Is it fair that horses have to die for humans to enjoy horse racing?

Question

I understand trajedy is part of every sport but it usually happens to consenting adults. These horses have no say in the matter. But I dont follow this sport so I'm playing ignorant. Make an argument for or against or both on the ethics of horse racing.

Answer 1

Have any of you been to high level horse shows?  Those horses go through a lot. I worked at a show barns for Saddlebreds, Morgans,  Arabians, and Quarter Horses.  OOOH the stuff I have seen!! I've seen a horse beaten with a shovel just b/c the farrier didn't like her. I loved her, she was great.  Devastating injuries are a part of life.  People enjoy watching boxers beat the c**p out of each other.

If horses aren't shown or raced, what do think people should do with them.  If you can't make money on them by racing or showing, then  would they just be meat? Not everyone wants to trailride.

Answer 2

from the evidence ive seen i believe its cruel. what even furthers my belief is that when you ask a person who's for horse racing a reason as to why they dont believe its cruel, you get called an idiot/moron as youve found, you get told the horses love it (so why use whips?) , or they just avoid the question and talk about how its necessary to put down an injured horse.

Anyway my beliefs on why i think its cruel. Its a fact over 300 horses are raced to death every year in britain alone. After a horse is finished racing, some are used as sires, others however are often sent to slaughter to be used as dog food.

Theyre raced when theyre still young and their skeletons are still growing, putting way too much pressure on them.

Lots of jockeys get banned for a few races for excessive use of the whip...doesnt this disprove the excuse of some that horses dont really feel the whip. Then why is there bans for excessive use? and what determines what excessive use is...blood, wounds??..i dont know.

theres other cruelties that go on behind the scenes...details in the link

Answer 3

Nobody wanted that horse to die---moron. BTW they do get threee hots and a cot--could be worse!

Answer 4

In today's racing, animals are treated with constant care, access to the best trainers, the best vets, the best diet.

Horses that race are ones that are chosen to do so because of their ability and temperment.  If a horse truly doesn't want to race, they won't show the ability that trainers and owners seek.

Do some horses die?  Yes, as they would in the wild, or on a farm, or in field.  But it is not because of poor treatment or care or love by their owners, jockeys or trainers.

Answer 5

I think it's kind of cruel and beautiful at the same time. To see the way they run around the track with the dirt kickin' up off their hoofs. But you have to wonder if the animals are really truly happy. I guess we'll never know unless they learn to talk.....err  Mr. Ed!!

Answer 6

Ok, these horses weigh over a 1,000 pounds...so do you think they would run if they really didn't want to?  You also need to look at the number of horses who are completely hand-ridden and never even catch a glimpse of the whip.  Accidents are unfortunate, but they happen as they do in all sports.  I think the only reason everyone is up in arms about this is because the Kentucky Derby is a very popular race, so lots of uninformed individuals saw this.

If people are going to make a case against this saying the horses are forced, maybe they should make cases against dog racing or even keeping animals as pets.  Dogs and cats can't say if they like being kept in a house or a cage, so is that wrong?

Answer 7

No, dear, it's not, but no one will think the way so many of us do. Horseback riding is an ancient art about communication and relationship between horse and rider, and to me, it should stay that way. Most of the horses you see on the track are basically green broke with enough manners to have a saddle on their backs.

Think of it this way. They don't understand anything about the rider whipping them or telling them to go faster. They just know to /go/. It must be scary. What'll happen to me if I don't when? How long must I run? Unlike dog racing, (which I'm not a supporter of), there is no motivation. The dogs run by the instinct to chase prey, but the horses run out of adrenaline and the demanding riders more than anything. Most race horses never form that beautiful relationship with a person, either. Sure, they're set to breeding and have a good life after being retired, but they'll always remember that person wildly riding them at a full run, with only the sounds of yelling and the blood rushing through their ears. They could've gotten to know a good, loving person who would make their ride a pleasure.

Answer 8

These people that are against horse racing are the same fools that try to disrupt the Olympic Torch Runs because of so-called "beliefs", "morals" and "cruelty", which they really don't know about.

It's just sick that people here want Eight Belles to suffer for life and give up hope like the owners of Barbaro did. Horses cannot recover from leg injuries like humans do, and horse racing has been around since before all of the people here were born, so they cannot be called "experts" on animal cruelty.

The so-called "animal lovers" are here just to light fires and cause trouble like PETA does when they throw animal blood and red paint at people that wear fur and leather clothing.

It's just how things are when horses are put down. There are thousands of horses put down every day all over the world by farmers and owners when their legs break or suffer irrepairable damage to their legs. People just don't see it happen and think they do, especially the delusional leftist liberal extremists living in urban areas, that pretend to be animal lovers.

Answer 9

Thousands of these beautiful creatures have to die every year so that rich a******s with big hats can drink mint juleps and wager millions of dollars. Horse racing is animal abuse just the same as dog fighting. Humans wagering money to watch these animals run faster than they are supposed to while being whipped repeatedly by angry midgets is just as appalling as what Michael Vick did. We have to rally and save these mistreated animals.

Answer 10

the fans dont WANT the horses to die, it was a freak accident at the ketucky derby yesterday

Answer 11

NO THIS IS HORSE ABUSE!

I AM STOPPING HORSE RACING!

DO NOT THINK I WONT!

I HAVE MY HEART SET ON IT!

ITS DISGUSTING!

Answer 12

I am laughing at Rachel.

This was the 134th running of the Kentucky Derby. .

There will most likely be a 264th running of the Derby.

It is tragic that we lost Eight Belles, but the break was such that they could not even brace her legs enough to get her to stand and walk into the ambulance.

Isn't it more humane to euthanize her than to have her suffer needlessly.

Answer 13

People just sit with their money and their stupid fluffy hats with bouncing sh*t coming out of the top and dont realize what the horses are being put through! I didnt make it to the television in time but when i found out this morning i was heartbroken. Its so sad how people put young horses in like that for MONEY. Its really depressing. I would be so mordified if my favorite horse on this planet was put into a big shindig like that and had to be put down for breaking to ankles.

I'll pray for Eight Bells, Barbaro, all the horses that died in the past and all the horses to race in the future.