Is it wrong to like horseracing? Should I feel guilty?

Question

I purchased "The Life & Times of Secretariat" DVD and fell in love with that horse and the sport all over again. Reading some of the comments in the section, however, I'm worried I've fallen for a cruel pasttime.

Is it wrong to like horseracing? Must I stop?

PS I gave up foie gras.

Answer 1

Liking horse racing is fine.  There are always people that will claim cruel about anything people do.  Personaly I am a dog racing fan.

Answer 2

Not at all. You let  other peoples opinions affect what you like? Thats just silly.  If you bet on races. Have a max amount of money you bet each week. And don't chase your losses if you bet and lose. I think thats why they would be against horse racing.They don't understand it and just see it as a way  that lot of silly people  lose money.  But it seems to me you love the actual sport not just the betting side of it.  

ps I am biased I prefer "Pharlap".

Answer 3

I dont think its wrong to like horse racing, but if youre going to support it, you have to accept that the romantic image the industry give us is NOT realistic. Im not sure where you live, but here in the UK, around 375 horses die every year in racing or training. To me, thats one horse to many.

I actively campaign against greyhound racing, where more than 10,000 greyhounds are killed every year once they are no longer a financial asset.

Im not an extremist..........I just believe that there are far better ways of gambling and having a pet is far better entertainment than watching an animal, which has been TRAINED to entertain us, simply for the owner to make money.

There is a lot more money in horse racing than greyhound racing and to some extent, this ensures better welfare for the horses as opposed to dogs.

Which ever way you look at it, by you supporting horse racing, you will be supporting animal cruelty in many forms.

Whether it be during their breeding, training or racing.

Please take time to visit this web site before you make an informed decision.

PS

I love to watch my greyhounds run free on the beach, indeed they are born runners....but in racing.they are literally running for their lives. A slow greyhound is a DEAD greyhound and likewise with horses.

Hope you make the right choice.

Answer 4

Its a pretty sad sport, overbreed horses making them vulnerable to bone breaks, just so that people can bet on them.

Look at the way Barbaro ended.

Answer 5

it's fine...the horses are treated very well.....................

Answer 6

I enjoy the sport of horse racing, but that doesn't mean that I am blind to its faults and dark side. Horse racing is an exciting sport for a lot of people- and there are those in the racing world who are in it only for the money and the cheap thrills they get. But there are others, like the people who owned Barbaro, who are in it for the love of the sport and of the animals involved. For these people, money and gambling don't have much of an impact on their decisions- they love their horses and want the best for them, and they will do whatever it takes to reach that goal. These are the people who make the best owners, because they can be counted upon to put the needs of the horse over their own desire for monetary rewards. Unfortunately, however, these individuals are very, very, rare. Most of the people involved at any level in the sport of horse racing tend to see the horses as commodities, instead of flesh and blood creatures. Economics become a huge factor with this type of person- they want return on their investments, and they want it NOW !!! That is why there is so much pressure to race horses before they are physically mature- and why we keep seeing tragedies like the ones that happened to Barbaro and Pine Island last year. The horses' bones are just NOT strong enough, in many cases, to stand up to the stress of training and racing. The problem is compounded by the constant overbreeding and inbreeding that is a way of life on the big thoroughbred farms. This has caused the gene pool to shrink, and has made the animals' bones even more fragile and susceptable to breakage under stress. Some of the tracks are going to a polytrack surface, which will help, but it will NOT solve the whole problem. The only real solution that I can see is if flat racing takes a cue from the steeplechase ( horses that race over fences) industry and raises the minimum racing age to 4 and 5. This would give these horses a chance to grow up and become strong, and there would be far fewer accidents and breakdowns as a result. The average age of a steeplechase horse is between 6 and 9, and many of them go on to run races and win into their teens. Quite a contrast to the flat racing world, where it's rare that horses race past their third or fourth birthday. ( There was quite a lot of commotion on this column around Grand National time last month- and it should be noted that NONE of the horses that ran in that race had to be put down because of injuries. Yes, there were falls, and horses withdrew from the race, but the injuries weren't serious, and all of those horses will go on to race again, and some of them may even be back again next year. The minimum age for that race is 5. Any horse under that age is too young and is not allowed to compete.) I think that you should enjoy the sport, but please be aware of its dark side. There is good and bad in every sport and situation, and it is matter of personal ethics and values when it comes to how one feels. I hope one day that those who run the sport of flat racing will wake up and realize ( and listen to) the message that these young horses who break down are sending, but it may be a long time before this happens- and in the interim, we will see more tragedies and breakdowns.

Answer 7

i think its stupid that people get all bent out of shape about horse racing--these horses live like royalty in these huge barns and get fed diets 10x healthier by horse standards than the average person eats.  they get groomed and pampered and exercised daily--my stars they are living the good life.  all they have to do is run a few races--whats the big deal?

Answer 8

don't let people affect your love for the sport.  some people might be abuse horses, but the majority of the big name trainers are decent people.  the NTRA keeps a very close watch on what's going on...  especially on the big trainers making lots of money.

the thing about horse racing is that we're forcing the animals to do something and we make money.  they don't choose it for themselves.  A lot of people have to question whether that's right...  would the horse run a race if we didn't tell it to?

I've been reading questions and answers on this board for quite some time without posting anything until today and I can tell you that this is quite an odd day.  Every once in a while you get a question about whether horse racing is cruel, but today it's more of an all out war.

A lot of people here love racing.  If you love it and acknowledge that there's some risk to the horses and stuff...  then there's no reason for you to change.

Answer 9

i dont think anything is wrong with you liking the sport

Answer 10

No,It's not wrong to enjoy horseracing.There is good and bad in every sport!! I really love it myself and I wish I could see more of it.If you enjoyed the "Secretariat" dvd,watch "Seabiscuit" and you will love him too.

Answer 11

I dont think it's wrong to like horse racing. Its a fun exciting sport. I don't bet but I can't see why it's wrong to do that either, providing you are sensible.

Answer 12

Horse racing can be cruel sometimes.  I think it is wrong to use whips.  But remember horses love running.  They love the track.  Even though they are tired at the end they still love it!

Answer 13

No horse racing is ok but the problem that horce racing can create is a gambling addiction. Don't bet big and bet just for fun and you'll be fine.

Answer 14

some might say its cruel as horses that fall over often have to be shot dead

have you given up glue as well?

Answer 15

hmm... sometimes the sport can be cruel, as long as your not supporting it buy purcasing any items from them, you should be fine! it's okat to like it as long as you don't support it. i personally think it's a little hard on the horses, they never get to graze happily, they're always training in preperation for the big race.