I have just turned on the television to hear that one horse has been killed at the Cheltenham Festival and that one jockey is in an induced coma after falling and another jockey too is int hospital in a serious state.
We were talking about this yesterday and I think it has galvanised me into taking my feelings a it to my MP.
I know it is nothing to do with what we are about here, and if I am out of order please do let me know, but if I am in order could someone let me know and I would like to start an online petition.
PLease accept my most sincere apologies if you feel this should not be posted here, I would hate to contravene rules or make others uncomfortable.
Gentle hugs to you all, Foggy xx
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Fibrofoggiest
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15 Replies
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Personally I feel its nice to have a break from thinking about ourselves and each other and try to do something positive... I think the majority of us on here have pets and I for one have always been totally against horse racing .. I hate the thought of horses being forced to run and sometimes jump with the weight of a person on their back which lets face it is a sport in which the animals have no say whether they enjoy it or not.. I remember being taught to ride at a young age and it was given up rather rapidly as I used to get off and lead the horse around as I felt it was unfair to the horse ..... Obviously some people won't agree with this point of view ... We are all different but that's how I feel.
I am in agreement, I used to like it when younger, but am now becoming really opposed to it, especially as I said the Grand National, but the events of today have really focused what is left of my brain
cheltenham is just 18 miles from us, my daughter in law went yesterday and they say it raises a lot of money for all the surrounding areas, our towns hotels and guest houses are booked solid ever year
the hospital the jockey has gone to is a major head injury unit which serves the whole of the South West, i hope he makes a good recovery.
As you say 1 horse had to be put down which i think is 1 too manyi have never ridden a horse or been to the races so i have no idea of the attraction it has for people
My brother is a paramedic, and usually attends Cheltenham races in case of accidents (to humans!) .
He was disgusted to find that horses who fall are rarely saved, they are usually put down, as the expense of restoring them to health would not be considered worthwhile, as they were not likely to win their owners any more prizes! These horses are not treasured pets, they're of as much worth as a pig killed for bacon - disgraceful in my opinion.
Moffy x
It greatly upsets me to hear of horses being killed. I used to not mind horse racing when I was much younger and less wiser, nut I detest it now!
I'll gladly sign a petition. I can't bear any kind of animal cruelty or abuse and hate to hear of horses being injured or killed at these races.
When I was a teenager I went to see some show jumping and at the jump off at the end, when they raised the bar, one of the horses stumbled and fell and had to be shot. They put a screen round but I shall never forget it. I never went to any more shows.
As LM says above the owners weigh up cost (a bit like irresponsible breeders of dogs/cats etc) and, if saving them is going to cost too much, then the animal is destroyed. It makes my blood boil. Greyhounds have a raw deal as well.
I can't watch it, I get too upset and angry. Perhaps if the owners were put down along with their horses things might change. There's so much money involved with the "sport" I doubt there's much chance of changing things. I'd gladly sign a petition though - If we could at least get steeplechasing banned it would be a step in the right direction. And don't get me started on greyhound racing! My ex does the promotional photography for a local greyhound rescue charity and fosters the dogs from time to time to try and help get them pet-worthy. Some of the tales he's told me are horrendous. Humans can be quite horrible sometimes x
I'm with you all on this one. I think it was the horse that won the Cheltenham gold cup last year that then went on to fall in the grand national and was put down after all the "glory" of winning the Cheltenham cup. I was so upset it really got to me. He had won his owners a vast amount of money then instead of being looked after he was put down. Money money money. I wish I could swear on here!
I must say I am pleased that I'm not alone in feeling angry about this. I wish I knew how to get an online petition going because if I did I would. If anyone knows how to address this, a could you possibly let me know?
Teddysmum , like you I was just so so angry last year.....one minute all praise poured on the horse, a week or to later and bang......gone! All I can say is I hope the owners felt the guilt of putting their horse into a race that is nothing short of cruelty every length of the course, if its not jumping, it's being whipped into attempting to push the poor animal to win.
hi,and please please dont forget about greyhounds!! they have a dreadfull life far worse than horses.i know as i had an ex racer,and he was a top runner at Bell vue,he earned a fortune for punters and owners then disgarded ...xx
Totally agree. I was saying to my husband when we were watching the news this evening that I hated this sort of racing , also the use of the whip ( sorry , not being a horse rider, not fully conversant with the correct terminology ) towards the end of the race although I think they do keep an eye on that side of things now. So yes, I will sign a petition.
Of course minstrel, the greyhounds deserve very bit of help we can't give them.
Thank you Daphne, for backing me up, there are very clear rules and regulations about how many times the whip should be used, and at what distance from the finish, there have been some fines applied, but I am certain the rules are flounted all the time. The sooner something can be done, the better.
Foggy x
i have been upset about the two horses killed in the Grand national last year for almost a year now and was actually crying last night about one of them as his owners were normal people who did love him as a pet and only owned 3 horses - it broke my heart when he was put to sleep. They say it is not jjust the cost of repairing the leg it is the pain the animal is in with a leg injury to fix it cos unlike humans you cannot get a horse to rest it up like we do in bed or elevated whilst sitting etc hence the putting to sleep. I do not think i will ever be able to watch horse racing again after the last two years at the Grand National as it has literally affected my mental state way too much, to find a year later thinking about it all again made me cry for over two hours (maybe i am close to mental breakdown?)
Oh dear ajj, I am so so sorry that this has effected you so badly and I hope that my post didn't stir it all up for you, which I'm afraid it might have done, sorry ! I am going to look into how to petition. Direct to No. 10 about this, the more people I speak to, both online and in rest time are expressing our sentiment that certainly the Grand National, if not all national hunt racing should be stopped.
I have a vet friend who explained just like described how hard it is to repair a horses leg, mostly down to the fact as you said that they are such active animals.
I am sending you lots and lots of gentle hugs but please, do speak to someone if you are feeling on the edge of a breakdown, PM me, anything, but please don't suffer alone .
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