Grand National - Dress code...

[Annasfield]

I hate the national. I won't preach about it, but the course length and fences are unnecessary. Most horses enjoy racing, but I just think this race is extreme.

[DJKillaQueen]

It is an extreme race and brutal. It's not a race for novice jockeys or horses. It's awful that two horses have died but I would also say that 38 horses did not die. I'm quite ambivalent about horse racing as a sport but the national is a race that many people bet on out of tradition. The previous poster who said that but for racing these horses wouldn't exist is right. They are highly trained high spirited thorough bred horses......trained for one purpose.

The race and it's fences used to be be far harder. A lot has been done to make the course safer whilst not compromising the spectacle and challenge of the course. Part of the problem seems to me to be the congestion of riders over the early fences. Maybe widening the fences might help. Cutting the number of runners might help too. What is the point of running 100-1 outsiders with no chance of placing for example?

I don't know what the ideal solutions are, but I was able to pick both the winner and second placed horses for a bet and I know nothing about horse racing. If I can do that, then the organisers can certainly run a field of horses that are both capable of jumping the fences safely and in numbers that maximise the safety of all those taking part.