The Dark Side of Racing

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lauren123

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Feb 3, 2007
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Did anyone watch the BBC Doc last night? The dark side of the racing industry? In short the slaughter of ex racehorses that have been transported from Ireland to the UK.
While the doc blamed the racing industry for much of it. I do feel that most racehorse trainers treat their horses like kings and queens. However they have no control what happens when they retire. So it isn't completed there fault.
However it showed some very wrong doings with how the horses where destroyed.
I completed disagree with the need to transport horses far distances to slaughter when they could be put down at home. I was also shocked that a horse with a none weight bearing leg was transported over and had been left around a week with that injury.

It makes me quite upset. I get that some ex racer mentally or physically damaged to the point that it would be unsafe to rehome them. But I don't think they should be slaughtered because of that. In addition GE horses where 3 horses that where killed. One for lameness (on and off) , one wasn't suitable to be rehomed and another that won over 170k had a career ending injury. GE said he gave them to a respected individual who was either to find them new homes or have them PTS. So how they ended up in the food chain..

Going to give Sox a extra hug tonight.
 
I intend to watch it on catch up. We dont usualy sit down to watch TV till 9,pm and it clashed with University Challenge on which my husband insists.
 
I happened to see (didn't really want to) an article on the news headlines about race horses at the slaughter house and some very graphic upsetting images. It might be an age thing but at 51 (not that old!) I just can't stomach stuff like that anymore. Images haunt me, and I always wish I hadn't seen them. Cowardly yes, because it's so easy to look the other way. There are a great many wrongs against animals in this world and the older I get the more upset I become. Sorry that's a pointless reply really. Reports like that make me realise how lucky our leisure horses are in general and despite my old girls being on borrowed time, when their time comes I'll try not to be too sad because they've had a wonderful charmed life in comparison and they are the lucky ones. And yes, do give Sox an extra hug tonight.
 
I couldn’t watch it.

I agree that while they are in racing they are treated incredibly well. However when they no longer do the job they are got rid of. Some trainers try their best to find good homes, others not so much.

There were 2 ex racers turned up one day. Each had been bought for £500 by owners who simply did not have a clue. I looked these horses career up. One in particular had been very successful for many years described as the yard favourite. Heart breaking.

Another yard I had gone to looking for a new horse. The trainer was nice and said you don’t have to decide now but instead take the horse for a weeks trial. After the week for a few reasons I said to then it wouldn’t work and I would bring him back. She said no, keep him for another week. When I did take him back I said when i would be there. Turned up and no one on the yard. I waited a while and decided to put him back jn his stable. However when I got there his box had been taken and there was a new info plague on the door. Eventually someone arrived, grunted at me and took him away. A while later this horses owner rang me. He had no idea where the horse was and why I hadn’t taken him.

Then Soli. With a top trainer. Not terribly good results but good potential so they had had him 2 years. He didn’t even have a stable name, just a number. When I contacted him, via his open forum, I was sworn at and the trainer was plain horrible. He didn’t have a clue who Soli was (less than a year out of training) and wasn’t in the slightest bit interested in him.

Quite simply I hate racing and the whole attitude that there is always another horse there to fill that space. And that horses dying during training and racing is just something that happens. The biggest hastle is getting the body dragged away so they can carry on training.

As for the GN? If badminton/eventing had such a high death rate it would be condemned.

I actually don’t think death is the worst end for these horses rather than being passed on and on. But they should be quietly pts where they are rather than the horrors of what is being described
 
The sad fact is that racehorses are a commodity, nothing more than cash cows, of course they are treated well in training they need them on top form but once their ability to make money ends it’s bye bye.
I like, @Trewsers didn’t watch it but read it on BBC news, also I can’t see things like that anymore. Needless to say I’m not a big racing fan.
Speaking of animal cruelty what’s with the latest dog craze of cutting off their ears to make them look aggressive? Apparently it’s illegal in the UK but still happening, because it’s become trendy on social media, what the **** is wrong with people? Honestly if I could find the folk doing that I’d chop their ears off and see if they were ok with it!
 
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Kite_Rider said:
I’d chop their ears off and see if they were ok with it!
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Anna Sewell is ahead of you in Black Beauty:

“Why don't they cut their own children's ears into points to make them look sharp? Why don't they cut off their noses to make them look plucky? One would be just as sensible as the other. What right have they to torment and disfigure God's creatures?”​

 
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I managed the first 20 mins but was so sickened that I had to turn it off. The faces of those watching the videos spoke volumes 😔
 
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I purposefully didn't watch it, I'm well aware of what happens and I just don't need those images seared into my brain.
I haven't quite figured out the selling of them for retraining, they don't go horribly cheap around here (near Newmarket), often 1500-1800 quid, which I think is a lot for a horse that has had a hard life physically (in terms of their training) and will likely need OAP care at a younger age and will also need extensive retraining. Yet they will pay someone to kill them badly. Doesn't add up to me.
 
