Horse Racing is Stupid. Period.

[the_bob_delusion]

So there. 

[2106greencat]

I agree with Lyndal,

Sorry kopes, but if 24 horses were allowed to run a long track like the Melbourne (or any race really) with little or no jockey direction, it would be carnage.

The horse, by nature, naturally wants to lead, the  jockeys know how to control it to avoid over tiring and dangerous behaviour.

As to the paid jockey, whether it was a horse he had ridden before or not, he would have been aware of the animals distress, and this is why he pulled back.

Sad, but true, that this happens more than we are aware of, and while I agree the horses are looked after and retired well in normal circumstances, they don't have a choice to race do they?

Then again, chickens, cows, sheep and pigs etc, probably wouldn't decide to be food if they could make the choice themselves.

We humans have a fair bit to answer to in the grand scheme of things.

[2106greencat]

With joono als,o with regard the 'flag' waver.

A trainer/owner's job is to know the horse they are racing, if it is skittish (and this is something easily identifiable) they sould have it wearing blinkers.

Punters are allowed to get too close to the track IMO, and this is something that will hopefully be addressed now.

No way can a spectator be held account for something as tragic as this.

[lyndal1838]

---

@j*oono wrote:

I think that it's quite ridiculous that people are blaming a flag waver for the death of this horse.  What a load?  The horse is trained and would have been paraded many times in a crowd.  The horse had just run a big race and maybe the noise and the cameras made it kick out.

To blame this person is just so wrong.

---

Sorry, I don't agree with that at all.

Race horses are not trained to have manners and to behave like a show horse.  They are trained to race and nothing else.  When they come off the track to be trained for some other equine pursuit it can be quite a job to calm them down and teach them to behave in a crowd.   Some of them never learn.

The Cup week meetings are the only ones where the horses are paraded before such huge, noisy crowds and it is actually surprising that there are not more accidents.  Many horses are difficult to control during the prerace parades.

Anyone who knows horses at all with realise that a flag suddenly being waved near a horse will spook it.

[polksaladallie]

In 2013, over $53 million was spent on betting on this race in Australia.

To date, $42 million is being spent (by Australia) on an attempt to save millions of lives in West Africa.

[debra9275]

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-11-06/most-victorians-want-jumps-racing-banned2c-vote-compass-reveal...

It's good to see that the majority of Victorians would like to see jumps banned

Fifty-five per cent of people responding to the ABC's online election survey Vote Compass said they either agreed or strongly agreed with banning the sport

[2106greencat]

Jumps, hurdles and IMO trotting with carriage (whatever they call it) is dangerous and should be banned world wide.

Hurdles used to be very big in the UK, not sure if that is still the case, and hope to see all Aus states ban completely.

[Anonymous]

---

@j*oono wrote:

I think that it's quite ridiculous that people are blaming a flag waver for the death of this horse.  What a load?  The horse is trained and would have been paraded many times in a crowd.  The horse had just run a big race and maybe the noise and the cameras made it kick out.

To blame this person is just so wrong.

---

not really if the person behaved irresponsibly

while in a possession of a flag that violated

already existing size restrictions.

[icyfroth]

That's what happens when they let bogans go to see the sport of kings.

[2106greencat]

I retract my post regarding the flag waver.

I had not seen the pics until you posted them, that person was an idiot, and I wish the 'oversized' flag had been spotted by security before it could potentially do the damage it did.

[green.fields]

This is a very emotive issue...My DIL has an ex racehorse as do many of her friends, she abhors the race industry....Her sister was in the racing industry, trained as a jockey, did the whole bit, they just had a little too doo on FB, very opposing views.

I don't like the horse racing, hate the whips, hate it when a poor horse is PTS.