| Topic: | Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Chiswick ladies spotted at Aintree | |
| Posted by: | Loraine Pemberton | |
| Date/Time: | 14/04/15 09:10:00 |
| Nick Seedling fell and died at 2nd fence at Aintree in the first race - the novice race for Grand National hurdlers. It appears he was overfaced. Having owned, schooled and worked with horses for over 40 years of my life some horses have a natural genetic predisposition for jumping and others mainly in the field of racing are schooled / trained to jump at speed from an early age and that's why so many hurdlers and flat racers are 'crocked' from an early age. Its like teaching a 2 year old to do do gymnastics before there bones and muscles have fully developed - a recipe for skeletal and muscle disorders in later life. If a horse at the Grand National or similar event falls and is damaged the chances are it will be put down so the owner can claim insurance - it's just a business. We wouldn't do that to our cats and dogs so why do we do it to horses? In a recent survey and test whether horses were given the option of going down a track with fences starting at 20 cms rising to 50 cms 49% napped at the higher fence - conclusion not all horses like jumping! Horses like humans and all animals have preferences, the difference is that horses are schooled for jumping and their success or lack of after being schooled is dependent upon whether or not they like jumping. So, it would be inaccurate to say the majority of jump horses 'love' what they do. They have been rigorously schooled and trained to be obedient and obey the owners / riders dictates. And in my opinion the current version of the Grand National should be dramatically changed so there isn't a huge field with massive fences. |