what do u think of greyhound/horse racing??

[breyercrosscountry]

I think they should have less horses in a race as once I was at fontwell race course and I saw one horse do a jump and fall over then another one tripped over him and fell as well.

[katie14633]

CRULE!!! THEY ONLY RACE TO GET MONEY AND PEOPLE AND HORSES GET VERY HURT!!!

My Uncle used to race horses and he and his family loved the horses very much they didn't just race for the money. The horses got a lot of care and attention. If the horses lost the race nothing mean or harmful was done to them.

[The Love Of Horses]

Greyhound racing use to be cruel and inhumaine but many things have changed and althought their may be bad owners their are also good. Same with horse racing and their is a sertian limite to drugs so a horse can be druged during a race as long as they dont hit the limite of drugs. But yes racing can be very cruel and VERY dangerouse for 2 people die every year on a horse racing track. I have not yet decided if it is cruel or not there are many pros and cons on the subject and its hard to decide

I love races, the people. the atmosphere, the animals. And true... sometimes drugs are found in animals but I would say for the most part they aren't drugged. Simply because if they win, they are drug tested. Can't race if you are pumped full of drugs. And I like the fact that it gives the animals jobs. How many animals are in houses and kennels at people's houses waiting for the family to get off work/school and then not even walked, just let out to use the bathroom? At least these animals are allowed to do what they were bred and meant to do. Run and chase. And I doubt that racing grey hounds are locked in cages all the time except for races. They have to be in peak physical/mental condition if they expect to win, right? Surely they are regularly excercised and fed very well and plenty of vet visits. I mean, that seems like a better life overall than being a couch potato, waiting for ther daily walk. But this is jut what i know of professional well established racing establishments. Perhaps in less reputable places they are mistreated.

And yes they have jobs when other animals do not but honastly would you like a life with nothing but running all you had to do was run and when you did not run hard enough you where passed onto some one else and who would now if that next owner was going to be good

[HellRaiser]

I hate it. Do you know, if a grey hound is not fit(thin) enough the owner starves the dog!!! And did you AlsO if the horse does not proform to the right standard they wip it's ribs!?!?!?!

That's complete bull. A starved dog will not run well at all.

[wibeke]

Neither sport is inherantly bad, there's a lot of rules in place to keep these animals as happy and safe as possible, and most of the people involved really love their animals. They just let their animals do what they were born and bred to do.
The problem comes when people just want the money and don't take their animals into account. They push good horses too hard, put too many horses in a race, and running animals that clearly shouldn't be raced because they can't lose out on a big prize. A lot of the issues with racing is that they treat hoses and dogs like machines rather than animals. Accidents happen and even the most well cared for racehorses can still break down, but things would be much safer if people weren't so greedy.
And unfortunately it can really damage the animals, as well. It's a ton of stress on their bodies, and training an animal to just run run run all the time can really mess with their heads. My aunt works at a horse rescue that takes in a lot of ex racehorses. It takes a long time to convince them that they don't have to gallop all the time, and some of them are just terrified nervous wrecks. =/
But when they're done training that make wonderful, incredibly athletic horses, that love to please their owners. Unfortunately a lot of exracehorses don't get that chance. If its not worth breeding and it can't race, some owners just put the animal down.
I can't say as much for greyhound racing because I don't really follow it, but I'd imagine ex racing greyhounds have similar issues.

I still prefer greyhound racing over thoroughbreds, though. Greyhounds are meant to run, and it's much safer for them than it is for a horse. Horses are massive, and at a full gallop even a small stumble can easily cripple both the horse and its rider. Dogs think of it like they're hunting, and they're much less fragile.

Neither sport is perfect and there's a lot of horribly shady people in it, but for the most part I support it. Racing itself isn't bad, but there need to be more rules to ensure the animals safety and more efforts to adopt out retired animals.

[mango13]

I honestly don't think horse racing is a bad sport. I think it depends on what you think of it. I live on a horse farm, and we have 2 retired racehorses. When we first got them, they were in great condition. They didn't have any problems, excluding the fact that they were too slow to race. The owners obviously cared for them. They both were a little skittish, and jumped at shadows. But our family expected that, because they were in a new enviroment. They settled down after just a few weeks. Now they're great horses, and my sister shows one of them in dressage.

[classi]

So, a lot of people here say that horse racing is "mean". Would you please tell us exactly what's mean about it?
Everything is dangerous. Horses are the masters of getting into trouble and hurting themselves. I was trotting on my OTTB, and he managed to slice his vein open. We had to take him to the vet, he had to get stitches, and he was off work for one week. All we did was trot for less than five seconds.
I'm not saying that horse racing is completely safe, but I do support it. Most of the people who race their horses are knowledgable, smart, considerate owners who usually work their horses to the horse's best interest. There are a handful of owners out there who are so ignorant it's dangerous, but why does everyone focus on them? PETA likes to focus on the worst, most rare accidents that exist. They corrupt people into thinking that this is what happens every day.
Horses like running. Most horses, at least. They enjoy winning, they enjoy having a purpose. My horse, who used to race, gets bored and upset if he doesn't have a job to do. He loves being ridden, he loves being cared for. Yes, he used to be raced. He was bred and trained to be a racing Thoroughbred. Sure, he only raced in one race. But if racing really was 'so mean' then why has he been so happy his whole life?

