Hi all, BBC Panorama next week focuses on racing - "Horse racing is one of the most popular and profitable sports, a £5 billion industry in the UK and Ireland followed by millions. Panorama reporter Darragh MacIntyre investigates what can happen to racehorses when their careers end. The industry says that racing is now safer than ever, that the number of deaths on the track is falling and that the animals are looked after in retirement. Panorama discovers that off the track, many horses suffer career-ending injuries, and rather than being rehabilitated or retrained for life outside the sport, race horses that have been owned and trained by some of the biggest names in the industry, have been put down, some meeting grisly deaths." Sounds like a interesting expose and lets hope the reported legal actions don't stop it from being shown.
This has got PETA and all other Animal Cruelty groups watching with baited breath to post how bad the sport is in the modern day world...
When did Panorama stop being on for an hour and instead switch to just a 30 minute prog??? As next Monday's show is going to be on for this latter timeframe you do wonder how 'in depth' they can be in just a short space of time. Plus in the 'schedule war' its up against Corrie so viewing figures won't be great. As the BBC though have no horse racing shows of their own anymore and, obviously, no advertising income from any sections of the horse racing industry you would imagine they will be pretty disparaging about the whole sport - or especially the 'part' of it that they seemingly will be focussing on. Is probobly going to paint a very bad picture.
Because I expect it to be biased and will probably annoy me. I will spend my time doing something I enjoy - and it won't be watching "Corrie"
Interesting, I will be watching because I think its a section of the industry that is murky and I don't know enough about. I don't expect it to be particularly biased either.
I hope you are right. I've seen enough of the murky side and as there is nothing I can do about it and probably don't have many years left, I try to enjoy the kindness and enjoyable bits
Its on at the same time as University Challenge - no contest my brain cells are going for the work out
The Sporting Life website has a short article here ahead of tonight's programme. Of course one has to allow for the usual reporting standards of the Sporting Life but the article says: "The programme, entitled The Dark Side of Horse Racing, will be shown at 8.30pm on BBC One and includes covert footage filmed inside one of the UK’s biggest abattoirs – which it is claimed show rules surrounding the slaughter of horses being breached. The cameras were set up by a campaign group which has called for an end to racing and filmed at the end of 2019 and the start of 2020, during which time it is alleged “dozens” of former racehorses were shot, with regulations to prevent animals from unnecessary suffering contravened on numerous occasions." It then goes on to say: "The programme claims at least 4,000 racehorses have been slaughtered in abattoirs since 2019, with “most, but not all” trained in Ireland." It will be very interesting to see exactly what is portrayed - particularly that which is irrefutable against that which is "alleged". The number 4000 certainly seems very high and I wonder if there is any information around WHY the horses have been sent to the abattoir. If the horse has a debilitating illness or is basically suffering in old age then I would like to think the decision to put it down is based on concern for the horse and that it doesn't suffer unduly. I just wonder whether this can account for 4000 horses in 2 years though? Or whether there is indeed a darker side and that many racehorses are deemed "just not worth it" and therefore got rid of?
Racing is an industry in Ireland and a state funded one at that. Does it really surprise anyone that the horse is treated more as a commodity than a pet?
More details from the Racing Post here. As expected, Gordon Elliott comes under scrutiny: "The footage was taken over four days at the end of 2019 and the start of 2020 and, according to the BBC, shows dozens of former racehorses being euthanised, the majority of them from Ireland. Three horses formerly trained by Gordon Elliott are said to have been among them, including High Expectations and Kiss Me Kayf, named in a press release issued by the broadcaster on Sunday. "None of those animals were sent by me to the abattoir," Elliott is quoted as telling Panorama, explaining that the horses in question had been retired from racing through injury and were not under his care or ownership at the time of their death. The programme is expected to note that Elliott is currently suspended from the sport after a photograph emerged in February of him sitting on a dead horse."
I agree Nass and unfortunately all racing gets tarred with the same brush - look at the example of the whip rules a few years ago where the BHA limited the use of the whip but the Irish authorities didn't. I genuinely believe the UK horse racing population does its absolute utmost to protect the horses and the reputation of the sport. But in Ireland there seems to be a completely different attitude with a number of issues in recent years springing to mind - Elliot's photo of course and then Davey Russell punching that horse in the head.
How can anyone send a live horse to an abattoir. If we had a horse that needed to be euthanised (ie could not be saved so out of kindness to prevent suffering) it would be at our home, by our vet, and with us comforting it. Yes it would be heart-breaking and tearful but the horse deserves to be comforted to the end
The regulations say horses should not be killed in sight of each other. The footage recorded horses being shot together 26 times over the four days of filming. Prof Daniel Mills, a veterinary behavioural specialist from the University of Lincoln, who has seen the footage, said: "A gunshot going off is going to be startling, seeing another horse suddenly drop, these are all going to be very distressing for a horse in this situation." That is not the only breach of the rules. The regulations also say every effort should be made to ensure a rapid death. But the footage showed that sometimes the death was far from instant. On 91 occasions the cameras recorded a slaughterman shooting horses, not close up, but from a distance. Reviewing the footage of one such killing, Prof Mills said: "It doesn't look like the horse is even stunned. You can see it's turning its head. It seems to have got some control actually over its head and neck. "Taking a shot from a distance at a horse, to me, that's completely out of order. If you're going to euthanise a horse, you've got to get a bullet in the right place. "If that's representative of how they're being killed, then we've got a really serious problem."
Not only will I not be watching the program. I will not be returning to this thread again. And I would suggest the same for all animal lovers
