They're dying to entertain you

I am of course talking about the Grand National.

I am not a betting man myself indeed I have hardly enough money to live let alone having spare to waste at the bookmakers so my interest was purely as a spectator.

Sitting there in a comfy armchair sipping on a glass of orange juice I could almost feel the tension as the race got under way.

As the horses crossed the starting line the commentators started their hurriedly garbled banter adding to the tension. It was most exciting.

Several horses fell at the first four fences but we all clearly saw them get to their feet however at the 6th fence, Bechers Brook, three horses fell but only two got to their feet.

As the camera panned away the sight of a horse laying motionless on the grass made me fear the worst.

On the second circuit of the course fence 20 had to be avoided, a tarpaulin covered the corpse of a fallen horse and at fence 22, Bechers Brook, a makeshift screen had been erected to hide the tragic sight of a dying horse.

It was all too shocking for me and yours truly burst out crying in my neighbours living room spilling my orange juice all down my front.

The Grand National has a poor record when it comes to the safety of the horses and this year was no exception with two reported incidents of horses dying.

Is this really considered to be entertainment in 21st Century England?

With so many fallers its obvious the fences are too difficult for modern horses to negotiate.

The event itself dates from the past and it seems that very little that is effective has been done to bring it up to modern safety standards.

Surely its about time this event was cancelled and something more suitable put on to replace it as entertainment on a Saturday afternoon?

Unless something is done next year I shall politely decline my neighbours offer of watching their television on Grand National Saturday.

No doubt many betting people will have come up trumps and pocketed some nice winnings from today event but at what cost?

I still haven't got over what unfolded on television this afternoon indeed I fear I may have been mentally scarred for life.

Tonight I hope that yours truly doesn't suffer nightmares from seeing the dreadful sight of horses dying live on television all in the name of entertainment.

What do you think?

Readers who submit articles must agree to our terms of use. The content is the sole responsibility of the contributor and is unmoderated. But we will react if anything that breaks the rules comes to our attention. If you wish to complain about this article, contact us here