Through a “West Virginia Freedom of Information Act” request, I have confirmed the following 78 deaths at Charles Town in 2014:
4-year-old Sassy Cherokee, January 4, Charles Town 1, “MC3 open fracture”
3-year-old Covenant Keeper, January 9, training, “MC3 fracture”
4-year-old Country Warning, January 9, training, “sudden death”
This mare had been raced only 5 days prior – “eased, DNF.”
4-year-old Skip the Limit, January 11, Charles Town 6, “fetlock fracture”
4-year-old Past Glory, January 16, Charles Town 8, “ankle dislocation”
5-year-old Actin Lucky, January 18, Charles Town 7, “MC3 open fracture”
3-year-old Hot Event, January 20, colic (not euthanized)
3-year-old Dark Passenger, January 25, training, “MC3 open fracture”
4-year-old Concrete Cat, January 25, Charles Town 2, “fractured ribs, punctured lung”
chart said “clipped heels, fell, vanned off”
3-year-old Boppin, February 1, colic
5-year-old Take Pride Please, February 4, colic
4-year-old Mr Manske, February 7, Charles Town 4, “MC3 fracture”
3-year-old Sum Royal, February 20, Charles Town 2, “MC3 open shattered”
2-year-old Grant Us Peace, February 22, Charles Town 1, “carpus fracture”
chart said “eased, vanned off sore”
6-year-old Soft Puff, February 25, “ran loose – shoulder fracture”
4-year-old Sea Rep Run, February 28, Charles Town 6, “fetlock fracture”
2-year-old Dicolas Soul, March 1, training, “pastern fracture”
5-year-old Jalouzi, March 6, Charles Town 2, “carpus shattered”
chart said “pulled up lame, vanned off”
3-year-old Sterlingspokerface, March 13, colic
2-year-old Uncle Betty, March 13, Charles Town 5, “MC3 open fracture”
4-year-old Colonel By, March 21, Charles Town 2, “carpal multiple slabs”
4-year-old Garden Tavern, March 22, Charles Town 2, “shoulder fracture”
3-year-old Printscess Best, April 1, Charles Town 9, “carpus shattered”
chart said “eased, vanned off”
5-year-old Schay’s Miss, April 4, training, “shoulder fracture”
3-year-old When We Laugh, April 4, Charles Town 5, “sesamoids displaced fracture”
chart said “pulled up, vanned off”
2-year-old Harry’s Miracle, April 10, training, “MC3 shattered”
7-year-old Shamelessly Rich, April 10, training, “MC3 condylar fracture”
Big Al (pony), April 11, Cushing’s Disease/Laminitis
7-year-old Crystal Dreamer, April 12, training, “pastern fracture”
5-year-old Forty Four Loco, April 12, Charles Town 1, “slab fracture”
chart said “pulled up lame, vanned off”
3-year-old Smart Sequoyah, April 12, Charles Town 6, “condylar fracture”
chart said “pulled up lame, vanned off”
5-year-old Here Comes Drz, April 15, Charles Town 6, “MC3 compound fracture”
6-year-old Bonnygreen, April 24, colic
In last race two weeks prior, finished last of 9.
5-year-old Big Dividend, April 29, Charles Town 8, “sudden death”
chart said “collapsed post-race”
5-year-old Blue Book, April 30, Charles Town 9, “sudden death”
chart said “collapsed, vanned off”
7-year-old Thewayofthesamurai, May 15, training, “pastern fracture”
4-year-old It Might Get Loud, May 15, Charles Town 9 (euthanized May 23), “sesamoids fracture”
chart said “limped off the track”
4-year-old Opequon Creek, May 16, Charles Town 5 (euthanized May 28), “sesamoids fracture”
chart said finished fine
4-year-old Act of Divinity, May 21, colic
4-year-old Calling Mr Malcolm, May 22, training, “MC3 spiral fracture”
5-year-old Breaking Rocks, May 23, Charles Town 9 (euthanized May 28), “carpus fracture”
chart said finished fine
4-year-old Papa Doc, June 28, Charles Town 4, “open lateral fracture”
4-year-old Song for Krismike, July 5, Charles Town 8, “sudden death”
chart said “collapsed just past the wire”
3-year-old Smooth Willow, July 18, Charles Town 2, “carpus fracture”
chart said “vanned off”
5-year-old Could Be a Rumor, July 18, Charles Town 6, “sesamoids fracture”
5-year-old Lucky Prize, July 24, Charles Town 9, “shoulder fracture”
3-year-old Rue the Day, July 25, Charles Town 6, “carpal fracture”
5-year-old Intimate Storm, July 30, Charles Town 6, “sesamoids fracture”
6-year-old Carolina Moon, August 6, laminitis
5-year-old The Caller, August 6, “head trauma – died”
4-year-old Roy’s Song, August 9, enteropathy
4-year-old Slewissurfing, August 9, Charles Town 5, “sesamoids fracture”
chart said “bad step, pulled up, vanned off”
3-year-old Bullwhip, August 14, Charles Town 1, “sesamoids fracture”
3-year-old Deputy Gulch, August 14, Charles Town 2, “compound cannon fracture”
5-year-old I’m All Spotted Up, August 16, septic hock/founder
