Poetry, Essays and Art By J.H. Dickinson from All-Creatures.org

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A National Shame

As children we are encouraged to adore it,
Idle fun, racing-run,
Tom foolery.

A National shame.
They run, they die
Injured, traumatised,
Bewildered,
England’s lie.

This year, they raced,
They fell,
Fatally wounded,
In greed and crafted hell.

Ridiculously named:
‘Get on George’
‘Gold Dancer’
In ownership,
of animals
– selfishly destroyed.

And to ‘Gold Dancer,’
The winner.
Self servingly
Ridden to death,
With a broken back.

You deserved better.
You deserve justice.
What shame
- on us.

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'I wrote this in response to the recent 'Grand National' horse race in England, this April. It is a horrendous race where many horses have been injured and killed and there are continued protests to stop it, and of course, stop horse racing altogether. This April's race saw the loss of two horses.'

Read about it here:
Gold Dancer and Get On George Die at Grand National 2026
The Grand National: 9 Things They Don’t Tell You About Horse Racing

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© 2026 J.H. Dickinson

Posted on All-Creatures.org: April 12, 2026
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