Lucy Watson and Chris Hughes got into it over Twitter (Pictures: Getty Images)
Reality TV stars Lucy Watson and Chris Hughes got into it online as they debated the ethics around horse racing as the Royal Ascot culminated yesterday.
The event, which takes place annually at the Ascot Racecourse in Berkshire, is a Flat racing meeting held for five days in mid-June and hosts 18 Group races.
It sees thousands of race enthusiasts as well as those just looking for a day out in their glad rags flock to the grounds.
But Made In Chelsea’s Lucy, 32, wasn’t feeling getting glammed up in her best frock and statement hat as she posted a scathing rant about the event on Twitter calling out the treatment of the horses.
‘I am so sick of seeing people dress up to go and watch horses risk their lives at the races…,’ the TV personality began.
‘Being kicked and whipped; forced to do something they would – not – choose – to – do.’
She then went on to compare the practice to a scenario more people may be able to empathise with, taking what happens to horses as they race on the track and replacing one four-legged animal with another – dogs.
Lucy had some choice words for those that enjoy watching horse racing (Picture: Dave Benett/Getty Images)
Chris was not happy with what Lucy had to say and weighed in on the online discussion (Picture: Antony Jones/Getty Images for British Champions Series)
Lucy did not hold back as she posted her opinions on the sport to the social media site (Picture: Twitter/@imLucyWatson)
‘If you saw someone kicking and whipping a dog what would you do? Why is it okay to do it to horses?’ she continued.
Lucy went on to plead: ‘Sport? Fashion event? Please think about the victims here. As hard as that may be for some. Horses die every year at the races. They get injured and put down. Horses deserve better,’ alongside the hashtag ‘#banhorseracing.’
She posted the rant as an image she had typed elsewhere, alongside the simple tweet ‘f**k horse racing,’ though not everyone agreed with her message.
One such person was former Love Island contestant Chris Hughes who was quick to blast the points Lucy made to her almost 750k followers.
He replied: ‘The best looked after animals in the world. If racing stopped, then roughly 50,000 horses in training in the UK and Ireland would have no home, no one to look after them, more would die in the wild than on the racecourse, and the horses you love, like we do, would never exist (sic).’
Lucy was quick to fire back at Chris, 30, who had posted various tweets applauding the event alongside photos of himself and pals enjoying the day.
Chris was quick to defend the annual event, which he attended (Picture: Twitter)
The debate quickly got heated as the pair didn’t see eye to eye (Picture: Twitter)
Rather than agreeing to disagree, the pair continued to argue online with fans weighing in on both sides (Picture: Twitter)
‘So well looked after that approx 250 horses die every year on British race courses.
They’re bred into existence to be used as commodities & forcibly risk their lives for people like you to profit… unbiased opinions only please,’ she said.
Rather than leave it at disagreeing, Chris suggested Lucy ‘visit a racing yard’ to change her view on horse racing.
‘It’s not simply a biased opinion, but it’s factual. There’s more to it than your initial statement, which is why people will respond in that sense,’ he fired back.
‘There are risks with everything in life. You should visit a racing yard, on National Racehorse Week, it’s insightful and eye-opening.’
Lucy simply replied with ‘I’m okay thanks,’ before Chris brutally responded with: ‘There we go. You can’t educate people who don’t want to be educated. Not holding up very well is it.’
Once again, refusing to agree to disagree, Lucy questioned Chris’ irate response: ‘So I’m uneducated because I disagree with you?’ to which Chris answered: ‘You’re uneducated because you refuse to be educated. Like going to school and wearing headphones. Pointless.’
The pair seem to have left the heated argument as it stands, with users chiming in on both sides to debate the event from every angle.
One user pointed out that Lucy had posted in 2012 about attending Royal Ascot herself, to which she pointed out that her opinion had changed in the decade since the post.
‘Can’t believe I ever supported such a cruel sport. I even remember that day being very eye-opening for me,’ she said while adding in a separate tweet: ‘Yes I used to watch polo. I even used to own and ride my own horses in competitions. I’ve educated myself, learnt about the horses perspective and no longer partake.’
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Neither side held back on the issue.