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No didnt watch it. But re the comment above. How can they transport animals that distance if there lame.
As a farmer im not even allowed to transport a lame animal a short distance to a slaughterhouse to put it out of its suffering. It can be transported to a vet for treatment or has to be put down on farm. If it cant stand on four legs it is deemed unfit to travel. How is it acceptable to transport a lame horse 100s of miles and across sea.
 
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We didnt watch as I think OH wanted University Challenge. But thanks to this warning I wont watch now. Film I have seen on English trainers yards has been interesting anot horrifying. Think of Clare Balding
 
lauren123 said:
Did anyone watch the BBC Doc last night? The dark side of the racing industry? In short the slaughter of ex racehorses that have been transported from Ireland to the UK.
While the doc blamed the racing industry for much of it. I do feel that most racehorse trainers treat their horses like kings and queens. However they have no control what happens when they retire. So it isn't completed there fault.
However it showed some very wrong doings with how the horses where destroyed.
I completed disagree with the need to transport horses far distances to slaughter when they could be put down at home. I was also shocked that a horse with a none weight bearing leg was transported over and had been left around a week with that injury.

It makes me quite upset. I get that some ex racer mentally or physically damaged to the point that it would be unsafe to rehome them. But I don't think they should be slaughtered because of that. In addition GE horses where 3 horses that where killed. One for lameness (on and off) , one wasn't suitable to be rehomed and another that won over 170k had a career ending injury. GE said he gave them to a respected individual who was either to find them new homes or have them PTS. So how they ended up in the food chain..

Going to give Sox a extra hug tonight.
Click to expand...
How did they end up in the food chain given that during their career they are likely to have had bute and any horse with bute CANNOT go into the food chain ever.
 
I watched it and was disgusted. The GE horses, no excuse for that. the one in six mortality rate of horse's owned by Mr Ryanair is appalling, that bastard just culls them if they break. Disgusting as he has the money.....of course GE is his trainer so the mentality goes all the way through the organisation.

GE offloaded his shit to a dealer and knew perfectly well that many of them would go for slaughter - did he tell the owners, did he tell them this would happen and suggest perhaps have the horses pts at home and pay for it. And how did the chip of a horse that was killed on the track turn up in another one five years later at the Wiltshire abbatoir.

What appalled me the most was the utterly dangerous unsafe and totally bad way the horses were despatched with a rifle in a confined space, what about ricochet, waving a rifle in front of horse is going to terrify it. You need a short pistol to get up close and shoot on the forehead not across a room with the horse moving around. Where was the fucking vet who is in charge of welfare there?

The abbatoir is general purpose not designed for horses only. sending them from Ireland - where they have an abbatoir for slaughter for human consumption to Wiltshire if they are injured and again if they have been injured and on pain relief they should not be going into the human food chain.

Racing needs to levy on betting a tax for horse welfare and do more to protect these horses. The ones most at risk are the 2-3 year old failures but it was heartbreaking to see good old NH servants, who had run in big races, ending up there. There is something very wrong with horse welfare in ireland from top to bottom. A lot of UK trainers and owners rehome ALL their horses and McManus in Ireland keeps his they go back home when they retire.

I suppose the only thing you can say is at least they are not being flown out to Japan as sushi which is the fate of heavy horses in France and Canada.
 
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diplomaticandtactful said:
How did they end up in the food chain given that during their career they are likely to have had bute and any horse with bute CANNOT go into the food chain ever.
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Not sure how they ended up in the food chain. They most likely got around it by passing it off as a different horse. Since in 20 days they had 40 horses been passed off as different horses. What also got me is the sweet bay mare of GE who was only 6 at the time was owned by someone very high up in racing and I am sure she is on some board of directors in regards to racing.
 
What I'm waiting for now is a rush of do-gooders who know nothing about horses wanting to rescue ex-racers. In many cases I fear it'll end in tears for the "rescuers" and well meant neglect for the horses - and the trainers will be blamed either way because they'll either be wrong for letting them go to the wrong people or wrong for pts when a home is available. I've seen ex-racers in the wrong hands, it's not good for either party.
 
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lauren123 said:
Not sure how they ended up in the food chain. They most likely got around it by passing it off as a different horse. Since in 20 days they had 40 horses been passed off as different horses. What also got me is the sweet bay mare of GE who was only 6 at the time was owned by someone very high up in racing and I am sure she is on some board of directors in regards to racing.
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yeah that irish bitch who pretended she knew nothing about it. Poor mare.
 
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