Society/Culture Horse racing is cruel

[Nikita Blue]

Haven't seen it myself. Substitute your own word.

Sickening

 

[RobbieK]

Another way of looking at it is that without racing, punters would squander their money elsewhere, perhaps illegally, whereas the industry returns millions each year to the public purse through gambling taxes.

It is also a major employer and the third-biggest spectator sport in the country. That's a lot to dismiss with the stroke of a pen because someone found a certain undercover report to be distasteful.

Racing works.

The industry, just like greyhound racing, is built upon structurally required overbreeding and its resulting animal cruelty, and parting people, generally those who can afford it the least, from their money. Its foundational principles are exploitative, of animals and of people. It only "works" for those who are profiting off this misery.

 

[Les Malone]

The industry, just like greyhound racing, is built upon structurally required overbreeding and its resulting animal cruelty, and parting people, generally those who can afford it the least, from their money. Its foundational principles are exploitative, of animals and of people. It only "works" for those who are profiting off this misery.

So a bit like the moo cow industry.

 

[Ron The Bear]

The industry, just like greyhound racing, is built upon structurally required overbreeding and its resulting animal cruelty, and parting people, generally those who can afford it the least, from their money. Its foundational principles are exploitative, of animals and of people. It only "works" for those who are profiting off this misery.

Well if that's all you see in it, you'd do well to steer clear and advise your children to do likewise. And it would be sound advice. But it's a free world.

Believe it or not, wagering operators these days are not out to milk you for every dollar, so that you're plunged into personal crisis or stung into abstinence. They want you to come back next week and cultivate a manageable habit.


All is vanity.

What does man gain by all the toil at which he toils under the sun?

A generation goes, and a generation comes, but the earth remains forever.
...
What has been is what will be, and what has been done is what will be done, and there is nothing new under the sun.

- Ecclesiastes

 

[yodellinhank]

Its foundational principles are exploitative, of animals and of people. It only "works" for those who are profiting off this misery.

Welcome to planet Earth

 

[RobbieK]

Well if that's all you see in it, you'd do well to steer clear and advise your children to do likewise. And it would be sound advice. But it's a free world.

Believe it or not, wagering operators these days are not out to milk you for every dollar, so that you're plunged into personal crisis or stung into abstinence. They want you to come back next week and cultivate a manageable habit.

Sustainable exploitation to maximise long term profits, what paragons of virtue they are!

 

[Les Malone]

Sustainable exploitation to maximise long term profits, what paragons of virtue they are!

Did you just wake from a coma ?

 

[RobbieK]

Did you just wake from a coma ?

Why do you ask that?

 

[Ron The Bear]

Sustainable exploitation to maximise long term profits, what paragons of virtue they are!

Think of it like selling insurance. Insurance companies are bookmakers. And the bookie is nobody's friend.

 

[Lockyer24]

The majority within the horse racing industry are animal lovers, so any positive welfare changes as a result of exposing the darkest corners of the sport will be welcomed.

The life cycle of a flat track racehorse is not cruel in my view whatsoever although I concede that hurdling is an unnecessary risk and I personally would not put a horse into a race with hurdles.

There are still people in the sport not worthy of working with horses. Darren Weir etc.

Huge effort went into surveilling and removing this man from the sport. This case showed welfare is a priority, and that even the worst behavior will not be swept under the carpet for the sports image.

Tracks are now watered considerably more for the welfare of horses. Punters statistically bet more on harder tracks, yet the industry pushed on with this policy with less turnover.

The breeders in particular need to step up to the plate with rehoming. They give thousands of racehorses an existence but then don't utilise their huge profits and land at the tail end of the horses life enough.

Racing is here to stay and some aspects need and will improve.


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[Herne Hill Hammer]

Gotta love all the recent articles and interviews with 'horse racing identities' who are suddenly shocked and dismayed at the thousands of horses tortured and killed thanks to their love of the 'sport'.

Even Bruce McAvaney felt ashamed at it all - someone who's spent his life in the industry - confessing he didn't know what went on.

Sorry Bruce - you're full of shit. Or you're a dumb f***. Let's make a bet - 2-3 odds on, it's both.

