PETA Says Horseracing = Dog Fighting. They’re Wrong.
Mon, May 5, 2008
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Image from Wikimedia Commons
Anybody that saw the Kentucky Derby Saturday was treated to a spectacular race, and then immediately robbed of that memory with one of the most heartbreaking sights in racing. Eight Belles, the first filly running in the race since 1996, which having just turned in the best finish by a girl since Winning Colors, collapsed and broke both ankles shortly after finishing.
When a horse is that severely injured, the track doctors are faced with a tough decision: a Barbaro-style, months-long, publicity stunt of a death watch, or putting the horse down. Eight Belles was euthanized on the track. PETA, maybe my least favorite advocacy group of all time, and never able to miss an opportunity to turn public opinion against them, posted this on their blog later that day:
While the trainers, jockeys, and owners may weep their crocodile tears today over Eight Belles’ euthanasia, they will be back on the track tomorrow, putting other horses at risk. Thoroughbreds are raced on hard dirt surfaces—like the one at Churchill Downs. Their bones simply can’t take it, as Eight Belles’ two broken front legs showed last night. Despite the wealth associated with thoroughbred racing, for the horses—most of whom end up broken, cast off, or sent to Europe to be killed for the dinner table—it’s a dirty business and no better than dogfighting.
There are so many things wrong with this statement that I could go on for hours, but I won’t. Suffice to say that Kentucky has a farm that receives significant taxpayer subsidy that houses retired thoroughbreds. More importantly, let’s look at the last sentence of this uneducated salvo; an assertion that horseracing is no better than dog fighting.
Too soon? Image from Wikimedia Commons
I’ll say that no person who could possibly make that statement could have ever been around a trainer, jockey, owner, because the love–yes, love–that develops between the animals and those that work with them on a daily basis. However, that’s an emotional argument, and therefore inadmissible. No, this is more appropriately cast into proper relief when I point out that in dog fighting at least half of the animals die, and all of them live in the most deplorable conditions imaginable.
Here’s a dog kennel:
Image from Wikimedia Commons
Here’s a horse farm:
Image from Wikimedia Commons
I’ll take this moment to note that in the 134 years of the Kentucky Derby, this is the first time a horse has had to be euthanized. Then there’s the issue of the track surfaces–PETA seems to think that horses can’t run on hard, hard dirt. I’ll point out again that Churchill Downs has a phenomenally low injury rate, despite being known for having a rocket-fast inside track.
This is a bit of an aberration, and a testament to the team behind the track surface at Churchill. You see, the new wave in horse racing, and the safest surface yet, is polytrack, a plastic turf that absorbs the shock of a giant, running animal, crashing down on it. Polytrack is slowly taking over racing, and has been installed in the other holy site of horse racing, Keeneland, where it’s had a phenomenal safety record.
PETA is grandstanding for their own political gain, they’re doing it in a phenomenally stupid way, and they’re doing it over the body of a horse that made a lot of people cry very real tears on Saturday.
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May 5th, 2008 at 7:15 pm
Bravo! It’s great to see environmentalists standing up against the insanity of Peta
May 5th, 2008 at 11:10 pm
This post is very poorly written. I also disagree with the final assertion of PETA that horse racing is like dogfighting, but one retirement farm that houses Thoroughbreds is scarcely an effective argument against the reality that the racing industry churns out far more losers than winners, and the losers have to go somewhere. How many owners are going to put a losing horse up in luxury for life? I can tell you not many. I own one of the discarded Thoroughbreds who was on his way to dinner plates in Europe when I rescued him by buying his freedom from the meat truck. In my four years on the board of a horse rescue, I helped to oversee the rescue of dozens of others in the same situation, and watched hundred more loaded onto the kill buyers’ trailers. We couldn’t save them all, or even make a dent.
Discarded racehorses all have to go somewhere, and many of them do end up just like PETA asserts; and I’m no great fan of PETA myself.
