

http://www.animalaid.org.uk/h/n/CAMPAIGNS/horse/
Original post by InnerTemple
Deaths.* Two died this year and I think it was two last year. The RSPCA is also concerned with overuse of the whip this year.

It isn't acceptable.


I'm glad someone noticed. I thought it was just me. They say whipping doesn't really hurt a horse, but there's a difference between gentle whipping and full blown hitting. I was hoping that the winning horse (at least I think it was the winning one which I noticed being whipped really hard) would throw its rider off... but then I thought that it would only backfire on the horse.
(edited 11 years ago)
Reply 23
I don't see a problem. The horses know full well of the danger before they step out there to compete.
Reply 24
By that logic, living should be banned because it always results in death.
Reply 25
Original post by Alexandra's Box
Leather is a by-product of a meat industry and people will always eat meat - we are omnivores. Not everyone's going to be a vegetarian.
I don't think that it will ever be banned, and it is a tradition. But I think that the deaths of horses who fall is terrible and would certainly support more extensive regulation of welfare. I'm not sure what this would involve though :s-smilie:
I'd agree with banning it but it's almost definitely impossible!


Fox hunting was a tradition, but was banned.
Reply 26
Original post by Zyyz
I don't see a problem. The horses know full well of the danger before they step out there to compete.


You have to be trolling.
Original post by Rascacielos


Original post by DopeSk1llz
the horses die because they can't race anymore after the fall right? or is the fall actually fatal


the majority of cases where a horse is destroyed after a race is because it would result in a large insurance payout
meaning the horses CAN be treated, but the owners choose not to as it costs so much
hard hitting truth right there
Original post by EffieFlowers
The fences are far too high. They should definitely lower them, the amount of horses that fall at the first hurdle bless them!


Actually, if fences are lowered it could well have the opposite effect. By lowering the fences, horses can be encouraged to go faster, meaning they'll land harder which could increase the chance of them falling on landing.
banning the entire race due to 2 horses dying is a bit of an overkill ...horses die everyday for a multitude of reasons ... banning horse racing will simply remove the need to breed any of these horses at all ergo no more of these horses, why would anyone breed race horses if they cant race them...
Its sad that the horses died, don't get me wrong- it really is. But its not going to stop. As a PP said- these horses are bred to race, they don't know different. I do agree with the amount of horses should be reduced and the length of the race- but seriously, unless a jockey or two dies in a stampede or from a injury resulting from the race, it isn't going to happen.

I was more concerned about the owner of the winning horse daughters jumping up down

YEY WE CAN GET ANOTHER 10 MILLLION DESIGNER HANDBAGS OF DADDY :rolleyes:
Original post by DopeSk1llz
the horses die because they can't race anymore after the fall right? or is the fall actually fatal


The horses are usually put down when they've broken a leg or shoulder, because it is extremely painful and unlikely to heal (you can't make a horse lie down for 3 months.) The decision is never taken lightly, they are always fully checked over by vets and its the last option!
Original post by philistine


Image didn't show :smile:
Original post by ilovehobnobs
Its sad that the horses died, don't get me wrong- it really is. But its not going to stop. As a PP said- these horses are bred to race, they don't know different. I do agree with the amount of horses should be reduced and the length of the race- but seriously, unless a jockey or two dies in a stampede or from a injury resulting from the race, it isn't going to happen.

I was more concerned about the owner of the winning horse daughters jumping up down

YEY WE CAN GET ANOTHER 10 MILLLION DESIGNER HANDBAGS OF DADDY :rolleyes:


I thought the same!
Reply 35
Original post by Rascacielos




Seriously though, I don't think HR should be banned, but certainly jumps should be lowered.
Reply 36
Original post by Infallible
You have to be trolling.


It's up to the horse whether they want to compete surly. As in, the horse doesn't exactly have to run does it? Like the horse could just straight up stand there and not move.
Original post by lightburns
I think as long as all the possible measures are in place to protect the horses, then it's okay. You're going to lose a few every now and then. But it's not like fox hunting, where the purpose and expectation is for death. You lose about one horse every year. It's not a huge number.


Lots of horses die as the Grand National is not the only race to result in horse deaths. Look at all these on the website - http://www.horsedeathwatch.com/

It's pretty horrible. Plus all the horses who cannot race anymore, or the ones who aren't good enough, end up dead. AND the pain inflicted by the jockies via whips...

I'm not trying to put you down, by the way! Just trying to show how people are not told the whole story.
Reply 38
You have to remember these horses are to other normal horses what F1 racers are like to us. Sure they compete in a pretty dangerous sport but they have a luxurious standard of living. If an F1 racer died in a crash on Sunday, yes it would be tragic but it sure as hell wouldn't put the others off racing.
(edited 11 years ago)
Reply 39
http://www.horsedeathwatch.com/

I don't think it should be banned but maybe:

Low the hieghts of the fences
Cut at the fences totally
Don't put a horse down because of something as silly as a broken leg (That's what happened to according to pete today).

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