The Race to Save America’s Horses

Whether America should save thoroughbred racing is another matter.

It was “Can’t Watch” TV. I kept turning my head from the screen.

I’m talking about “Raced to Death” (Episode 266, watch online), a segment on last week’s Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel. The program showed one horse after another stumbling, falling, and eventually dying from injuries suffered during races.

Investigations have followed, but without pinpointing the cause(s).

“Raced to Death” offers answers—steroids used to bulk up horses beyond what their frames can manage, and other drugs used to keep horses racing when they are injured. Put the two together, and you have horses breaking limbs during races.

Those that can no longer race—either because they are too injured or too old—are sold to slaughterhouses. “Raced to Death” estimates that number to be about 10,000 a year. The telecast also reported that the actual number of racehorses dying at tracks is about 2000 annually.

That’s 12,000 horses annually being thrown away, discarded, because they can’t fit the required profile.

The problem is that most Americans have a very different picture of thoroughbred racing. It’s an elevated, fun-filled portrait that’s presented once every year– during “The Triple Crown” in Spring–when fans get dressed up, go to parties, and celebrate horseracing, The Kentucky Derby, notably.

But that’s a skewed picture of the sport. The Triple Crown is about highly prized horses, ridden by the best jockeys in the game, trained by legendary craftspersons, housed at the best farms in the country, and televised (with pomp and circumstance) on national TV.

If only the full spectrum of the sport were like The Triple Crown. It’s not.

The sharp contract came recently when Congrats Gal collapsed and died after running in a race at Pimlico–just one day before that same track hosted ‘The Preakness,’ Triple Crown’s second leg.

Like boxing, “The Sport of Kings” is an anachronism, an activity (with an associated industry) that fits the times of an America that was. The industry hasn’t modernized sufficiently to mesh with contemporary standards regarding animal welfare. Instead, like an extraction industry out of the early 20^th Century, it uses and abuses a natural resource—horses, in its case—for gain.

Not so in Europe, Real Sports reported the other day. When an American horse trainer in France was asked, “how many horses die there as a direct result of running a race,” the answer was “None.” The answer has a cause—no steroids, no other drugs, and stiff penalties (lifetime ban) if a trainer/owner imposes either.

What’s happening in America doesn’t need to be the way it is currently. Strong Federal regulatory oversight would change the portrait, saving horses lives. Gina Rarick, a horse trainer, offers a list of recommendations.

While some in the industry are open to change, others believe that ‘the industry knows and does best.”

Courtesy: Paulick Report

“Once again, HBO’s Real Sports presented a slanted, distorted, and inaccurate view of horse racing without acknowledging the important progress our entire industry is making with respect to safety, welfare, and aftercare. Today, the strongest push for a higher degree of safety and integrity is actually coming from within the industry, which through its actions is working every day to provide a safer environment for our equine and human athletes. The real facts about horse racing have been shared with HBO directly.” Alex Waldrop, president, The National Thoroughbred Racing Association

That response is to be expected. It’s just about every industry/institutional leader does when his or her work is under attack.

But more often than not, the presumed ‘attack’ is nothing more than revealing to the public what’s already there, hidden from sight intentionally so that the activity can persist and the status quo can be maintained.

My emotions about this matter range from sadness to outrage—and I write those words as a former horse owner. What’s happening in thoroughbred racing is another example of what some people will do to make a buck. In this case, it’s a whole bunch of people whose ‘sport’ can hardly be classified as such. No ‘real sports’ are those who make a living that includes sending animals to their graves prematurely and cruelly.

PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) is one. Get involved and/or contribute money to PETA’s efforts, which include ” a zero-tolerance drug policy, turf (grass) tracks only, a ban on whipping, and competitive racing only after horses’ third birthdays.”

Another group is The Coalition for the Protection of Racehorses. Known for its motto–‘Horseracing Kills’–the Coalition engages in undercover investigation and the all-important work of political lobbying. An all-volunteer staff leads and manage the coalition.

And stay abreast of what’s happening. One of the best ways to do that is to follow Horseracing Wrongs, a 501-c-3 organization that (among other things) runs a website. The organization does more than informing, too. It’s dedicated to eradicating horseracing.

I know that each of us has ‘hot button issues” that make our blood boil. Having horses die for entertainment and profit–and calling it ‘sport’–is one of mine.

Consider assisting the work being done to address the inhumane treatment of these at-risk creatures.

Courtesy: Hai Hospitality