May 5th, 2008 at 11:21 pm
Y’know….I was frustrated to see this happen. I don’t follow horse racing, and my frustration wasn’t that the horses were being abused. No – it was that with all of our technological advances, we still can’t seem to help a horse with a broken leg. We wind up taking a life over a broken bone. PETA is spelled wrong. It should be PITA. Go do something constructive, like find a way for these horses to be properly treated, and don’t sit here and find an excuse to rip on people and their familiars. Ugh.
May 5th, 2008 at 11:28 pm
The article is wrong when it says “this is the first time a horse has had to be euthanized.”
Remember Barbosa being euthanized just months ago?…
http://sports.espn.go.com/sports/horse/news/story?id=2747087
May 5th, 2008 at 11:33 pm
PETA is just insane, I can’t believe that some people still take them seriously.
Great article =)
May 5th, 2008 at 11:37 pm
Do you think you could fit the word phenomenal or its derivatives in your post a few more times? That’d be phenomenal!
Roget on line one for you.
May 5th, 2008 at 11:38 pm
I love animals, this makes me sad.
May 5th, 2008 at 11:40 pm
what a phenomenally written article
May 5th, 2008 at 11:43 pm
Sounds like the author is involved in some of the ‘wealth’ of horse racing??
May 5th, 2008 at 11:49 pm
You are an idiot. read the article a little closer. “I’ll take this moment to note that in the 134 years of the Kentucky Derby, this is the first time a horse has had to be euthanized” Selective quoting= not really quoting now is it? I can’t believe that you made a mistake here you probably intentionally misquoted. People like you suck… If you agree with racing or not at least be truthfull when commenting to a story that’s on the same page as your comment?
May 5th, 2008 at 11:50 pm
I have seen the inner workings of horse racing. You my friend need to research instead of spreading opinion.
It is fact that Horses, though bread for this purpose are not meant for this fast paced pushing and constant stress on their legs.
If you only looked to see how many racing facilities and horses are out there, you would know that they can be bought by gamblers on the race. These horses are then cared for on the cheap in hopes to make the new owner a quick buck.
Listen, I think equating this to dog fights is off the mark, but to think that these horses lead great lives and happy retirements proves that you have not done your research.
Granted, the things you’ll hear about are the high end horses, but this type of thing is not the norm in this “sport”
Trust me, I worked in the industry for many years and know what happens to losers and what happens durring “training”
May 5th, 2008 at 11:53 pm
You are an idiot. Check your facts before posting. First, the horse was BARBARO. Second, he was injured at the PREAKNESS, not the Kentucky Derby. Third, he was not put down at the track, but was put down months later after failed rehabilitation efforts.
May 5th, 2008 at 11:57 pm
Edward: Barbaro was injured at Pimlico in the Preakness, not the Derby.
Anon: No kidding. I really did screw the pooch on that one, huh?
May 5th, 2008 at 11:57 pm
Edward, the article is correct. “in the 134 years of the Kentucky Derby, this is the first time a horse has had to be euthanized.” That’s exactly right. You’re talking about a horse that was injured in the Preakness Stakes. I don’t think anyone is trying to claim that accidents haven’t happened in horse racing, but none at the Kentucky Derby have required the euthenization of a horse.
That said, this is clearly a PR stunt on PETA’s part. They’re grabbing an emotional issue, and making a strong and controversial statement about it. It’s standard practice for political organizations.
May 6th, 2008 at 12:03 am
I understand what PETA is saying, but I dont think that they should go about it this manor it is only hurting their claim
May 6th, 2008 at 12:05 am
You obviously don’t know what a horse looks like. Do you know how heavy a horse is? Do you know how thin their ankles are? Perhaps we should put a cast on a horse, tell it to sit on the couch and have it watch tv while it heals. Or perhaps we should just look at some basic anatomy and realize that horses are always on their feet. If we were to repair it, how would the horse recuperate? By hanging by a harness in a pool for 6 months? Or why don’t we just wait for laminitis to set in and that will slowly kill the horse. My god, you are just so stupid.
