The Grand National Tragedy
Grand National – An Ongoing Tragedy
A time when people dress in their best top hats, window displays on high streets are catering to those who want to look their finest, and posh rooms with free-flowing champagne above Aintree racetrack are being booked faster than last year’s winner.
With names like Supercomputer, Vanillier, Corach Rambler and Noble Yeats, how could a horse race like the Grand National be anything but spectacular? That’s a question to ask the hopefuls of previous Grand Nationals, or Envoye Special who suffered a fatal injury in the Foxhunters’ Chase on the first day of Aintree Festival 2023. The names of many horses who’ve gone before will tell you - they have paid the ultimate price for those adorned in their derby hats and overly priced attire, or the average tipsy tailed gambler. Eclair Surf, Discorama, The Long Mile, Up For Review, According To Pete, Synchronised, Dooneys Gate, Ornais, Hear The Echo, McKelvey, Graphic Approach, Tyneandthyneagain, Goguenard, The Last Fling, Manx Magic – they were entered into this race not of their own will, and their fate was sealed with the starting gun. Which name will betters choose to be the “winner” of a lethal dose when that jump is just too much? When the pressure and the whip bring them to their knees? Who are they betting on to survive being euthanised?
Many will already be aware of the tragic deaths at this year’s Grand National. The names Envoye Special, Dark Raven and Hill Sixteen are now part of the growing list of horses that have died tragically at the Aintree Festival, where the Grand National puts horses under the most strenuous conditions while spectators cheer and bet money on which horse will make it to the finish line without a fatal fall requiring euthanasia, or dying on impact when their neck is broken upon falling after a jump, as happened to Hill Sixteen on Saturday.
Hill Sixteen - killed April 16th 2023 at the age of 10 with a broken neck at the first fence.
There are many aspects of animal cruelty in horse racing, and if it were done in a manner that considers the welfare of the horses first and foremost, there would be no serious injuries or deaths, nor horses drenched in sweat with the whites of their eyes showing and painfully laboured breathing.
For one, there are a great many excuses made to allow the continuation of the whip, which prompts horses to run beyond comfort. According to the British Horseracing Association (BHA) jockeys can use the whip to encourage horses to give their best or trigger a "gear change" but should not be used to coerce, for example with excessive force. Given the drive for jockeys to win a race the whips are indeed used to coerce and dangerously push the horses beyond their fatigue, as can be seen in the reviews of whip use and the weak disciplinary actions for those who hit their mounts repeatedly during a race.
The BHA also says, "The current design of the whip was developed with input from the RSPCA” a statement that is not supported by the current stance of the RSPCA who have recently published a blog titled “It's time for horse racing to wave goodbye to the whip”. In a BBC article on the new whip rules it further says "Manufacturers insist they do not cause pain to horses, although the Royal Society of the Protection of Animals (RSPCA) says there is evidence they do."
If whips are required for "safety" as purported, then there is something wrong in how the horses are being trained/handled. Horses, thoroughbreds in particular, are incredibly sensitive animals and using whips for "safety" is really using fear to control them, or when racing, pressuring them to run.
Other factors of abuse include racing horses that are still babies and not fully developed, forcing them to live in conditions that are unnatural to them, i.e. being boxed for very long hours, and forcing them into a physical state that is clearly distressing to them - seeing the whites of a horse's eyes indicates fear and stress. Dripping sweat from exertion is not a state they would willingly go into unless running for their lives. Causing distressed breathing when being pushed well beyond comfort and forcing 30-40 animals with a fight or flight instinct over big jumps while running at full speed are all undeniable acts of animal abuse, and no amount of fancy dress and high-flying horse owners with money to throw around can make it less so.
Thoughts following the Grand National:
The trainer of Hill Sixteen blamed those protesting the Grand National for the horse's tragic death, claiming they caused the horses to go from being boxed for long hours straight to racing the course and missing the "parade" (in which spectators can gaze at the horses they want to bet on), and jockeys can ride the horses up to the first fence. And who shall trainers blame for the other 60 horses that were put down over the Grand National weekend events since 2000? Or the other two these past few days?
No animal should ever be put in a situation of running to breaking point, especially for sport. That they are often worked up into a sweat before even getting out to race indicates that the horse is not in a happy place. Horses in their natural state are meant to be outside grazing, not kept in boxes for long hours and treated like investments.
