- This topic has 18 replies, 14 voices, and was last updated 16 years, 4 months ago by
.
- Posts
12/11/09… Taunton, Slate Gem, fatal fall.
13/11/09… Newcastle, Grand Theatre, fell dead.
14/11/09… Cheltenham, Three Mirrors, pelvic injury destroyed.
15/11/09… Before Sundown, Market Rasen, broke leg – destroyed.
Not good reading, a fatality a day, should we not be showing more concern.
Even worse reading…
4/11/09… Chepstop, Beyond Redemption, exhausted collapsed – destroyed.
The horse always pays the price.
Owner, trainer jockey, bookmaker, punter, all may lose but they live to fight another day.
Not this again.These beasts are bred so that we can bet on the outcome of them racing against each other.
It is sad when some are ,inevitabley,injured/destroyed.
Maybe this isn’t the sport for you?
- Total Posts 17716
[snip: this contributor’s latest long list of horse fatalities]
Owner, trainer jockey, bookmaker, punter, all may lose but they live to fight another day.
Tom, do you not read anyone else’s posts? Nobody on this forum likes seeing horses die. Nobody turns away their eyes to pretend it’s not happening. Everyone gets the point as well as you do. You are not the only feeling, caring, sensitive human being on the forum.
So unless your aim is to get everyone to lobby for the banning of NH Racing, I respectfully suggest that you accept that you have preached your sermon, and stop repeating it. It is becoming counter-productive.
Point of fact: the humans involved do not always live to fight another day, either. Jockeys are killed. Trainers, owners, punters and bookmakers commit suicide rather regularly as a direct result of what happens on the track.
Absolutely spot on Pinza.
One could add
An average of 8 people die on Britains roads every day.
Many people die falling off ladders and even falling out of bed each year.
Perhaps Tom wants to whinge about motorised transport, ladders and beds as well!!
Tom might want to have a bash at banning sleep too – there seem to be a lot of people in our local paper who "died peacefully in their sleep".
Like Pinza says nobody is blind to what happens, nobody likes seeing it and that’s why everything possible is done to make racing safer.
If you’re a member of Animal Aid Tom you might like to ask them for their opinions on hunt horses (specifically those with a drag hunt) and their attitude towards them.
Martin
Tom it still chokes me now when i watch Exotic Dancer,he was a favourite of mine,but i am also gutted about the poor Policeman killed in the floods!Nothing wrong with a bit of compassion it makes me realise how lucky i am to be involved in the Greatest sport!Exotic had a chat with Albertas run shortly before he passed away and told him to run in next years Grand National,a race Exotic would have loved to have run in!
Tor – "Not this again"
Is this to be a taboo subject, a subject to be swept under the carpet? I must admit four fatalities in four consecutive days does not racing any good.
happy – "should be under ‘MEMORIALS’ Must have taken a lot of will power to put them all on rather than one at time"
So you treat such happenings with humour?
Pinza "So unless your aim is to get everyone to lobby for the banning of NH Racing, I respectfully suggest that you accept that you have preached your sermon, and stop repeating it. It is becoming counter-productive."
You mention banning the sport, not me. But could more not be done to protect the horse. (I will come to that in a moment)
Paul – "An average of 8 people die on Britain’s roads every day."
I don’t think you want to go down that road Paul. If you do we could compare the population of the country with the number of horses taking part in racing each year.
King – You mention the police officer killed in the Cumbrian floods. Well, lets us use this terrible tragedy as a yard stick to our debate.
There will be an enquiry into the death of this police officer, so should there not be an enquiry into the death of each horse that is fatally injured on the track?
take for example. …
"Exhausted, collapsed, died" – Should the animal have not been pulled up before it got into such an exhausted state?
a horse who is jumping badly through out a race and eventually has a fatal fall, an enquiry into why the animal was not pulled up?
King – You mention the police officer killed in the Cumbrian floods. Well, lets us use this terrible tragedy as a yard stick to our debate.
There will be an enquiry into the death of this police officer, so should there not be an enquiry into the death of each horse that is fatally injured on the track?
take for example. …
"Exhausted, collapsed, died" – Should the animal have not been pulled up before it got into such an exhausted state?
a horse who is jumping badly through out a race and eventually has a fatal fall, an enquiry into why the animal was not pulled up?
Tom,you raise a valid point that has been raised many times before.Unfortunately it is the nature of the game that horses and jockeys can be seriously injured/killed!You have to draw the line somewhere or we will be having enquiries every time a poor Badger/fox gets killed on the road!It bothers me when i see a road kill,it bothered me more when i actually killed a Badger that ran out in front of me!Thats life I"m afraid!
I have this mental picture of Tom gleefully putting pen to paper everytime a horse [or even better] horses get killed in a race, whereas the rest of us are wretched whenever it happens; oh good, he thinks, another one to make an example of. Look deep into your soul, Tom, and disagree with what I’ve said. Do you weep when they die, like I do???
"Exhausted, collapsed, died" – Should the animal have not been pulled up before it got into such an exhausted state?
a horse who is jumping badly through out a race and eventually has a fatal fall, an enquiry into why the animal was not pulled up?
As has been mentioned in these annals several times, most recently three weeks ago, a BHA edict does exist where continuing on exhausted horses is concerned. Herewith a sample, albeit with non-fatal consequences from its website;
"TOWCESTER, Sunday 23rd November, 2008
The Stewards called before them Joseph Proctor, the rider of ANSHABIL (IRE) and asked him why he continued in the race when in the rear, resulting in the gelding falling at the final fence. Having heard his evidence, and viewed the video recording, they were not satisfied with his explanation, and found Proctor guilty of continuing on an exhausted horse. They therefore found the rider to be in breach of Rule 153(iii) in the light of Instruction H18 headed “Running and Riding: Reasonable and Permissible Measures” and suspended him for 6 days as follows: Sunday 7th, Monday 8th, Tuesday 9th, Wednesday 10th, Thursday 11th and Friday, 12th December".
A persual of the archives of the "Stewards Room" pages on the BHA website will reveal plenty of other such instances. These offences are not being routinely overlooked.
HTH,
gc
Jeremy Grayson. Son of immigrant. Adoptive father of two. Metadata librarian. Freelance point-to-point / horse racing writer, analyst and commentator wonk. Loves music, buses, cats, the BBC Micro, ale. Advocate of CBT, PACE and therapeutic parenting. Aspergers.
Tom,
I think we all would have more respect for you if you told us what we (or the authorities) should do about it.
Jeremy has given you an example of what the authorities are doing. Should they do more? What is your remedy?
There have been some great threads on here about how we / they can do something to reduce fatalities / lessen the pain. AP’s Cheltenham 2nd last thread and Paul’s one about using a pick up truck to take dead horses away; to name just two. We all feel that pain when there has been a fatality.
Value Is EverythingCorrect me if I’m wrong but don’t the RSPCA offer feedback and advise to the BHA on horse welfare?
Tom –
All of us who enjoy racing do so in eh knowledge that it involves risk of life and limb to horse and jockey (plus others associated). We judge this to be an acceptable risk when pitched against the enjoyment and economic benefits that racing brings. In short it is a morality judgement call, made by individuals on an individual basis, and can no more be proven right nor wrong than your own moral view.
Clearly no one takes any pleasure when a horse is injured or killed. In my experience it is quite the reverse. People involved in racing,at whatever level and in whatever way, generally experience more sadness than your average man or woman in the street at such a passing.
For my own part I very much appreciate the price I accept for my sport and pleasure. However, knowing the care and attention fostered on thoroughbred racehorses I often feel much more uncomfortable with regard to animal welfare when tucking into a nice steak or chicken dish than when watching a novice chase.
Clearly no one takes any pleasure when a horse is injured or killed. In my experience it is quite the reverse. People involved in racing,at whatever level and in whatever way, generally experience more sadness than your average man or woman in the street at such a passing.
…and conversely I am always heartened by the crowd reaction when a stricken horse does get back on its feet and walks back to the stables.
There is invariably a loud cheer and spontaneous applause – which, to me, says a lot about how racegoers do feel about the horses.
Correct me if I’m wrong but don’t the RSPCA offer feedback and advise to the BHA on horse welfare?
They do indeed, and in David Muir – their equine consultant – racing has a good friend; a friend we should endeavour to keep on-side.
A calm, sensible and thoughtful gentleman who’s a credit to himself, the RSPCA…and racing
Plenty of sensible and intelligent responses on this thread, but all completely wasted on the original poster, who continues to ignore any post that doesn’t fit his warped view of racing.
Let’s face it folks, we simply aren’t going to change the views of this embittered one issue campaigner, and surely the best way to deal with him is simply to ignore his threads and let them drop off the bottom of the page asap.
Overall he’s about as relevant on here as King Herod on Mumsnet.
AP
- You must be logged in to reply to this topic.