Racing Australia’s chief executive Barry Dumb-F*** O'Farrell also said he’s 'appalled' but remained 'reasonably confident' in Racing Australia’s official data which shows just 34 horses annually end up at slaughterhouses. The ABC reported over 200 a week, Barry. What a prick.

The trainer of Winx gave an interview saying it was all wrong - 'we love our horses.' He didn't seem to give a shit about Bareul Jeong, brother of Winx, who wasn't as fast as his sister, so was shipped off to South Korea - where hundreds of other Aussie horses go - to be tortured and killed.

An industry full of scum and sanctimonious arse-wipes too ashamed to admit it's all about the money - that's all it's about - nothing else.

Those who go along for the fun, the fashions and 'colour' are just the usual numb-nuts too thick to see through the PR bullshit the industry has spent tens of millions of dollars on over the decades to keep the money rolling in.

The PR continued this year with Rachel Dumb-F*** Griffiths and her shit-stain of a movie 'Ride Like a Girl', partly financed and heavily promoted by Racing Victoria, released just in time for school-holidays and the Spring Carnival. A family feel-good film, unless ofcourse, your family has slow or old relatives being tortured and slaughtered.

Oh, don't forget, gamble responsibly.

Why would they ask a trainer? In the end it comes down to the owners as to where they go. I bet you the trainer of Winx doesn't keep slow ones in his stable for too long.

I had three pacers with my brother, one of them pretty handy and the other two not so. In the end I refused to keep paying for them to be trained and we gave the two slow ones away away to be used as hacks and the other got picked up in a claiming race and went to Tamworth, as far as I know he's still alive but no longer racing.

My family in some capacity has always been involved in the Trots, whether that be breeding, training, owning or driving.

I'm not silly, I knew the slow ones were getting slaughter for pet meat or whatever but this story has just crystallised it even further for me. I no longer follow any form of racing, whether it be the gallops, trots or dogs, the only think I have a punt on now is the AFL where at least the competitors have a choice and even then it's only one day a year on GF day.

 

[HairyO]

How is this latest thing any different to what we have known for decades, but now actually have evidence of?

What did people think happened?

 

[Goosecat]

Isn't it amazing how imbecilic some purported commentators are on this subject. As if equating a societal need like eating to straight out abuse for amusement and monetary gain is an intelligent comparison. As if equating something like breeding high strung, high stressed animals and abusing them physically for years for amusement and monetary gain is somehow equivalent to an Insurance Company selling insurance. Trolling or otherwise, honestly some people literally would improve the human gene pool by making different life decisions.

The reality is, there are no answers realistically to the overall abuse of the horse in racing. They are bred to purposely be high-strung/nervous energy animals and then pushed as near to breaking point a possible, hopefully without completely breaking them, at least not until some money has been made. That is the reality of all race horse existence. Bred to stress, develop gastric ulcers and injuries, push as far as possible for around 5 years and then discarded to somehow survive another 20 years of non productivity for the racing industry that bred them.
The reason so many end up at abattoirs despite the uneducated or straight out liars of the industry going on about " Re-Homing" is because they are simply so high strung, and so mentally stressed from breeding and years of constant pressure, both physically and mentally that many simply never find people capable of handling them and utilising them successfully after racing. What often happens is realities like the following racehorse "Re-home";

" Hi, I have a 8 year old thoroughbred and we just got him a week ago and he rears in his stall and runs around in circles. He is always looking and spooking and things. I was wondering if you could give me more advice."

Then there are the various stages of high strung horses going from one owner, on to the next who thinks they can utilise the adrenaline before realising they really couldn't, then the next, then the next who after a few years through multiple owners end up sitting a child on one who has a flashback memory and spooks. The variation list is actually ginormous regarding what happens when these high strung racers are "Re-homed" .

The below is a very capable Thoroughbred racehorse "Re-habber" going through mental and physical behavioural re-shaping of an ex racehorse. This horse is a good horse, about as good as ex race horses can ever be. Listen and watch what it takes however to really help a high stressed animal " Calm".
Average Joe horse riders/families and lovers simply have no idea. Those with no exposure have less than that.

