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Horse Racing

  • 10,078
    Posts
    15
    Years
    • UK
    • Seen Oct 17, 2023
    So it's the Grand National races today, and it's a rather controversial event so I'd like to know your opinion on it:


    Good fun or Animal Cruelty?



    Horses dies (and are killed) every race, that is horses plural. It's not rare at all, and it happens without the bat of an eyelid for the most part. I think the Grand National is only allowed since the upper class endorse it, and so there is lots of money in the business - despite it being a horrible experience for the horses.
     
    I am against animal cruelty, and as far as I know horse racing is often pretty rough on the animals like you've said, so I'm against it.

    If there's someone who has a counter viewpoint I'd love to hear it. I'll admit this isn't something I know much about.
     
    I think they do have the cool-downers for the pure-breds for their kidneys and what not but that's about as far as I can think of against that argument.

    I never really got the point in those. If you're gonna waste money, a casino would be a more comfortable place to be than some dusty piece of crap stadium.

    Also what really makes me sad is that Pleasanton (where I live) has an indoor betting hall, complete with food and drinks. Holy crap.
     
    I think it's a bit of both really. On one hand, the fact that it's animals getting injured or dying for a sport is obviously not a good thing. But I don't know if I'd call it animal cruelty... not when horses are well-adapted for running anyway and seem to enjoy it, given that a dismounted horse will usually continue running the race by choice. It seems to me to be good fun that can have unfortunate consequences but I wouldn't call it cruelty.

    Although it doesn't make it much better, though, I'll bring this up - how many animals die every day naturally or as food? A hell of a lot more than die once a year in the Grand National. One horse this year was unfortunately put down but it died in a much more dignified way doing something of much more importance than most animals would. So although that doesn't change much, it puts it into perspective I guess. It's a very small number of animals that die each year in the Grand National. I know the GN isn't the only horse race out there, but still, overall it's a very very very small number on the wider scale. If you want to stop cruelty to animals then... you might wanna start somewhere else tbqh.
     
    Lethal events in horse racing are thankfully rare in the US in major races - The Kentucky Derby, the Preakness, and the Belmont Stakes. The last major accident & euthanization was in 2006, and granted it was to the Barbaro, the famous horse who easily won the Preakness and the Kentucky Derby and most likely would have claimed the Triple Crown. Being pretty familiar with the sport, it's mostly safe and serious accidents with the horses are thankfully rare.
     
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