ExRubyLight, It is obvious that you know nothing about horse racing. For a start, a fence no longer takes up the whole width of a course so a riderless horse can simply go round it which is what they sometimes do. Secondly, in every race there is a strict limit on how many times a jockey can hit a horse and where he can hit it. Exceed this number by one and the jockey gets a suspension. Exceed by 2 and the suspension is longer. If the number exceeds the upper limit the horse is disqualified and the owner gets nothing. So there is no incentive to win at all costs. Racing is NOT cruel
