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The BBC has been urged to show the deaths of any racehorses when they broadcast the Grand National meeting at Aintree, which starts this week. Activists claim a television "cover-up" is helping to perpetuate a "national disgrace". The organisers of Britain’s biggest race day have also been threatened with legal action if any horses are killed or injured during this year’s race.
Campaign group Animal Aid has accused the BBC of "concealment and a negation of basic journalistic standards" by, it says, barely mentioning the deaths of five horses at last year’s meeting. In a letter to Barbara Slater, director of BBC sport, it claimed the broadcaster is "fashioning a dishonest, sanitised picture" to maximise overseas sales of footage.
The accusation came as the group launched a publicity drive to get people to stop betting on the race. It plans protests at Aintree course, where a 40-strong field takes on 30 fences over a gruelling 4.5 mile course on Saturday.
Five were killed at last year’s Grand National meeting – the highest since 1997. During the past decade, 30 horses have died and many others injured at the event. The campaigners say that more than 500 horses have died on British racecourses since March 2007.
Campaigners claim that race organisers could be in breach of the law, and are threatening legal action. Andrew Tyler, director of Animal Aid, said: "The Animal Welfare Act talks about a duty of care, and clearly that is breached because the animals are subjected to an unreasonable and predictable hazard involving unnecessary suffering that can result in death or injury." He added: "We are going to seek legal advice as to the prospects of a successful prosecution being mounted against the race organisers if horses die or are injured during this year’s race."
The RSPCA has also urged jockeys to exercise caution. David Muir, the charity’s equine consultant, said: "When jockeys go into the Grand National they have to remember what their duties are under the animal welfare laws. For example, taking a tired horse over jumps when they are out of contention is totally unacceptable."
In a statement, the BBC denied taking part in any "cover-up". A spokesman said: "With live coverage of all horse racing, the cameras show the full race as it happens. Following a race the BBC presenter gives an update on the condition of any horses involved in an incident and will inform viewers in the case of a fatality."
Aintree racecourse said they recognised racing was risky and that they worked hard with organisations such as the RSPCA to minimise the risk. Professor Tim Morris, director of equine science and welfare for the British Horseracing Authority, said: "The position of horseracing generally and the Grand National specifically has already been fully examined with respect to the 2006 Animal Welfare Act.
"There has been no question that horseracing is a lawful activity… and that reasonable steps are taken to reduce the inherent risks in horseracing and avoid unnecessary risk."
Independant.co.uk
I don’t think anyone would chose to see a horse dying but on the other hand the deaths should/must be reported.
Colin
As far as I remember, the Beeb reported the deaths in their televised races, so it’s twaddle from Animal Aid. Plus, why single out Aintree for legal action (ha!) when it can happen at any course? It’s just emotive and opportunistic publicity seeking – and only to be expected of course.
Are they going to say how many horses die running in fields every year. May be we should ban enclosures, fence panels, hedges, gates? Hold on though, how many horses die in stables? Ban them too. How many wild ponies die in the New Forest? May be we should ban cars there?
Of course we should do all we can to minimise the risk.
Value Is EverythingIt is strange when that Daily Mail journalist wrote that piece about the National, McKelvey etc. She claimed to see so many things; it was impossible for anyone to see them from one spot. Truths are not Animal Aid and their supporters strong point.
Value Is EverythingBloody hell that’s outrageous! So my little 4 year old boy can watch with excitement and fun only to be forced to see a beautiful animal die there in full glory. Where’s the respect there?!
Bloody animal activists. They get my goat up. If they’d see the care and attention these horses get in training.. they are very ignorant and judgemental people. Loved and cherished pet dogs don’t get as good treatment as these race horses do. I understand what they say about them jumping and risks they are taking but they are doing what they love. Of course you do see horses that don’t like jumping or racing, but they would never get to the stage where they’d be running in the grand national if that was the case. They aren’t forced to do it. It’s NOT cruelty. So many more horses get killed working in the film industry which isn’t enjoyable for the horse and not natural being trained to do stuff it may not necessarily want to do, but there’s not this caboodle about that as racing gets about deaths of horses.Animal Aid only go after easy targets and ones that will garner them maximum publicity and therefore donations from the people who believe their lies. The Grand National fits the bill perfectly.
