4-year-old Helwan, a French horse being raced for the first time in the U.S., broke down in the 4th at Belmont today and was euthanized on the track. But you know what – on this day, at that track, no one cared. In a word, revolting.
Lost in Triple Crown Hype, Helwan Becomes 10th Dead Horse at Belmont This Year
by Patrick Battuello | Jun 6, 2015 | Dead Athletes, Tracks | 233 comments
I told my husband about American pharoah when I heard the news I did not participate in festivities or even watch it told him its been long time since we. had a triple crown winner but in the same breath said racing will be a thing of the past praying the abuse stops I saw a picture of our new winner he looked very tired and worn out he should have a pampered life the other thousands of horses not so lucky prayers to all mistreated animals on this earth
This horse wasn’t even in the race. I watched it.
Re-read the post.
There were more races on that track on the same day as the “big one.”
…… thank you.
You just proved the exact point of the post.
Re-read the post as Patrick suggested…
Helwan raced in the Jaipur Invitational hours before the Belmont Stakes.
Kelly, you are the typical pro-racing apologist…either delusional or incredibly stupid, perhaps a bit of both. Helwan lost his life yesterday on the Belmont card. Do you think it was worth it just so some humans could be entertained and place bets? I would venture to guess that Helwan would answer “no” if he could speak.
Read the article.
The horses that do well are blessed. The poor ones that hurt their feet are put to sleep. It’s dreadful.
BXGIRLBLAZIN…..they are NOT put to sleep, they are brutally slaughtered…that is, IF they survive the trip to the slaughterhouse. And there are lots of reasons, besides hurt feet, that cause an owner to send them off to be killed-just not being fast enough to win can be enough.
It’s negative people like you that try to convince people that the industry is tainted….let me guess, you are a PETA member?
there was more than 1 race
How stupid can you allow yourself to sound????????????????????
In the 4th race of the day at Belmont.
He was in Race 4 on the card. There more races than just the Belmont. SMH
nunyabuzness you don’t have to be a Peta follower to think that horse racing is a sham and more horses are killed when they lose or break down. Don’t be such a stupid individual.
he will be treated royaly and live in a palace for the rest of his life….
He’s dead, hon
Susan, I think what Bonnie means (and I agree) is that he is in heaven now being treated way better than he was on earth. Animals are gifts to be respected, their company enjoyed and cherished. Not everyone gets that unfortuantely.
You better fix all horse sports then. I am in the TB racing world, was in the western pleasure, congress and also dressage and eventing, reining. In all of them western events high end more so…tons of horses that didn’t pull their weight at congress or yr end shows are dumped at the auctions… Not worth feeding over winter… You wanna know what Reiner’s go through… They break down all the time.. Just not in the papers… So what’s the diff… Our jumpers our dressage get arthritis what do we do we inject them … More then any sport I know jumpers get injected the most to handled jumping… Well those are then given away or at auction… TBs make it in papers because they euthinize them. Its all the same sorry. If you want to fix it fix it for all of them and you better start with Amish. The biggest part are their cast offs ..
Hope Snyder: I don’t understand your point. Are you saying that, because we can’t fix everything all at once, we shouldn’t try to fix anything? I don’t see anyone here saying that other horse sports are wonderful and perfect. But horse racing is better-publicized, which makes it easier to try to address first. Meanwhile, maybe you want to try to find another way to make a living, so that you aren’t surrounded by this terrible situation, which you agree is terrible.
You can retire a horse! I too have been in both Western Show World and English. We don’t just abandon our Animals that eventually develop arthritis. They all will eventually at some point. It comes with aging! We give them a more suited lifestyle. Just because a specific horse can’t perform for me any longer doesn’t mean I’m going to call the vet and ask to have him put down. You should know this, but there are many options to treat different conditions. A great example is diet. Shame on you for making it sound like euthanasia is the best option in most cases.
Dawn, you are absolutely right. Every discipline, especially at the higher levels, pushes horses physically and mentally. Vets and farriers make a fortune from dosing and tweaking and using ‘quick fixes’ to get horses through the season. The ones who don’t make the grade are discarded and, more often than not, end up on the meat truck, bound for slaughter. A far worse fate that euthemisation.
Show jumping, reining, cow cutting, barrel racing, DRESSAGE, are all deadly to these beautiful creatures. We never hear the horse and performance horse show horror stories. Racing has a lot of faults but all these other “disciplines” share the same responsibility/ They imprison and torture horses for the entertainment of humans.
.
Agreed.
Hope, none of what you describe is o.k., it just so happens that this particular article concerns the racing industry. I have had experience in the horse racing industry, working at a “lay up” farm. I was disgusted and horrified to see so many young, beautiful animals sent to slaughter simply because they were not healing fast enough. By the way, a major difference between horse racing and other horse sports is the ridiculously young age that these babies are pushed past what their immature musculoskeletal systems can endure!
Spot on. Very well said. It is a tough situation. Without their sports, the breeds would not exist. If we could only “use” them without “using them up”.
We can’t.
You know Hope, you are correct. Horses competing at a high level week after week are going to breakdown, but dumping them is NOT the choice for many. A few years ago, we had to put my 13 & under youth mare to sleep after she lived a nice happy retirement on our farm. She had many mile as earning a Superior in Western Pleasure, Supreme Youth Champion, multiple years at a top 10 and top 5 all around youth, youth Versatility award, etc. (all done as a 13 & under). She went from Halter in the morning to hunt seat, jumping, western pleasure, speed events, etc. My family made a commitment to her that when we started running her in speed classes that we potentially could blow her mind (which it didn’t) she would have a home for life and that she did. Yes, we could have made a lot of money on her as she was still sound and winning the day of her retirement, but she was retired the day she got her last halter point needed for her supreme championship.
There is more to the horse world that winning in my opinion.
Well said, Hope! AGREE with you completely!
We don’t send humans who have arthritis or other medical problems to go die. Why should horses be any different?
It is all about money. Injured horses can’t make money and it is considered a waste of time and money to rehabilitate them in most cases.
Happens all the time! If you don’t believe me, visit a nursing home and ask about all the DNR patients on Hospice programs that only receive “comfort” care. That means granny doesn’t get her heart meds, or antibiotics and is left to slowly die. I’m not justify what happens, but euthanasia is a quick and painless way to end suffering. Anything of value will be exploited by people. And if you have no value,
look out. The meat industry is the worst. What we do to those animals before we kill them and when we kill them will give you nightmares for life.
Horses are not pampered after they race. They are slaughtered and sold so that owners can make more money off of them as it is too expense to let them stay alive. Horses are not fully grown till the age of 6 or 7 years by racing them they cause these injuries of having to put them down with broken legs, broken hips, etc. Many websites for example. http://www.peta.org/issues/animals-in-entertainment/horse-racing-2/horse-racing-industry-cruelty/whips/
http://www.equinestudies.org/ranger_2008/ranger_piece_2008_pdf1.pdf
this is so sad. All these horses are just stock and a peace of meat, too them. then if they don’t win they end up in meat packing house. so sad. May God have mercy on their sol’s.
Have any of you heard about OTTB’s a lot of these horses that can’t race will be retrained for other disciplines. Not ALL failed racehorses end up at slaughter.
But most do. It was not their choice to become racehorses and it’s not their choice to be slaughtered if they aren’t the fastest on the track. Helwan broke a cannon bone. Today that’s a treatable injury. It heals 100% and within a year the horse can even be racing again. It simply comes down to whether or not someone is willing to invest the time and money into the animal that gave 100% for them. Sad thing is that people who have little and only have horses as pets would invest every cent they have to save their horse from such an injury, but the ones who have a ton of money and who have earned that money from the horse will put it down as soon as it might cost them a few dollars.
Not most – 10% end up slaughtered.
You are absolutely wrong: Your 10% figure is the (too low) percentage of slaughtered American horses who were Thoroughbreds, not the percentage of Thoroughbreds who go to slaughter. Without question, most “retired” Thoroughbreds are bled-out and butchered; the numbers are very clear on this: http://horseracingwrongs.com/2015/05/29/in-all-likelihood-most-spent-racehorses-are-slaughtered/
Doug, it really depends on the type and location of the fracture, how much of the blood supply is intact, the extent of soft tissue injury, etc. With ALL animals my first instinct to try to save them. In reality though money does come into play. I had to make the difficult decision to euthanize a great dog who had cancer. With chemo I may have been able to extend his life for a year. Unfortunately I didn’t have the $20,000 for the treatments. I’m not arguing with you or saying that Helwan could or couldn’t be saved. It’s another terrible loss. I have to wonder which meds he received throughout his life that may have contributed to his loss. I’m tired of hearing ‘took a bad step’.
I have 2 of them myself, thx for posting this!!
This is so sad!
While this is sad, I can tell you, that you are all wrong… I train and race horses. They are pampered and well loved and when they can’t race anymore they still stay with me for life. So when you make a generalization about an industry, make damn sure you are 100, percent right, because here, you are so so very very wrong!
Lindsay, I am damn sure and I can tell you that most racehorses aren’t pampered and loved. Why don’t you look Shamrock Road up on Equibase? Pampered and loved? Don’t think so. Oh, and then you babble that your horses stay with you for life. Really? Put your first and last name here on this blog because I want to put your horses in my Virtual Stable. I’ll bet you put them up for sale in claiming races.
