Thoughts On Banning Jumps Racing

(Photo by Mike Hewitt/Getty Images)

There are far more horses bred each year than the industry can sustain.  Since there are not enough people with the money, facilities or inclination to take these horses in, many of them end up getting sold for meat.

I know it will bother some people when I say this, but I think it is unfortunate that any animals are killed for meat.  But the idea of killing horses in this way seems particularly barbaric.  It is not so much the killing itself that is the issue, but the inhumane treatment that animals receive at the hands of those who are employed in the industry.

Logic dictates that the longer an owner keeps a horse, and the more success and enjoyment that the horse brings to the owner, the less likely it is that the horse will meet such a fate, even after it has retired from racing.

Jumping races therefore can extend the lifespan for horses that do not make the grade as flat racehorses, and may even save them from befalling a horrific fate that is so much worse than a relatively quick death resulting from an activity that they enjoy.  Even the pain of injury is lessened by the cocktail of endorphins already present in the bloodstream at the time of the accident and the shock of the fall.

In the unfortunate circumstances where horses have fallen and are unable to get up, there are measures in place to provide assistance, and, if necessary, euthanasia, to the horse as quickly as possible.  This is always done by qualified people who genuinely have the welfare of the horse at heart.  Compared to the treatment that horses receive at slaughterhouses, this is a much more dignified and humane way to end the animal's life.

It just seems more horrible because it is happening right out in public where people can see it, rather than happening on private property where there are no witnesses present to ensure that the animals are treated in a relatively humane manner.

Therefore a decision to ban jumps racing would be an ultimately cruel and evil act, unless a viable alternative is proposed that will help horses to avoid meeting an untimely end at the hands of a slaughterman. Banning the automobile would be a good step in that direction, and would solve some major environmental problems at the same time!

Those who are activists working to have racing banned may not be aware that they are advocating and fighting for cruelty.  Meanwhile they are ignoring the true atrocities taking place all around them.

Now, having said all this, there are a number of things that could be done to make the racing industry safer and would help to lessen the number of serious injuries sustained by horses and humans involved in the sport.

For various reasons, mainly economic and political, industry bodies have largely been unwilling to implement rules and conditions that could help to solve some of these problems.

Horses that fall in jumping races typically do so due to one of the following three reasons:

1. Racing over distances that they have not been adequately trained to race over, and consequently when they become fatigued they become uncoordinated and make mistakes
2. The rider (and occasionally the horse) loses situational awareness and makes the jump incorrectly, or fails to avoid an obstacle (such as another horse).
3. The horse or rider becomes distracted by something just before or during the jump, such as a protesting activist, and being thus distracted does not execute the jump correctly.

I believe that the order I have listed these reasons in is the correct order.  The vast majority of accidents could be avoided if trainers knew what they were doing.  Unfortunately most trainers are still using methods handed down from their great-grandfathers (or somebody's great-grandfather, anyway).

If I expect a horse to race over two miles, I will have trained it to go four miles, or even eight.  Horses just should not be at that stage of exhaustion that they cannot put their feet down in a co-ordinated way, or that they cannot propel themselves into a jump properly.

The cardiovascular system of the horse should be healthy and well-conditioned, so that the risk of internal bleeding is minimal.  And riders should be "tuned in" enough to the horse that they can detect when the horse is about to falter, and can therefore take preventative action.

Penalties for riders who pull up horses that are subsequently found to have no physical sign of injury are too severe.  This could mean that riders are less willing to err on the side of caution.

It is clear that there are many problems in the sport of jumps racing, and these are problems that will be difficult to solve.  Solutions are not easy to implement and may be costly. 

But however imperfect the current system may be, it is still far better to allow things to continue as they are than to needlessly condemn millions of horses to an untimely and cruel death by banning the very sport that is keeping them alive and well-cared-for.

Thanks for your company.  I hope that I have managed to stimulate some thought on this very serious issue, and that you have gained some useful knowledge or entertainment from reading the thoughts I have shared with you today.

Please feel free to add a comment if you would like to share your own thoughts, opinions, or feedback.  All comments are welcome, but polite comments (even if they disagree with what I have said here) are more likely to receive a response.

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