Sir, – Jennifer White's letter (Letters, March 17th) is the first I have seen in a long time in your columns that draws proper attention to the cruelty involved in horseracing.
Colourful and exciting it may be for those who love it, but the inescapable fact remains that these beautiful creatures are bred, trained and used solely – regardless of the many injuries, often fatal, involved in the process – mainly in the end to give pleasure to humans.
It is an industry that is unintentionally but inherently cruel and should be no more. Throughout history when humans enslaved other humans for cruel entertainment it eventually became unacceptable and prohibited by law. Isn’t it well long overdue that all animals, including horses, were treated with the same respect?
– Yours, etc,
IVOR SHORTS,
Rathfarnham,
Dublin 16.