Is horseracing animal abuse?

[MickyMacgraw]

Now excuse my ignorance as I'm a city boy, but just n ow looking at the C4 horseracing where they are being ridden to within an inch of their lives whilst having their rear beaten/smacked with a stick in order to make it go faster and win the race,does this border on animal cruelty or do the horses actually enjoy all the attention, exercise and grooming?

[mightyWBA]

Well said Dris :-)
If horse racing was banned tomorrow what would happen to all the horses?
What would happen to the thousands involved in racing?
Woolly lentil eating liberals...:-P

[B00]

WBA- what happened to those horses after they were too old or simply too knackered to race?

[Dris]

Stu -I seriously cross posted there -just got a text midway.I know people in the Borders who have horses-they are cosseted.The horses love their lives or they wouldnt race -simple.try booting a racing horse up the arse -ive been to meets -they are huge glorious magnificent creatures and they are patently happy doing what they do best.Notice no-ne said anything about a jockey getting thrown and having to curl up into a ball -we all take chances in life and racehorse are not exempt.

[B00]

Ok ,and once again....once the horse is no longer earning money- what happens to it then?

[Dris]

B00-i'll answer for Stu -they are either put out to stud (nice one) or they lterally live the life of reilly -ridden out every day and treated as they always were.Best looked after animals you can get and the happiest-and that is fact:)

[B00]

dris, with all due respect, that answer is total bo11ocks.

http://www.guardian.c.../01/horseracing.sport

If you don't believe that link, or the one ive previously posted, feel free to Google yourself, you might be shocked by what you find.

[mightyWBA]

Most of our horses were never good enough to go to stud Boo apart from 3 who became brood mares.The others were sold to private horsemen and women at auction where they raced in point to point or took part in equestrian events.
They retired to the paddocks for the rest of their natural lives.
Yes some horses become part of the meat industry but if racing didn't exist they all would.
Just like cattle,poultry and other creatures.

[madmaggot]

The same happens to them as to ALL species when they get old and infirm. They either get looked after until they die naturally, they are cast out and get by as best they can or their life is ended artifically by whatever means.
'In the midst of life we are in death'.
If we are fortunate the first option will occur (unless we are unlucky enough to end up in hospital), the same applies to horses, dogs et al.

[B00]

Or they simply wouldn't breed them in the first place WBA?

[B00]

Like ya thinking maggot.

"Let's breed summet, if it doesn't make money, or when it stops making money, lets kill it"

Excellent!

[madmaggot]

I didn't say I like this Boo, but I am a realist.

[Answerprancer]

"Woolly lentil eating liberals"
HOY !!! I WON'T HAVE THAT.
..it's "hand wringing" actually.

[B00]

But that's what the real thinking is Maggot, and it's appaling IMHO.

[Dris]

B00 -im seriously not being obtuse and i daresay stu knows more than me BUT the horses we are taliking about are thoroughbreeds.They from the day they were born genetically had the racing instinct.I know you know about horses but you have to lay aside horses from thorougbreads.B00 -can I ask what becomes of the horses you used to ride or would in the future?

[mightyWBA]

I'm not going to argue with you Boo,you've obviously made up your mind and I respect that.
All I will say is many many people around the world get pleasure and rely on the horse racing industry to earn a living.
To ban it would not make any sense.
I suppose if we let all animals roam about free and ignore them, they'd be better off.
I somehow doubt it.

[mightyWBA]

P.S I remember a well known jockey saying to me
"If you think a 7 stone midget with a stick can hurt a 2 ton horse you're deluded"

[B00]

My last horse Dris died from colic at 25...

I daresay you're trying not to be obtuse Dris, but I can only retaliate with the facts, of which there are page after page filled to brim of on Google. Like I said, feel free to check them out yourself.

Thousends of racehorses are slaughtered for food, either human or dog food, and those are the lucky ones.

[Answerprancer]

WBA - hmm that's not much of an argument for AFAIC, eg. many people get pleasure from and earn a living out of child prostitution too.

[B00]

That's not what im suggesting WBA, indeed I don't actually mind the racing itself, it's the unpalatable side effects, of which ive already mentioned that i strongly object to.

[Dris]

What I tried to say in my first post stu !!!!