May 6th, 2008 at 12:07 am
A typical PETA public relations stunt… I guess the two hot girls wearing bikini’s made of leaves downtown NYC last week didn’t draw enough attention to their organization.
May 6th, 2008 at 12:07 am
“edward” – get your facts straight. the article says “in the 134 years of the KENTUCKY DERBY, this is the first time a horse has had to be euthanized. That is a TRUE statement. BARBORO (NOT barbosa) was euthanized after running in the Preakness – a totally different race & track.
May 6th, 2008 at 12:09 am
Just to be the devil’s advocate for a moment… I think that PETA’s point is that, like dog fighting, horse-racing increases an animal’s chances of injury or death (the *amount* of increase, we could debate, but I think we’d both agree that it’s more than zero) for the sole purpose of entertainment and wagering of humans. The horses and dogs were never asked if this is something they’d like to do; they were put into this role solely for our amusement.
There are other facets of our world which only have one of these traits. Professional and amateur athletes compete for our amusement, but it is their choice to do so. Conversely, ranches raise cattle for slaughter without the cattle having a say in the matter, but at least raising them for food provides a slightly higher moral platform from which to defend than raising them for something which merely amuses us.
It is important, when comparing dog-fighting and horse-racing, the look past the veneer of the two sports. The world of dog-fighting is the world of “da hood”… of malt liquor, overgrown yards, and food stamps. In short, it’s a sport frequented by people we tend to think of as below us. Horse-racing, on the other hand, is the world of private-jets, immaculate lawns, pomp, majesty, trumpets, flowers, and, generally, affirmations and displays of what is often called “refinement”. It’s patrons are the people we typically wish we were amongst.
So, it’s easy to look at things that the “po’ folk” do and classify it as barbaric… because we already view the *people* who do it as barbaric to an extent. Likewise, it’s easy to look at those rich, happy, beautiful CEO’s and heiresses and cut them slack… because we wish we could be them.
But, at the end of the day, it’s putting an animal’s health at risk for nothing more than our amusement.
May 6th, 2008 at 12:09 am
Yes this is very sad that the horse had to be put down, but it saved the horse from going through much pain…
The Peta statement about the track is completly false. I was at this derby, this past saturday, and we thought about not going because of all the rain that Louisville had recieved overnight friday night, this track was the farthest from a hard dirt track. Peta should check there damn facts before posting false information.
This is the first time the horse has been euthanized at the Kentucky Derby, that is what the author ment by that comment.
May 6th, 2008 at 12:10 am
While I disagree with PETA in equating dog fighting with horse racing, I do think that horse racing has gotten way out of hand.
Local race trace: Arlington park
2005 – 12 horses put down
2006 – 18 horses put down
Thats 30 deaths in 2 years. Unacceptable.
May 6th, 2008 at 12:10 am
I would think PETA would be all for euthanasia, that is what they do to most household pets left in their care.
May 6th, 2008 at 12:12 am
give me a fucking break. fuck your stupid horse race and your big hats.
let the animals be. if they want to race then let them … don’t force them into doing shit they don’t want to.
May 6th, 2008 at 12:15 am
You make a poor comparison between a dog kennel and a horse farm. You are telling me horses have no fences to keep them on the property? The photo doesn’t seem to show any. Fairly misleading concidering the average horse pen I see is proably the same size as that for the dogs shown if you take the differing body sizes into account. I don’t even see a horse in the photo of the horse farm. Are they all trapped in barn? lol.
I hate PETA, but this is a very biased (almost misleading) article.
May 6th, 2008 at 12:18 am
I think that PETA should shut it’s mouth about ANY cruelty to animals , until it cleans up it’s own act and stops killing dogs , that they claim to be rescueing , by the truck loads and throwing their bodies along the road or in dumpsters .I love animals, take in all strays that I can afford to take care of .Peta, is all mouth , for fame ,or attention , just as long as they can keep those donations rolling in !
