Links 🔗

- Gordon Elliot Horse Welfare Fiasco

- Horse Welfare in British Racing by BHA

- 2021 Grand National Runners and Race Guide

The Grand National is set to kick off tomorrow (10^th of April) for the 173^rd edition of the annual horse racing sensation. In light of recent events regarding horse welfare (link above), the reputation of horse racing has suffered here in the UK and beyond. I have been a keen follower of horse racing and love the majestic creatures that make the sport magical. On Pub Convos this week let’s talk about the Grand National and Equine Welfare.

Grand National:

• Steeplechase Race over distance of 4 miles 2.5 furlongs (6.907km) at the Aintree Racecourse in Liverpool.
• 1 furlong is 1/8 of a mile and 1 mile is 1.6km. Imperial units…. SMH
• A steeplechase is a race where horses are required to jump across divers obstacles like open ditches and water jumps, like the steeplechase in athletics.
• The horses would be asked to jump 30 times over 16 fences, including the infamous Beecher’s Brook.
• This extremely exciting race is tuned in by nearly 500 million viewers worldwide, making it one of the most watch events in horse racing.
• Notable past winners: Red Rum, Tiger Roll, L’Escargot, Papillon

Horse Welfare:

• British horse racing is regulated by the British Horseracing Authority. The BHA and a dozen other organisations are signatories of the National Equine Welfare Protocol and are involved in the protection of equine welfare.
• Racehorses tend to start their careers at age 2 and go up to age 12. However, horses that have retired from racing due to poor performance do not get neglected. These horses tend to enter retraining schemes which prepare them to participate in other equine related sports.
• Racehorses are also looked after exceptionally by their trainers and are sometimes treated to pedicures and spa treatments. The living condition of racehorses are always well maintained and costs a pretty penny to ensure that they get the best care throughout their racing career.
• Now for the issue most people think about when discussing horse racing welfare – The use of the whip. The use of the whip is not solely for encouragement but also to focus the racehorse during a race. The BHA has strict rules in which limits the number of times a jockey can use the whip. (7 for flat races, 8 for jump races) All racehorses are also subjected to inspection after a race to ensure the whip has not marked the horse.
• The whip tends to be made from a fibreglass inner and wrap with compressed foam to soften the impact on the racehorse.

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This series is brought to you by Adrian Fok (@adfok15). He will be writing about fascinating stuff that will help you to have a more insightful conversation in pubs or mamaks.