Category: Animal ethics

Grand National – Carnage or Spectacle?

The excitement of the 2019 Grand National is over and it is time for the usual post mortem. One horse killed and another taken away by ambulance appears according to the media and racing authorities to have been a pretty good result. Two other horses, Forest des Aigles and Crucial Role, were also euthanised the day before but have received little attention. Track authorities and the British Horse Association (BHA) are obviously saddened again and Dickon White, of the Jockey Club  Stated:

“As a sport of animal lovers, we wanted every horse to come home – and sadly that’s not been the case with Up For Review”

a statement which makes it is difficult to get one’s head round what qualifies as being an animal lover these days. The media state that “38 runners returned safely” – but returned safely to where? Obviously their stable as they didn’t finish the race. Only 19 (47%) out of 40 actually past the finishing post.

Riderless race horse

It is not difficult to deduce from the statistics that most of the horses present just provide the spectacle and have no chance at all of competing or finishing the race. People watch the National for the excitement and anticipation of the stampede to the first fence when everyone holds their breath to see if they get over safely or fall. But do some racegoers secretly hope that there will be a spectacular pile up rather like in Formula One when the cars approach the first bend  or the cycle riders in the Tour de France. There is a certain element of wishing for tragedy as no one wants a “boring”race.

Carnage at the fences.

This year at the first fence Up For Review was brought down by another faller and was fatally injured and at the sixth fence three fell and one pulled up. So we had already lost 8 horses by the sixth fence and then the race continued without incident until we get to the 21st fence where a horse pulled up. Horses were then pulled up or refused at the 25th, 26th, and at the 27th a rider was unseated, then 4 horses refused or pulled up at the 28th and 5 at the 29th.

There is an obvious pattern here: the attrition rate increases the further into the race they get when more horses find that the going is too tough. These are all horses that are perhaps not fit or strong enough to last the course – the cannon fodder to make the race a spectacle and for who the race is too much of a challenge. It’s not science, but seems logical that horses tire just like humans in marathons or steeplechases and cannot find that last effort to finish.

The race is 14 fences too long & involves too many horses.

The racing fraternity are proud that the National is the longest National Hunt race in Britain and that it is the ultimate test of horse and jockey jumping 30 fences over a distance of 2.25 miles. And this is the problem. The race is too long, has too many high jumps and too many participants.

Many campaigners including the RSPCA believe the best way forward is to work with the authorities to improve the welfare of the horses during the race which they state they have done successfully for the last thirty years and list many so-called improvements, but most of these are just peripheral to the main problem. Thirty years on we still have horses dying and suffering and being injured and more importantly horses being pushed beyond their limits.

There is no chance of the race being banished in the foreseeable future because of all the tradition and history behind it just like fox-hunting, not to mention the huge financial benefits to everyone involved. And of course supporters want carnage and spectacle not just any old horse race, because this is what they watch it for. The only way of reducing the suffering is to shorten the race to one lap of the course, cut the numbers involved and lower the fences, but this is never going to happen.

Related articles:

Endurance racing causes more deaths than the Grand National
Horrors of the Hobby Horse Hall Race Track Remembered

Endurance racing causes more deaths than the Grand National

Why do horse lovers put their horses through such endangerment?

If you have watched the above video you might begin to understand where I am coming from with this article and why I cannot understand why horse lovers are willing to put them through such endangerment for their own thrills.

In the UK, races like the Golden Button Challenge, are becoming increasingly popular judging by the number of videos taken and posted on YouTube, which involve horses falling, refusing to jump and being put through some punishing riding and less than desirable treatment. I find watching these distressing but obviously equine enthusiasts believe differently . I am of the opinion that horses are not natural jumpers or designed to be pushed to the limit by being ridden at speed over long distances and expected to traverse high jumps, rough ground and wide ditches. The jury is still out on this point but there is some evidence to substantiate it.

Endurance racing gets little attention

We are at that time of the year again when many people become extremely excited about watching a large field of horses stampeding over high fences supposedly to test their stamina and speed while risking death and injury from falls and collisions. Although anti-racing campaigners concentrate on deaths caused at iconic races such as the Grand National, endurance racing  receives little attention by the media and campaigners and yet cause far more deaths and abuse.

Endurance racing is a niche equine extreme sport which has spread across the world over the last few decades and provides thrills for the riders but hell for the horses. There are international and national events held all over the world, but the sport is most popular in the Arab States whose horses dominate, but countries like the USA, France, Australia and  South Africa  also take part. Because of the huge financial benefits and the competitive nature of the sport there are deaths, injuries, doping scandals and serious welfare issues surrounding it.

The races involve long-distance riding of 100 kilometres or more across often desolate areas like deserts with extreme temperatures. They are conducted against the clock just like long distance cycling races with convoys of team vehicles speeding alongside. Bottles of water are thrown to the riders to both drink and douse the horses. It is all about testing the horses’ endurance and speed and the riders theoretically must manage the stamina and fitness of their horses by the “effective use of pace, thorough knowledge of their horses’ capabilities and ability to cross all kinds of terrain“. The fact that the races have a “vet-gate” every 40 kms so that their fitness to continue can be checked is an indication of how the horses can suffer.

Win at all costs mentality.

The above video gives some idea of what the horses experience. Apart from tough training techniques being used, which often cause fractured leg bones, injuries are often not given enough time to heal between races there by debilitating the horses. The use of prohibited substances is allegedly rife and in the past nine participants, including well-known showjumpers, dressage riders and trainers were implicated in it and suspended for administering them. Some riders are accused of a ‘win at all costs’ methodology, riding horses at over 40 kph over rough terrain.

The sport is administered by an organisation called the ‘FEI’ who insist the horses’ welfare is at the heart of it, which is of course a nonsense, as there is no necessity for the sport to exist or to put the horses through such hardship. Their Code of Conduct for the welfare of the horse and “Clean Sports campaign 2010” states that:

“the entire equine community – athletes, veterinarians, grooms, managers, coaches, owners and officials help combat doping and the inappropriate use of medications through better education and increased vigilance”.

The sport is littered with injuries and deaths including six horses dying within 22 days in 2017, some from ‘catastrophic injuries,’ during races at the Dubai International Endurance City (DIEC) built and operated by Sheikh Mohammed specifically to host these races. Two horses were euthanised at a 90 km endurance ride in Fontainbleau, France in October 2016 and a rider-less horse escaping onto an auto route suffered fatal injuries.

Most horse lovers and owners will no doubt disagree with my comments, but there is something very wrong with what they are put through to accommodate this ‘sport’  and it may be time to have an inquiry into these activities.