May 6th, 2008 at 12:19 am
PETA
People for the Eating of Tasty Animals!
May 6th, 2008 at 12:24 am
I seem to remember PETA going into animal shelters and killing all the animals. Their logic was: the animals would rather be dead than live in captivity. (So who actually asked the animals what they wanted?) Anyways, my point is, why the protest over euthanizing a captive horse when they seem to have no problem knocking off other animals?
May 6th, 2008 at 12:29 am
Hysterical!
Go to http://www.fuckpeta.com and see where it takes you!
May 6th, 2008 at 12:32 am
spot on joe. also it’s interesting to what lengths people will defend a sport which as joe said is purely for the amusement of us humans, without considering even the remote possiblity that the anumal in question might rather be sitting on the couch watching tv…broken leg or no..
methinks they do protest too much..could be hitting a nerve? never!
May 6th, 2008 at 12:33 am
2,981. That’s how many dogs, cats, puppies, kittens, and other “companion animals” died needlessly at PETA’s hands in 2006. According to the group’s own records, PETA employees killed more than 97 percent of the flesh-and-blood creatures in their care that year.
May 6th, 2008 at 12:34 am
Heh, wow.
Obviously most of you don’t own a horse, have never taken care of a horse, and have absolutely no idea how much of a choice a horse has when it comes to choosing to do something or not. I love people who base everything on stats and nothing on real life experience.
I have 5 horses and a few paints. Some of them I do race, and as a matter of fact, they all know where I am and when I get to the farm before I even get there. They are more like children then pets or animals. If I had to euthanize one it would be like losing my youngest child. The course of action chosen was the more human way to handle the situation and though it would pain me to do it I would do it to prevent the PROLONGED suffering that potentially UNSUCCESSFULL rehab would ensure.
May 6th, 2008 at 1:03 am
anon: “That is a TRUE statement. BARBORO (NOT barbosa) was euthanized after running in the Preakness – a totally different race & track.”
just a pet peeve of mine… when correcting someone else’s spelling, make sure you spell it right yourself… Barbaro*
May 6th, 2008 at 1:10 am
For those saying the article is biased: can we please just be quiet? In any writing, whether the author strives for neutrality or not, there will be opinion. Kindly dispute facts and not just spout off negative ways of saying that you sense they have views on the issue. If they didn’t, they wouldn’t be writing.
The article told me about the situation. Quoted PETA and stated opinion. Should I ask for much more? I think not. Having significant background around the sport, both tracks and track-workers as well as owners and jockeys, I think there is good and bad. That’s just life. Some pet owners will be abusive. Some relationships will be unhealthy. Some jobs will suck.
I’m not saying that an unnecessarily injured thoroughbred equates to a bad day at work, but I’m saying we can’t always keep tragic things from happening. The people out there with good hearts will do their best to keep the horse safe, but there will be accidents and bad owners and killtrucks. There are plenty of things done that put humans at risk, but at the end of the day we weigh the probability, try to make them safer, and move forward anyway.
May 6th, 2008 at 1:19 am
Horses are elegant creatures who should not be pushed to the point of snapping their legs. Legs snapping is a clear indicator of misuse.
The drama of the race is amazing but the physical pain that both jockey and horse go through in training and racing cause this to be a less than noble sport.
May 6th, 2008 at 1:20 am
Peta can suck a fat one. Here is a site on their lies PETA LIES
May 6th, 2008 at 1:22 am
This article appears to have been written by a five-year-old. Your defense of horse racing is filled with holes, thus showing your true colors.
