Dark side of Grand National - 'cruel' slaughterhouses to tragic jockey suicides

Horse racing is one of the UK's most popular and profitable sports - but it's not all cash and celebrations.

The charity's biggest concerns include the safety of the horses and the use of the whip. Back in 2020, a petition was signed by 96 MPs to ensure the British Horse Racing Authority banned the use of the whip for 'encouragement', but no progress has been made. Emma said, "this callous disregard for the welfare of the horse has no place in a caring animal loving Britain".

The documentary claimed rules protecting animals from unnecessary suffering were being ignored in one of the UK's biggest abattoirs. Using covert recordings, it claimed horses with career-ending injuries are slaughtered rather than being rehabilitated or retrained for life outside the sport. Drury and Sons told the BBC it did not accept any form of animal abuse. A spokesperson said: "We take great care to maintain high welfare conditions and do not accept any form of animal abuse. All horses are humanely destroyed and on occasions where issues do occur, we take swift action to review and rectify."

To keep their weight down, in extreme cases, athletes have avoided drinking fluids and resorted to diets of as little as 600 calories a day. The immense pressures have left some jockeys suffering in silence, and many athletes have expressed their concerns that racing is behind other sports in accepting the importance of mental health on the job.

Source: Healthcare Press (healthcarepress.net)

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