" Re: Anyone here love horse racing?
I've trained a few gallopers in my time. Did well, won races at Doomben, Eagle Farm, Flemington and Moonee Valley. One of my nags even held a course record at Moonee Valley for a time.
Part of my business now involves servicing the racehorse industry.
I did it differently to the average trainer, based on operant conditioning and interval training. They thought I was a nutter, but I had happy horses that did well and did not need the stick to run. My primary instruction to the jockey was to ride them out hands and heels... wave the whip around to satisfy the punters and the stewards but don't hit them.
A fit, sound horse does seem to enjoy it somehow. A horse that is happy with his lot is eager to be caught and is usually waiting at the gate to be exercised. It seems bizarre to humans, but it is a quirk of equine behaviour.
That said, there is a lot of deadsh!t trainers with miserable horses. If you love horses, a training track can be a stressful place to be as you must witness all sorts of crap inflicted on them. In some of these stables I would be the horse's only friend when I visit. Heartwrenching.
But the same can be said for any horse sport... dressage, showing, jumping, whatever.
As for jumps racing... I see the horses in between races, so I know how they are before and after. There are some good jumps trainers who also have happy horses, but certainly the injury rate is higher.
I saw a horse drop dead right in front of me at Moonee Valley as it jumped, that upset me a lot and the risk to the horses means I could never train my own horses for jumps racing.
Should it be banned? I don't know, but I think there should be penalties for racing an under-prepared horse IMO.
On the other hand, there is nothing like a champion racehorse... nothing.
(I think I have cognitive dissonance on this issue ) "
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I think this quote was from So cynical....
and I also noted Knobby...with an interest in the subject...
....................................................My 2 cents worth.....
I was born and bred into a Racehorse Horse family....both parents owned some great racehorses, my father broke in and trained some famous horses, my younger brother was firstly a jockey, then a very successful trainer of some stunning racehorses, my elder brother did the same on a part time basis....and I not only enjoyed and participated in all these activities....but I then spent 20 years,
rescuing horses, some of them were Tommy Smith, and Bart cummings rejects, that had fallen into the hands, of unscrupulous, and cruel, ignorant people.
I retrained these former racehorses, taught them to compete in Shows and Pony club events....or simply retired them, and either found good retirement homes for them, or gave them, a well earned retirement. All of this at my own cost and expenses, huge vet fees, that I paid for..there was no assistance or charity involved.
I can attest to the horses natural urge to compete against each other....really no whips or any ancillary devices required . Not all horses have this ability or drive.....probably only one in a thousand, horses are capable. They also need the right owner and trainer, to accomplish same.
The Jumps is an entirely different scenario.....some horses jump well, it is a natural for them. but extremely dangerous...one wrong move....and they are goners.....no legs, no horse....
Have you, a human, never ever made a split second mistake...most likely you have,...but sure as hell, you never believed, your life would depend on it...
Other horses, absolutely hate to jump...but are forced to ....the end result is the same...a cruel and horrid painful death.
You would have to be rather naive, to not be aware of the cruel tactics, that some trainers use to make horses jump....
I believe jumps racing should be banned....
There is so much in the thoroughbred racing industry, that should also be banned...as in,
corrupt trainers, jockeys ,horse owners, and bookmakers....
but gambling involves so much money...for the punters, and state governments....it never will be cleaned up
All the horses , pay the price.
For eg;. A famous Melb Cup, within the past 5 years, the Winner broke down after winning the cup....his broken body was moved to the local Newmarket Salesyards, within minutes....his body was left there, to be disposed of for dogs meat.
And no one blinked an eye....they just collected the winnings, the trophy...and pretended...all was well.
How callous, how disgusting. A great horse gave his life, and the owners, and well known trainer approved, this most disgusting end for a great horse.
The truth of this was on the net, for a while, but has since been removed.
Maybe one of you can help, to disclose the truth of that story.
*** PS , I am truly concerned for the welfare of a great mare, Black Caviar...she is worth more as a breeder .
and a tourist attraction...to bring tourists to OZ to see her race...
the owners would earn more money for Stud fees, than any silly race winnings......
I have seen too many of our best racehorses, sent overseas, end up as dogs meat.....instead of staying at home...
as tourist attractions (for geldings)...or stud fees, for mares or stallions...
its all about greed, and gambling