Horse Racing
Most people think of horse racing as a harmless sport in which the animals are willing participants who thoroughly enjoy the thrill of the chase. Horseracing is in reality very harmful to the horses and could be classed as animal cruelty.
To people who attend a race meeting it may be a chance to get dressed up and chance some money on the horses, but remember that you are betting on these horse’s lives and not all of them may survive the race. If a horse falls during a race it is often killed or has an injury, which results in the horse having to be killed.
The pressure on modern racehorses is so immense that, apart from the broken backs and legs and the heart attacks and burst blood vessels, the vast majority suffer from two debilitating stress-related conditions: gastric ulcers and bleeding lungs.
There is a theory that modern racehorses are bred for speed at the expense of skeletal strength and general robustness. The industry is now beginning to scrutinise itself on this very point.
Approximately 18,000 foals are born into the British and Irish racing industries each year, yet only around 40% go on to become race horses. The horses that do not make the grade may be slaughtered for meat or repeatedly change hands in a downward spiral of neglect. The final stop might be the slaughterhouse. Of those horses that do go on to race, around 400 are raced to death every year.
If you visit a racing yard, which can have more than 100 horses, you will very rarely see them in a field. They are too valuable to risk being kicked by another horse. The horses are therefore kept in a stable for up to 23 hours a day and only taken out for an hour’s intensive training.
Horses naturally run in herds for enjoyment. But the racing industry is a horrible distortion of these natural activities. Horses carry the burden of a jockey and are whipped in an attempt to make them run faster.
Whipping is said to assist the horse to perform better and run more safely. The reality is actually the opposite. The horse will become fearful of the whip and therefore be more jumpy and hesitant which will result in the horse not performing better at all. The whips are made out of plastic and can be up to 68 cms long and with a minimum diameter of 1cm.
It is wrong to exploit animals for entertainment and money. They are living beings with their own feelings and desires, and should be allowed to lead natural lives. Instead, the industry treats them like racing machines, to be exploited for the sake of profits and glory.
We should not encourage horse racing by attending horseraces or betting on the results.