Horse racing: Is this a cruel sport or not?

Question

and why?

Answer 1

Yes it is cruel.
Every year several thousand race horses are bred of which only 1/3 will be fit for racing. The rest are sent to slaughter for pet food or are found homes, depending on the breeder/owner.
These horses are forced to run as hard as they can, sometimes dying on the race track from a heart attack or a broken leg. When the horse falls both the jockey and horse can be trampled and killed by the other horses.
When a race horse gets too old to race more often then not they are sent to the slaughterhouse where they become pet food.

Answer 2

I don't think the sport itself is cruel, like others have said, most people with race horses treat them well -it's the rest of it that I have a problem with. Breeding thousands of horses a year when only a handful actually make it to the track, let alone become winners. What happens to the rest? Sold off to the highest bidder, generally they turn into dogmeat. Race horses have a bad rap because of the previous training they have had, so anyone but the really experienced rarely buy them, and those that buy them without experience rarely know what to do with them. This usually results in unwanted horses- usually starved and uncared for.

The only change I would like to see is more regulations about how many are put to stud each year, those with less than great bloodlines should not be allowed to breed, therefore enhancing the level of excellent racehorses, and reducing the chance of a foal becoming an unwanted horse later on. And there also needs to be a more consious effort from the breeders to find decent homes for those that will not race.

Answer 3

Definitely not.

It simply taps into the horses natural instinct which is to run, fast.

Thoroughbred racehorses are amongst the most pampered animals on the planet, they are given the best of everything, food, bedding.

People that say it is cruel to use whips or make horses jump have obviously never ridden a horse before! For a start you CANNOT make a horse do something that it doesn't want to, any rider will tell you that. Secondly the rules about use of the whip are so tight these days that it is impossible to "abuse" a horse.

I have worked in racing for years and have never seen a horse treated cruelly. The people that work with racehorses do so because they love them, and certainly not for the money. The owners, jockeys and trainers would not make a living if the horses did not run well and unhappy horses do not run well.

Many of the horses go off to stud upon retirement (spending at least 6 hours a day out in the field eating and socialising to their hearts content) and those that are not lucky enough to do so find new careers as showjumpers, eventers or even just pets.

Don't forget that without horse racing the magnificent Thoroughbred would simply not exist.

Answer 4

1. Horses have a far thicker hide then human beings, and the whips have been altered to be more humane. Most whips now do not actually hurt the horse, but rather makes a sound that pushes them forward. 2. The preakness filly's owner is already rich. He bought her for $10 million and trust me, he won't make that back just by racing her. He wanted to put her in the preakness because he enjoys having the best horses compete against each other. He wanted to stir things up. 3. Cruel owners may do horrible things to their race horse. That is nothing new with any animal: cruel dog owners will abandon or abuse them, cruel cat owners may let them out & forget about them. STOP blaming everyone and realize that most of the problem lies in bad ownership, not the sport itself.

Answer 5

I don't believe it's cruel, these horses have been bred to run like this. They are athletes and this is their sport. I think that perhaps it was a cruel sport back in the day, before all the animal rights legislation was introduced but nowadays these horses are so well looked after.
I think some jockeys do go a bit overboard with the crop but you can't fail to notice a horse's posture when it wins - tail high, neck arched, ears pricked up - it's loving the attention. If it was human it would be David Beckham at that point.

It's what happens to them after their careers are over that bothers me. Some are rehomed or taken in by organisations that care for retired racehorses but many are just shot.

Answer 6

Not cruel. If you've ever been I guarantee you can tell that a winning horse is enjoying itself. Horses run in the wild, by the way (the Mustang, etc.) Most horses are not overly run or pushed too hard - at most you could see a thorobred or quarterhorse running once a week; most race only two times a month, some even less.

In the Harness race field it is not cruel under any definition - they are just basically trotting or pacing, a thing which most horses in the history of the world, when used by man, used to do - and throughout history most horses carried a load much heavier than just one man and a flimsy "cart" (sulky).

Answer 7

No I don't think it is cruel. Great strides are continuously being made to assure a safer and more humane sport:
1) the number of polytracks being developed have demonstrated that less horses are "breaking down."
2) rails have been improved dramatically so that horses and jockeys who might hit them are less likely to be injured severely.
3) the regulation of medicines given to horses are monitored closely to avoid abuse.
4) exessive abuse by riders of whipping horses is monitored by track stewards who are positioned around the track during the race.

Of course, despite these safeguards there are incidents that appear cruel. I would suggest the same holds true for other sports--football injuries, cycling, etc.

Answer 8

It honestly depends on the trainer. If they take a soft patience approach to the horse then no it isnt cruel. I broke a throughbred for a woman last year and he was 2 1/2. . .he just won 11,000 on his first race. I never once "Whipped him" I popped the whip so he could hear it. But they dont shot him up with steriods and he is a beautiful and tame runner!

Answer 9

Toughie!! - I have two horses, My husband used to own a racehorse, albeit on a small level. My dad used to be a jump jockey and he maintains that a horse should never be beaten to race - if it wants to it will. I think it is highly wrong to beat any animal. But I also think to ban racing is wrong on the grounds of a horse having to be shot for a broken leg - horses that are used just to plod up and down can break a leg - so then you could argue no one should ever ride again!!!

Answer 10

Horse racing has been around for a long time- "The Sport of Kings" , it is a great sport enjoyed around the world.