Horse racing has gotten a pass from animal advocates for decades. We've been more worried about the mistreatment of dogs in puppy mills and the tragedy of healthy and adoptable companion animals being euthanized in shelters across the nation. We've been concerned about millions of animals killed by the fur trade—clubbed or trapped or caged to peel away their fur even though we have viable alternatives. We're repulsed by the killing of tens of thousands of animals by trophy hunters at canned hunting facilities, or the shooting of rare animals like polar bears or grizzly bears or wolves. And more and more, we are turning our attention to the routine privations endured by billions of farm animals raised on factory farms. And in terms of horses, the bigger crime has always been the horse slaughter industry, which gathers up and slaughters tens of thousands of healthy horses every year, transports them by inhumane means, and then terrorizes these highly alert animals on kill floors in the United States or Mexico or Canada.
The tragic death of Eight Belles, as discomfiting and disturbing as it was, is unlikely to reorder our priorities. We'll say a few words about horse racing, as do the commentators and industry press, but we'll return to our priorities in a couple of days. But that's a mistake for us all. This industry has not had a rigorous critic to set it in the straight and narrow, and major problems have grown and festered. It's time for the thoroughbred industry to deal with its problems, and if it does not, animal advocates may well decide they can no longer continue to give the industry a free pass.
Here are some of the historic problems. Drugging of injured horses to keep them running, which makes vulnerable horses more susceptible to breakdowns. Racing horses too young. Because the marquee events feature 3-year-olds, these horses must start racing at the tender age of two years, and that's well before their skeletal systems are sturdy enough to endure the pounding from the rigors of the race track. And third, racing horses on track surfaces that are not forgiving—with American tracks favoring dirt surfaces over grass or synthetics.
And then there are the problems coming to light more than ever—problems related to breeding. Breeding too many horses, and waiting for someone else to clean up the problem. And breeding them for body characteristics that make these animals vulnerable to breakdowns, especially those spindly legs on top of these stout torsos.
Sally Jenkins writes, "According to several estimates, there are 1.5 career-ending breakdowns for every 1,000 racing starts in the United States. That's an average of two per day."
http://hsus.typepad.com/wayne/2008/05/horse-racing.html
Printer-friendly format
Email this thread to a friend
Bookmark this thread
(1000+ posts)
Send PM |
Profile |
Ignore
