Total Grand National Festival Death Toll Rises to Four Horses
Eclair Surf, Discorama, Solwara One and Elle Est Belle have died at the Grand National Festival this year.
The death toll continues to rise each year, claiming more and more lives of sensitive horses. Since 2010, 33 horses have died at the Grand National Festival.
Why the Grand National Festival Is a Death Sentence
At 4.5 miles, the headline Grand National race is one of the longest and most hazardous in the world – the high risk factor is what makes it famous. Almost every year, horses are killed during the three-day festival, sustaining horrific and often fatal injuries at notorious fences such as the Chair, Becher’s Brook, and the Canal Turn.
Every time horses are forced to jump over these excessively high obstacles, it puts tremendous pressure on their slender front legs and they risk broken legs, necks, and backs.
In some cases, drugs – both legal and illegal – have been administered by trainers and even veterinarians to mask the pain of horses who should have been recuperating so that they could instead be forced to run with injuries, making them worse.
No ‘Happily Ever After’
Even those who make it off the track alive are likely to suffer. Every year, thousands of horses – including spent Thoroughbreds and those who don’t “make the grade” – are discarded like used betting slips.
They’re abandoned, neglected, or sold for slaughter, their flesh ending up either in dog or cat food or as “prime cuts” for human consumption in Asia and Europe.
Five hundred horses connected to the English racing industry are sent to the abattoir each year.
Help Horses Like Solwara One
The Grand National is a national disgrace. As long as companies still sponsor the deadly race, horses will continue to die. Please, take to Twitter and use our action alert to urge sponsors to withdraw their financial support immediately:
