Forums → WEPR → people taking out horse races

this is just my belif, some peolple may not care, but i think that is a perfectly fine sport and is not hurting anything, humans have been riding and racing horses for centuries, in tougher conditions, also the lady trying to stop horse racing stated that if the horse is 3 years or younger it should not race due to lack of fully grown skeletal and joint system, actuly this may help the horse by working it's muscles and growing it to end up a better, faster horse

well im fine with putting regulations on the horse, what my problem is she was sent to debate by some organization (cant remember name) thats sole purpose was to stop horse racing all together, while it has already been around for hundreds of years

I think shes just concerned. The horse being put down this weekend has really inflames this issue forcing good normal people, like her, to become a little more dramatic. Now the horses body is not designed to run athese speed with a guy on top of them, no matter how light or small he is, there body is like a tree trunk with little legs to hold them up.

I'm hoping they take all practical measures to insure the horses safty but I don't know. They could do a few more things to protect the horse.

For those who do not know, a horse came in second in some race, and about 10 yards after the finish line, collapsed, as both of its front ankles broke. Since the injury was so severe, it was immediately put down.

I think the real issue here is breeding. If a horse is bred for a specific trait, such as speed, other traits may not be enforced or seen as important, such as bone integrity or overall health of the horse. I think this is a serious issue and one that should be carefully dealt with by the breeders in the horse industry. It is understandable to carefully select who to breed with who, but it is equally as necessary to make sure that you are getting an overall healthy horse, not one that is lightning quick, but has unhealthy organs or bones.

Yes thats the problem with it. What they should do is like breed a horse with strong bones and speed for one generation then breed the other ones with healthy organs and some other good trait. Then breed those to horses together and you'll have a super horse.
To daswift: To stop horse racing would be absurd. No matter how hard you try they won't shut it down. Its like gambling basiclly.

Horse racing a long-standing tradition. It's going to take more than animal rights activists to shut it down. I also do not believe that horses are any more mistreating than humans are to themselves to become fine-tuned athletes... look at steroid use and dangerous weight control methods.

Humans inflict that on themselves though, horses have no choice.

If I had it my way, I would get rid of horse racing, but I know it's not feasible at this time. There are more important things to be dealing with than the abuse of animals, it seems.

Although horses don't have a chose in the matter of if they get raced today we have been doing this for ages. Since the dawn of time bascilly we have been riding horses. Technacilly we have reduced the workload of horses but this is your belief and I will not try to change it. I will ask one qwuestion though: Do you hold we should get rid of the sport all together or should we just make it a little safer for the horses?

DragonMistress wrote:

I think the real issue here is breeding. If a horse is bred for a specific trait, such as speed, other traits may not be enforced or seen as important, such as bone integrity or overall health of the horse.

I agree with DragonMistress that horses don't get a choice in the matter. Which, IMHO, makes it somewhat unethical to force them into something that can kill them. Then again, I don't have too much problem with slaughtering cows for my steak, so I don't hold to this TOO strongly.

Just because something has been around for a long time does not make it a good thing (It does not make it a bad thing either, it just makes it an old thing). Monarchy was a the usual form of government for thousands of years, but we don't think it's a good thing now.

The fact that it makes a lot of money (Billions? not surprised) means it would be hard to get rid of because people see horse racing as $$$. Just because something makes you money doesn't make it right. Slavery made lots of people rich, but it's not a good thing. (I am not equating Slavery with Horse Racing; it's just an analogy)

Do I think we should keep horse racing? No, it's harmful to the horse and a pretty pointless activity. Do I think it's going away anytime soon? No chance.

Well, if you would go and see these animals at home... You would find out that the ANIMAL wants to race, its in its blood! Horses have always had a competitive spirit to them, including the ones that I used to ride and mine were cross-bred ones with NO trace of racing breeds in it. In other words, If the owners/trainers would take more time in finding a stronger bloodline for their breeding programs, injuries would be less common.

I have, in fact, been to horse farms. I've ridden horses. I've taken them on trails. Most of the ones I saw were show horses, I'll grant, but none of them liked the training for show riding. Many horses are terrified at events and only do what they want because their jockey is beating them into it.

Perhaps horses can be conditioned to enjoy racing, but that has not been my experience. Horses in the wild are rarely as competitive as you make them out to be, and have to be broken in to be used for humans. Any activity that requires breaking the spirit of an animal is not one I can support.

I do think that this needs to be assessed on a case by case basis. Again, parallels can be drawn to people: let's take a look at this surge in parents wanting their kids to be king s*** and all that, and putting them through years of gruelling organised activity to try and mold them to becoming some kind of superhuman prodigy.

In maybe a handful of cases the kid actually takes to the task. Given the very competitive academic environment I come from, I know some who just absorb information like a sieve and really get raised into being competitive. I also know of a great deal many more that have an epiphany and abandon the way, and those that downright rebel and become problem children (to the confusion of the parents: "What did I do wrong!? I gave them everything they needed to get ahead in life!&quot

I assume the same can be applied to horses. The real success stories with happy endings can only come from those that are already amenable to the whole environment, which they get bred towards. In these cases, it's in the blood. Also granted, many horses have competitive spirits in them, but competition is something that affects all living things, by definition, and simply manifests in different facets of life.

I assume that there are many cases of trainers working to and within a broader agenda, the capitalistic, competitive machine that the horse racing industry itself is, such that they put the trappings of that above the horse itself. Such is obviously not restricted to horse racing alone, but nonetheless I think that a significant proportion of cases could be described as such, given the variety of attitudes with which one could approach the entire affair.

Funny tangent while I'm on it. I was at a riding ranch some years ago...I'm not too fond of the whole idea either, but I'm fond of horses, and being a city guy I couldn't pass up the opportunity. Thing was...there wasn't really much difference between the ranch and your average gloomy cramped cubicle office space. It didn't take a horse whisperer to realise that most of them were bored out of their minds, doing a daily grind merely because they knew they'd get fed.

It was the most blatant form of social contract I'd ever seen.

I totally agree with you... In the case of horse races, I hate them, the reason they are so bad, is cause people are greedy and it comes to the expence of the animal itself. I personally don't have a problem with riding horses that were broke the RIGHT way (training at the animal's pace not the trainer). This method doesn't break the spirit if the animal. But, this racing training that starts when they are 6 months old or younger is not good on the animal... One of my old schooling horses was an ex-racehorse with so many joint problems, he could only be used by the little kids that were under a certain weight... NOT COOL! (this horse was only 6).

I think that horse racing is fine. It would be good though if they could make the tracks softer for the horse and enforce good breeding, to insure that the horse and jockey will both be safe.