Right on Mary!!!!
I race as well and part of your statement is true claimers are a big part and upsets so es of us . The real problem is the race secretary’s don’t write races for some of the lower class horse , and it’s cruel to race them over their heads. When someone claims one you can always reclaim as that happens , so you are partially correct. As for racing industry there are great trainers and bad bad trainers . My husband and my horses are well cared for and are jogged to be in condition some take the easy way and just drug them, hopefully the regulatory commission and drug testing will continue to improve. With the influx of casino money purses are up so you see a lot more competion sometimes the small stables should not wish for they may come true. Top horses coming in and family trained home raised horses can’t compete!!! What a world.
Mary I tried to look up shamrock road? All I got was the race record?
Kim, did you look Shamrock Road up on Equibase (www.equibase.com)? He is only three years old and is the perfect example of the racing industry exploiting a horse. He is entered to run again on Tuesday at Presque isle Downs. Here is the link to the story that Patrick did on SR about a week ago.
http://horseracingwrongs.com/2015/06/03/the-abuse-of-a-3-year-old-horse-named-shamrock-road/
Thank you for the info Mary.
Also Horses are not fully grown till the age of 6 or 7 years by racing them they cause these injuries of having to put them down with broken legs, broken hips, etc. Many websites for example. http://www.peta.org/issues/animals-in-entertainment/horse-racing-2/horse-racing-industry-cruelty/whips/
http://www.equinestudies.org/ranger_2008/ranger_piece_2008_pdf1.pdf
So all of the horses stay with you when their racing career is over if they don’t live in royalty? That is a lie. Where do you live if you don’t mind me asking?
It has been proven that some Thoroughbreds end up at slaughter houses, some become hunter/jumper horses while others are just sold at auction to be rid of them. I am in Kentucky. I know the treatment these horses get.if their racing career is good. The losers are a different story. Mares fare better than stallions some of the time if their pedigree is desirable.
So please let me know where you live. I would like to visit to see all the horses that supposedly live with you.
lol you are so very very greedy exploiting these animals for your pockets. Not even one mention of the horse who died for your vanity and greed. Yeah you are exactly what racing is.. bloodthirst and greed and not one ounce of respect or compassion for these animals
You are complaining about the thoroughbred industry, yet more quarterhorses end up at auctions than tb’s. The thoroughbred industry, especially in the last 4 – 5 years have at least reduced the number of horses bred, yet the quarterhorse industry has not. Quarterhorses are routinely culled. A few years ago a woman was crying because she HAD to, I repeat she HAD to send 200 young horses to slaughter.
There are many rescues and projects that work to rehome/retrain thoroughbreds.
Before you attack me, there are many things I don’t like about racing. I do however have a thoroughbred that I bought off the track. Almost 7 years later, his former trainers from the race track still check on him and love to see how he’s doing. You really want to see heartless people?? Go visit the quarter horses reiner’s.
Glad to know you are different Lindsey, bless your heart !!
Who is generalizing here, Lindsay?! If you believe that all race horses are pampered and loved, because you pamper and love your horses, guess what, you would be generalizing and you would be wrong. I have worked at a lay up farm where they attempted to rehabilitate the “brake downs” and guess what I saw…
those that did not recover fast enough, or enough to race again, were sent to auction and mostly went for meat. Anyone who is truly in the industry knows that this goes on, because it is all about money and profits. Good for you if you are one of the exceptions but don’t deny that this does not go on with a majority of other trainers.
You may be a wonderful person who keeps your animals for life, but there are plenty more people who think of horses as a pay check and if they are not winning or break down then there is no money to be made. They are sent off to slaughter.
These horses love to run. If they did not… they would not have made it this far. It is sad, but guess what?? people die everyday jogging or exercising at the prodding of others…. or the prodding of forceps at unplanned parenthood.
Oh, Chris…same old tired story. Yes, people die but this blog isn’t about “People Who Die While Jogging”, is it? It is a blog called Horseracing Wrongs. So many people, such as yourself, just don’t get what this blog is about, sad to say. It isn’t about abortion but I’m sure there are blogs where you could express your opinion on those issues. This is about Horseracing Wrongs. Got it?
Another tired, worn out story…Horse love to run. Yes, they do love to trot or gallop in a field but not at full speed for two minutes to the left. I have had horses in my life for over 50 years. That is not what I have found to be true.
Thank you Mary for putting that fool in his place!!! Humans push the horses in horseracing beyond their limits — the horses aren’t pushing themselves beyond their limits! Thank you again for clarifying the difference. The poor animals. God bless these graceful, beautiful, spirited creatures and may St. Francis watch over them all.
All have pros and cons. Former roommate was a trainer for a while. Older daughter a vet. We just cannot push harder than the body can evdure, even with conditioning and exercise, along with proper nutrition .
…great response…
Chris, you are absolutely right! That’s the whole point; young horses love to run! They don’t know that their joints, bones and ligaments are not ready for flat-out galloping everyday. They run whenever they are asked to. In the wild, young horses may run a short distance once in a while – not the prolonged concussion and stress that race training and racing itself imposes on them. Trainers know that, by running them in their early years, they are risking the horses’ breakdown by the age of 4 or 5. They take the gamble. The horses don’t know that they are risking their own lives….
Who exactly prods a person to jog? These animals may love to run but not on command and not at the end of a whip.
Your comment is literally the stupidest thing I’ve heard in a very long time.
Most animals love to run and play, just like many people like to run around and play sports. But I can’t think of a single person or animal that likes to be prodded with a whip into running full force for 2 miles. Maybe I’m wrong here but I’m willing to experiment with it. Give me a whip and you start running and we’ll see if your theory holds true. Sorry but you argumentation does not really show that you are capable of thinking further than the tip of your nose. You enjoy seeing an animal pushed to the very limit of it’s existence, that does not mean the animal feels the same way about it as you.
I think this is just terrible, I just don’t even understand the meaning behind all of this-they put so much into these horses and then just discard them so easily
OOooh yall are just more of the leftist anti human crowd… you are nothing new. Come to think of it… the Nazis felt the same way about horse racing….
Horses… never run around on their own and blow a cannon bone. Nope never happens.
Horses never run around and break a leg. Nope… never happens.
Horses never founder, never get sick… never need to be put down… it just does not happen…..
Humans are the cause of all horse ailments… all dog,cat rabbit,squirrel, cockroach…
right…. I’d bet good money most of the hand wringers on this page would love to force people to their will. I’d bet more money … most hand wringers so upset about the life of a few horses… are pro abortion….
I’ve owned 5 horses as a bleeding heart democrat…. and now 7 (8 on wed!) as a hard core conservative and they ALL come with the inherent knowledge that I may have to shoot one at anytime (never move a horse w/o a gun). Shit happens, assigning blame is an exercise in futility and leads to paralysis and statism by using emotion to draft laws and regulations.
99% of all horse owners love and adore their animals and like the owner of every horse that has to be put down for one reason or another feel the pain and loss… but do not submit to paralysis.
You are nothing new, either, Chris Weaver. Your rhetoric is that of a true welfarist; “food, shelter and then anything I want to do with you”. And as someone prviously mentioned, an “apologist”.
Yes, sh!t happens every day, but decent people at least attempt to lighten the burden of others, including animals, not make excuses for perpetuating an industry that causes so many casualties.
Mr Weaver,
How typical! Yep everyone here who sees the wrong in the industry must be “Nazis or leftis”, Or “pro-abortion”. Is that really all you got?? If you can not see the wrong in it, chances are you either benefit from it some way, or you have no empathy for species outside of your own. No body has to be anything other than have the ability to empathize to see the wrong in horse racing.
The sad part is that you have no clue as to how ridiculous you sound.
To illustrate your point of how 99% of owners “love and adore their horses”: You, Mr. Weaver, being soo knowledgeable must remember a claimer called Rapid Redux. He was claimed by trainer David J. Wells at Penn National for owner Robert L. Cole on October 13, 2010. The claim was $6.250. According to the Thoroughbred Times article (Dec. 3, 2011) the new owner, Robert Cole, stated the following : “I told my trainer we’d run him in allowance company, pick up a win and a GOOD CHECK and then run him again for a tag, Take a nice little profit and walk”. You know very well this is how the vast majority of trainers and owners view the horse in this game.
There is love and adoration in the game, alright, but it is not for the horse, as you claim, rather it is for the MONEY.
Wow, an ass AND an anti-Semite!
At this point, everyone has moved on because your ramblings make no sense. Your a fanatic but I’m just not sure about what exactly; you’ve dragged so many issues into this conversation, your point (if you actually have one) has been lost.
Death on the track is common because these babies are physically immature when they are raced as 2-3 year olds. A horse doesn’t reach physical maturity until 7. They are injected with cocaine and steroids and electroshocked to compensate for their physical immaturity, and so they often die on the track. If they survive the track, they are not provided for in retirement (even if they win millions) and fill the slaughter trucks to Mexico and Canada. If they survive the trip, they are then stabbed in the neck repeatedly, stabbed in the eyes if they try to run away, and then hung by their hind legs while still alive, to have their throats sliced. We need to raise awareness on what really happens in horse racing. Perhaps if more people knew what happens, there would be less support for it.
