DOUBLE STANDARDS

Just watch race 7 at Cheltenham.....everybody ramping and raging about this festival

Close to the finish a horse came down...tried to get up and did not, it fell again. Must have hurt itself badly

These hurdle racing make's me sick. The amount of accidents, falls that happens, etc

But in South Africa, if the track is a bit wet what ever, they postpone, abandon races for the safety of the jockey and the horse

I thought that we live in a 3rd world country

Well said OR...

OR I agree - I don't watch it at all. Should be banned!

But yet you all seem perfectly OK ( judging by your silence ) with pumping horses full of steroids, cortisone, designer drugs and whatever else is believed MIGHT make them better/faster/stronger racehorses or mask their injuries and 'problems'. There seems little or no outrage that professionals charged with the care of animals are active and complicit in what is nothing more than abuse.

And then dumping them when they are old, injured or cannot run fast enough.

Take the planks out of your eyes. THE ENTIRE INDUSTRY IS EXPLOITATIVE and we are all part of the problem. What do you imagine is happening to old or infertile mares, unsold yearlings, slow two year olds, old racehorses from all disciplines? Very few are living happily ever after in sunny, well grassed paddocks.

As long as you or I continue to buy or bet on them somebody will continue breeding them and perpetuate the cycle.

Aintree and the Grand National is just around the corner. I am waiting for the bleeding heart choir to fire up for its annual concert.

I, too, am saddened when a horse is injured and euthenased. But please spare me SELECTIVE SANCTIMONIOUS finger pointing.

I repeat for those about to mount their soap boxes : THE ENTIRE INDUSTRY IS EXPLOITATIVE. That's my only point.

Thanks Garrick....always appreciate your input

Blow me of this forum, but all I can say is what is written in the Bible....Our Creator put us in charge of His creations.....horses, dogs, etc

We have to answer one day.....and there is no way out

2 points
1: I find it astounding that scotia has said nothing on this subject as he clearly loves jump racing
2: this rubbish comes round every festival or national. Let's look at queveda won a race 4 years in a
Row. Her trainer DOES not run her every week yet (like some sa trainers would with a good horse)
But he plans her career to the day 1 year in advance. Nurtures her feeds her trains her for 313
Days with 1 goal. If that does not show proffesionalism and passion then I don't know and for
Someone on a forum to insinuate that the likes of willie mullins and other
NH trainers are cold heartet money grabbing exploiters of this magnificent animal is wrong

As for "the bible" the thouroubred is created by MAN

I do love my jump racing and find the top level a superb form of entertainment, just look at some of the highlights of yesterday's and the "heroes" that have emerged. Look forward to the next 3 days.

Bred to race

I don't know which is worse - supporting macabre events like the Grand National, or trying to justify them on biblical grounds.

hibernia Wrote:

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> Bred to race

The fact that an animal is bred for something does not automatically justify that something. I'd be reasonably sure that fighting birds are purpose-bred, too. I do accept that there are certain double standards involved here, and I would not condone any form of blatant animal abuse, but nobody can convince me that the Grand National belongs in a civilized 21st century society.

The less severe jumping events I can sort of live with, and I do understand the attraction of the Cheltenham Festival, but times change and people will become more vocal in their criticism of such things. I think it was the owner of Arkle who refused to let her champion run in the Grand National, and that was in the 1960s when society as a whole cared a good deal less about animal welfare than it does today.

Yip, I too can see the National being banished to the banned sports of cock and dog fighting.