Two horses put down at the Grand National
Discussion
I'm not a fan of jump racing especially when it injures horses. It's all very well saying "It's the kindest thing to do" but the fact is if they didn't race they wouldn't have got injured. 
Horses hardly ever fall jumping unless they have a jockey onboard to unsettle them.
Who cares about the jockeys, they can be fixed and it's their choice.
I'm not even sure about flat racing but I know a lot of work riders and head lads and they do care about the horses welfare.
Anyway. Just wanted to vent.
Horses hardly ever fall jumping unless they have a jockey onboard to unsettle them.
Who cares about the jockeys, they can be fixed and it's their choice.
I'm not even sure about flat racing but I know a lot of work riders and head lads and they do care about the horses welfare.
Anyway. Just wanted to vent.
CatJ said:
It's that you can't set a broken horse leg.
...well enough for the horse to be a race winner again, is the rest of that sentence.Owners prefer for the horse to be put down: that way they collect the insurance payout on the horse, with no further costs. This is according to the Cheltenham racecourse doctor, who attends to the jockeys.
Horses cannot be subdued like small animals can and they don't respond in the same way as dogs and cats do when anaesthetised.
They also are at risk of hypothermia if sedated, partly because they've just run like f
k and their body doesn't respond well to just lying down. They also need to "warm down" which is why they trot after a race, much like you humans do, and they get coverered up and watered down.
Also, once a horse has had a serious injury like that it's racing career is over and if it's not used to stud it's a drain on resources. Especially now hypobaric chambers future use in in question.
They also are at risk of hypothermia if sedated, partly because they've just run like f
k and their body doesn't respond well to just lying down. They also need to "warm down" which is why they trot after a race, much like you humans do, and they get coverered up and watered down. Also, once a horse has had a serious injury like that it's racing career is over and if it's not used to stud it's a drain on resources. Especially now hypobaric chambers future use in in question.
Ok let me expand a little further.
Horses are put down mainly due to quality of life issue for the injured horse, a broken leg can take months to heal. There can be other complications, including loss of circulation in the leg, also if a sling is used sores and inflammation can occur.
Cost also plays a part.
Horses are put down mainly due to quality of life issue for the injured horse, a broken leg can take months to heal. There can be other complications, including loss of circulation in the leg, also if a sling is used sores and inflammation can occur.
Cost also plays a part.
I dont know about any of it. Racing is a big industry, a curious addiction, and there are risks which have to be managed, and rewards which seem to indulge something of what it is to be human and faulty, loving the excitement of fierce competition, of mans power over beast, insert other lazy pseudophilosophy here. So a horse or two dies. Meh. Feeds the french!
Simpo Two said:
OK, so we ban all horse racing because 38 horses have died in 12 years (3 a year from a total of how many?)
38 in the Grand National since 2000. There's about 160 horse deaths a year in racing.
http://www.horsedeathwatch.com/ (nice web address!)
I'm pretty sure compared to other animal sports, greyhound, polo, that's abnormally high.
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