[jambutty]

Here we are again at the time of the year where 3 or 4 dozen horses are “persuaded” to run several miles as fast as they can whilst negotiating jumps of varying height and width whilst carrying a human being on their backs. To encourage them to greater heights of effort the jockey will use a whip on the flanks. All in the name of sport and some people even consider it to be the sport of kings.

I’ll make my position quite clear on this issue. If man or woman wants to compete against another man or woman to see who can get from A to B the fastest they should do so on their own two legs and not on the back of some animal. This applies equally to dog racing although no human sits astride a dog. This position also applies to other equestrian events like the Burley Horse Trials and show jumping. I would even throw in Crufts and other dog/cat shows. It is all animal exploitation for the benefit of the human in the name of sport. Yes and circus animals too.

“But the horses love to run and jump” is one argument that is always trotted out. A horse is a flight animal and by that I mean a horse will prefer to run away from danger rather than confront it, although if driven into a corner a horse will turn on its attacker and defend itself to the best of its ability. Under normal circumstances a horse will have a sudden gallop around a field out of sheer exuberance but never for very long. So will a cow or a sheep or even a pig.

Horses are not born with the desire to carry someone on its back, they have to be trained to accept it but they have no opt out clause written into the horse’s constitution. For that matter they don’t have a constitution. They just have man exploiting the animal and driving it beyond endurance sometimes just so that the man can win some money, a cup or prestige. What’s in it for the horse? Hopefully a good stable and good feed but also training, training, training to make it run faster and further than other horses. Some life!!!