I totally agree about the immaturity. We doing start our horses until four or five year
Bravo, Victoria…
Racehorses have a more pampered life than most human beings..being worth millions gets them very well treated. And what would you prefer they do let him live in pain for the rest of his life…or should they jack him up on vicadin forever like we treat humans? That nuts. He had a good life in a barn better than most people’s homes, he was at the top of his fitness (no different than many athletes). He suffered an injury that even if repaired would cause him undo pain, and they did the most human thing possible (like people who make the choice to uphill their relatives). They allowed him to die without pain and a champion. So since people make the same decisions (or worse) about th fellow humans..i guess we can conclude he was treated very humaely. Quit belly aching about how poorly animals are treated..when people on this planet..many of your own neighbors are treated far worse. Great horse to have come so far..great love to have let him go without pain. and don’t say it was caused by the racing…horses running in a field can have accidents and have the same injuries…it happens.
Vanessa, it is hard to even respond to someone such as yourself. Yes, Helwan was euthanized and his pain was minimized. That is a good thing. However, true to form, you are missing the point. There was NO reason for a four year old to die in the dirt. He was just a baby. Got it? The proverbial “he took a bad step” is just an attempt by horseracing to whitewash the atrocities. Oh, and I have been involved with horses for well over 50 years and I have NEVER seen a horse running in a field and snapping its leg off….NEVER. Can it happen? Of course, but, once again, this blog isn’t about “Horses That Snap Their Legs Off When Running In A Field”. This blog is called Horseracing Wrongs. Got it?
Mary Johnson ,don’t waste your breath ,beings like the being called Vanessa will never “get it “.
Well said Mary. That IS the point – horses are raced too young. Period.
I really like you Mary Johnson. You are right on. It has to be fixed. Horses should never go to slaughter where they are brutally killed. I can’t stand animal abuse.
Vanessa you are, at the very least, unrealistic about how horses are “loved” and treated in racing. Your head is in the sand and, with all due respect, maybe it should just stay there !!!!
PS Stop using the “people are treated far worse” mantra it is stupid. So because some people are not treated “fairly” by other people we should excuse cruel treatment of animals by people? ! Is it not all to do with the bad and inexcusable behavior of people ? There is a correlation and one does NOT excuse the other.
What you say is true in some cases, but certainly not in all. As a matter of fact, the day a trainer with the initials DWL was inducted into the Racing Hall of Fame, it became the Hall of Shame. I lost count years ago how many of his champion three year olds weren’t fit to pull a milk wagon at 5….if they were lucky enough to live that long. What he did to Winning Colors should have gotten the ASPCA to swear out a warrant for his arrest. Yes, there is out and out disregard of horses’ welfare by some, but others are in racing for the love of the animals and treat them with respect, These are the ones who realize the horses are living creatures who are affording them a chance to make a living. Not everyone in racing is an ogre—but some are nothing more than greedy murderers.
This is not a sport, this is all about the money and nothing else. It makes me sick to my stomach.
Agreed 🙁
Incredibly sad for the horses. May Helwan rest in peace and may the others see the end of horse racing altogether.
I watched this race. Fact is I watched all 3. This horse wasn’t even in the Belmont. Another Fact, he didn’t race in any of them.. So people get your Facts right before you comment on a bogus post.
Reading comprehension must not be your strong suit. Helwan broke down in the 4th race yesterday at Belmont; I never said he died in a TC race.
You are that slow aren’t you. Google Helwan. At least 5 articles from various sources did a piece on this horse breaking down at BELMONT.
YOU need to do YOUR research before flapping your fingers on a keyboard. Don’t you think its possible they didn’t show the breakdown or killing the horse on TV?
David, they did not show the breakdown on TV. I do not watch racing anymore. A friend of mine who watches racing was unaware of the demise of Helwan. Apart from it not being shown, there was no mention of the breakdown by any of the commentators.
PS My point is that in racing the cameras always focus away from the “kills” and the commentators never mention them. However, the chart results always record the deaths or DNF because there is no way not to since the horse started in the race.
Applause, applause. Thank you, Patrick and David. It’s almost comical how someone so rude and ignorant actually conjures the nerve to set everybody else straight.
Justify horse racing all you like. Tell yourself they love having the shit whipped out of them while running. Tell yourself they are pampered.. What ever you need to tell yourself that horse racing is even remotely humane, go ahead and say it. Convince yourself. But for the people with any compassion or common sense, we know it is a horrible industry.
Some people do pamper their horses of track, yes. But on track, they get pushed and beat to the breaking point. When they break down, seldom do the owners even try to rehabilitate the horse. They just kill it on the track. If its lucky enough to make it to “retirement”, most are abandoned or sent to slaughter.
Anyone who is a part of horse racing is part of a inhumane industry and I’d love to treat them as the horses are treated.
It’s tragic, but people say the same thing about the Iditarod and other dog sledding races. These dogs love to run and most are treated very well. Of course, there are those that aren’t. I’m sure it’s the same in horse racing.
You need to do some research.
Many of the dogs that run the Iditarod never cross the finish line.
Hello is anybody home? WHY fix the symptoms and not the solution? Modern TB horses have been bred so badly they are too fragile to finish a race. Do not allow Lasix. Do not allow bleeders to race. Do not allow babies to run. Wait until the plates are closed (shown by x-ray) before a horse can race. Do not breed horses that are prone to conformation so bad their progeny will break down while running.
Why do we race our babies,beat our children, rape our fellow man. In the name of what? Certainly not God
hey , yeah good idea, lets start 3 an 4 year old baby races. the human kind. start the training at birth and then set up the betting system and put them out in any weather situations. sounds like as much fun as horse racing. oh yea if the kid loses it goes on the market to highest bidder. sign me up for the all new baby races
http://www.theguardian.com/sport/blog/2011/sep/23/claims-five-broken-leg-horse
Read the article above
Not saying things are always right, but it’s not always inhuman or wrong to euthanize.
No anti horse racing commenter said it was inhumane to euthanize a severely injured horse. In fact, just the opposite. The problem that the money-makers won’t acknowledge is that these horses are essentially pushed beyond their endurance, too often at young ages where they are not physiologically qualified to be in such races. But they already know this.
I don’t think that ANYone is saying it is “inhumane or wrong to euthanize’, but instead change the practices that lead to the issues that create the need. Get that??
I live in Kentucky where everyone loves it. I can’t even watch it for a second, it makes me nauseous immediately. It is such a sad “sport”. I don’t understand why people would enjoy risking animals lives for their enjoyment. Unfortunately we see it many more ways than just horse racing. I am a vet tech and people harm animals for completely unknown reasons. Maybe one day animals will finally ALL be treated as they so deserve.
Brooke, don’t even try to get into their heads. You don’t want to go “there”.
You don’t “understand why people would enjoy” risking the lives of animals for their own personal enjoyment? The answer: M-O-N-E-Y and recognition.
Thanks for HELPING abused animals.
i have one word for those who claim race horses live in the lap of luxury the rest of their lives, Ferdinand. The other word is Liars.
race horses are like actors a few make it the rest struggle to make a living. Yes horses love to run and they like having freedom to do so 24/7. race horses are “pampered” in a stall just big enough to turn around in, except when they are taken out to race or prepare to race. so anyone who knows horses knows they run and run hard when taken out its part of their claustrophobic nature to run from danger. horses are happiest in wide open spaces where they can sprint if needed or simply for joy. being kept in a stall (often dark) is a crime against their nature just wondering how many folks think royalty or peasants or even prisoners for that matter would enjoy staying in a box that they can just turn around in, torture is the word that comes to mind. look deeply at how the horses are treated and you will see the truth, believe myths and you will continue to be deluded.
horses love to run in an open field, not on a race track with some idiot on his back whipping him
ive worked with vets who take care of racehorses. Most of them aren’t pampered since most are not worth millions.
The age of the horses is one thing. There is another dirty secret which the racing industry covers up. It is the secret of the nurse mare / orphan foal industry. Many foals are brought into the world just to bring their mothers into milk. Then almost at birth a race horse foal is grafted onto the mare and her less valuable foal is cast off. there are rescue groups for these orphan foals but really this side of the industry should not exist. If TB mares must have natural cover by stallions they should nurse their foals unttil natural weaning age. Nurse mares should only be used in an emergency. The whole race horse industry is corrupt.
Although I find it very sad this horse lost its life, maybe racing isn’t all to blame. Why did the owner/trainer of this horse elect to put it on lasix to enhance lung capacity for the first time ever just before this race? Not that lasix has any side effect of broken cannon bones…. But why risk something new, especially a drug, on your animal for the first time ever and then push it to maximum capacity?
Racing killed Helwan – the drugs are a sub-issue.
Disagree – the horse would not run so hard if not for the drugs. Poor breeding and drugs ARE the issues.
Exploitation of a weaker species – and for gambling no less – is the issue.
Mary………yes it is horseracing wrongs. But that does not mean that an opinion that differs from your own cannot be written on this page. GOT IT????!!!!!!
