The Cheltenham thread being about horse racing and betting on the outcome of horse racing, here is an alternative view, that records the deaths of the innocent creatures involved. You bet, they die.
Day one: Theatre Queen Fell. Injured. Destroyed
Day two: Rolling Star Fell. Dead.
horsedeathwatch.com/ 
Comments
Can we assume you
a) don't eat meat/fish?
b) don't consume dairy/eggs/processed foods tainted by animal fats etc?
c) wear clothes or shoes that use any animal bi-products?
d) use any products that could have been made using animal bi-products?
And what about vegetables? Some of them have hearts.
As it happens I cannot stand horse racing.
If a horse didn't want to jump a fence, it would refuse.
This makes a mockery of the "flag" option - it's an opinion and one shared by many, maybe not on here though....
Presume those of you who disagree have long & meaningful conversations with our equine friends, who state they LOVE being ridden into the ground ( some literally, sadly) , whipped & pushed beyond the limit time & again ?
And all for what ?
To make the rich richer, the poor invariably poorer & all in the name of "sport" ?
And the Bookies laughing all the way to the bank.
Just hope you gamblers never "come back" as a racehorse !
They are flight animals. But they weigh a ton on fragile legs.
Nearly all horses run fine and in NH even most that fall are OK.
But when legs are damaged due to a fall or break due to stress when running, the horses are put down because it's the most humane thing to do.
More horses are killed in this country in fields because of damaged legs than ever reach the race course.
But this is nothing compared to those killed due to colic.
Many of those on the race course are worth a lot of money and are like family pets to their owners so trust me if it was possible to fix damaged legs they would irrespective of the cost. Even minor leg problems usually end in death as horses being treated are even more susceptible to colic.
So please don't think that a few deaths makes the sport barbaric.
And if horse racing didn't exist there wouldn't be many horses. Would people prefer that?
Do the horses enjoy running as part of a group? Yes
Do horses die in the wild through falling? Yes
Are the people who label the sport as cruelty to animals blinkered by their own narrow minded views? Yes
Wear leather?
Wish for a time when you only see horses in the zoo?
If the answer to 1,2 is yes or no in respect of 3 then your a hypocrite.
Personally I am more concerned about miss treatment of animals we eat or the decline of areas on this planet that wild animals can live in.
He's our resident tree hugger.
This broke my heart. An interesting read here and elsewhere on the web of the failed attempts to repair minor damage to his leg.
Floyd road on a Saturday dodge the dog shit on the pavement or wade through the horse piss and shit in road.
I had a fiver each way on both of them.
I know they are sort of traceable back to some Arabian horse but like many animals they exist because we want them to.