It's Time to End the Grand National
- by: alicia graef
- recipient: British Horseracing Authority
Since 2000, more than two dozen horses have lost their lives at the Grand National, a steeplechase that takes place at Aintree in Liverpool.
While the British Horseracing Authority continues to claim it cares about equine welfare and that it has made safety improvements to the course over the years, horses continue to get seriously injured and die needlessly and routinely. Two horses, Battlefront and Little Josh, have already lost their lives this year.
With or without improvements, it's hard to think about putting 40 horses on a four-and-a-half-mile course with a total of 30 demanding and treacherous jumps as anything other than a death-trap. In the past ten years, only 37 per cent of the horses that have started the race actually finished it.
A poll conducted on behalf of Animal Aid last year showed that the majority of respondents who had a clear opinion believed the Grand National is cruel. Hopefully this year's deaths will seal the fate of the Grand National in the public's eye and help bring it to an end.
Please sign the petition asking the British Horseracing Authority to end the Grand National.
As someone who is concerned with equine welfare, I'm writing to ask that you ban the Grand National once and for all.
Despite changes to the course, horses continue to needlessly and routinely suffer from serious injuries including broken necks, broken backs and broken legs, and ultimately death. Already, this year's event has resulted in the deaths of two horses, Battlefront and Little Josh. The course is too long, the field is dangerously overcrowded and the fences are excessively hazardous, especially Becher's Brook.
No small alterations to the course will ever make this event safe and the public's opinion of it is dwindling. A poll conducted on behalf of Animal Aid last year showed that the majority of respondents who had a clear opinion believed the Grand National is cruel. Evidently, society has evolved and standards for the humane treatment of animals have made incredible strides since the Grand National began in the 1800s.
The canned response from both officials and those who lose horses that animal welfare is a priority and that everyone involved cares deeply for their animals is beyond tired and becomes more insulting each time it's used in response to a preventable tragedy.
At this point, it's not even a question of whether horses will die at the Grand National, but of how many and who they will be. To continue to support this event in light of this progress and to continue justifying it by making slight changes just continues to perpetuate ideas and traditions that should be left in the past. Please put a stop to this unnecessary cruelty and ban this event for good.
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