Anita, you must be a newbie. The pro-racing apologists are always babbling on this blog…what about the pleasure horses….what about the polo ponies….what about the dressage horses? What about them, Anita? What is their point? Surely, you are smart enough to realize that there are blogs for many animal industries such as the circus, captive orcas and dog racing. We even have one derelict on here who wants to babble about abortion and the Nazi’s. Talk about a whack job! There are many people whose opinions differ from mine. Patrick allows people, with differing opinions, to post. Therefore, just in case you missed it, pro-racing folks have posted here. GOT IT?
I have news for you, in the world today, PEOPLE are just pieces of meat, to the large corporations!!
I rather see a horse come in a race last than break down come to the ill fated end of being put down, it is just to sad for words, but over the years it has been repeatly drumbed in my head it is part of racing , and just because there is always a risk in any sport whether football, Nascar Horse Racing it does not mean we have to like it or not feel sad about it.
Horseracing is not a sport.
It’s all about breeding. It’s all masterbation and rape for owner profit at the animals’ expense. Horses are treated simply as a commodity, like a sack of flour.
http://www.saawinternational.org/horseracing.htm
Win or lose, doesn’t matter how they live out the rest of their lives. There have been big money winners on slaughter trucks just the same as losers. Most are discarded some way after their racing careers are over. Even if a huge winner, they can’t run forever, they break down from too much too fast and careers end when horses are very young. There are a few exceptions who are well cared for after their careers are over but for the vast majority they aren’t. They are just a discarded piece of meat. Some do get lucky and are adopted out to people who will love them and care for them like they should be (I have adopted a few of them). I would agree that while they are training and winning, they are probably pampered. Having said that, they are trained too hard, too fast for too long. It’s all about money, the bottom line. Greed and money.
Why does everybody HAVE to comment on stuff like this? What good does it do? You all are going to call each other names because you don’t feel the same way about this…just stop!
Well, gee, it is the comment section.
GOD I hate this bloody nasty sport.
so explain to me how this sport & I use the term very loosely is and different than dog fighting or bull fighting or even big game hunting when they all result in in deaths of GODS BEAUTIFUL CREATIONS
Grooms in the shedrow usually have the strongest relationships with the horses. As a kid growing up in a racetrack town, and working the backstretch, I can’t tell you how many grooms I knew through the years who would take a horse to run in a race, but refuse to watch their horse run. I also witnessed a few gangster type manly men (the back stretch doesn’t attract yuppy types) reduced to tears when their horse was lost in a race. I personally was there the day Ruffian broke down in her race with Foolish Pleasure. I never understood, even as a kid, why that race was even necessary. It was just a publicity stunt. That was the point I stopped watching the races, though I still worked on the backstretch.
The question now is: Will the owners of American Pharoah let him rest now or will they try for yet one more giant purse, one more claim to fame, at Saratoga? Here’s hoping he be allowed to be a horse.
I guess the only good news, here 20 years later, is that horse racing is losing it’s popularity. Maybe some day it will die out on it’s own.
All the attention on the tattooed thoroughbreds, meanwhile 20-40 registered and branded racing standardbreds are quietly auctioned at Shipshewana, Indiana, bought by kill buyers and are taken to Canada to be slaughtered and nobody seems to give a damn. What makes them less important?
They’re not.
A better tactic might be to do something about slaughter. Now the horses get shipped to Canada or Mexico. They get the long ride to hell. There’s nothing ok about that.
To say that no one cared is a little absurd… I am a huge horse racing fan and was very saddened over Helwan breaking down. Very unfortunate and upsetting on a historic day.
If you are a fan, then you are complicit: horses don’t die if no one bets or watches. As for your “saddened over Helwan breaking down” line, save it – you’ve brought that garbage to the wrong place.
I wish they would just do away with this shit..
What do you think would happen to all those horses if they did do away with it??
It’s like the NYC carriage horses – people have this ridiculous idea that there is a pasture perfect home for everyone of them…….there isn’t.
We are very aware, Sue, that there are not enough forever homes for the discarded horses of the various disciplines and from the racing industry, including the TB’s, QH’s and STB’s. Yet the racing breeders keep cranking out more horses. I find it appalling that one of the “good folks” in TB racing – Donna Keen – states; “Truth is there are not enough funds to rehab, retrain, and rehome every horse. That’s just a fact.” Yet the Keen’s just continue to “make” MORE horses!…they have three breeding stallions, one with a fee of only $500! They’re aware there isn’t enough help for the racehorses once they are used-up, but they keep putting more of them on this earth. Disgusting. But that’s this industry. Money-making is god and the horses be damned.
Excellent – as usual – Joy.
I do not disagree – i will say that the thoroughbred industry has slowed down breeding. Last time I checked, the quartrhorse industry had not.
CALIFORNIA CHROME lost a lot of weight when he was sent to DUBAI.
He looks skinny and tired.
FROM A RESCUE GROUP THAT RESCUES RACE HORSES
WARP, a nearly dead, 200k+ winning mare,
The racehorses we have here from the Fallen Herd have won nearly ONE MILLION DOLLARS.
one of the skinniest horses they had ever rescued and we honestly didn’t think she would survive. She fought along with us, touch and go, winning the hearts of us all.
http://www.hicaliber.org/rehab
End all horse racing and let the horses live forever without any racing or recognition for being alive. Triple crown was awesome and all you people find something else to complain about. Merica.
What in the world do you think would happen if the horses had no job anywhere?? There would be no “pretty horses” anywhere.
Sue, that’s exactly james’ point. He’s being facetious when he says “End all horse racing and let the horses live forever without any racing or recognition for being alive.” Meaning, “If they weren’t racing they wouldn’t be alive.” Exactly what you said….
Thank God – a voice of reason……….
There is a difference between a job and a death sentence.
If they have no job, they will be killed faster than you can say **it. There are not enough homes for all those “unwanted” horses. Thank the economy for that. Every day horses of all types/breeds and disciplines end up in the slaughter pipeline.
Not many people have endless amounts of money they can spend on a “pasture pet” nor do they have all the land needed to take care of them.
The owner of American Pharoah is planning on running him at Saratoga. I hope he will be OK. This horse is worth more as a stud why is the owner willing to take a chance running this horse again. Has he been mislead to think the fans would enjoy seeing him run again. Every time a horse breaks down it should be shown on TV. It’s all about Money and Greed.
It is about money Sharon. The more AP makes, the more $$ the Zayat’s will rake in from the sale of breeding rights. They’ll run him three or four more times including the Breeder’s Cup. He’ll then detox for a couple months before going to the breeding shed. Gotta pay those gambling debts……
If I see one more ‘watch us tomorrow when we interview the great Bob Baffert’ story line I’m going to scream! Will any of those reporters mention the numerous horses he killed with thyroid meds? Of course not. Have to keep up with the fluff pieces and ignore the reality of racing.
Does anyone have an update on Shook Up who was vanned off at Belmont yesterday? Helen Keller could have seen that Shook Up was clearly uncomfortable shortly after the break yet the jockey still kept pushing her.
It’s great to see you here, Joyce!
Regarding Shook Up, I would call the racing office and have them put you through to the track vet (NYRA vet)…it was a Dr. Verderosa when I called about a filly that was vanned off. FYI…he was not a wealth of information and seemed very nervous. I hope Shook Up is alright.
Run the tape, look at Pharoh’s ears. Pitched forward, totally relaxed, he was doing something he loved. Are there abuses in ANY industry, sport, etc? Of course. Do you let your child play football? What about the head injuries? Overall, these horses are valued and cared for like you can’t imagine. The worst abusers of horses? The Amish. Go to the auctions, go to the kill pens, see what’s there. Then come back and comment.
Jane, care to comment on the 18,000 TB’s that end up in kill boxes each year? With an annual foal crop of about 35,000 that means an amount equivalent to half the annual foal crop is butchered. I guess we don’t have the same definition of ‘valued’. If you want to compare racehorses to children fine. Let’s talk drugs. Should children be injected with anabolic steroids to quicken growth rates? Should they be given any type of performance enhancing drug? Should their injuries be masked so the parents can get one more game out of them? If they have breathing problems should they just be given more meds before the game? There isn’t a single horse on any track in the US that isn’t or hasn’t been drugged.
I’m sure AP does enjoy running. Being in a stall for 20 hours each day will put any horse on its toes.
Thank you for the comment, Joyce. Just a slight correction: With the “foal crop” roughly 20,000 in recent years, it’s almost a 1:1 ratio of those coming in to those going out (via slaughter). And you are absolutely right about the intense confinement – a cruelty unto itself.
Joyce, in 2011, I spoke to one of the editors of the Bloodhorse…Eric Mitchell. It was shortly after Deputy Broad was sent to slaughter by Danny R. Bird. Mitchell told me that approximately 28,000 TB’s were registered in 2010. Since then, the numbers have declined significantly from the 28,000. Patrick says the number is now around 20,000. I didn’t think it was that low but I don’t know for sure. If that 20,000 number is accurate, then almost 100% of the foal crop will eventually end up on the slaughterhouse floor. Horrific numbers, to say the least.
Ten years ago, the numbers were huge….around 40,000 TB’s were registered each year. Once the economy went south, breeding suffered a significant decline. We can only hope and pray that breeding does not experience a resurgence with the improved economy.
Here are the numbers: http://www.jockeyclub.com/default.asp?section=FB&area=2
Thanks for the link.