May 6th, 2008 at 1:27 am
For those of you that believe “horses end up on the dinner plate in europe”, you display an intesely American view that us Europeans will eat anythin for a start, as long as it isn’t the processed crap that you guys eat. I’m from the UK and can say that aftrer travelling through nearly every country in Europe, the only country that eats horse meat regularly is France. But for them to eat a race horse imported from america?! You may think that your horses are good, but they’re not that good! Race horses, due to their intensive training and running, have very tough meat, i.e: not very palatable, akin to eating a rodeo bull. It does not make for very fine dining, in France (once again the only country in Europe that regularly eats horse meat)horses are raised (as are cows, sheep, chickens and snails) for the specific reason to eat. Old race horses are merely sent off to the knacker yard, to be humanely turned into glue. Get your facts right before chatting breeze. Especially those that claim to have “saved horses from thr European dinner plates”.
May 6th, 2008 at 1:31 am
All those who claim horses aren’t designed for running are morons and don’t know anything about physiology. I wouldn’t be surprised if they’re the kind of geniuses that claim humans weren’t designed for standing or bumblebees and moths weren’t designed for flying.
Horses run all the time in the wild and are perfectly designed for running. The fact their ankles are so small means nothing considering that most of the time when running the horses feet aren’t even on the ground. Small ankles are just the same argument that a bumblebee’s fat body should prevent it from flying.
I don’t support horse racing. I don’t think exploiting any animal for the purpose of gambling is a good thing but I certainly don’t agree with political mongers like PETA, GreenPeace, and others making up claims that make no sense at all.
May 6th, 2008 at 1:37 am
I’m sorry, but they actually make a pretty good case. You’re immediate dislike of PETA shows more disdain for the organization than what they have to say. As long as these races continue more horses will be put down because they just had to be raced. As far as I’m concerned if there were a similar death to win ratio in the NFL there wouldn’t BE ONE. Look at legal fighting in the US. There is a much lower death to win ratio there and everytime someone dies there are suits and fines and all sorts of legal ramifications. Horse racing which is much deadlier, not an eyelash is batted. That is wrong. They are intelligent creatures at least capable of understanding pain, and that is enough to give them fair treatment. Reevaluate your partisanship before you doom these animals to death.
May 6th, 2008 at 1:37 am
Horses start running within minutes of being born. Horse racing is controlled Horse-living. Besides, thoroughbreds live a better life than most of us losers.
May 6th, 2008 at 1:45 am
I am quite shocked at both this blog post, and some of the comments it has produced. The biggest problem facing the ‘green’ movement is that we tear each other apart.
There is a place for PETA, just as there is a place for the Sea Shephard and other more aggressive groups. Their anger is born of the heartache of caring.
We should respect that, and criticise and challenge it from time to time, but always in a constructive and supportive way.
I happen to be a person who does not support horse racing (or any animal sports) and i am a vegan, though mainly for environmental reasons.
But please, do not let that distract you from what i am trying to say here : We need to stand as one to end the polluting of our planet, and the mistreatment of its inhabitants. We cannot afford to be divided.
Peace.
May 6th, 2008 at 1:58 am
I love animals and volunteer with a dog rescue organization. I frequently contribute to the Humane Society, the ASPCA, Last Chance for Animals, The Fund for Animals, International Fund for Animal Welfare and others. I DO NOT give money to PETA because they are just too far out there. In their minds, killing a cockroach is a horrible offense. And taking in homeless dogs and cats then euthanizing them? That’s hardly the “ethical treatment” that’s part of their name. Thoroughbred horse racing is a dangerous sport. Personally, I feel they should wait until the horse is 3 years old and has stronger bones or they should use quarter horses and have shorter races. Thoroughbreds have been so overbred that their bodies have stayed the same size and their legs have gotten leaner and leaner. Those bones weren’t meant to carry all that weight. A horse like that would never appear in nature. Thousands of pounds of animal being carried by stick thin legs –It’s an accident waiting to happen. Just like bulldogs who now have to give birth via caesarean due to their huge heads, mankind has messed with genetics to the detriment of the species.
May 6th, 2008 at 4:10 am
PETA never has anything to back up there poor statements.
May 6th, 2008 at 5:27 am
The sentence starts out “In in the 134 years of the Kentucky Derby, this is the first time etc.”.
