Is the grand National cruel and should it be banned?

Yes they do enjoy it very much so, go to a meet watch them ride one u will see for urself how much they do, as i said a horse not interested in racing is of no use to a trainer or owner or jockey.
Secondly on the whip point the whip is an aid most horses ridden are encouraged with a squeeze of the leg against there side jockeys are not able to do this as they are mounted in an entirely different way to a normal rider the legs on the top of the horse against the saddle.They are cushioned whips and jockeys will be and are banned for extreme or over use so it is monitored.A jockey will use a whip to bring a horse to attention. They are pack animals and during a race they can revert to herd instincts and get distracted. Using a whip to make them concentrate sometimes so they dont fall and injury themselves is paramount for both horse and rider.
The grand national admittedly is testing the horses that it is why it is one of the biggest races of the year its like a runner doing a half marathon with the aim of achieving the full marathon, a lot start a lot fail through injury and so forth.
And yes the next time that horse sets its hoof on a race track he is just as excited as before he started the grand national.
Dont try and speak for the animal when you dont actually know how they react or respond. see it for urself first then say they dont enjoy it. They absolutely love it !!! yes they are tired at the end but so is a marathon runner or a greyhound racing or any athlete doesnt stop them doing it and enjoying it though.

@sword wrote:

I’ve never seen a fox as a pet, so it throws Patricia’s usual bullsit out of the window.

jesus.i’m losing count of the threads geoffrey has posted on today and mentioned my name. i fell quite stalked. :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: soz pebbs an poli……….do carry on…………….

@~Pebbles~ wrote:

@(f)politics? wrote:

Dont try and speak for the animal when you dont actually know how they react or respond. see it for urself first then say they dont enjoy it..

What makes you think you can speak for the animal if i cant? Last time i looked you werent Dr Dolittle. Rubber tipped whips indeed. There was me thinking it was painful, bet it feels like a tickle eh :roll: tell you what next time you get your hands on one let someone whip you a few times with it and see if the rubber tip takes the sting out of it.

How do u read cushioned as rubber tipped putting ur own words in to suit again i guess anyway i have had horses for over 30 years yes i do know when a horse is excited when a horse is scared when a horse is pissed off etc etc etc as do most animal owners know there pets from their body language you dont have to be Dr Dolittle to work it out. you can usually tell if ur pet dog is happy scared or your cat or whatever pet u have if u have any empathy and understanding of your pets whatsoever. Have u seen how wild herds reprimand other horses in the herd with kicks and bites ? so yes a slap with a whip on a horse’s rump, merely like you would check ur dog with a lead, no there isnt much to it, and the Racing Club will ban a jockey if they “mark” a horse with a whip.
That said i do actually disagree with over use of a whip beyond getting their attention and the odd flick but as i said they do ban the jockeys for such offences which is a good thing.And funnily enough most jockey bans are with flat racers rather than steeplechasers (is grand national )

Can You Feel The Love Tonight (Again)?

:lol:

@sharongooner wrote:

I reckon you two ladies should agree to disagree on this one you know.

You both hold strong views and present them pretty well, but your never going to change either of your views, so its not going to get anywhere other than you falling out and its really not worth it at the end of the day.

Shake hands and be done with it girls. 8)

twas a good and fair battle. :wink:

Think your right Shazza, i just wish some people would admit when they dont actually know certain things and get all the info from media links as we all know they talk cack half the time anyway, there really isn’t anything wrong with admitting you dont know something rather than just coming up with stuff for the hell of it thats why ive got wound up i guess. im not saying my view on the grand national is right as thats personal views but silly statements that i dont know when a horse is excited bfrom someone who has probably never been on a racecourse just for point scoring is plain daft but anyway your right i’ve put my point across 100 times over now too. so i’ll shush now :)

and talking of not knowing has anyone answered my olympic torch question yet ? im gonna go see lol toodles xx