Patrick, I didn’t realize that the foal crop was so low. I knew it was about 28,000 in 2010 but I had no idea it had fallen to 20,000. If 15,000 TB’s enter the slaughter pipeline, that means that 75% of the foal crop will eventually end up on the slaughterhouse floor. Of course, add that to the horses that die in the dirt and the ones that are euthanized due to injuries, and it is quite evident that the number approaches 85%. Those numbers are truly horrific yet those, who support racing, continue to babble about all the “great” things in the sport, including all the “good folks”. Delusion, denial, or stupidity? I have to wonder….
It’s wholesale carnage, Mary.
Somebody needs to make a “Blackfish” type documentary exposing horseracing for what it is, instead of just movies like Secretariat and 50 to 1 which glorify it.
Already been done – Stable to Table
Thank you Sue! I searched and found it. It can be viewed in full at http://video.kcts9.org/video/1809648702/ I’m going to watch it now and I’ll post it on my Facebook page.
Can horseraces be fixed? By fixed I mean staged?
All the time ginajudd, all the time.
Read some Dick Frances novels – they are a great read and very informative! He was a jockey turned writer….
There are some very clever ploys used to fix or stage races. The authorities try to keep up but they’re fighting a crafty opponent.
Can’t we get it together and create some group that makes pre-race agreements with owners that if the horse is decided to no longer be of value to the owner or the sport this “organization ” wll adopt the horse and take care if it with a small supplies donation from the owner and fundraising”? So very many girls out camps and school fairs that could socialize children and public with the amazing creatures and give these beautiful beasts a purpose and the love of the children….
Hey Jj. There are lots of OTTB (off-track thorough-bred) rescues. But not enough. It takes expertise and a lot of money to rehabilitate a broken down racehorse. Fundraisers and school fairs can only supply so much and they can’t keep on giving. Horses need care and attention all year ’round.
I estimate that it costs over $5,250.00 Canadian to keep a healthy horse for a year. That doesn’t include any extra veterinary/medication costs….
it makes me sick knowing these horses will suffer from being raced…its all about the money…anyone who attends these races is just as guilty as putting the horses in their graves…all horse racing needs to end
This is really sad. It’s the dark side if racing they don’t want you to see. So many horses are put down because of injuries in racing. But they don’t talk about how they lose thei lives because of the sport.
This may not be the place to post this, but I just received an email from a friend this morning.
I’ve had a DVD for about 10 years called the First Saturday in May. It’s not a documentary per se, but outlines 4 trainers/owners and what it took to get a horse ready for the Derby,from a single owner/trainer to the big barns It opened my eyes greatly, as I was new to the whole industry. I personally know a hot walker/ trainer up here in Canada, as well as owners/trainers of both riders and horses in
dressage, whose son was on our Olympic Team when they were in the states. These people supervise, know and love each and every horse and don’t start training them until they are 10. Why would they treat badly a $million investment. Also someone mentioned earlier the mare and stud fees cover all costs. all their horses are guaranteed a home for life.
The coming of the whales and government interference with casinos has put an end to racing as we knew it and the fate of those young horses who do not make it. Every Derby Oakes day when the Eight Belles Stakes race comes up I am reminded of her. Going head to head with the boys and winning only to go down with both forelegs broken on the finish line. I couldn’t get back in time to watch the race, but there was no picture or mention of her on ant newscast. It took me about 6 hours to finally find a replay up in a remote station up north.
There are a lot of rescue ranches up here and more are coming on board every day. They have a network and when a horse becomes available, they circulate the word around. It’s not perfect, but it’s a beginning.
Oh, I am 81 and have only been interested this past 10 years.
There are very few-if any- horses started as 10 year olds. Most in the English disciplines are started as 3-4 year olds.
I don’t have any experience with horse racing/ training etc.
I’m just an animal welfare person -who administers a free monthly spay neuter clinic for free roaming and feral cats in my community.
I applaud those of you who do whatever you can to provide a caring and loving environment for your horses.
The subject of racing is difficult as there are many opinions about it .
Just like Greyhound racing we all know there are cruel and inhumane treatments going on & finally the message has gotten through and many racetracks have stopped greyhound racing.
But as we all know there’s a lot more work to be done.
Local animal groups do a lot of work behind the scenes to change some of these laws and to get out there and protest when they can.
We need to have stiffer penalties for animal abuse throughout our country, so it’s important who we vote for in our cities/counties.
I pray someday we see the changes we all hope to happen in the horse racing industry as well as farming etc for all animals.
Bless all those that are expressing awareness about the atrocicities in the horse racing industry-so that people that don’t understand hopefully will understand.
THIS HAPPENS ALL TOO OFTEN…
Some people just don’t connect the dots.
Horse racing of all kinds – Standardbred, thoroughbred, Arab etc. – is NOT beneficial to horses. (Most of the other top competitive disciplines – reining – dressage – showjumping, eventing etc – push horses to the limit… but racing starts them so YOUNG – that’s the difference)….
It’s not just that they can break a leg and die on the track. It’s everything leading up to that…..
Mare’s hormone’s are manipulated to ensure a foal birth as close to Jan 1st as possible.(All TBs are born on Jan 1st on their papers. God help the yearling that was born in May…
Mares are artificially inseminated at their foal heat (within a month of giving birth). Breeding mares on their foal heat is a strategy used to maximize reproductive efficiency.
Then comes the best time of a racehorse’s life – the first year! Spent outside with other youngsters.
But after that it all gets pretty stressful on body and soul.
They run baby horses – two or even 3 year olds is TOO YOUNG!
In other equine disciplines a trainer will not recommend even backing your horse till it’s three. There are reasons for this – bone, joint and tendon development being the main ones. People don’t get it that TBs are just like other HORSES. But they are run hard while their growth plates are still forming and their tendons and ligaments are strained simply by dealing with the growth.
Yes, horses love to run! So these youngsters run – and run – and run…. and run.
Sure, they are treated like royalty. Human royalty maybe. Horses are herd animals and grazers. Shutting them in Isolation stalls leads to stress and stable vices (weaving/cribbing) and feeding condensed protein leaves their gut empty and acidic, leading to ulcers and worse…
It all goes downhill from there. The majority of TBs ‘break down’ by age 4 or 5. By then they are often being dosed with anti-inflammatories, pain killers, steroids – I don’t know what, because it’s all pretty hush-hush – just to keep them running.
After all, they HAVE to make money or they are no use to us.
What happens after they are no good for winning money varies depending on who is involved and location. Pretty much all of them go to a buyer who will take them to auction and try and get something more than the meat price. If there are no takers, then it’s on the kill truck they go. In my opinion there should be a small, family run abattoir in every region – then there wouldn’t be the horrendously long transportation stresses and the feed lot waiting lines that horses have to suffer – but that is a whole other issue.
If they are very lucky they will be located near a TB rescue/rehab charity centre. Or they will finally find a loving home. I have rescued two TBs in my time and both have been the most loving and beautiful souls. I still have my girl Paris. She ran well until her hind sesamoids (ankles) were shot. Then she was bred – her foal taken away in short order – and then she was on the meat truck.
Even the winners, the ones everyone cheered for, the ones who were pampered and loved because they were the Golden Goose laying golden eggs, will go on the meat truck….
BECAUSE HORSE RACING (and top competition in other disciplines) IS ABOUT MONEY – NOT HORSES.
Thank you for this.
My sister-in-law has a ranch where she boards horses in California. I asked her why doesn’t she rescue racehorses, (non-profit organization type thing) and she said her facility wouldn’t be ideal to accomodate racehorses because they need a lot of running area. I don’t know how true that is, but that’s what she told me.
It’s reasonably true – they love to run.
I have had quite a few thoroughbreds. I never raced them.
Speaking of AMERICAN PHAROAH and horse racing.
There was an interesting article in Newsday. Part 1
With wins in this year’s Kentucky Derby and Preakness, American Pharoah has one more race to win to become the first Triple Crown winner since 1978. Fans will pay close attention to Saturday’s Belmont Stakes because they love a winner, but also because they love horses — their beauty, athleticism and storied place in American culture.
But of the 25,000 thoroughbreds bred each year, very few will compete in the Triple Crown races so familiar to us. And tens of thousands of other horses of other breeds will never gain a spot in the limelight, and certainly not in the winner’s circle of a major race.
Too often, these horses do not make the cut with their owners, or they are redirected from a legitimate enterprise — racing, work or pleasure riding — and sent into the horse slaughter trade.
Data from the U.S. and Canadian governments indicate that more than 100,000 American horses a year are exported and slaughtered in Canada or Mexico for human consumption, often after a long, typically harrowing journey that starts in an auction barn in a rural part of the United States.
Pathetic. There are humans starving to death across the world and you people are worried about an animal. Those are some screwed up priorities.
Im pretty sure sympathy isnt limited to one thing…
Concern about the welfare of animals does not mean one is not concerned about the welfare of people. Compassion is not an either / or type of emotion. The comments are about animals because that is the subject.
I couldn’t have said it better.
What are you talking about? It’s your kind of mentality these animals need protection from.
And by the way, fool, just how does our not being ‘worried’ about animals help starving people?
Sikki Ning, what really is pathetic is your comment. Cruelty is bad human behavior no matter what species is on the receiving end. People are killed and starved because of bad governments run by unscrupulous people hungry for power and money. Once again, it is human behavior….get it ? !
