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Originally Posted by jambutty
It wasn’t much of a last resort at Cheltenham a few weeks back was it? Wasn’t it 9 horses put down? Were they that badly injured or did it have something to do with the expense of treatment?
I accept that some of the losers will be found good homes but those that cannot are put down and there are more of those.
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Most horses that break a leg are destroyed because it is not possible to fix the break. Horse racing has strict rules around the destroying of animals and that does not come down to cost. If the animals leg can be fixed it will be even if that horse has to retire. The insurence for them is no different for them than say a fireman as there is a minute possibility a serious accident can occur. I have been to horse racing meetings and the vets concern is always the horse not the financial outcome. If they were not concerned for the horses why are stones removed and as much of the cut ground on the couse after each race not removed and re bedded?
As for Cheltenham yes it was a bad week but as it is a televised race any animals that are injured beyond effective vetinary help are at the forefront of any race outcome. It will always be there and not always over the jumps since flat horses can have the same issues though not as often.
If it was not televised would anyone notice or bother?
People do not just abandon an investment which a race horse is just because its not top flight anymore a lot end up running point to point racing which is the third form of raceing for horses in Britain