I might have said it before on here but it is their stated aim to stop people using animals in sport, eating them for food or keeping them as pets. If you do any of the above in their eyes you are an animal abuser.When I was an undergraduate (quite a long time ago now) a fellow student belonged to one of these animal activist organisations (don’t think Animal Aid existed then). What was interesting about this girl was that she appeared to dislike animals & didn’t think anyone should own one let alone eat one. There was this incident when a lad in her shared house stopped to pick up an abandoned dog on the motorway, we would all consider that a caring gesture surely; she didn’t want it in the house & thought he should have left it to its fate. We used to have discussions in the pub & I think some of these people are barking, they would rather we lived in an animal free world than get pleasure from animals, through sport, loving them as pets or eating them.
When people criticise horse racing I tell them to put it in perspective; horses get a good life, are humanely destroyed quickly if they are injured on the gallops or racecourse. Yes the National is an easy target, why don’t they focus their energies more on real animal cruelty like chicken houses?
Incidentally the BBC seem more respectful of horse casualties & inform the viewer more than Channel 4 for instance.Campaign group Animal Aid . Why these extreme groups get any air time is beyond me.
Grand national day will be full of dirt bags with green hair and rings coming out of every orifice. Ever notice these ,demonstrations on tv, none of look like they have ever worked a day in their life.
They should be made to jump the Anitree fences.I would pay to see that. Having said that "the lazy bastardos" wouldn’t get to the first fence without geting the inhalers out.
For them to say its a cover up is beyond a joke. Every race track in this country uses screens so we cant see the stricken animals for good reason.Yes jump racing is a dangerous sport and not just for the horses.
I for one don’t like seeing horses hurt and maybe yes,not making horses that are beat jump fences is a sensible suggestion(RSPCA),but to come out with this crap from those types is laughable.
What would happen to all the horses if jump racing was banned?. WILL THEY LOOK AFTER THEM ?!!! Those lazy arse holes can’t look after themselves. We the tax payers look after them so they can roam the country side looking for demonstrations and fences to chain themselves too.
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Animal Aid would like to see every horse set free so that it can die a natural and often horrible death due to injury or at the hands of some non human predator. Horses in the wild only need to step on a stone or in a pothole and the resulting injury could be fatal. Never mind a colic attack. Who’s going to be the wild horse farrier, dentist or vet? There’s no doubt the racing and breeding industry actually prolongs the lives of thoroughbreds. Animal Aid is only interested in a fairytale existence but with their goals implemented would only see a stark reality.
I reckon we should start a nature reserve and enclose all the wild animals with all the Animal Aid activists. Let the AA’s roam free with nature picking berries, herbs and wild flowers for sustenance. No TV, no clothing, no housing, no M&S down the street, nothing man made for the AA’s at all. Just them and nature. A real reality check. Then we’ll see the survival of the fittest.
Racing would do very well to address such blatant publicity stunts with the facts of life about the realities of horses in the wild, their life expectancy and the reality of animals as prey. Don’t let small people get away with the major promotion of their very narrow views.
Grand national day will be full of dirt bags with green hair and rings coming out of every orifice. Ever notice these ,demonstrations on tv, none of look like they have ever worked a day in their life
Way to help us win the argument pal!
Don’t get me wrong, I agree with the thrust of what you’re saying and am 100% against Animal Aid’s stance, but making generalisations and insults like that make us as bad as them. Being reasoned and shooting down their arguments with pure fact is the best way to win the opinions of the neutrals, not indulging in a slanging match.