This site is devoted to racing wrongs. It is dangerous to believe animal abuse is acceptable. In accepting cruelty to animals one accepts bad human behavior.
We should have compassion for all living things.. That extends to everything that lives and breathes in Earth.
Your comment makes me want to start singing ” I’d like to teach the world to sing in perfect harmony” It’s really no that cut and dried. Just my opinion!
How we treat those that can not speak for themselves speaks volumes to the type of person we are. Recognizing the link between disrespect, abuse, abandonment and general apathy towards animals reflects and directly affects how a human will treat his fellow man. So, that being said, I respectfully disagree with your comment.
Actually, caring about beings that can not speak for themselves is an honorable priority. Recognize that when human beings disregard the safety, health, and well being of an animal it often correlates to a disregard for their fellow man. What are YOU doing to improve the world?
Well said.
Idiot. You’re the one that is screwed up saying such an pedestrian, ignorant comment. Yeah, there are lots of problems around the world, caring for one doesn’t negate your care for another. Plus, how we treat animals directly affects how we treat humans, and vice versa. Learn cognitive reasoned thinking before you post and remove all doubt as to whether you are merely thought a fool, or confirmed a fool.
<3 Hell yeah!!!
Wow…Sikki Ning…you’re kidding right? Everyday activities that YOU do could very well contribute to the starvation around the world. So how dare you say “we have screwed up priorities” when we care and love all living beings. WOW! I sure hope to god you don’t have an animal!!!
Why We Should Care About Animals
Animals Matter
When war, famine and poverty affect so many humans, why should we care about the
suffering of animals? We create the kind of society we live in through our daily actions.
When we tolerate cruelty to animals we are tolerating cruelty itself, and cruelty has a
harmful affect on human society. Civilization and peace need co-operation to exist, and
cruelty does not promote co-operation.
When we allow our children to see animals suffer,
we teach them to ignore all suffering.
Children learn from adults how the world should be. Many of us will rely on the care of our children as we age. We will also rely on the care of other people’s children: doctors, nurses, paramedics, and anyone else who will affect our lives in our vulnerable years. Surely we want our future care-givers to be sensitive to our needs and concerns.
If we teach children to be insensitive to pain and suffering when they see it in animals, we might find they are not so sensitive to human pain either.
Photo: ‘Give a Hand’, used with generous permission of Gilad Benari. See more photos by Gilad at: http://gilad.deviantart.com/gallery/
Humans are more powerful.
Doesn’t that mean we are more important?
Some people believe that ‘might-makes-right’ and it is acceptable to mistreat animals simply
‘because we can’. If we follow this theory entirely, then humans would live in a constant
state of war and aggression where the strongest of humans kill off the weaker. Is this the
kind of world we would choose to live in?
If we want protection for ourselves from stronger individuals and nations, how can we justify
a ‘might makes right’ way of treating other species?
Major World Views and Ways of thinking about Animals
Some people believe humans were created by God and animals were created solely
for their use.
If animals were created by God, then their ability to feel emotional and physical pain, as well as their needs and behaviours were defined by God. Who then are we to ignore the needs of animals if those needs were instilled in them by God Himself?
Are we humans really so arrogant that we believe that God cares only for us and not for the other sensitive, feeling creatures that He created?
Sikki Ning, you are the one who is pathetic.
Michele, well said.
Sikki,
YOU don’t know what everyone’s priorities are!! How dare you, you soul less asshat !! Animals are abused constantly at the hands of mankind I can only assume from your comment that you are one of the abusers. I care deeply about starving people and animals. It is possible to do BOTH, perhaps you should grow a conscience and be able to care too !!
DENA,
THose are my thoughts exactly about SIKKI.
SIKKI may work in a horse slaughter plant where many sick people work and abuse horses right before they die.
Or a slaughter plant for cows where they abuse cows or………………IN China where they feed live animals to ZOO lions and tigers..
8 to 10 million dogs are being brutally killed in China for food each year. Many of these animals are stolen pets. I would not be surprised if SIKKI came from China where many people watch while dogs are BOILED ALIVE and then eaten. These people that do all of the above or think it is acceptable to abuse animals appear to have lost all connection to their SOULS and HEARTS.
Sikki, people can TRY to get help. Animals have no voice.
What the hell?
Was the French horse racing to raise money for starving people? Did they feed the horse to kids in Africa?
Please explain how caring for this horse makes it harder to feed hungry people.
Seriously!?! Humanity goes just beyond people. Animals are defenseless.
YOU are the one who is screwed up! One species is no more important than another on Earth, home to all of us. We are all One.
If we lose compassion for those who cannot help themselves, we lose everything! People are a paramount responsibility, but we are responsible for all living things – especially those in our care!
Most of us are capable of caring about more than issue at a time. Compassion applies to all living creatures. By the way, what are you doing to help?
What?! This mentality is EXACTLY what’s wrong in this world today! ‘Just an animal?!’ Where has the compassion, kindness, love & respect for animals gone? They are living, breathing, feeling beings that were also created by God. We are to be their Caretakers. The callussness, cruelty, torment, pain & suffering of animals has gone rampant! The evil that abounds is unbelievable! I am beyond saddened.
It’s not either/or. There must be reverence for ALL life. If we could stop the suffering and death of any living being, why wouldn’t we?
You are an ass. Why? Because you ASSume that because we care about animals we don’t care about humans in dire situations. Should I say your priorities are screwed up because you care about starving people when there are children being used in pornography? Of course not! A person can, and SHOULD, care about ALL the injustices in the world.
However, what your comment does show is that YOU care more about human animals than non-human animals because you stated to care about animals is a messed up priority. If we cannot show mercy to those below us, how can we expect mercy from those above us?
Such is the Karma of humans. Domesticated animals don’t get to make life decisions. They’re completely dependent on humans.Their suffering comes at our hands.
Do not mixt aples with potatos, everybody knows it. Human can chose and defend himself, animals don’t! Basicaly, the question is the same, if there are pople starving is because their countries are “manipulated” by the strongest by the powerful ones, so starving people are defensless but they can chose ….. animals have NO WAY of CHOICES!
you are an absolute retard in the emotion department. What happened to you in life that you are so emotionally retarded that you have not a single ounce of compassion for another living being. I really hope you can live with all that hatred and anger inside. I dont think I could.
You must be one messed up individual to say such a thing !! It’s horrible, your a terrible person !
MOURNING HELWAN
by Rick Chandler June 7th
The weirdness of sports here in the USA: we celebrate American Pharoah for winning the Triple Crown, like he just won the National League home run, RBI and batting average titles. But we’ve got news: American Pharaoh is a horse. He cannot read. Your congratulatory emails will not be read to him.
He’d have been just as happy on Saturday running around in a meadow and eating oats. He has no concept of a Triple Crown. American Pharoah will now likely be put out to stud and that’s it — no appearance at the ESPY Awards, no visit to the White House. Meanwhile, racing also ended for another horse, Helwan. But in a much different way.
Helwan was a four-year-old from France, and was racing on Lasix for the first time — because in Europe such medication is illegal. But drugging horses is common practice in the U.S., where in 2014 more than 1,000 horses died on racetracks. That’s according to PETA … but before you scoff, note that The New York Times backs up that figure, and adds on. According to The Times, 24 horses die each week on racetracks across the U.S.
That’s 1,248 — more than three per day. So do we still call it a sport, or is it animal abuse? Imagine if one or two NFL players dropped dead during a typical season? Well, you’re right, they’d still keep playing, because it’s the NFL. But it would get people’s attention.
But in a prelim race at Belmont, they put up a large screen and euthanized Helwan. Once horses break down it’s nearly impossible to heal them — the tragic end of Barbaro is a prime example. The Times:
“It’s hard to justify how many horses we go through,” said Dr. Rick Arthur, the equine medical director for the California Racing Board. “In humans you never see someone snap their leg off running in the Olympics. But you see it in horseracing.”
Here’s a 2012 article in The Atlantic detailing why horse racing is dying, and if you read it you’ll realize that even this Triple Crown on Saturday won’t help. Because the “sport” is still a morass of drugs, deception and danger — both to horses and jockeys.
But at least the latter are willing participants. And so are the people who watch this abuse. The horses have no choice.
Beautifully written, I couldn’t agree more with you!
Thank you for that well researched post. I learned and I wept.
Kathleen, thank you for not just your sentiment and concern for these majestic brings but for the facts to counter the nay sayers. This “sport” is a poster child for how too many humans view animals as a commodity and not a feeling being. Far too many humans, world wide, view animals as ours to do with as we see fit — and that includes everything from money making to sexual abuse to food.
If human animals don’t start showing their non-human animal cousins respect and equality, our whole planet is doomed.
Thank you for your eloquent post!
I just couldn’t read through all the debating, I’m not one for it…but I’d simply like to say, I live in Kentucky..Louisville actually. That means The Derby. The first and only time I went my eyes were opened and I saw clearly all the whipping and yelling they do to bet them to run run run….and I was also witness to a young house being..let’s say what it was instead of sugar coating it….killed. I left in tears…
These horses, I believe, are being forced into SLAVERY….Why else to you have to whip them ?? They are running to get away from that beating….no need for over thinking and debate…SERIOUSLY…what would you do if someone was hurting you….RUN…COMMON SENSE…which unfortunately, cannot be bought…
Absolutely, Heather.
