Category: Animal Cruelty

Grand National 2023. What we learned from it.

Another year, another Grand National, the usual outrage, drama and spectacle, but this year the added excitement of an Animal Rising invasion, but what did it achieve?

Another year, another Grand National, more drama and spectacle, but this year the added excitement of an Animal Rising invasion and protest, probably the first of many to come. It is a surprise it hasn’t happened before, but what did it achieve and what did we learn from the reaction to it?

We learned that the protestors perhaps need to increase their security to make sure their plans do not leak out if they are to be successful. There is a lot to be said for the good old surprise attack. But in retrospect the course invasion by Animal Rising was possibly counterproductive as it deflected media and public attention away from the welfare aspects and gave many people the opportunity to blame them for everything that went wrong during the event.

We discovered that the police are more zealous at removing protestors from a race meeting than they are in removing them from blocking our motorways causing ten of thousands of motorists misery and annoyance and damaging our economy. We now know where our priorities lie.

Grand National 2023

Futile Investigations.

It proved that the numerous futile investigations by the Horse Racing Authority, RSPCA, League Against Cruel Sports and others over the last decade and their various so called improvements have had no effect in reducing the suffering of horses. Most commentators are transfixed on the number of deaths caused but it is the number that do not finish and the punishment they suffer which is the crux of the problem.

The 2023 race resulted in 17 finishers and 22 casualties including two deaths, two seriously injured taken away by horse ambulance; one of them Cape Gentleman had surgery on a severed tendon and has had to be retired and the other Recite a Prayer had a fractured eye socket. Ten others pulled up unable to survive the strain and the others fell and unseated their riders. On average 60% of the field do not finish. All are caused trauma.

We learned that their is no middle ground for negotiation with both sides beliefs so far apart and entrenched. The protestors were variously described as hypocritical, ignorant, publicity seekers and doing it for their own gratification and not the welfare of the horses. All those with an interest in the sport accuse everyone else of not understanding while they have no interest in understanding the protesters viewpoint. Or as one petulant owner commented “It’s our sport and we love it, so there.”

“It was all caused by these so called animal lovers who are actually ignorant and have absolutely no idea about the welfare of horses.”

Sandy Thompson, Trainer to BBC Sport.

Protesters blamed for everything at Grand National.

Everyone connected with the race were quick to blame the protestors for everything bad that occurred. They were generally blamed for “compromising the horses welfare” by making them wait longer in the sun. Sandy Thompson trainer of Hill Sixteen who died at the first fence with a broken neck was quoted as saying the number of horses falling in the race “points to the fact they were unsettled by the delay.” As about 60 per cent of horses in every Grand National fall or never finish this must mean they are always unsettled which is not a good state surely.

He specifically blamed the protest for the death stating the twelve minute delay caused the horse to hypo-ventilate in the parade ring. Of course, even if this was so, he could have withdrawn it if he was worried, but didn’t.

A lady had her leg crushed by two unseated terrified horses which careered into her blamed it on the protestors who by their presence had stopped her from being able to leave. A rather tenuous link perhaps.

Riderless race horse

“extinction of the most majestic domesticated species on earth“

Many inane comments and statements made by those involved in the sport many of who were interviewed during the twelve minute delay have probably incensed the campaigners even more. One suggested: “Let’s give 20 horses to the protestors and see what they do with them, take them home and put them in their gardens?” and another: “Horses have a purpose in life, just like us all. Unfortunately, when people go to work, sometimes bad things happen.“

The rather overwrought Racing Post believed the “cabal of extremists” were hell bent on the “extinction of the most majestic domesticated species on earth,” and believed most people accepted the odd fatality in the cause of enjoying “the high-octane sporting event.”

Jockey’s Bob Champion and Peter Scudamore suggested the protesters would be appeased if they visited racing stables to see how well looked after the horses were, completely missing the point that the protests are what happens after they leave the safety of their stable. Most agreed they were attention and publicity seekers who knew nothing about horses and should keep their noses out of it.

No serious will to improve welfare.

Everyone knows what is required to improve the race, but are not willing to drastically reduce the number competing by a half, reduce the number and size of fences and the actual length of the race. Only 23 horses compete in the Scottish Grand National. But of course if this was done it would no longer be a pageant or spectacle just another horse race and no one wants that do they?

