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I am currently doing a degree in equine mangement, previously i used to work in racing.
it came up in one of my classes that the love for horses has disserpeared in the racing industry and has been replaced with a love of money.
is this true??
im interested on what your opinions on the subjuct may be….
Any comment is likely to be a generalization.
Horse-racing can’t be immune from the greed that pervades our society these days. There will be owners, trainers and jockeys who are greedy but for sure there are people in the game who truly love and care for horses, and I’m enough of a romantic to believe that the latter far outnumber the former.
Colin
ps………….can I suggest that you get someone to proof-read your work before you hand it in.
Unquestionaly for me it’s the enjoyment of horseracing than of the horse is general. I have zero interest in other forms of equistrianism.
Equally if it wasn’t for the enjoyment of following the form and being able to make a few quid from having a bet, my interest in the sport would be less than what it is.
If that makes me greedy, I can live with that!
Congratulations on having the courage to return to academic pastures. Don’t worry too much about your spelling errors, you can always remedy this aspect of your course work in your spare time and as long as whoever’s reading your essays isn’t ‘old school’ you’ll probably not be penalised, too harshly, if at all.
I think you’ll find that there are still as many people around who love horses as there always has been and without even contemplating any pecuniary objective. However, on the back of this hardcore horse-loving population has, since the 1960’s, grown an industry of pirates and buccaneers whose sole ambition is to amass wealth and personal kudos via the talents of the horse.
Nonetheless, many of these financially-motivated individuals possess enough equine expertise to recognise many of the qualities of the racehorse.
So despair not, we may not be hands-on ‘horsey’ people but we still retain tremendous respect and admiration for these magnificent animals. The ‘Memorial’ Section of this forum is evidence of this.
KUnquestionaly for me it’s the enjoyment of horseracing than of the horse is general. I have zero interest in other forms of equistrianism.
Equally if it wasn’t for the enjoyment of following the form and being able to make a few quid from having a bet, my interest in the sport would be less than what it is.
If that makes me greedy, I can live with that!
Couldn’t have put it better myself.
That said, I bet almost embarrassingly low stakes (I’d bet 1p if they’d let me) & the prospect of winning a pound has no less excitement for me than if it was £100.
I wouldn’t do that with any other sport, indeed I don’t bet on any other sport.
I do wonder if there was no such thing as betting, putting to one side that racing probably wouldn’t exist if there wasn’t, if I’d enjoy it as much.
Given that I’m currently putting 20p’s in Racing Replays on RP.com like it’s a fruit machine just to watch races & not to study the form, I’d like to think I would.
If all I cared about was wagering, I wouldn’t be a jumps racing fan-the vast majority of them in the US are non-parimutual events. I became interested in racing because I was a rider, and any money I win is a bonus.
Given that I’m currently putting 20p’s in Racing Replays on RP.com like it’s a fruit machine just to watch races & not to study the form, I’d like to think I would.
Anthony. Don’t know if you have a bet365 account but if you don’t it might be worth you getting one just to watch their archive. The races only go back to Jan 1st 2009, so it’s far from complete but it might save you a few quid.
I do wonder if there was no such thing as betting, putting to one side that racing probably wouldn’t exist if there wasn’t, if I’d enjoy it as much.
I think I would enjoy it even more if there was no betting – there would still be horse racing if there was no betting although, of course, on a much, much smaller scale than now.
Would that be a bad thing? Personally I think not.
I believe we would still be left with the very best horses competing for decent stakes money.
I would shed no tears if betting was banned tomorrow.
Don’t get me wrong I do bet but I don’t consider having a bet on a horserace to be any different in investing in the future’s market , stocks and shares or a business for example. It is simply an investment channel, albeit at a relatively higher risk than the ones previously mentioned. If that investment channel were no longer there then I would simply find an alternative investment stream.
For me racing is, first and foremost, a sport but a sport in which I do care about the equine performers and about which I do have a conscience, which I suppose is why I err on the side of caution if there is any doubt about a meeting going ahead.
I would rather lose a bet and see all the runners come home safely than win a bet as a result of another horse being injured.
I would shed no tears if betting was banned tomorrow.
Are you sure todays events haven"t unbalanced you mentally Paul?Not that you missed a thing at Southwell!
I would shed no tears if betting was banned tomorrow.
Are you sure todays events haven"t unbalanced you mentally Paul?Not that you missed a thing at Southwell!
Naaaa – have always held that view
Don’t get me wrong, it is always a good feeling taking money of the "enemy" – however it is just a business transaction at the end of the day – although even I have been known to very occasionally show emotion when I have backed an unfancied winner (last time it happened was Trenchant winning at Kempton back in November).
Oddly enough I am the opposite to the "it means more when you have money on it" brigade – I tend get more emotional and involved in races where I have not had a bet – I am not afraid to admit I cried tears of joy when Sea The Stars won the Arc and I had not put a penny (or Euro) on it. (I also cried when I heard Exotic Dancer had died at Aintree.)
I would rather lose a bet and see all the runners come home safely than win a bet as a result of another horse being injured.
That pretty much goes without saying doesnt’ it? I don’t think there are many ‘cheer the fall of the clear leader at the last if they’re on the second mob’ here.
There are many races that as you suggest Paul, can simply be enjoyed for sports sake, seeing the best against the best to prove their superiority. Don’t think I had a bet in any race involving See The Stars after the Derby but following his season has been an absolute pleasure.
In all honesty, watching a card full of class 6 handicaps wouldn’t have the same appeal from a sporting perspective. It’s hardly the best against the best when some have to carry more weight because they are superior to others!
I cried tears of pain when Sea the Stars did me for the umpteenth time in the Arc!
I was genuinely gutted when i heard Exotic had died,i remember feeling the same when a horse called Monsieur le cure was killed and Lafi of Dandys but the only time i have cried over horses was in 1995 When Royal Athlete Won the National,i jumped every fence with him at 66/1 and i cried when Dessie died,he was the 1st horse i had a £5 win bet on at 5/6 and he won by half the track! The next time i cry will be if Albertas Run wins the National,i can see it happening! 
I do wonder if there was no such thing as betting….if I’d enjoy it as much.
It is certainly possible to enjoy racing without betting on it.
While Hurdling is my favourite form of racing which I do bet on, Chasing runs it a close second yet other than maybe the Gold Cup and a few fun bets in the National I never bet on the latter. In fact I don’t follow the form or take an interest in it outside of simply enjoying the spectacle of watching horses race and jump.
I would rather lose a bet and see all the runners come home safely than win a bet as a result of another horse being injured.
They should put that quote on the Betfair home page.
I cried tears of pain when Sea the Stars did me for the umpteenth time in the Arc!
I was genuinely gutted when i heard Exotic had died,i remember feeling the same when a horse called Monsieur le cure was killed and Lafi of Dandys but the only time i have cried over horses was in 1995 When Royal Athlete Won the National,i jumped every fence with him at 66/1 and i cried when Dessie died,he was the 1st horse i had a £5 win bet on at 5/6 and he won by half the track! The next time i cry will be if Albertas Run wins the National,i can see it happening! I cried when Arkle died and still cannot read John Oaksey’s tribute reproduced in "Oaksey on Racing" without a tear in me eye.
I love it for the horses, but then again I love Morlands Totilas, Welsh Cobs, hairy piebalds and lovely Shires.
It is 40 years since I sat on a horse, and without betting I doubt I would do more than occasionally attend a jump race meeting or a point to point.
The challenge for me is to find a winner from studying form, I don’t gamble except on racing.
However I subscribe to Paul’s comments about losing a bet rather than losing a horse completely, the horses’ welfare is paramount.
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