Thanks, Heather! Keep telling the truth. People need to hear the truth!!!!
Helwan was owned by the Emir of Qatar. These people do not accept failure! This poor horse never stood a chance.
Don’t try to turn this into a “those people” thing. This happens right here in the US too. Greed is international.
So where would horses be in the world today if there were no competition? How many people do you think would continue to pay for them and care for them properly if they frolicked in the meadow every day? Maybe some of the folks suggesting that should buy a couple hundred acres and let them run free. People need to consider everything, not focus on the bad accidents. No one wanted the horse to break his leg. Should we stop professional sport too? Those athletes suffer a lot injury. Yes, they are well paid but horses in high level of competition are well cared for. Do you think a mustang is better off being herded by helicopters and sent to slaughter? Maybe there should be no one driving cars, a lot accidents there. Let’s all just lay around and do nothing until we die so we don’t have any accidents or suffer injury.
You are delusional. Racehorses are neither athletes nor “competitors.” They are commodities, resources, means to human ends – nothing more, nothing less.
Patrick, you are correct.
Here is a quote from Cricket Goodall, executive director of the Maryland Horse Breeders Association and the Maryland Millions : “This sounds bad, but horses are a PRODUCT and there’s an expectation of getting a return on investment.”
Racehorses are bred, they would not even exist to be frolicking in the meadow if there were no money sport that demanded their presence. We do not believe that animals are correctly viewed as commodities for the benefit of humans and their greed. They exist for their own purpose having nothing to do with us. Athletes choose to be athletes. Horses do not choose to be racers. Do y
ou have a soul?
Really? Are you kidding? You dare to compare humans choosing to participate in sports with animals being forced against their nature and will to make humans wealthy? Accolades and trophies are meaningless to horses. They only know how to be the way nature created them — simple, genuine and pure. No, wild mustangs certainly should not be chased by the BLM in their terrifying, injurious helicopters, separating members of herds and then sending them off to rotten slaughter houses in Mexico and Canada. All these atrocities against horses (and all other animals) should cease.
My husband and I are one of the hundreds of people that change their lives to take care of unwanted, mistreated, abused, neglected horses, some are very expensive event horses, involved in Insurance fraud claims, others are just sicko people who get horses and won’t feed them. The owners are well fed, the horses are starving, these people will even breed the mares and not feed them. We took out 7 acres of cash producing walnut trees to make room for our 5 rescue horses, why? Because they needed a place to live and heal and be protected from their previous abusive owners. All of us need to look into the horse Industry and its horrors
Lspidell, that’s a completely ridiculous argument. Professional athletes make the decision to play the sports they play. They get paid hundreds of thousands of dollars to do so, and when one of them breaks their ankle, they get the best doctor care money can buy until they’re back at the sport to make their money. They are not whipped. They are not beaten. They are not forced by anyone to do the things they do every day and they are certainly not killed on site for failure. Without racing, there would still be the thousands of purple who own horses because they love horses. There would still be trail rides, and therapy horses for children and equine schools for people wanting a career with these beautiful creatures. And if racing was shut down tomorrow, yes, those horses would need somewhere to go. But there would be no more abuse. There would be thousands of rescue groups stepping forward the same way they do for dogs and cats on a daily basis. Yes it would take time but there would be an end to the decades of pain and suffering these animals have endured so humans could be entertained
The problem is – there is not a safe landing for every horse out there. Too many horses of ALL breeds end up being sent to some godawful plant in either Mexico or Canada.
DEATH OF YOUNG HORSE REVEALS THE DARK SIDE OF RACING
By Sarah V Schweig from the DODO (excerpts)
An article in The Atlantic last year highlights the controversies, even within the industry. “The rampant use of drugs on horses [along] with claims of animal cruelty,” Andrew Cohen wrote, “has been understated even among reform-minded racing insiders.”
To argue that many trainers are not cruel to their racehorses still ignores the fact the industry’s very foundation is built on using animals for profit. The argument does not answer the questions that come from people concerned about horse racing as a whole: whether the highly competitive horse racing industry, as it currently exists, is good for horses at all.
“Winning is everything,” Farrell said. “There seems to be no risk too high or too extreme to take to win when it comes to the health and safety of the horses.”
43 horses have died in New York State so far this year due to racing and training, and at least 583 thoroughbreds died within 72 hours of their races in 2014. Horses may very well love to run. Some may even enjoy racing. But it’s hard to imagine any being on earth who wants to die for it.
DEATH OF YOUNG HORSE REVEALS THE DARK SIDE OF RACING
“Man and animal alike love to do what they were created to. Racehorses love to run,” Vivian Grant Farrell of The Horse Fund told The Dodo. “But some even go so far as to believe that race horses love to compete. Perhaps, but not in the way a human being does. In the instance of horse racing, too often humans project insatiable appetites for money and glory onto the performance of these magnificent animals.”
Farrell added that horses are commonly given drugs to mask pre-existing injuries so that they can “run through the pain.” This compromises their safety, Farrell said.
“Winning is everything,” Farrell said. “There seems to be no risk too high or too extreme to take to win when it comes to the health and safety of the horses.”
As Cohen pointed out in The Atlantic, reform will mean more resources devoted to testing drugs and their effects on the horses, as well as more rigorous legislative efforts to regulate trainers and vets and punish those who break these rules.
“While there have been calls for a necropsy to determine what caused the death of Helwan, it is unknown if the New York racing authorities will comply,” Farrell said.
full article
https://www.thedodo.com/young-racehorse-death-1190824902.html?utm_source=The+Dodo+Newsletter&utm_campaign=24b88c7d8c-06_09_2015_NL&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_4342b46fc5-24b88c7d8c-142168629
People who care about animals are usually folks who also show compassion towards people.
I no longer watch horse racing. They are started far too young as are the cutting horses headed to the two-year old furturities. It is just too young. Tired of seeing the truth hidden.
To those with compassion for animals, I am totally with you. They have been a part of my life since I can remember. For those of you who think that these horses are “slaves”, being started too young, etc. I am with you too.
Yes, there are people in this world needing help, but there “are” also animals. For those of us who have compassion for people, we also have it for animals. Compassion doesn’t separate, it just is.
Believing that these animals are used for wrong reasons, etc., that is also compassion.
Sometimes compassion is all you have because with people and animals there is too much need and as one person you can only do so much. If you help one, you have done something. If you are in a position to help more, that’s awesome. Personally I wish I could do a lot more, for people, but yes, for the animals too. THEY cannot do it for themselves and it’s “people” that put them in these positions where they need help.
There is no easy answer and we could argue about it all day, but that wouldn’t take care of the problems.
Do what you can. If it’s a little-do it! If it’s more-do it.
D. Perry,
Very well said. Thank You !
THEY cannot do it for themselves and it’s “people” that put them in these positions where they need help.
LOVED this Article
CONGRATS, AMERICAN PHAROAH ! NOW END HORSE RACING !!
By Kavitha A. Davidson as published on BloombergView
“Last week’s win of the Belmont Stakes (Steaks) by American Pharoah left me with a feeling of emptiness and a sour taste in my mouth that I simply could not shake. The massive amount of press about the “World’s Greatest Athlete” winning the Triple Crown was both stunning and disappointing. Horse racing and those who make money whipping young horses down a dirt track was portrayed as the “Sport of Kings” while not one word was whispered about the horrific fate that befalls the bulk of the horses that are unfortunate enough to be involved in this cruel and abusive “industry”. And then out of the darkness arose a beam of light bringing with it clarity and sanity via the well chosen words of Kavitha A. Davidson. Her article on the subject, below, clears away the media hype and centers the spotlight back on the dying and smelly practice of horse racing. I formally tip my hat to Ms. Davidson for the breath of fresh air she brings back into the world of American Equine Welfare Awareness and highly recommend the reading of her thoughtful writing. With two rescued off the track TBs in the backyard, we want to thank her for her compassion and concern.” ~ R.T.
Now that American Pharoah has captured the first Triple Crown in decades, many are wondering what that means for the future of horse racing, and of the colt himself. The New York Times’s Joe Drape believes the feat will give horse racing “a badly needed shot in the arm,” with no indication of whether the hypodermic metaphor is meant to be ironic. American Pharoah’s trainer, Bob Baffert, said he wants the horse to race as long as possible, though he did give a nod to the idea of letting the three-year-old quit while he’s ahead.
Here’s my wish: That American Pharoah goes out on a high note, and with him, the entire sport of horse racing.
CONGRATS, AMERICAN PHAROAH ! NOW END HORSE RACING !!
By Kavitha A. Davidson as published on BloombergView
Part TWO
Here’s my wish:
THAT AMERICAN HORSE RACING GOES OUT ON A HIGH NOTE, AND WITH HIM, THE ENTIRE SPORT OF HORSE RACING
Frankly, it’s a wonder that horse racing has lasted this long. Idealists would point to the sport’s long history in this country and to the unique place horses occupy in the American consciousness. But save for a few big races each year that are ultimately more cultural events and excuses to drink than marquee athletic showcases, the sport has been on a steady decline. And despite its blue-blood reputation, the “sport of kings” is really just the sport of vice, kept afloat by a system of gambling and doping that amounts to institutionalized animal abuse.
