Controversy in horse racing

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There has been much controversy in horse racing due to the fact of jockeys using crops, and the deaths of horses in the horse racing sport.

1 Animal rights
2 Equine deaths
3 Lost horses
4 See also
5 References

[edit] Animal rights

The group Animal Aid says:

Approximately 15,000 foals are born into the racing industry each year in the UK alone, yet only a third go on to become racers. Those horses who do not make the grade may be killed for pet food, fed to hunting hounds or repeatedly change hands in a downward spiral of neglect. Of those horses who do go on to race, around 375 are raced to death every year.[1]

According to People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals:

Racehorses are victims of a multibillion-dollar industry rife with drug abuse, injuries, race fixing, and for many horses, their career ends in a slaughterhouse. A New York Daily News reporter remarked, “The thoroughbred race horse is a genetic mistake. It runs too fast, its frame is too large, and its legs are far too small. As long as mankind demands that it run at high speeds under stressful conditions, horses will die at racetracks.” [2]

During races, some jockeys use a crop to hit the horse on the rump to encourage the horse to run faster, though based on the most detailed statistical study of whipping ever carried out, it is actually counterproductive and slows the horse down [3] [4]. The British Jockey Club has acknowledged that "the Jockey Club has long advised riders that more races are lost rather than won through use of the whip". ^{[citation needed]} Skeptics of this position argue that counterproductive practices would not be employed given that horse racing is highly competitive and sustains itself on gambling. ^{[citation needed]}.

In Norway use of the whip is banned, except for in emergencies. It is also heavily restricted in India, where jockeys are not allowed to use a whip until they have proven they are capable of winning without it.

[edit] Equine deaths

Some 375 in-racing horses die every year in the UK alone. They may die on the course itself, from injuries received in training or be killed by their owners - considered no longer commercially viable.

[edit] Lost horses

The UK & Ireland horse racing industry breeds around 15,000 horses each year. Only around 5,000 of these enter racing. This leaves a 'surplus' of ten thousand horses who must be found homes. In addition to this, 5,000 horses leave racing each year, who must also be found retirement homes.

A very small number are used in breeding. Others are sold to hunters who ride horseback, for point-to-pointing (another horse sport), and general recreational riding. Animal Aid, a UK animal rights organization, contends that around half of these "lost" horses are killed to be fed to hunting hounds, used for pet food, or exported for human consumption.