Horse racing's glamour does not fade, but little is done to reduce the annual suffering of over 400 horses being raced to death, according to statistics collected by Animal Aid.

At the Grand National, 30 have died in the three-day Aintree event in the last decade. This can't be too surprising on a course of four-and-a-half miles with 30 high obstacles, including perilous drops, ditches and sharp turns.

The crowded field of 40 or so adds to the risks of collisions and falls.

Deaths in or after a race come from a broken leg, back, neck or pelvis, spinal injuries, exhaustion, heart attack or burst blood vessels.

Can spectators find these difficult to believe in the circumstances?

Most deaths are from training injuries or shortly after being assessed as no-hopers.

Many horses are started too early, before their bones are fully formed at about three years of age.

Betting can seem a harmless flutter, but horses can pay with their lives.

Horses are the essence of the sport. It can be argued that they would not be trained and raced to the point of excessive stress, and not be allowed to mix with each other naturally as horses, but for the sport.

If change is too much to ask, I hope we can recognise the facts that amount to cruelty.

C Seal, Leicester.