The main controversy today is over an anti-bleeding drug known as Lasix. In the U.S., it’s often administered on the day of the race, along with up to 26 other permitted substances; race-day medications are banned in almost every other country. Several top trainers have banded together to push for a plan to ban race-day medications in the U.S., citing the negative effects on the health of the animal and the reputation of the sport. Those resistant to change, including the New York Thoroughbred Horsemen’s Association, claim that injecting drugs is actually good for a horse’s health.
This argument about what’s “best” for the horses blatantly overlooks the sport’s role in endangering their health in the first place. Lasix is used to treat bleeding in the lungs, a condition called exercise induced pulmonary hemorrhage. EIPH is for the most part found only in racing animals, camels and greyhounds as well as horses. There are two theories of what causes EIPH in horses — that is, the mechanism by which hemorrhaging occurs — but as the disease’s name would suggest, it’s undoubtedly related to abnormally strenuous physical activity. You can debate the benefits of Lasix all you want, but it’s clear the best thing for a horse’s health would be to keep him off the track.
Horse racing is inherently cruel, and the problems start, literally, from birth: As the Indianapolis Star’s Gregg Doyel notes, we should expect nothing less than physical breakdown from an animal bred to sustain an abnormally muscular carriage on skinnier-than-usually legs. What you don’t see behind the veil of seersucker and mint juleps are the thousands of horses that collapse under the weight of their science-project bodies. This weekend at Belmont, all eyes on American Pharoah meant nobody was paying attention to Helwan, the four-year-old French colt who had to be euthanized on the track after breaking his left-front cannon bone. It was Helwan’s first time racing on Lasix.
Helwan’s breakdown is by no means an outlier. In 2008, a national audience watched in horror as Eight Belles collapsed immediately after crossing the finish line at the Kentucky Derby with two broken ankles and had to be immediately euthanized. In 2006, then-undefeated Barbaro suffered a similar injury at the Preakness and was eventually put down as well.
In 2012, the New York Times conducted a thorough investigation of the dangers of racing and the unchecked doping that furthers the risks, revealing that, “24 horses die each week at racetracks across America.” From 2009 to 2012, 6,600 horses suffered injuries or breakdowns. In that same period, 3,600 horses died at state-regulated tracks. ..(CONTINUED)
Click (HERE) to read the rest of the story and to comment at BloombergView
CONGRATS, AMERICAN PHAROAH ! NOW END HORSE RACING !!
By Kavitha A. Davidson as published on BloombergView
Part three
In 2012, the New York Times conducted a thorough investigation of the dangers of racing and the unchecked doping that furthers the risks, revealing that, “24 horses die each week at racetracks across America.” From 2009 to 2012, 6,600 horses suffered injuries or breakdowns. In that same period, 3,600 horses died at state-regulated tracks.
It’s easy for the public to overlook these facts. Most Americans only care about horse racing during the month-long Triple Crown season. And just as in sports played by humans, the high-profile stars get all the attention while the plight of the little guy goes ignored. The horses at the most risk are cheaper animals competing in lower-tier races, known as claiming races. According to the Times, horses in claiming races suffer injuries or breakdowns at a 22-percent higher rate than upper-tier horses, partially because drug regulation is much more lax than on the Triple Crown circuit.
It’s true that abuses and safety concerns exist to varying degrees across all sports. But the more we have learned about health risks in football and hockey, and of performance-enhancing drug use in baseball and cycling, the more we stepped up our efforts to rectify the problems. As football players learn of the game’s long-term health dangers, many rethink their participation. But this exposes racing’s fundamental ill: A horse can’t consent.
“He’s the one that won — it wasn’t me,” Baffert said after American Pharoah’s win at Belmont, reminding us who the athlete really is in racing: “It was the horse.”
It’s time to rethink a sport in which the athlete has NO say in the terms of his participation.
Patrick’s Horseracing Wrongs posts on the 6th and 7th prompted over 300 comments. Throughout those comments were the occasional apologists’ claims that the reported dead horses were “loved” and were “like family members”. Although I had heard that from time to time during my years with the rescue -and actually believed it for a spell – it had become an insult to my ears by the time Larry Jones tearfully uttered “These things are our family” after Eight Belles broke both front legs in the 2008 Kentucky Derby (Eight Belles was a “thing”, apparently). Declarations of sorrow over deceased “family members” can be seen on a variety of social media and IF the dead racehorse was a “star”, in horse racing publications. On April 9, 2015, Patrick’s post regarding the death of Conquest Two Step included trainer Mark Casse’s quote from the Blood-Horse; “They’re family members.”
If their horses are family members, then they’re perpetual children since the animal will always be dependent upon the human. And if those in racing believe we, the general public, are so inane to buy the “they are like family members!” lie, maybe THEY are the dimwitted! So I will dumb this down for them…a Dick, Jane and Spot story, if you will.
A “loving family” – racing owner/trainer and his racehorses – might look something like this human family…caregiver Larry with his family members, 12-year-old Bobby and 10-year-old Tommy:
Larry: “Bobby, you need to earn your keep, boy. This is how it’s gonna be…you’re going to work and I will take all of your earnings. I’ll buy your food and provide you a room with the money you earn. When you work really hard and make a lot of money, I will keep that, too.”
Bobby: “Can I play with Tommy after I’m done working?”
Larry: “No, you’ll go to your room and stay there until it’s time to work again.”
Bobby: “Sometimes I’m working as fast as I can, but there’s someone trying to make me go even faster.”
Larry: “Yes, Bobby, you will be struck even when you’re working as fast and as hard as you can. You need to try to work faster and harder. But I love you…you’re my family. ”
Several months later…
Bobby: “My legs are starting to hurt and it’s getting harder to work. My stomach is hurting a lot, too.”
Larry: “You’ve probably got some bone chips or strained tendons, Bobby. And I’m sure the stomach pain is an ulcer. I’ll give you something so your legs don’t hurt as much, but don’t think you’re getting out of work!…you’ve got to earn your food and your room!”
Bobby: “One of the boys I see when I’m working just moved to a new room and is working for a new family.”
Larry: “Yes, Bobby, that happens all the time. You remember when I bought you from a family several months ago, don’t you? Well I’m thinking about selling you to a new family. Your new room won’t be as nice and the food won’t be as good, but you just aren’t working hard enough and earning as much money as you did 6 months ago.”
Bobby: “But I get so nervous in a new room and my stomach starts hurting even more! And it sounds like there are families that won’t be very nice to me!”
Larry: “That’s true, Bobby. I know there are families like that, but I need to think about the money first.”
Bobby: “I heard, too, that some families make us work even when we hurt a lot!”
Larry: “Right, Bobby. I’m aware of the caregivers that won’t love you as much as I do. They will inject your joints with drugs so you can keep working. Some will even give you drugs they are not supposed to. And there are families that will make you work even more than I do. But like I said, I must FIRST think about the money.”
Bobby: “Tommy told me while he was walking with me to work today that there are some families that bring their hurt boys and girls to a really bad place – an auction? – where really bad men – killbuyers? – buy children like us! That sounds awful…is that true?”
Larry: “Yes, it’s true. But I need to sell you to a new family. I love you though, Bobby…you’re my family.”
One month later…
Larry: “It’s time to go to work again and just so you know, I’m going to try to sell you while you’re working today. You just can’t keep up with the work I have for you anymore. And I think it has taken a toll on your legs…it’s called wear and tear. ”
Bobby: “I think so, too… that must be what’s making my legs hurt more. But I don’t want to go to another family!…and what if one of those awful families, that take their boys and girls to that auction, buys me?”
Larry: “You need to go, Bobby…you need to be able to work with other boys and girls who work like you do. And I have no control over what family buys you. It’s just one of those things.”
Bobby: “So I won’t live with you anymore?”
Larry: “No, Bobby, your new family will take you away. You will work for them. You’ll have to work more. And for less money, so you’ll not get as much time off. But remember, I love you…you’re my family.”
Bobby didn’t have to go with a new family – he died while working that day. Larry seemed sad when he said, “Bobby was my family. He put his life on the line and he was glad to do it.”
The next day…
Larry: “Tommy, you need to earn your keep, boy. This is how it’s gonna be…
(“There was no way to save her. She couldn’t stand. These things are our family. They put their lives on the line, and she was glad to do it.” – Larry Jones on the death of 3-year-old filly Eight Belles in the 2008 Kentucky Derby, New York Times, May 4, 2008.)
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/04/sports/othersports/04churchill.html?_r=0
Who treats family members that way?
Thank you, Joy.
Joy, I love your analogy of the racing industry. Everything you said is so true and I’m glad you simplified it so that ALL the racing apologists can, hopefully, understand the point you are trying to convey. I am so sick and tired of hearing that the horses are just like “family members”. What a crock!
God did put man over animals but he did not intend us to mistreat or be cruel to them.
It should have been! Typical human behavior!
Do Not support it. I saw a short piece of a “documentary” about the the Racing Industry, it shared a quote from them, “2 weeks from stable to table” for the young horses. Disgusting Industry, filled with people that don’t a crap about the horses, it’s all about money!!! Even when they win them money when they are done racing, they are trash.