[Jeester]

(Original post by Tahooper)
I'm guessing you didn't watch it.

From what I remember, on the 6th fence Synchronised jumped the fence perfectly, but for some reason after he landed he bowed his head, which caused the jockey to come off and tragically it looked like the horse landed on it's neck and broke it.

"It was not a bad fall, he got up and galloped on jumping the fences rather than opting for the bypasses. Somewhere between there and the Anchor Bridge crossing he fractured a hind leg and was humanely destroyed."

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/hor...-National.html

EDIT:

He originally fell at the sixth.

[Angry cucumber]

(Original post by Jeester)
That makes sense.
Thanks.
Is there no like sling we could put them in? I still think we should lower the fences in the Grand National.

I don't believe there is. Horses don't "hop" in the same way a dog or similar would with a sling due to the way they walk hence why you've never seen a 3 legged horse. (At least I haven't )

I don't think lowering the fences would work, as horses would run faster and land heavier so more chance of breaking a leg.

Personally, looking at the race guide, the horses lower down the odds have comments such as "not a chance, won't make it around" that is only leads to problems and it is irresponsible for the trainers, officials and vets to allow such horses to race. Fewer of these sorts of horses means fewer collisions, less falls, less deaths.

[Penbole]

Foxhunting was banned and that was killing animals as a form of pest control, but horse racing goes on which is unintentionally killing horses for sport. Surely that makes horse racing as bad if not worse?

[Jeester]

(Original post by Penbole)
Foxhunting was banned and that was killing animals as a form of pest control, but horse racing goes on which is unintentionally killing horses for sport. Surely that makes horse racing as bad if not worse?

**** OFF was it pest control.
It was sport and you know it.
It was sick and disgusting and cannot be compared to horse racing.
And do you know why they are pests to the rich upper class? Because they kill the pheasants which the upper class are going to use for shooting sport! Very worthy cause aye?

[Jeester]

(Original post by Angry cucumber)
I don't believe there is. Horses don't "hop" in the same way a dog or similar would with a sling due to the way they walk hence why you've never seen a 3 legged horse. (At least I haven't )

I don't think lowering the fences would work, as horses would run faster and land heavier so more chance of breaking a leg.

Personally, looking at the race guide, the horses lower down the odds have comments such as "not a chance, won't make it around" that is only leads to problems and it is irresponsible for the trainers, officials and vets to allow such horses to race. Fewer of these sorts of horses means fewer collisions, less falls, less deaths.

That is a good idea.
Though as we saw today Synchronised was odds on favourate for most of the time before the race began (Seabass only taking over a few minutes before the race) so it can still happen. Though I do agree horses with odds of 200/1 should not be let anywhere near the racecourse.

[ArtGoblin]

It should absolutely be banned. It is completely unacceptable to push horses to that limit just so that betting shops can make more money. It is completely different to the deaths in football and other sports because the horses don't choose to take part. They are forced to. It is completely awful when jockeys die or are injured when taking part, but at least they had the choice. They knew the risks when they got into the sport. The horses do not have that, and it is horrible to put them at risk just for our entertainment.

[Leon Trotsky]

Yawn. Every year.

[Penbole]

(Original post by Jeester)
**** OFF was it pest control.
It was sport and you know it.
It was sick and disgusting and cannot be compared to horse racing.
And do you know why they are pests to the rich upper class? Because they kill the pheasants which the upper class are going to use for shooting sport! Very worthy cause aye?

Foxhunting was originally for pest control and served a purpose in that role, I am not denying that foxhunting changed becoming predominantly a sport. However they both involve needless, avoidable death of animals for entertainment, that seems a fair comparison?

[Stripes23]

(Original post by Jeester)
That makes sense.
Thanks.
Is there no like sling we could put them in? I still think we should lower the fences in the Grand National.

There's very little you can do for a horse with a broken leg. The most difficult thing is to keep them on their feet, as if they go down they won't get up again. You can put a sling under their belly to keep them up, but bear in mind these horses will be in a lot of pain. Generally it's kinder just to put them out of their misery. And with regards to fences being lowered, like I said before, this could do more harm. The horses could run faster, so they'd land harder and have more chance of breaking a leg or tripping on landing.