Frankly the very answers being proposed regarding the problem of what to do, after already abusively breeding and racing for 5 years, with an animal likely to live another 20, are laughable regarding their ineptitude and ill thought through realities.
All the actual abuse and deliberate breeding of high stressed animals aside. No "Re-homing" program can truly work until the industry enforces a trained, recognised " De-racing", calming behavioural program for at least 3-6 months BEFORE moving the horse on. It cannot be left up to some guess-work /hope that a new owner of the racer will succeed. The program must become part of all racing trainer/owner requirements for license to race.

No one should comment without watching this 1/2 hour. Around the 24 minute 12 sec mark you will hear discussed other ex race horses including failures, who can never truly get over the "Training" of racing. Anyone from industry reading this, watch it as well. Many of you brought up within have actually no clue regarding the inability of so many of these horses to go on after racing. You all mange to ride and and get brought up with these nervous energy, nervous wrecks in reality, animals and many of you, just like so many other so called " animal lovers" actually have no idea, period!! Geeze half the most well known Trainers/Owners and commentators have gone on record admitting they have no idea (Hi Bruce).

 

[Lockyer24]

Their training methods are actually quite gentle. Light canters when in training followed by stronger gallop for only a few furlongs.

They then do a lot of water walking and recovery work.

Lots of time spent in the stable and when not in work, spend half the year in the paddock.

Your constant use of the word abuse and high stress is emotive crap.



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[Goosecat]

Their training methods are actually quite gentle. Light canters when in training followed by stronger gallop for only a few furlongs.

They then do a lot of water walking and recovery work.

Lots of time spent in the stable and when not in work, spend half the year in the paddock.

Your constant use of the word abuse and high stress is emotive crap.



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Full of crap. I've spent plenty of time in and around it buddy. You are a liar or have no ability to understand the body language of a tired horse. It's the same for all intensive athletic training, push the boundaries, grow resilience, fitness. The difference between humans doing it and horse is the CHOICE.

 

[Lethality]

Believe it or not, wagering operators these days are not out to milk you for every dollar, so that you're plunged into personal crisis or stung into abstinence. They want you to come back next week and cultivate a manageable habit.

That's the business model of a drug dealer.

 

[woota]

No "Re-homing" program can truly work until the industry enforces a trained, recognised " De-racing", calming behavioural program for at least 3-6 months BEFORE moving the horse on.

I would prefer the whole sport to be banned and criminalized altogether.

 

[Ron The Bear]

That's the business model of a drug dealer.

There are more parallels than you might think.

 

[woota]

The below is a very capable Thoroughbred racehorse "Re-habber" going through mental and physical behavioural re-shaping of an ex racehorse. This horse is a good horse, about as good as ex race horses can ever be. Listen and watch what it takes however to really help a high stressed animal " Calm".
Average Joe horse riders/families and lovers simply have no idea. Those with no exposure have less than that.

I watched that video. Sad stuff. She mentioned that particular horse having PTSD from its racing days, but she kept saying he was calm compared to other ex racing horses she is working with.

 

[Lethality]

There are more parallels than you might think.

That's what I'm saying, it's exploitation.

 

[Taylor]

How many other sports are able to survive without gambling revenue?

I'd argue that horse and dog racing is a gambling venture first and foremost, then the rest.

 

[Lethality]

How many other sports are able to survive without gambling revenue?

I'd argue that horse and dog racing is a gambling venture first and foremost, then the rest.

AFL is going that way.

 

[RobbieK]

Think of it like selling insurance. Insurance companies are bookmakers. And the bookie is nobody's friend.

There are more parallels than you might think.

I'm confused, Ron. Have you forgotten that you were trying to defend and justify the industry?

 

[Lethality]

 

[magpie_marty]

Lets ban Horse Racing!
Lets ban the dairy industry!
Lets ban the slaughter of pig's!
Lets ban the slaughter of sheep!
Lets ban the treatment and slaughter of Chickens!
Lets ban the treatment of Turkeys!
Lets ban Fishing!
Lets ban aged care due to the abuse of our Elders!