And in fact the second paragraph makes it clear the author knows all about Barbaro…
May 6th, 2008 at 5:55 am
The reason that these horses legs are so weak is that they are so inbreed to try and get the fastest horses. Horses are built for running but the breeding in the race horses makes their ankles weaker than most other horses.
May 6th, 2008 at 6:01 am
As a Kentuckian i know for a fact how respected these animals are by their owners. They are considered a noble and spirited creature. Mistreating a horse is not a characteristic of a gentleman ,and those who do are considered to be of the lowest denomination. The tragedy at the Kentucky Derby is unfortunate but accidents happen. These animals aren’t forced
to run , they enjoy it. Have you ever heard the addage “You can lead a horse to water but you can’t make it drink.”? If a horse
didn’t like to run it wouldn’t be a very good race horse now would it? I once witnessed a race where the jocky had fallen
off his horse as it was leaving the gates, the horse just kept on going , determined to win ,and was leading the race until it was corralled.
I do agree that some changes need to be made in the racing industry to improve safety. Polytrack is one solution and i believe that this incident will only expedite the transition to
synthetic track materials at Churchill.
May 6th, 2008 at 8:12 am
ANYONE WHO WOULD USE AN ANIMAL FOR ENTERTAINMENT
IS HORRIBLE. ANYONE MAKING MILLIONS OF DOLLARS
OFF THE ANGUISH OF ANIMALS IS HORRIBLE. IT DOESN’T
MATTER HOW PRETTY THE FARM IS. BOTTOM LINE, THEY
ARE NOT DOING WHAT THEY WERE MEANT TO DO: BE FREE.
May 6th, 2008 at 8:14 am
This is crazy. Someone breaks his leg in football, soccer, olympics, whatever, nobody will make a big deal of it ‘cos it happens all the time. It’s literally the rule when humans compete. But what of the animals that humans have historically survived on by domestication?
If an animal, domesticated by humans, were made to do the things they always do (fast running horses, rabbit chasing hounds) it is suddenly amazingly at odds with a ridiculous faction of society best known for killing the animals they pretend to save. Yup, its no secret that PETA kills more animals than your typical city pound. Every day. Every year.
We race horses because one upon a time relied on their ability to run fast and hard with a trained rider leading the way. Now days we have other more mechanical technologies, but how does that mean that domesticated animals should suddenly be wild again. PETA think pets are evil too. What would the world be like if we suddenly let all our pets free, and forgot the love, family and companionship we tend to give them.
And how does spray painting other people’s fur coats stop them from eating and wearing animals when most of your life revolves around the domestication of animals.
We eat them. We bring them into our houses as pets. We also compete with them. And this has been the norm for centuries and probably milleniums.
I love those peta-philes that hand out anti-fur flyer nonesense in Toronto, all the while wearing a leather belt and sometimes shoes. Where did that come from? Any thoughts about your own existence and survival beyond soon to be rare vegetable handouts? Any thought about what living with nothing but plastics and synthetic sugars would be like?
No thank you. Dogs hunt. Horses race. Pigs taste good sprinkled on lettuce and Ceaser sauce.
May 6th, 2008 at 8:18 am
Ethical does not mean NEVER. Ethical is having to sometimes do the saddest thing, at the fault of HUMANS.
Putting the animal down their way is MUCH better than
what the poor things would have gone through otherwise.
May 6th, 2008 at 8:21 am
> We race horses because one upon a time relied on their
> ability to run fast and hard with a trained rider
> leading the way. Now days we have other more mechanical
> technologies
Eat the horses. They won’t break in such politically incorrect ways!
