Males are gelded so that they lose interest in females and to prevent painful injuries caused by knocking against fences. There are two types of National Hunt races - hurdles and chases. In hurdle racing, when a horse's leg hammers into one at speed it can inflict serious injury, breaking a leg or bringing the animal to ground. Falls can cause rapid death from a broken neck or, worse still, a slower death from a broken back. The now dead horse will be covered by the screens and winched into transport which ends at the knacker's yard.
Some horses bleed severely and regularly, with blood leaking from their nostrils.
Horses would not normally push themselves to such limits. Most people are aware of the deaths that occur in the Grand National, deaths which are just the tip of the iceberg in racing. Every year around 250 horses die on racecourses due to fatal falls, serious injury, or heart attacks. The size and style of the obstacles can be killers - and the deaths can be seen on TV coverage. Support for the Grand National is immense.