Savagery

Tonight I want to rant about something, which is very important to me. Something by now everyone will understand about me is my love of animals, the way I care and know distinctly how they feel and sometimes who they are. And there is one alone who is mistreated and taken advantage of all for greed, thrill and money.

Cheltenham National Hunt Festival was held yesterday. Second to the Grand National it is one of the most harrowing, difficult racecourse for a horse to ride in. Yesterday 7 horses met their deaths in the races, the biggest fatality in a single day in living history. The organisers have now called it ‘Black Thursday’. Apparently 375 horses are raced to death every year in the UK. This despicable sport has GOT to stop.

Horses are loyal, noble, gentle creatures who are misused. They are natural herding creatures and because of this they are raced in this way. I wouldn’t think the horse enjoys ANY of it. It’s tough, it’s gruelling, and it’s HARD LABOUR!!!! If you were a horse, wouldn’t you rather be in a huge field with your friends to run free?! Of course you would. Horses are servants to humans and that’s why I’ve never liked riding them. I’ve been at horse stables watching people ride and the horses look so tired and depressed and all the riders and stable people really think they know each and every horse, but they don’t! Ok, I’m probably angering many people and I KNOW horses have been used for centuries, from casual riding, to wars, sport, herding animals, you name it, they’ve done it. But horse racing, no, not any more, it MUST stop, look at it this way, do 375 athletes die every year?!!!

Daily Mail: “A spokesman for the charity Animal Aid claimed Cheltenham topped the league as the most hazardous racecourse. Andrew Tyler said that the deaths ‘should signal the end of horseracing’.” And what about the end of greyhound racing? Horse jumping? ANYTHING that involves animals in sport should be banned outright! Read more about Cheltenham here. Also the Animal Aid article over the races.

Ok, nice day. Freezing day, bleak, misty, no snow! Not AT ALL photography weather so here are some more I’ve taken on the holiday that I haven’t shown you; sunset of a few days ago ( a definite winter sunset), the mist and the sun on my walk, view from badger set overlooking the pines and vapour trail (RAF? I think so!), cottage from the fields and a flower in the hedgerow, a ‘Lesser Speedwell’.






Tomorrow I’ll be seeing my friend Sue at Dunsbeare, might go and see her badger sets that have been there for decades.

It’s getting sad now, last few days of Devon. Hopefully on Sunday we’ll go and see the sea, the Atlantic Ocean to be more precise and I’ll try and take some dramatic shots!

Emy xxx