5 April 2014
Members of the North West Green Party will be protesting at Aintree race course, tomorrow, ahead of the Grand National. The event is the UK’s most celebrated horse race, but people rarely see what goes on behind the scenes of the horse racing industry. Green Party members will be highlighting the death of racing horses at Aintree and other courses.
Hundreds of horses each year are literally raced to death. If a horse gets an injury while racing, they will either die from the injury or will be put down if they are not good enough to race again. The high fences the horses are forced to jump over and the sharp corners and bends are a danger to horse safety. Each year a handful of horses die as a result of the Grand National. At least 52 horses have died at the Grand National. While there were no fatalities during the big race at last year’s event, three horses have died in the last five races staged on the Grand National course. (1)
Greens are calling for a ban on the use of a whip and on non-linear tracks, as well as a limit on the size of the jumps. They’re also highlighting the poor conditions in horse stables which often don’t give horses enough space to feel comfortable and to prevent boredom, stress and behavioural problems. Greens believe there should be a requirement for horses to be given a minimum number of daily hours outside.
Only around 35% of foals bred to race make the grade. The rest are either killed because they develop problems related to the extreme inbreeding and selection for fast growth and other characteristics or they end up in the lower reaches of the sport. Many go to slaughter for meat. Greens want tougher regulations for the breeding of racehorses so that there isn’t over-breeding and all breeders and horses are registered and properly inspected.
Jake Welsh, a European election candidate taking part in the Aintree protest said: “The reality is that this sport is purely about money and status. The welfare of the horse beyond its financial value is not a significant consideration. If people were aware of the reality of this industry I think many would think twice before having a flutter.”
He concluded: “We must campaign for new rules to make the industry publish all the statistics around breeding. What happens to all the horses who will never race? And what are the injury and death figures of those that race? We need to wake up to the reality of horse racing.”
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