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Its always sad to see horses being destroyed at hunt races (Courses with fences)
I honestly believe fences, if they MUST be used, be lowered to a safe height.
It was very sad to see one poor horse laid out with a makeshift tent around it and the other horses being re-routed from the fence where it had fallen. It was even sadder when the commentator brushed it aside like it was an occupational hazard.
Expect several more fatalities at next weeks Grand National.

Nine in all - just not good enough. If they don't do anything then I expect the animal right groups to do something.

Also, 2 bookies mugged - one robbed of ?70000 and another of ?40000.

I couldn't give a shit about the bookies in all honesty.

there was a debate on radio 2 about this today i agree with ace something must be done to stop these horses from being badly injured which then results in them being put down

I don't know about this.

Cheltenham staged 8 previous meetings this year without one horse being fatally injured so it comes down to whether there is actually a reason that these fatalities have happened this week or whether a seasons injuries at 1 racecourse have all happened at once i.e. it could just be bad luck as my mate told me today that Cheltenham racecourse averages 7 horse fatalities every year.

I know what people will say in that 1 equine fatality is too much but the fact is that jump racing, like many other sports, is a dangerous pastime and there are many safety precautions in place now but the truth is like boxing then it can never truly be made safe as there will always be a risk for both horse and jockey.

But the problem is Eduardo, is the horse has no say in it. At least boxers and Grand Prix drivers get paid a lot as the risk involved requires that. Horses get rode into the ground and the trainers and jockeys get the money

I am sorry to say that making the fences easier will not solve the problem. Several of the horses killed this week were competing in hurdle races. The ground was fairly fast this year and perhaps that was the problem. Unusually, the screens were used this year for injured jockeys as well as horses. The screens that were put up in the Gold Cup were for Timmy Murphy. Nevertheless this problem is going to have to be adressed as the number of horses killed this week is unacceptable. The last thing I want to see is the end of National Hunt racing.

If it was this number of jockeys then something would be done.It must be possible to make it safer for the horses..perhaps softer ground just after the fences,minimum fields,more stringent qualification conditions for horses and jockeys,fences made softer,dividing fences so even numbers go one side until last two...just thinking out loud but carnage like this is unacceptablein this day and age when technology has advanced from that of the 19th century which is how little things have advanced.We want the race to be a test not a demonstration of a bolt gun....

A few years ago I asked some bookies what odds they'd give me on there being exactly two fatalities during the Grand National. All of them refused to take the bet on the grounds I was "sick" etc., yet those same bookies were happy to take bets on which would be the next famous person to die!

Can anyone explain to me the point of horse racing? Wouldn't it be more exciting if the jockeys had to carry the horses? Or maybe just have a race with just the horses... a test of speed AND intelligence (or would that be stupidity?)... after all, to win, the horse would need to complete the race unaided by a midget.

I can see your point but racehorses are considered to be some of the best looked after animals on the planet.

It's after they've finished racing that I feel sorry for them. Only a select few make it to studs or are sent out to grass. Many end up at knackers yards or are just left out in fields to all but fend for themselves. The care that they receive after their careers have ended is shocking.

As I said I can see your point about not consenting but they are as a whole very well looked after.