By the way, I don’t get the wording of the poll question. Should we see horses dying on TV coverage? Well, sometimes it is unavoidable and the only way to stop it altogether is to not show any races. If you mean the camera should cut away from races/whatever specifically to focus on suffering horses, then of course not. But we shouldn’t be shy and pretend it doesn’t happen. The media have a duty to report on injuries and fatalities as they occur, and by and large, the Beeb and C4 do this.
Don’t know why any true racing fan would want to give any publicity and/or discuss what they may say or do about a bunch of cowboys like animal aid on a racing forum like this.
I’ve got no problem with ‘Animal Activists’ doing what they do. After all if it weren’t for some of them we’d still have chimps on 40 Bensons a day or rabbits force fed to obesity, shaved, and them smeared twice a day with some magical ‘Slimming Cream’ so some fat bird can keep stuffing her fat face with cakes and biscuit while dreaming "this ‘Slimming Cream’ will make me thin and beautiful and happy one day."
So, considering the National is the biggest sporting occasion in the year that fits their agenda it’s obvious they will attempt to have their day in the sun.
Fortunately, despite opinion peddled by some the vast majority of people in this country are clearly capable of distinguishing between the unnecessary abuse and cruelty of animals such as in the cosmetic industry and the lives, in general, of a thoroughbred racehorse.
However, all of should be clear that no matter how we may choose to dress it up – we are involved, in it whatever capacity, in a ‘sport’ in which horses will die in the pursuit of our pleasure.
Getting back to the question of this thread, there was a thread on here a couple of years ago regarding how ATR (IIRC) had ‘censored’ a replay of a certain race to cut out what turned out to be a fatal fall its aftermath – you could see the horse on the ground clearly in distress and dying. Again IIRC, there where plenty of people (the majority I think) on that thread who felt ATR where wrong to do so and that racing should be shown deaths and all without any restriction – I’ll try and find it.
AA are a bunch of hypocrites – if you saw how their "supporters" acted you’d be amazed.
Never saw Red Rum looking p***** off because he’d been made to jump round Aintree. He loved it. You could see his ears prick up, and a glint in his eye, he loved the attention and never looked as if he’d decide to refuse at a fence.
We all care a great deal about horses’ welfare. Jumping can be risky, but thoroughbreads are designed for racing, it’s a natural thing for them to do.
If any groups, such as AA, have a problem, they should sit down with the RSPCA etc and work constructively towards improving conditions even more, not parade around a racecourse causing bitterness and resentment. They have the same PR problem that Foxhunting has. Dressing up in red jackets blowing horns chasing a poor defenceless fox around is what a lot of people view hunting as, even if it’s wrong; AA and similar groups have a like image of dirty unwashed drop-outs and neo-nazi thugs who just want an excuse to cause mayhem, or silly girls who don’t know any better, even if this image is wrong.
Anything is possible if you go about the right way.
Bring on Saturday, and the world’s greatest horse race, and let every horse arrive back home safely.
My favourite horses - Red Rum, Spanish Steps, Proud Tarquin, Esban, Go-Pontinental, Barona, Charles Dickens, The Dikler, Astbury, Black Secret, Vulgan Town, Huperade, Well To Do, Crisp, Quintus, Argent, Colebridge, Pearl Of Montreal, Nereo, Sonny Somers, Tubs VI, Tartan Ace, Red Candle, L'Escargot, Bula, Beau Bob, Rouge Autumn, Rough Silk, Frodo, Deblin's Green, Prince Tino, Eyecatcher, The Pilgarlic, Captain Christy, Mr Midland, Interview II, Credit Call, My Virginian, Flush Of Diamonds, Scout, Money Ma
HERE is the other thread discussing whether fatal falls, dying horses should be shown. Although on this (Linked) thread the debate is more centered around the difference in response from a specialist channel (ATR, RUK) and council telly.
These people have an agenda and logical debate with them does not work.
Unfortunately, as in many scenarios in life, i find the best way to handle it is just to ignore them.
I genuinelly do regret that as i do have a lot of time for animal organisations and contribute accordingly, but the activists/protesters are either too emotionally attached or unwilling to enter a proper discussion.
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