May 6th, 2008 at 12:37 pm
I’m a member of PETA and while I don’t agree with all their measures, I do agree with any measure that brings attention to animals being abused and any subsequent laws or protection for the animals that results from that. Sometimes it takes extreme behaviour to bring even a little protection. I live in Lexington Kentucky and I know what happens to the horses that don’t make the cut in the local harness races at the Red Mile racetrack, they are shipped off for slaughter. That’s the truth, it’s not bleeding heart sympathy, it’s reality. Not all horses live and retire on big beautful horse farms anymore than greyhound dogs live and run free on farms, we all know what happens to them and yet people still bet and watch them run at the track. Keep the “sports” to animals that have a choice – humans. Keep the animals that don’t have a choice – horses, dogs, chickens and anything else being abused out of it. Animals don’t have a “need” to run and be whipped. Only humans have a need to ride and whip. Don’t attempt to justify humans need to abuse on animals.
May 6th, 2008 at 1:02 pm
Very interesting the people who think horses are killed “to stop them goping through pain” – as an ex industry worker myself. i can assure you that the question asked when deciding whether to kill is not “will this horse be able to live if we attempt to repair this injury”, it is “will this horse be able to RUN again”
Most horses that are killed by the horse racing industry would be perfectly capable of recovering to the extent of being “healthy”, however they would not be able to run, so they are killed
The horse racing industry is not only happy to lie about it’s motives, it is also one of the most corrupt industries in the world
May 6th, 2008 at 1:39 pm
Well this one biased artical, I agree with Peta on this one, for one(i’ve not been happy with their stunts latly, and they are starting to lose crediblity with me anyways) Horse racing is crule practice, and for that matter dog racing, however i am not one to protest other peoples hobby’s, you will never catch me at one of these racing events!
May 6th, 2008 at 2:46 pm
It is funny to me, that so many people don’t understand PETA, (not PITA) it’s,
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals.
Although history has shown many radical, so called PETA events, like spray painting fur jackets, but the PETA of today is different.
It is my opinion, that the goal of PETA to educate humans on the unethical treatment of animals, in hopes they will help animals, since animals can’t help themselves. And to then to take that education and teach friends and family.
PETA is bringing awareness. Whether you like PETA or not. Whether you think Horse Racing is like Dog fighting or not, isn’t the point. The point is that someone has to speak up for animals.
You’ll notice at the end of the post, Ben writes, “You see, the new wave in horse racing, and the safest surface yet, is polytrack, a plastic turf that absorbs the shock of a giant, running animal, crashing down on it.” This suggests to me that someone in the horse racing world is moving in the right direction, looking for more ethical ways to treat race horses. Perhaps the person implementing polytrack, understands PETA. It looks like, although Ben hates PETA, he too is in favor of treating the race horses more ethically.
You should visit the new PETA, for today’s young supporters: http://www.peta2.com/
co-Founder of PETA: http://www.ingridnewkirk.com/
May 6th, 2008 at 2:49 pm
I see a couple of typos in my post. Sorry about that. I will remember to proofread my posts in the future. Thanks for your understanding.
May 6th, 2008 at 3:36 pm
The one thing that People always forget when they mention horse racing are the people who actually look after the horses. Not the owners, who often never see their horses unless they’re in a race, not the trainers, who might have anywhere from 10 to 100 horses or more in their care but the grooms.
On the track each groom has usually between four to six horses in their care, and while there are many grooms that do care for their horses, there are just as many who don’t know what they are doing and habitually abuse their charges. Take that literally. As a Thoroughbred groom I’ve seen horses whipped until they have hematoma, beaten with pitchforks (handles and tines) and punched in the face repeatedly. All in the standard course of the day. I repeat THIS IS NORMAL for horse racing.
DO NOT think that this is a reflection of where I have worked or who my employers were at the time. This is an unofficial industry standard visible on the back stretch of any track in North America, from Woodbine to Calder. Don’t believe me? Go and look.
I realize that this is not a comprehensive description of all trainers and Stables, but it fairly describes the majority of big racing outfits. To them horses are a commodity that are disposed if they cannot perform.
As for the false generalization that the owners love their horses, While this may be true for the smaller outfits, or people who only own a few. I guarantee right now that if you visit any big farm you will see horses that are not even named until they are two years old or ready for sale or race, whose owners only recognize as a fluctuating total, individually worthless unless they are bred well or winning something.
