RIDING FOR A FALL - Raced to death
In this final section of Riding for a Fall, we report on the 300 horses raced to death every year, the Grand National race itself, and the fate of the horses when the racing is over.
Raced to death - 300 every year
Despite the racing industry's often extreme 'remedial' activities, large numbers of horses continue to be raced to death every year - either dying on the course itself or shot soon after because of injury or a dip in performance that makes them commercially non-viable.
The Jockey Club commissioned a major study of deaths from jump and flat racing that occurred on all 59 British racecourses throughout 1996, 1997 and 1998. (33) The fatalities resulted from breaks or fractures to the legs, backs and shoulders, or they followed heart attacks. The total number of fatalities was 657 - an average of 219 per year. This 219 didn't include point to point racing deaths - calculated by Kareena Grey of Discover Racing Death at more than 100 during each five month season. Nor did the Jockey Club count the off-course deaths of horses who began the season but did not finish it.
Animal Aid conducted its own study of all the fatalities that occurred during the 1999/2000 National Hunt season. We identified and named 247 jump horses who died or were killed, a tally that represented one out of every 31 who competed during that season. (34) One hundred and fifty six of those 247 fatalities resulted directly from racing injuries. The remaining horses - 37% of the total - were killed, not from old age, but because they were considered of no further commercial use. Applying this finding to the Jockey Club survey, we can add 37% to the 219 deaths per season figure, to arrive at a total of around 300 horses raced to death every year.
The Grand National
The tradition of horse killing continued at last year's three-day Grand National meet at Aintree, with four equines losing their lives. During the Grand National itself, The Last Fling broke his back and Manx Magic fractured his neck in a race that saw just 11 out of 40 starters complete the 30 jump, four and a half mile course. Since 1997, the Aintree meet has claimed the lives of 27 horses on the course itself.
When racing is over - thousands disposed of every year
To the total of horses who are raced to death, must be added the far larger annual number who - having reached the end of their careers - are simply killed or jettisoned. Around 5,000 leave racing every year - the same number who enter it. Only a comparatively small proportion of the older animals go on to be breeders and an even smaller number enjoy a decent, properly financed retirement. The racing industry's own retirement fund was started only in 2000 with a budget of just £200-250,000. The Big Three bookmakers, who are reported to make anywhere between £200 and £400 million annually from betting on racing, at first refused to give a single penny to the scheme. (35) After further consideration, a token, collective sum of £30,000 was offered.
An indication of the scale of the problem and paucity of industry support, is the plight of the few major horse retirement centres. Carrie Humble, who runs the Thoroughbred Rehabilitation Centre in Nateby, told The Guardian