RIP, Kings Temptation: First Victim of Cheltenham 2021
Kings Temptation is the first horse to die at the Cheltenham Festival this year, following a fatal injury.
One runner today Kings Temptation in the 3.40 @CheltenhamRaces @Bryan_Carver_ rides pic.twitter.com/dAQZdJhfkm
— Ben Case (@bencaseracing) March 17, 2021
More deaths are likely to follow, as horses used for racing commonly die of fatal injuries such as broken backs or are killed after sustaining broken legs.
©Animal Aid
At last year’s despicable event, one horse lost her life on the deliberately hazardous racecourse.
How Horses Suffer in Racing
Horses bred for greed and speed are pushed beyond their natural abilities and forced to run at breakneck pace. Those who don’t sustain horrific injuries on the track may suffer heart attacks, bleed from their lungs, or develop painful ulcers or other health problems that come from being pushed to their breaking point for human amusement.
©Liss Ralston
In some cases, drugs – both legal and illegal – have been administered by trainers and even veterinarians to mask pain so that horses who should have been recuperating could instead be forced to run with injuries, making them worse.
A Survivor’s ‘Life’ After Racing
Even those who make it off the track alive are unlikely to live happily ever after. 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 Europe and Asia.
What You Can Do
Cheltenham isn’t alone when it comes to exploiting horses – about 200 of them die on racecourses across the UK every year. Help spare the lives of horses like Kings Temptation by urging companies to stop sponsoring the Grand National:
