1,500 in less than 10 years

If nobody kept records on deaths then nobody would know how many are killed during and after races. Around 15,000 horses are sent to Europe to be sent to dog and cat food factories are shipped from the Uk and Ireland every year just because they don’t “fit the bill” e.g. making enough money for the likes of Paul Nichols and the fella in Ireland who is moaning about the weights in this years Grand National. Just like greyhound racing, Horse racing is pure MURDER

You ignored all of Griff’s questions. Also since 2007 approximately 19,000 people have been killed in car accidents in the UK. Should we ban driving?

Everyone on this forum would prefer there to be 0 deaths of course, no one ‘doesn’t care’ about the horses. Everything below is probably in part me making myself feel better about a sport I love, but nevertheless, I think valid.

If statistics is what you want, then here you are…

– 15,000 horses may be exported each year, but that many cattle in the UK are killed for meat every 2 days (2,600,000 per year).

– In all, more than 1,000,000,000 animals are slaughtered in the UK each year, 15,000 every 8 minutes.

– Infamously the UK sent 1,000,000 horses to the first world war, close to 10,000,000 horses in total were killed in the war.

– If racing were banned, all the horses, successful and unsuccessful would never even have been born.

I’d rather lead a racehorse’s life and at least have a bit of time out in the paddock and a chance, than be a meat animal.

Racehorses are essentially guaranteed good quality food, water and bedding, and if they do end up needing to be dispatched, that has to done so humanely. Wild horses, if they make it through their first year (that’s probably a 50/50), face a far harder life with threat from the elements and predators. Nearly all wild animals will be killed or die from disease or injury, very rarely quickly. Horses are naturally heavy animals with thin athletic legs and large internal organs, that makes them more susceptible to injury and death regardless of whether they are bred and raised for racing.

Now none of that justifies careless or unnecessary deaths in racing, and everything should be done to reduce suffering, indeed far more should be done. Luckily unhappy horses are bad PR, and if everyone in racing wants it to thrive and be a lucrative business, they generally have to work towards better treatment.

To stop the death and suffering of all animals, we need to wipe them all out. Now that’s crap for obvious reasons, so I’d rather encourage the industry to continue increasing the welfare of racehorses and see those 15,000 horses at least get a chance of a good life, than see empty paddocks and racetracks. Even the unsuccessful racehorses lead longer and happier lives than the average wild horse.

Ricco wrote:

Everyone on this forum would prefer there to be 0 deaths of course, no one ‘doesn’t care’ about the horses. Everything below is probably in part me making myself feel better about a sport I love, but nevertheless, I think valid.

If statistics is what you want, then here you are…

– 15,000 horses may be exported each year, but that many cattle in the UK are killed for meat every 2 days (2,600,000 per year).

– In all, more than 1,000,000,000 animals are slaughtered in the UK each year, 15,000 every 8 minutes.

– Infamously the UK sent 1,000,000 horses to the first world war, close to 10,000,000 horses in total were killed in the war.

– If racing were banned, all the horses, successful and unsuccessful would never even have been born.

I’d rather lead a racehorse’s life and at least have a bit of time out in the paddock and a chance, than be a meat animal.

Racehorses are essentially guaranteed good quality food, water and bedding, and if they do end up needing to be dispatched, that has to done so humanely. Wild horses, if they make it through their first year (that’s probably a 50/50), face a far harder life with threat from the elements and predators. Nearly all wild animals will be killed or die from disease or injury, very rarely quickly. Horses are naturally heavy animals with thin athletic legs and large internal organs, that makes them more susceptible to injury and death regardless of whether they are bred and raised for racing.

Now none of that justifies careless or unnecessary deaths in racing, and everything should be done to reduce suffering, indeed far more should be done. Luckily unhappy horses are bad PR, and if everyone in racing wants it to thrive and be a lucrative business, they generally have to work towards better treatment.

To stop the death and suffering of all animals, we need to wipe them all out. Now that’s crap for obvious reasons, so I’d rather encourage the industry to continue increasing the welfare of racehorses and see those 15,000 horses at least get a chance of a good life, than see empty paddocks and racetracks. Even the unsuccessful racehorses lead longer and happier lives than the average wild horse.

Well said

Defending the act of training and racing horses isn’t excessively difficult. However, when defending the sport against unacquainted detractors, I have to skirt the issues of overproduction and the fate of ex-racehorses as I can’t produce a satisfactory or convincing argument that would satisfy myself – let alone a sceptic.