SIR: There was perhaps a touch of irony in the timing of ITV's Network First - "They Shoot Horses, Don't They?", screened less than 24 hours before the mighty Red Rum was humanely put down in a manner and after a retirement we would wish for all equines.

There must have been hundreds who wept at the fate of the animals which were surplus to requirements and ended up as a table delicacy. There were probably hundreds more who could not bear to watch these beautiful, noble creatures passed on as a commercial commodity with no thought or feeling as to their future well being, or lack of it. Even the Queen's horses are not spared.

Distressing as it was, the making and viewing of this horrendous documentary must not be in vain. Let us make something positive from it and unite (as we did to save British horses from being shipped abroad as live cargo for the meat trade) and use the power of the pen to try and help them.

Let us bombard the Racing Association with demands that they make an annual grant to the Racehorse Rehabilitation Programme. The address to write to: British Horse Racing Board, 149 Portman Square, London W1.

Katherine M Kay (Mrs)

Boonfields, Bromley Cross, Bolton

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.