While the deaths of Envoye Special, Dark Raven and Hill Sixteen have taken the headlines, the many falls and collisions of other horses in flight mode must not be ignored. The nightmare collision of horses Cloudy Glen and Lifetime Ambition with onrushing horses due to being trapped against a jump is simply not acceptable. Imagine the terror of these horses, driven into flight mode, adrenaline pumping through them as they are steered over jumps at breakneck speed, then being trapped with nowhere to go and multiple horses also in fight or flight mode rushing at them.
Of 40 horses that started the race on Saturday, only 17 finished. If that doesn’t tell us this race is designed to put horses under incredible strain and risk, I don’t know what does.
Dark Raven - killed April 13th 2023, age 6 and Envoye Special - killed April 13th 2023, age 9
Too many horses who suffer injuries that end their racing career face being sent to an even more horrific end - finding themselves in auctions where meat buyers claim them for slaughter. This was proven to be the case after Animal Aid obtained undercover footage in a British abattoir and exposed that over 4000 racehorses had been slaughtered since the beginning of 2019.
Many years ago I did a (very) short stint as a groom at a racetrack, and there’s no denying there’s a dark underbelly to this industry where in some cases grooms are asked to sleep with horses in their boxes to prevent anyone sneaking in to drug their horse, and where cocaine is as common as a hay net. I lasted one day, quitting after a 10-year-old thoroughbred I had looked after dropped dead of a heart attack while on the track. How anyone can claim to love horses then gamble with their lives for sport is beyond me
Following the tragic deaths at Aintree’s Grand National, the British Horse Racing Society put out a statement, saying;
“Our thoughts are with everyone connected to the horses who suffered fatal injuries this week. No one will be more affected by this news than the trainers, owners and stable staff who have provided these horses with first-class care and attention throughout their lives.
The BHA and Aintree racecourse will now analyse the races in painstaking detail, as is the case every year, to build on our existing data and help us understand what caused these incidents.”
It’s very simple and doesn’t require any “painstaking” analysis – what “caused these incidents” was putting these horses in an incredibly risky and unnatural situation, making them run at breakneck speed over hazardous obstacles while waving whips to trigger their flight mode, pushing them to run toward breaking point.
Personally, I should like to see every one of those trainers and owners put on a track and chased with whips over jumps to the point where they collapse or suffer bleeding lungs, broken bones, or heart failure, and if they survive, hear how much they love to race while they struggle to catch their breath as their hearts beat at a painful rate. Let them run a mile or four in a racehorse’s shoes. But hey, so long as they were well loved and given “first class care and attention” prior to being run beyond capacity – that should make it all okay.
The BHA goes on to say;
“The Grand National is and always will be an iconic sporting event and the actions of a small number of people will do nothing to diminish its huge and enduring international appeal.”
It is on all of us to show the BHA that it is more than just a “small number of people” who oppose the cruelty of horse racing.
On behalf of all racehorses, we at Animal Concern ask that you write to the BHA to let them know that their failure to properly remove all aspects of abuse and cruelty in horse racing puts every horse death and injury on their heads. If horse racing is to continue, the following changes must be made if their statement that “Love and respect for horses is at the heart of everything we do” is to mean anything.
1. No whips, period.
2. No chains, no abusive forms of control. Any decent trainer should be able to handle a horse without the use of a whip in a manner that causes a horse to show the whites of its eyes. If a horse is not considered “safe” then it should not be put into a situation where it puts itself and others at risk.
3. No obstacles that a horse cannot comfortably and safely jump over.
4. Reduced distances in all races, especially the Grand National.
5. Races must not be run on dangerous grounds or conditions.
6. No more than 15 horses in a race.
7. Horses must not be run if in a state of anxiety or agitation. They should be calm, focused, and unstressed before a race.
8. Horses must not be pushed to the point of fatigue that can cause put them at risk and cause them to collapse.
9. Horses must be given the quality of life that best suits a horse, with freedom to move, graze and engage in all natural horse behaviours.
10. Upon retiring, all owners of racehorses must ensure that they do not see their fate sealed at a slaughterhouse or any other circumstances that permit abuse or neglect.
The BHA can be contacted via;
Post: British Horseracing Authority Holborn Gate 26 Southampton Buildings London WC2A 1AN
Email: info@britishhorseracing.com
Phone: 020 7152 0000
In memory of all horses who’ve lost their lives to horse racing.
Elena Edwards
For Animal Concern