I'm pleased they're making the effort to make the race safer

Ditto.... although I am still not keen on it....

I still say though, that the horse will only jump if it wants to.

its crap though...    horses will still die.

 

I have to be honest...   The Grand National disgusts me..    my Dad bets on the horses on a daily basis, my dislike of it all has grown over the years.

 

Every year he texts me & offers to put a bet on for me (he pays the stake)..  I have refused his offer for the last 5 or 6 years...    

 

But then I am a bit odd like that..    I value animals lives right up there alongside human lives 

I think it's just National Hunt.

 

Cheltenham was carnage.

 

No finer sight than a horse in flight though.

 

But I prefer the flat.

Ditty, in a way I'm with you. It's horrible when horses come to grief of die but it's the nature of the sport I'm afraid. (I'm an animal lover too) 

its a SPORT!!!  its not acceptable...     they die so we can be entertained..   

 

no! 

I think we'll have to agree to disagree on this one then 

I will always disagree with people who claim to be animal lovers...  but then get all excited over watching The Grand National.. 

 

I cried the last time I watched it. 

What about Greyhound racing then? 

Wayward Lad was a beautiful jumper.

 

Didn't see Golden Miller though.

Same tbh... 

 

However, my really really strong feelings about all this...  some of that is anger at myself.    I used to go to the races with my Dad alot..    its his passion, and it was something we could do together... 

 

initally I felt uneasy about it...    then I actually went to the National a couple of times with him...   sitting there eating posh nosh in a hospitality box...   watching the "carnage"...  and I would use all the excuses for it that you & others have used...  

 

then a few years ago I just realised...  that's all it was...  ways of excusing it..     my disgust (& sorry.. but that really is how i feel about it) just gets stronger.

 

 

and it goes deeper..   yeah, I have been to the dogs in the past..  but now I know about how the hounds are treated afterwards.. and stuff...   I can't stomach that either.

 

I even feel uncomfortable about police dogs going into dangerous situations, dogs with jobs if you like...      I can't help it, its the way I feel.

 

The older I get...   the more I prefer animals to people 

That's a horse to give you goosebumps.

 

There's a stud farm just next to where I work...    you should see these horses Velvet...    they are soooo beautiful!! 

 

all frollicking around...    definitely pure breads...   arab looking.  

 

best looking horses I have ever seen...      I keep meaning to take some pics of them.. 

 

That's ok. Everyone's entitled to their own opinions. 

A racehorse does lead a good life though - Micky Quinn excepted 

 

There's only four letters I wanna see down the side of my horse in the paddock 

 

H R A C.

 

A hero of mine..

 

A horse died at a race yesterday at Aintree ,or as the announcer said,Oh he's broken down,It was obviously his back leg was broken,flapping about.I assume the poor thing was shot. i was about to switch over as it happened , the TV had just been turned on.I won't be betting on the national.

Like I said Katty...........it's horrible when it happens. It's the sport I'm afraid 

Well I'm finished with it,I'll admit I  used to bet on it but not for a few years now,after seeing a horse trying to get up and it's front leg was like rubber,broken.I felt sick.

It's odd how it takes a fatality to put someone off 

I have mixed feelings....

 

The horses would not be bred and well looked after if it wasn't for the sport.

As somebody has already said, they are large animals and would not do what they did not want to do.

Should we ban all dangerous sports?

It's just not right using animals for sport. 

 

I think that if the horse has to be put down because of an injury in one of these races then the jockey, owner and trainer should be banned from any future races. Either that or they take the same bullet the horse has to take.  It sickens me when they are so flippant about it. "yeah his leg just snapped so we did the kindest thing and put him out of his misery". Yeah the misery you enforced on the poor animal. The way thoroughbred horses are bred means they don't have the lung capacity to deal with these races. They also don't have the leg strength of a normal horse. 

 

Put your kids out there and whip them till they drop then tell me it's a humane thing to do 

 

ooooh..   I never do the clapping smiley thing...   but I have to here.. 

 

 

I totally agree Cags...    its just not right using animals for sport xx

Animal rights is one thing that really gets me fired up Ditty 

 

To say they have a good life or won't do it if they don't want to....they have no choice, no voice and are whipped to perform. That's not right. I've seen people on here so fired up about child abuse cases. No different IMO and to actually put money on it is sickening

I grew up surrounded by horses and have followed all horsey pursuits for decades. Steeplechasing is my second favourite sport. Anyone found abusing horses is very quickly bundled out and their licenses removed. There are less F's against horses nowadays and more PU's and R's. It wouldn't bother me if they stopped the national though! It seems wrong somehow to send out not particularly good horses over such a difficult course. However this represents more the hunting fraternity and what they do.

They have stated the ground is soft after the rain,so they hope that this will make it "better" for the horses.

I don't mind Dressage.

 

That's quite funny. 

 

I don't like it when you see a blanket covering an obviously dead one I don't like horses but I wish them no harm I don't think they'll ever stop running the grand national so any improvements they make to improve the animal's safety has to be a step in the right direction, it's the very least they could do