Whipping does not hurt. I've slapped myself with a crop multiple times, hard, and it really doesn't hurt. The crop is simply a reminder to keep on going and listen. Yes, if you repeatedly slap your horse with the crop as hard as you possibly can twenty times, it's going to hurt and that is cruel. But like some people said, that's illegal.

If a horse isn't in top condition, they are not going to win, and they are not going to make money. Period. People don't stuff these horses into 'five by five' stalls. For heaven's sake, that is literally impossible.

Horses are exercised daily / routinely and they are kept in top mental and physical condition. If they were treated otherwise, they wouldn't run well and therefore wouldn't be earning their keep.

No, not all horses are killed once their racing career is over. Lots are kept as broodmares and studs. If a horse hasn't had a fantastic racing career, they are usually sold. Most of OTTB's go to loving homes which retrain them for a different discipline.

[Ruruskadoo]

Neither sport is inherantly bad, there's a lot of rules in place to keep these animals as happy and safe as possible, and most of the people involved really love their animals. They just let their animals do what they were born and bred to do.
The problem comes when people just want the money and don't take their animals into account. They push good horses too hard, put too many horses in a race, and running animals that clearly shouldn't be raced because they can't lose out on a big prize. A lot of the issues with racing is that they treat hoses and dogs like machines rather than animals. Accidents happen and even the most well cared for racehorses can still break down, but things would be much safer if people weren't so greedy.
And unfortunately it can really damage the animals, as well. It's a ton of stress on their bodies, and training an animal to just run run run all the time can really mess with their heads. My aunt works at a horse rescue that takes in a lot of ex racehorses. It takes a long time to convince them that they don't have to gallop all the time, and some of them are just terrified nervous wrecks. =/
But when they're done training that make wonderful, incredibly athletic horses, that love to please their owners. Unfortunately a lot of exracehorses don't get that chance. If its not worth breeding and it can't race, some owners just put the animal down.
I can't say as much for greyhound racing because I don't really follow it, but I'd imagine ex racing greyhounds have similar issues.

I still prefer greyhound racing over thoroughbreds, though. Greyhounds are meant to run, and it's much safer for them than it is for a horse. Horses are massive, and at a full gallop even a small stumble can easily cripple both the horse and its rider. Dogs think of it like they're hunting, and they're much less fragile.

Neither sport is perfect and there's a lot of horribly shady people in it, but for the most part I support it. Racing itself isn't bad, but there need to be more rules to ensure the animals safety and more efforts to adopt out retired animals.

For the most part I agree with you.

The biggest problem usually isn't the racing itself. Although that can be dangerous and can cause permanent and even deadly injuries, the biggest problem (for greyhounds at least) is that they aren't well taken care of after they're done racing. They're often neglected or killed once they've outlived their usefulness and are no longer profitable. While they're racing, greyhounds are fed well and exercised often so that they remain in peak condition. However, if they fail to perform well, they are no longer of use either for racing or breeding. These dogs are often either killed, neglected, or if they're lucky, given to a rescue. They aren't beloved pets the way dogs at home are. They're tools for earning money, and they're treated as such.
They can have psychological problems at first adapting from being either running or in a crate most of the time, and actually being allowed out into the real world. They can settle down quite well and become wonderful loving pets, but that's only the dogs that are rescued. There are dogs that are neglected and left to starve and sit in their own filth when they're not making money, or they're even killed, often in cruel ways (if you look into the Spanish greyhounds, you'll find some absolutely horrifying images and stories).
The racing itself isn't the issue. They're treated fairly well when racing. It's once they're no longer making money either racing or producing racing pups that the abuse begins. If you really want to see some images that are NOT child friendly and are really very disturbing, do some googling on the galgos (the Spanish greyhound). Keep in mind that a lot of the images displayed, especially if you do a google image search, will be of mangled, neglected, and often dead dogs, so don't look it up unless you're ready to see that.

I don't know if it's the same for horses, although I do know of course horses are heavier animals, and quite delicate, and a leg injury for them quite often is a death sentence, so there's probably a bit more risk for them on the track. I suspect though that the horses that aren't making money probably aren't kept around either.

[classi]

Usually, when a Thoroughbred is done racing, and they didn't have a good career, they will be sold. They aren't specifically sent to the slaughter house - it's whoever buys them. It irritates me when people say "they send the horses to the slaughter house!" when really, all they do is sell the horse at an auction, and most of the time the meat buyer is there. /:
A lot of horses are retrained into different disciplines, as they are a quite popular breed. My thoroughbred was retired early from racing, and if all horses who don't have good careers/are retired early are sent to the slaughterhouse, then how is he here? How is he showing with me today?

I know almost nothing about Greyhound racing, unfortunately. But I believe that horses are taken care of much better after their racing careers are over than the poor dogs. :c

[insult+injury]

I am very against greyhound racing as owners are usually cruel and get rid of their dogs once they aren't racing well anymore. As far as horse racing, I don't really have an opinion right now...