On the track owners almost never come in too see their horses unless they win something or are training especially well and this is encouraged by trainers who don’t want those few owners with scruples to see how the animals are being treated.
Even If you disbelieve everything I’ve said, the immutable fact is that to train a racehorse you need to take an animal who has evolved to spend up to 18 hrs. a day walking around and grazing, and intentionally stress them by placing them in a 12×12 stall for 23 hrs of the day, only letting them out to train. It’s up to you to decide if this is cruel.
May 6th, 2008 at 7:57 pm
Just one bone of contention…while Barbaro’s injury, temporary recovery and eventual tragic end were endlessly covered in the media, I don’t think it can fairly be called a “publicity stunt.” The Jacksons who owned Barbaro didn’t hold a single press conference; they were forced into them by public demand. The staff who treated him didn’t consider it a lost cause or a stunt to do so–they thought they could save him. And the people who sent cheesy, sappy letters of condolence included contributions which may have changed the future of injuries like the one Eight Belles experienced.
May 6th, 2008 at 8:42 pm
I’m no PETA fan, but I have to agree with them on this issue. It’s great that horsetrainers love the horses — unlike dog fighters — but if the industry really cared about the health of these animals, they wouldn’t race them before their bones fully formed. Postponing horse racing by just a few years would do wonders for the animals and their bone development. I suppose we’d rather see that extra speed of a 3 year old horse, than show concern for the well-being of the animals.
May 7th, 2008 at 7:02 pm
endangering the health and/or lives of animals for human entertainment is wrong, simple as that.
It’s irrelevant how much apparent care the horse racing industry might give to horses. In the end they endanger the lives of those horses each and every time they race.
Those in the equine industry seem to think a bond forms between horses and humans that supercedes whatever activity humans choose to put horses through. This is false. Unless a soul can have free choice, there is no real bond. All horses have their spirit ‘broken’ or tamed according to human desires. Once this is done any horse/human relationship becomes one of master and slave, just like brainwashing if you replaced a horse with the human.
People need to wake up to one cold hard fact: ‘the sport of kings’ is exactly that – there to make rich Mr Burns-style fat cats even more wealthy until they feel like genuine kings.
Take the money away and few people would bother racing horses.
May 18th, 2008 at 7:30 am
Many unprofitable horses are euthanized by their owners for a $60 fee—it’s a business, and the killing of unwanted horses happens on a regular basis.
Also, it is true that U.S. race horses get sold to buyers who sell off the horses for meat that will end up on Japanese and European dinner tables. There’s a report on this on HBO Realsports that aired on May 12th, 2008.
According to a May 2008 interview on PBS’ Newshour, U.S. trainers are totally dependent on drugs when it comes to the development of a winning horse. It’s more than feasible that there’s a direct correlation between unnatural drug-induced muscle mass and the strain it puts on the bones of racehorses.
Check out my May 14th, 2008 post on this issue—it will enlighten.
August 6th, 2008 at 4:34 pm
I also believe that dog fighting and horse races are wrong!! :-(
March 29th, 2009 at 5:10 am
Quote from Marcus “If you only looked to see how many racing facilities and horses are out there, you would know that they can be bought by gamblers on the race. These horses are then cared for on the cheap in hopes to make the new owner a quick buck.”
Where did you work in the industry?? I am an owner/trainer and I can honestly tell you their care is not “on the cheap”.
Peta is nothing more than a bunch of loud-mouthed radical idiots who do not have a clue what they are talking about.
September 1st, 2009 at 10:40 pm
PETA is completely ridiculous, yes it is sad that the horse was put down and nobody wants to see that but it surely wasn’t because of neglect. These race horses, especially the ones who race in the big races are treated better than most humans. They are professional athletes and are cared for by the best in the business. Occasionally a tragic accident like this happens but its not enough for PETA to cry foul.