adrock1976
Established Member
As regulars who visit the General Discussion section may be aware, there are threads for Football, Cricket, and both versions of the oval ball game, but not one for general horse racing (I am not going to start one, as I am aware it can be a deeply divisive "sport").
Being as another year has gone by with another three horses dying at this event, is it time for this event to be scrapped completely? Or alternatively, redesign the course to remove all of the jumps?
Although the Grand National is one of (if not the) big money events of horse racing, has the amounts of silly money overtaken ethics nowadays?
"Up For Review" was the horse that died yesterday at the first fence, making this the third horse that has died during the event and also the third horse that died that was owned by the trainer Mullins.
Bearing in mind that horses do not naturally jump fences while galloping at speed (in showjumping (see Zara Phillips' various performances), it is done at a gentle trotting pace), and get beaten with a whip, if any ordinary members of the public done that, they would get sent to jail.
Also, the horse racing industry has faced allegations of fraud by means of irregular betting in recent times that involved horses ridden by an Irish jockey (cannot remember the name, but think its Kieron Fallon - will check), and former jockey Lester Piggot got sent to jail for tax fraud many years ago.
As the Grand National is a lengthy course, would it be better for all of the jumps and fences to be removed, rather than scrapping the event so as to provide better welfare for the horses, and more importantly, for no more horses to die?
What do others think?
Note that I am not having a go at every horse event in general, just the Grand National.
Being as another year has gone by with another three horses dying at this event, is it time for this event to be scrapped completely? Or alternatively, redesign the course to remove all of the jumps?
Although the Grand National is one of (if not the) big money events of horse racing, has the amounts of silly money overtaken ethics nowadays?
"Up For Review" was the horse that died yesterday at the first fence, making this the third horse that has died during the event and also the third horse that died that was owned by the trainer Mullins.
Bearing in mind that horses do not naturally jump fences while galloping at speed (in showjumping (see Zara Phillips' various performances), it is done at a gentle trotting pace), and get beaten with a whip, if any ordinary members of the public done that, they would get sent to jail.
Also, the horse racing industry has faced allegations of fraud by means of irregular betting in recent times that involved horses ridden by an Irish jockey (cannot remember the name, but think its Kieron Fallon - will check), and former jockey Lester Piggot got sent to jail for tax fraud many years ago.
As the Grand National is a lengthy course, would it be better for all of the jumps and fences to be removed, rather than scrapping the event so as to provide better welfare for the horses, and more importantly, for no more horses to die?
What do others think?
Note that I am not having a go at every horse event in general, just the Grand National.