Why The Grand National Needs to Be Banned

Animal Aid has been campaigning against the Grand National for two decades. It is one of the most dangerous events in the racing calendar, with races designed to push horses beyond their limits to create more of a ‘spectacle’ for paying crowds. In the pursuit of dramatic ‘entertainment’ and profits for humans, horses are paying with their lives.   

The Grand National race itself is perilous and has killed 16 horses since 2000. Despite recent changes to improve the ‘safety’ of this race including reducing the number of horses running from 40 to 34, and moving the position of the first jump, the race remains a killer.  

Key problems 

• Horses are force to jump too many demanding fences at speed – 30 in all 
• Unusual and awkward fences catch horses out 
• There are concerns about the horses’ abilities and experience, and the demands made upon them  
• The crowded field of 34 runners causes death and injury  
• The extreme distance – four-and-a-quarter miles – makes it the longest race in Thoroughbred National Hunt (jump) racing. The event has seen horses who have collapsed and died.  

Away from the horrors of the Grand National, horses face a lifetime of exploitation. From being used as a breeding machine, to being pushed through gruelling training regimes to win races, horses within the racing industry are valued for what their bodies can provide for humans – not for their intrinsic worth.   

We campaign for an end to all horse racing, with jump (National Hunt) racing and the cruel Cheltenham and Aintree Festivals being the first to go.  

How to help horses 

•  Take the pledge to never attend or bet on horse racing 
• Read our newly published report – Victims of Abuse in British Horse Racing 
• Order our new ‘You Bet They Die’ campaign t-shirt! 
•  Visit Animal Aid’s Race Horse Death Watch site
• Find out more about our campaign to ban the Grand National  
• Order campaign resources such as leaflets and posters by emailing info@animalaid.org.uk 
• Share our social media posts