Is the grand National cruel and should it be banned?

Question

'One-third of horses die on racecourses, while the others are destroyed as a result of training injuries, or are killed because they are no longer commercially viable.'

http://www.horsedeathwatch.com/logo.png

'Since 1997, 27 horses have died during the three-day Grand National meet.

There has only been one year without fatalities.'

'Four died last year, two during the National itself. Only 11 out of 40 starters managed to finish the deliberately punishing 30-jump, four-and-a-half mile race.

41% of the public believe the Grand National is cruel to horses. A further 9% of respondents to a new NOP opinion poll* felt unable to give the race the all-clear - falling into the 'don't know' camp'

What do you think?

video:

http://animalaid.org.uk/h/f/CAMPAIGNS/blog//4//?be_id=11

Answer 1

haka looking at your question i would agree you may have some statistics but i dont really think you know what you are talking about and your real aim is to stir up a reaction rather than care about horses in which i think you know very little about

has it ever ocurred to you that if a horse does not want to run or jump it wont ?

i suggest you work for free in a yard or stable to gain some knowledge before you make a fool of yourself. (even more)

Answer 2

look take your stupid pathetic question somewhere else as this is the horse racing section that means people on here like horse racing so you wont get much support here. try another category like the do you think I'm completely off my head category

Answer 3

no it is not cruel and it should not be banned it is the greatest sporting spectacle on earth

Answer 4

I don't think they should be raced so young, flat racing is much less dangerous than steeple chasing. I do believe that horses were born to run, not FORCED to run. I think the wips should be used a little less too. It shouldn't be cancelled, they should just make some adjustments to make it safer for the horses and riders.

Answer 5

i think it's ridiculous just to isolate the 'grand national' as an arena where horses are abused. talk to anyone in the race horse industry and you will soon realise how much care is taken with their animals and how devastated they are when any one  of them is injured nevermind killed.over the years the powers that be in racing have made huge efforts to eliminate the risks involved in the sport. the 'national 'itself ,has seen many of the fences made easier, and beechers brooke being levelled off on the landing side and so on. the fact is , accidents happen, and not always on the racetracks. many horses have died from injuries sustained while out for their morning gallop.this does'nt mean to say their has been undue care or cruelty on behalf of jockey or trainer. i think everything should be kept in the proper perspective and not use a high profile event to emotionally blackmail the public into having the 'national' banned. it's pathetic!

Answer 6

i think, if the do gooders manage to ban horse racing,will they then complain when all the horses bred to race are put down.

Answer 7

when the rider falls off, they still keep running, so the horses enjoy the race, something are dangerous for animals and humans but we have to have some danger in our lives, don't we ?

Answer 8

1/3 of horses die on race courses? and you believe that? have you ever been to the races? or are you one of these strange 'animal activist/lovers' that actually knows nothing about working animals?

grow up

Answer 9

Banning would be wrong as they make as safe as possible for both horse and jockey then keep it going

Answer 10

fox hunting shouldn't have been banned and neither shud horse racing especially the grand national!

Answer 11

No and No !

Answer 12

I have found 2 fatalities at the meeting - Into The Shadows in a hurdle race, which was not due to a fall as the horse pulled up before the 8th hurdle and Lord Rodney which was brought down in the Topham Steeplechase. I think Gallant Approach died sometime after the GN but officially finished 12th. Have we not had fatalities in the London Marathon and in rugby, soccer, cricket and boxing matches so I guess we should all stay indoors? However we are then subject to accidents in the home so I'M SCARED.

Answer 13

This question is possibly the funniest thing I have ever read!  Its so full of rubbish that its laughable - your facts and sources are full of lies... please tell me the names of the 27 horses that have died because to my knowledge no horses died as a result of last years or the years before that or indeed the year before thats race.  The fences are different now and much safer... so please try and get your facts stright before spouting nonsense!

Oh and 1/3 of horses don't even race so how do they die at the racecourse do you take them there specifically to die...kind of like a hospice? Ridiculous statements!  Laughing my head off at such c**p!

Answer 14

I totally understand that you wanted to start a debate, but posting anything that quotes the lunatic Animal Aid in this forum was always going to get a violent response!

In terms of your question, personally speaking I do not think the grand National should be banned.  It is not run simply to make horses die and Aintree is one of the safest courses in the world.  Look at the fences, they are all soft and forgiving and many horses go through them rather than over them - they are not that stupid!

Statistics, and I mean reliable ones, show that horse fatalities in GB are something like 1.7 for every 1,000 horses that run.  I read only yesterday that the statistics in the USA are about 1.95 for every 1,000 horses, but this is due to the fact that most of their races are run on dirt and synthetic tracks not turf.

I sincerely doubt that 40% of the UK population want the Grand National banned, I doubt that many people actually care about the race!

Yes fatalities are an awful thing but we are doing more and more to help prevent them from happening.  Take this year's Cheltenham Festival - just 1 fatality, compared to, I think, 7 last year.  An improvement, yes?

There will always be something that people want banned, and I honestly think now that hunting has been banned, in some form, the lunatic animal rights groups will try to get racing banned full stop.  What they fail to take into account are the thousands of horses that would have to be destroyed if racing were banned, and the damaging effect it would have on the economy.

They would be far better off trying to get battery farming banned!

I hope that has aided your debate.  Obviously I am biased as I work in the racing industry!

Answer 15

nope its tough at the top and only the best get to the top dats why there all so valuable and hundreds of thousands go to the grand nationals each year...

Answer 16

Yeah it can be pretty cruel, but it's unlikely to get banned as it is so popular....

Personally I think we should work on getting rid of bullfighting first.

Answer 17

hi

I was at the national last year and I cant remember any horses getting killed in the race.  Could you give me the names of the animals killed??

Is this just another properganda thing???

If people dont like the racing then they have the option not to go.

I have been to a few top trainer stables and the horses get treated better than some kids in this country do.

Answer 18

2 horses died during the national last year well i watched the national an there were very few fallers last year an they all got up an carried on running ......... yee and im sure only 11 of the 40 did finish it a tough race ... so what  .... wasent a great idea posting that question in this section relli waz it

Answer 19

i dont recall any horses dying last year?

Who died?

Answer 20

I think banning things should be banned before we ban everything....

Answer 21

That's some pretty biased uninformative propaganda you've got there.

I don't really think about creulty to animals that much, i still eat meat you see