How many horses died at the Grand National last year?
The Grand National 2019 is, erm, swiftly approaching.
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This might not be happy news to all though, as reportedly a total of just over 200 horses lost their lives in British races in 2018.
According to the British Horseracing Authority, the number of horses who died on racecourses had reached a six-year high by the end of last year.
The Grand National has seen a few horse deaths in its time too, so to get an idea of what we might have to expect this time around, heres the number of horses who died at the Grand National last year, and how many horses have died there in total.
How many horses died at the Grand National in 2018?
Last year, one horse, ten-year-old Lilbitluso, died as a result of a fall at the Grand National.
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A statement from the organisers at Aintree at the time read: While racing in the Randox Foxhunters Chase at Aintree, Lilbitluso fell and was quickly attended to by our expert veterinary professionals.
Sadly the nature of the injury meant it was necessary to put him down humanely on welfare grounds.
Our sympathies are very much with his owners and the team who cared for him on a daily basis.
In response to the horses death, the animal rights charity Peta released a statement asking people to message ITV chair Sir Peter Bazalgette, requesting that he stop broadcasting the Grand National – however ITV carried on the broadcast as planned.
How many horses have died at the Grand National in total?
Since its inauguration in 1839, there have been 83 Grand National deaths over the 180-year period. Since 2000, there have been 12 deaths at the Grand National.
In a post on the Peta UK website, the charity are still asking the public to beseech ITV to stop broadcasting the Grand National.
The charity says: At 4.5 miles, the Grand National is one of the longest and most controversial races in the world. The high risk factor is what makes it famous, but every year, horses lose their lives, sustaining horrific and often fatal injuries at notorious fences such as The Chair, Bechers Brook, and Canal Turn.
Every time that horses are forced to jump these excessively high obstacles, it puts tremendous pressure on their slender front legs, leading to broken legs, necks, and backs.
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However, according to the Grand Nationals website: Over the years Aintree race officials and the British Horse Racing Authority have introduced a number of safety-Read More – Source
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