Every time a horse has to be put down following a fall in racing, particularly in the high-profile Grand National, there is an outcry from the animal lobby. "Stop this cruelty" and "Ban racing" they shout, as if horses don't naturally run and jump.
Yesterday, the London Marathon claimed its tenth victim, a young woman who collapsed close to the finish of the gruelling 26 mile race. No one can claim it is natural for humans to run 26 miles at a stretch and yet no one demands an end to this life-threatening activity.
It is true that people make a positive decision to risk life and limb by entering for marathon races and it's probably true that horses don't make such a positive choice when it comes to national hunt racing. However, running and jumping is second nature to horses and they would no doubt be doing the same thing in some field if they weren't on a race course. They are, also, rarely if ever asked to run 26 miles non-stop.
The young woman who died yesterday clearly tried to push her body beyond its breaking point and suffered the sad consequences. When a horse falls in a race, it is rarely a consequence of the animal being asked to do something which it cannot; the animal, or the jockey, or both, make a mistake or become caught up in the mistake of another. To suggest that horse racing should be banned or the fences made even easier as a result of such mishaps is ridiculous. We might just as well ban marathon running because some runners may push themselves too far and die.
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