Blame Wonderful Husband for this post.
Wonderful Husband: Are you writing about the Grand National this week?
Me: I hadn’t thought about it, but now I will. Yes.
Horse racing is a sport for people that hate horses.
To be clearer, I love all animals and especially my dog. So I wouldn’t enter him in a race in the hope of making money from him, and then if he were injured (quite likely!) I’d get someone to shoot him in the head, as he is no longer a profitable resource. Nor would I watch a race where other dogs were exploited.
The Grand National (a very famous horse racing event) took place in Aintree, UK, 4th-6th April 2019. Three horses died.
- Crucial Role was injured after a fall. He was then shot in the head.
- Forest des Aigles broke his leg. He was then shot in the head.
- Up For Review broke his neck during the race.
I don’t support horse racing because I love horses.
Horse haters often justify racing horses by claiming that the horses are treated with the utmost care *cough* because they want to make money from them *cough*. An example of this…
Ricky Gervais tweeted saying ‘Why would you gamble with a horse’s life for fun? #YouBetTheyDie‘. Then Ger Lyons, a horse trainer, came along on his high horse (excuse the pun) to explain what Ricky clearly wasn’t aware of…
I sighed quite heavily before writing the next part.
Ger Lyons first claims to love animals more than humans. That’s a really weird thing to state as he probably eats animals, so already I would claim that he is the one that is ill-informed, not Ricky. Then on top of this, he completely ignores the reference to death in Ricky’s tweet and, instead, side-steps it by implying that the animals in his yard are treated really well, as though great treatment would justify getting shot in the head?
As my son was growing up I noticed he had a real flare for chess. So I invested lots of money and got him the best training money could buy. We would travel to different competitions and we stayed in the best hotels. Then there was an accident and he could no longer win competitions, so I lost interest and shot him in the head.
Their life is not yours to take.
To anyone that enjoys horse racing… If you’re starting to feel that maybe supporting (by watching, gambling or attending) an industry which enslaves and murders animals is not an industry you want to support anymore, there is another option. Did you know that humans race? Of their own choice. They are pretty fast too and they’re not killed if they get injured. You could just support that instead.
On a more positive note, huge thanks go to Sandy Sharkey for allowing me to use one of her beautiful photos of wild horses (as they should be) for my cover photo. I have never truly appreciated the beauty of horses until seeing her photos and I would highly recommend checking out her instagram. It will blow you away.
Lastly a big thanks to you guys for reading and if you’d like more details regarding racing horse deaths, you can find up-to-date information at www.horsedeathwatch.com.
#YouBetTheyDie 💚
Sure, they’re well cared for…just as Iditarod race mushers care for their sled dogs-
Maintained like a prized Ferrari ….
Kept ‘running’ in peak form…that’s not love/loved.
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Precisely… If they’re not doing what they have been bought to do then they are worthless 💚
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This is so sad. I honestly never put much thought into what those horses go through.
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A lot of people don’t, but I really appreciate you taking the time to read and learn about it 💚
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Yesss, thanks for posting this!!
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Thank you Nina 🙂 Lovely to have some support 💚
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There was a post on FB about a footballer going lame and had to be euthanised ooops sorry. It was a horse.
Much the same as your portrayal of the chess player.
Horses are beautiful, I haven’t been able to watch the GN for years ever since Nip pointed out what happens.
It is exploitation.
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Ah I was actually going to include that facebook post (good memory!) about the footballer but I decided it was too much. I’m so happy to hear that you feel the same way about the Grand National 💚
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I have never been a fan of horse (or any other animal) racing. I don’t like that people use animals in order to gamble and bet on some arbitrary attribute of the species.
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Great to hear you’re against it Rhonda. Thank you for commenting 💚
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I’ve never been a big fan of anything that has to deal with animal racing, sport, or the circus. Even when I was younger I never understood why they treated them like that just for entertainment.
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Glad to hear you’re not a fan. You sound like you were a very smart child 💚
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Hmmm, interesting piece – it’s not something that widely spoken about, and horse racing is also quite big here in South Africa. Thanks for the highlight 🙂
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You’re very welcome. Thank you for reading 💚
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Despite living in Texas (where horse riding is popular), I don’t know much about how they are being treated. Thank you for sharing your insight!
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It would be helpful for you to learn about it if you have an interest in animal welfare/animal rights 💚
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This is certainly a compelling argument against Horse Racing. I’ll certainly think twice about whether to have a flutter on next years race
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If just one person, like yourself, thinks twice about horse racing then the effort I put into this article hasn’t gone to waste. Thank you! 💚
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Omg this is so awful. People seem to ignore an animal’s safety and life when it comes to entertainment. I knew circuses were bad, but horse racing is almost on the same level!
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Thanks for your comment Carrie. Yep, horse racing is just another form of animal cruelty in the name of entertainment for selfish humans. Let’s hope it gets banned one day soon 💚
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I never really thought about horse racing that way. Maybe that’s because I never really pay much attention to horse racing. But what they’re doing to the horses sounds horrible!
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Yea for people that don’t notice horse racing then it can seem a bit of a non-issue, until you realise what they are doing. If you know anyone that likes horse racing, please tell them the truth about the cruelty that goes on 💚
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uhg I hate it! I don’t think any animals should be used for any sort of entertainment for us!
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Thank you!! I wish more people would hate it 💚
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My family has bet on horses and dogs for years they do it every year and unfortunately they aren’t going to change. It’s a huge thing to them I agree that they shouldn’t do the things they do to them to make them win. These things can be a touchy subject
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I have the same type of family, they are very much into animal racing and yet they claim to love animals. I can only hope that they will understand that they are not coming from a place of love where they encourage animals to engage in these activities… And I hope your family does too 💚
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Totally agree! I don’t think animals are here for our own amusement. They have their own fulfilling life where they belong, just as we do. Why do we need to be doing these things?
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Completely agree. Thank you Cendu for your very thoughtful comment! 💚
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I never had any thoughts about it! Some animals have some specialty. I guess horses like racing. Again, I’m not a fan of Horses hence cannot say much about it 🙂
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Horses like racing? I don’t think a horse has ever told you that. I’m not sure the horses would race without people on their back forcing them too… 💚
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I don’t understand why to shoot in the head? Why can’t they simply take care of them? I appreciate you for writing on this topic, hope it reaches out to more people.
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Good point! I hadn’t explained that very well in the post. The horses are killed at the ends of races because it would cost too much to care for them afterwards (and the owners wouldn’t earn any money from an injured horse)… Although you’ll find that some owners will say they kill the horse to be kind and put it out of it’s misery, whereas they are very mistaken because an injured horse is not necessarily a suffering horse AND the owners put them in the position for them to be injured in the first place. So strange!
Thank you for your comment! 💚
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Couldn’t agree more with your views! Honestly, I’m not fond of treating animals in any unethical way and making money out of their miseries.
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Thank you very much Ana, it’s great to hear that you agree 💚
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Interesting perspective. I’m sure those in the business who care for their horses and make money off them will disagree but that’s beside the point. I abhore any form of animal cruelty.
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Hahah you make a good point Elizabeth. They wouldn’t be able to agree with my points and make money at the same time 😉 💚
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I agree with you, I don’t support horse racing because I hate seeing horses being abused and be made to race. It is the same as going to the aquarium and seeing the dolphin show. I had to go and see one on a field trip with my 3-year-old students but inside I was crying.
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I can’t imagine how horrible that must have been for you 😦 very happy to hear you don’t support animal entertainment 💚
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This is the same way I feel about American football. I won’t support something that leads to brain injury.
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Yes I guess I can see your point, although the people that play American football are not forced like the horses are 💚
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I really enjoy horse riding as a therapy, it’s super relaxing. Here in charleston they do carriage tours which is sad to me before they’re using them during the hot summers with little breaks 😦
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You’re right about the carriage tours, not good.
Horse riding is a contentious issue for vegans, some believe it’s wrong and some believe it’s ok. I’m definitely on the side that it is wrong as horses don’t choose to have people on their backs, nor should horses be domesticated, they should be wild as they were.
I can understand you love horse riding beause it makes you feel good but that’s not necessarily true for the horse 💚
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Interesting! I had not thought about horse races in that way however I see your point. I am absolutely against animal cruelty.
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Yes the horse racing industry would not like it if it were a well-known thing 💚
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We are totally against horse racing or carriage rides
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That makes me very happy. Thank you! 💚
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Horrible practice to just shoot a wounded animal. Or to subject them to a sport that puts them at such risk. Thank you for sharing your perspective.
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I completely agree! Thank you 💚
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Thank you for bringing attention to this – how awful! I had no idea they shot the horses after injuries! I’ve never been a horse race but definitely won’t be going in the future either!
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Your comment has made me writing this article completely worthwhile! Thank you 💚
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Totally agree with this post! So many people so not realize how cruelly the racehorses are treated; they are drugged, whipped, and eventually, shot. It’s heartbreaking to see this kind of cruelty, and all for human profit.
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I wasn’t aware of the drugging(!!) but even the fact they are used and then killed is enough for me. Thank you for commenting 💚
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Brilliant post. I feel sick on Grand National Day thinking about the poor horses. And yes I have come to believe that horse riding is wrong, plus camel trekking or cart pulling.
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Thank you Rachel. I agree with you on every single point 💚
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