[associativememory]

Banning it will never happen. Move on.

[AntiMonarchist]

Race horses would not exist without horse racing, so I suspect most would be put down when their owners realized they had no use.

[Tahooper]

(Original post by Jeester)
"It was not a bad fall, he got up and galloped on jumping the fences rather than opting for the bypasses. Somewhere between there and the Anchor Bridge crossing he fractured a hind leg and was humanely destroyed."

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/hor...-National.html

EDIT:

He originally fell at the sixth.

Okay I recant the last part of my post.

That's tragic, I had no idea that after the fall he was fine and it was only afterwards when he kept galloping on that he sustained the injury

[Jeester]

(Original post by Penbole)
Foxhunting was originally for pest control and served a purpose in that role, I am not denying that foxhunting changed becoming predominantly a sport. However they both involve needless, avoidable death of animals for entertainment, that seems a fair comparison?

No
In fox hunting they go out to kill and terrorise foxes
They do not in horseracing

Horses may be put under a lot of stress for a few minutes before they are put to their deaths but foxes are chased for mile after mile before being ripped to pieces by a pack of hungry dogs.

Not a fair comparison.

[dothestrand]

People seem to be forgetting that there are two types of racing, jump and flat. I find it important that this distinction be made.

[Hopple]

(Original post by Sir Phillip Jones)
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/hor...t-Aintree.html

Two Horses, Synchronised and According to Pete died today in the Grand National following falls. R.I.P.

I used to like a bet. But then there came a time when i asked myself "Can i really enjoy something in which animals are being killed for my pleasure". Once i seriously asked myself that question i quit gambling overnight.

So what do people think about the sport? Should it be banned? Would modifying the course be better i.e. having less horses or smaller fences to jump over.

Some people say sports like Football should be banned too, because of incidents like Muamba and the Italian footballer who died today following a cardiac arrest. Some people bring the argument of people eating meat and wearing leather. Where do people stand on Horseracing?

They tend to only die because the vets cba to help them. A broken leg can and usually will heal, but it takes so long that the horse will probably never race again, hence it isn't a good 'investment'.

But a quick and easy fix would be to lower the jumps.

[Angry cucumber]

(Original post by Jeester)
That is a good idea.
Though as we saw today Synchronised was odds on favourate for most of the time before the race began (Seabass only taking over a few minutes before the race) so it can still happen. Though I do agree horses with odds of 200/1 should not be let anywhere near the racecourse.

The case of Synchronised is that is deeply unfortunate, as it continued to race after it had unseated it's rider and decided to jump rather than go around it. It fractured its back hind leg

[science_geek]

As an ex-owner of an ex-racehorse I could go on forever about horseracing and its rights and wrongs. But at the end of the day there was two simple things wrong with the grand national today (and always has been) a) too many horses in the race which is a massive risk of danger and b) jumps too high for horses travelling so fast.

Horse racing will never be banned there's too much money in it for people. But a lot of things need to be changed and reconsidered.

[Angry cucumber]

(Original post by Hopple)
They tend to only die because the vets cba to help them. A broken leg can and usually will heal, but it takes so long that the horse will probably never race again, hence it isn't a good 'investment'.

But a quick and easy fix would be to lower the jumps.

Bull****

It's because horses can't have a leg immobilized like a human or a dog can. As a horse even when it's leg is hurt it will put weight on it hence it can't have it's leg immobilized, hence their legs don't heal properly as the fracture can't be rested. Slinging the leg wouldn't work as horses can't "hop" such as a dog can on three legs . The horse would lead the rest of it's life, suffering.

Saying people cba is just ridiculous

[science_geek]

(Original post by Hopple)
They tend to only die because the vets cba to help them. A broken leg can and usually will heal, but it takes so long that the horse will probably never race again, hence it isn't a good 'investment'.

But a quick and easy fix would be to lower the jumps.

Its not that the vets cba to help them. Its that its incredibly inhumane to keep a prey animal alive if it can't move. The animal would have no real quality of life for a long time and even when it could walk again think about how unpredictable horses are and the massive risk of damaging the leg again. A horse (especially a thoroughbred) with a broken leg has a very bad prognosis.

[nerd434]

In my opinion, betting is stupid altogether..