What the protest certainly achieved is a lot of vitriolic debate and childish name calling. And for all the wrong reasons many people will be looking forward to the next instalment in 2024.

Related Articles:

Why 62.5% of the Grand National runners did not finish.
Horrors of the Hobby Horse Hall Race Track Remembered

Animal Abuse versus Child Abuse

When it comes to protection and welfare legislation it could be argued that we have a bias towards amending and introducing legislation against animal abuse over child abuse.

Are we prioritising the protection of animals over that of children?

It could be argued that our present society has a bias towards amending and introducing legislation protecting animals at the expense of children. Some might feel that we expend too much time, debate and attention on animals and their welfare at the expense of children even though child abuse is widespread.

Not a day goes by in Parliament and the House of Lords without animal welfare and protection issues being debated and new laws being discussed or implemented, particularly for our beloved dogs. It seems rare for any updating of child protection legislation or concerted efforts to protect them even though they are no more able to defend themselves or escape abuse than kept animals.

One correspondent once wrote to a U.K national newspaper about the perceived hatred of children and the insane obsession with dogs and pets thus:

As for the the much-repeated claim that the British are the most tolerant nation on earth, I find tolerance very selective. Anyone who dares to maintain that dogs are dangerous and that pet-keeping is anti-social, while children are lovely and far more important, discovers rapidly just how tolerant the British really are.

Daily Mail Letters page.

What chance the welfare of animals when we cannot adequately protect our children from abuse.

The recent shocking incident in Eastbourne where seven children aged between four and seventeen and 36 dogs were found in one house severely neglected and maltreated by a couple should be a wakeup call. The incident was a double whammy involving both types of abuse coinciding in one residence.

The offenders in the case received six-year sentences for child cruelty and eighteen weeks for animal cruelty. The mother received a five-year ban and the father an indefinite ban on keeping animals, but no ban on keeping children as this is of course unthinkable. It will take a lifetime to heal the long-term physical and mental harm inflicted on the children which will take years to rehabilitate them.

child and animal abuse poster
Do we give them equal protection?

Children and babies are no more able to defend themselves or escape abuse than kept animals.

Although we ban people from owning animals when it is considered they are incapable of looking after them or a risk to them, we remove pets from feckless owners who mistreat them and we issue warning and penalty notices we cannot contemplate giving children the same help.

There are many parallels to be made in regard to how we legislate and enforce protection of animals and children. The RSPCA takes the burden of enforcing and prosecuting animal cases even though they have no statutory powers, for which they are often maligned for being too aggressive.

Yet the NSPCC and social services who do have powers to intervene and prosecute seem unable or unwilling to take a stringent approach when death, neglect and cruelty to a child is involved. They rely on the overburdened and cash strapped Crown Prosecution Service (CPS). Prosecutions are dropping and social services are inundated and unable to cope in many parts of the country. This state of affairs has continued for decades

Child abuse and murder rampant in the U.K.

On average seven children a month are murdered in the U.K. Between 2015/16 and 2019/20 there was an average 82 child homicides a year in the UK mostly by filicide – the killing of a son or daughter by the parents, with babies under one year old having the highest rate. 55,000 at risk children were on a Child Protection plan and 55,000 were being looked after by local authorities.

When it comes to neglect the figures are even more depressing. Between 2019 and 2020 there were over 23,000 recorded offences. Neglect is defined by not meeting a child’s basic physical and psychological needs which can have serious and long-lasting impacts on a child’s life causing serious harm and even death.  In 2020 The Child Safeguarding Practice Review Panel received notification of 482 serious incidents relating to 514 children. Of these notifications, 206 were in relation to child deaths and 56 were attributable to abuse or maltreatment.

In the year ending 31 March 2020 there were 3,347 child death reviews in England. 862 cases were identified as having modifiable factors which may have contributed to the death of the child, and which might or could have been avoided such as the family environment, parenting capacity and service provision.

It is right that we have so many animal protection laws, but we should also be spending more time, money and resources to protect our children with more extensive and harsh laws that are policed adequately, because we appear to be severely letting them down at the moment. The incident mentioned above highlights the fact that we haven’t really moved on since Victorian times. What chance the welfare of animals when we cannot adequately protect our children from abuse.