Bitkin
I understand what you are saying
But
I dont agree with it
I have thought long and hard about eating meat, it dosent sit well with me but at the same time I have pointy and grindy teeth so for me as an omnivore I consider meat important part of my diet
The same with my dogs, I choose to feed them meat because that is what they have evolved to eat and I consider it is the best for them

I try and make sure the animals have the best life they can before they are taken for food, it is part of the natural way of things - some animals eat meat, some animals are eaten

That imo is totally different to animals dying for nothing more than our sport, and a sport we have on purpose made dangerous enough that significant numbers of animals are killed every time this race is on

Your argument basically is saying if I eat meat then bullfighting, bear bating, fox hunting all should be perfectly acceptable to me - but they are totaly different things

I am not against human and animal working together in a sport that they both enjoy
I am not so unrealistic as to think that accidents never happen and no animals will ever die

I am against the sheer NUMBERS dying - it says to me we have pushed things too far and should be looking at it - either we have bred horses too fragile (lets face it as a species they wouldnt have lasted long if every time a preditor chaced them 4% of the herd died) OR the races are a little too difficult and should be tweeked

We do that with F1 racing - the cars COULD go faster but then there would be more deaths, so we limit it so there is still excitment and still risks but not such high risks

Hey, hang on a cotton picking minute! Where did I say that I would be in favour of all those things? I did make a point of saying in my reply earlier that as long as their was no cruelty involved etc. etc. Nothing that I have said indicates that I might support bull fighting or bear baiting!!

I just happen to believe that racing is not cruel.

I love F1 by the way, and have followed it for nearly 50 years now.........but this thread is not about human sports so will not comment on that one.

The difference (in my eyes) is that these animals are not being used to be killed or hurt (as they are in bear baiting, fox hunting or bull fighting). They are doing what they were bred to do, which is run fast and jump. When an animal dies, it is an accident, and not a part of the sport. No-one in horse racing likes to see a horse die.

OK fair enough, I have also never said that racing is cruel, but I dont agree that because I eat meat that it is OK for animals to die in other ways for our entertainment - I find that very different


Yes it is different - but so is farming animals for food
I would agree in most things a deat is an accident and not part of the sport
But, when it is happening as regularly as this then its not a accident its almost a guarantee - and as such it is part of the sport

I am sure if 75% or 50% of the horses died then pretty much everyone on here would be unhappy with it
If 0.01% of horses died due to racing then the thread wouldnt even exist
The problem with the thread here is what people find an acceptable risk for the horses. imo the risk we have just now is too high, others dont think that is the case

Also, I do think that comparing the recent safety changes in F1 which still give exciting racing but not frequent deaths, with horse racing just doesn't work.

You can lower the fences all you like, but a horse can and will still trip over them. They sometimes trip over hurdles which are not very big, and unfortunately break their legs. Riders now have better protection in new helmets and body protectors, but horses cannot be bubble wrapped and whether racing or being silly all by themselves in a field, they can injure themselves badly.

The only way to make horses safe is to stop riding them altogether and confining them to a stable.

We will just have to agree to disagree! Good argument though

I read and appreciated all your post except this bit? Not sure what you mean?

Pigs and the like are not pets, including race horses. they are bought raised and kept to serve a purpose. Dogs in the main are pets that live with us in our homes. The comparison is irrelevant and not comparable at all.

So many hypocrites about. If the intention was to harm and maim I could understand some of the hysteria, but of course it isnt. Its just once a year some people like to have a shout and a moan. Lol, amazes me.

My friends horse stumbled just stepping down a kerb. Broke his leg because he went down and fell awkwardly. He wasnt even being ridden, just led to another field.

I just ment that bear bating is different from horse racing - and farming for food is different from horse racing as well