5-year-old Posh Acres, August 28, Charles Town 1, “ankle open fracture/dislocation”
3-year-old My Kinda Girl, August 30, Charles Town 4, “carpus slab fracture”
4-year-old Saffron Wonder, September 1, colic
3-year-old Sebastian’s Run, September 3, Charles Town 3, “carpus slab fracture”
chart said “appeared to be lame, vanned off”
3-year-old Frat Man, September 10, Charles Town 7, “multiple fractures”
4-year-old Won Request, September 19, colitis (not euthanized)
4-year-old Full Ride, September 25, Charles Town 7 (euthanized September 26), “multiple fractures”
chart said “vanned off sore”
3-year-old Blue Kat Key, September 26, training, “carpal fracture”
10-year-old Scootingon Theedge, September 30, anaphylaxis (not euthanized)
5-year-old Chigoe, October 3, Charles Town 4, “sudden death after race”
chart said finished fine
3-year-old Bee Boppin Along, October 9, Charles Town 7, “sesamoids fracture”
chart said “pulled up lame, vanned off”
3-year-old Past Tense, October 10, “colon torsion”
3-year-old Put It Back Martha, October 15, Charles Town 3, “multiple fractures”
4-year-old Swift Pursuit, November 4, training, “humerus fracture”
5-year-old True Awakening, November 14, Penn 5 (euthanized Charles Town November 21), “radius fracture”
chart said finished fine
4-year-old Madelynsheabadgirl, November 21, Charles Town 3, “shoulder fracture”
7-year-old Crazy Bear, December 4, Charles Town 4, “dislocated fetlock”
6-year-old Matter of Truth, December 10, Charles Town 6, “fetlock fracture”
4-year-old Bird Hunter, December 12, Charles Town 3, “femur fracture”
chart said “fell, vanned off”
3-year-old Caroline’s Estate, December 13, training, “femur fracture”
3-year-old Frisky Dixie, December 13, Charles Town 4, “shoulder fracture”
4-year-old Hard Play, December 16, “found dead in stall – cause unknown”
In last race, November 21st, finished last of 9.
4-year-old Bunuska, December 17, Charles Town 4, “sesamoids fracture”
chart said “pulled up lame, vanned off”
Animal cruelty….Karma’s a bitch. just sayin’.
There are too many people who like horse racing who refuse to read the facts. As long as it does not effect them, they won’t read the negatives. I have friends who absolutely refuse to believe that bad things happen to many many horses, even their best buddies race horses. Blinded by ignorance.
Kathy, a few years ago I heard this said ” if you don’t want a horse back just send it to the mountain” meaning mountaineer of course. A lot of complaints about the racing surface because its so difficult to keep horses sound there. And making things even worse for tbs, the vets in west Virginia apparently suck.
But I know of specific trainers who I would NEVER IN A MILLION YEARS tell anyone to entrust their horse with. These trainers are DEBRA ROMBIS, ROBERT J.W. JOHNSTON, PAULA LOESHER, AND MIKE NEWEL. To me though, whether its Fort Erie, Woodbine, Penn National, Charles Town, Mahoning, Parx, Finger Lakes, or Mountaineer, Cockroach trainers and owners never get ruled off for long, if at all anyways. They continue to run injured horses and often ditch later on to slaughter. Afterwards they’ll deny it. I know a few horse owners around and a guy named John Greig from Caledon said to me once, he had a tb named Allie Gladiator a long, long time ago. Not that Mr. Greig himself is 100% Saint but I know he told the truth about this –
A steward called him in Ontario here, from Penn National and told him his horse hadn’t left his stall in a couple of months. Anything to say to this, Mr. Newel??
Cruelty to horses just seems never ending!
‘Bird Hunter’ once trained by Asmussen – barf – sold for $1,500 then $10,000 then $85,000 then dead. And he traveled from Florida to wherever and whoever and most definitely, you can BET some of these yahoo trailer drivers don’t give a rats ass what condition the horse is in after traveling. Lots of times, a horses race can be completely shot long before the trailer even arrives on the backstretch. if its a nervous horse, bad weather, heavy traffic etc, it just all takes more of its toll every trip. Horse racing fans are NOT usually thinking about how well their $2 bet shipped in.
To all the young horses that died far too soon at Charles Town, some of us are remembering.
Jo-Anne,
Thank you for this list.
DEBRA ROMBIS, ROBERT J.W. JOHNSTON, PAULA LOESHER, AND MIKE NEWEL.
Somehow, someway, all these corrupt abusive trainers need to be exposed.
The owners that are paying for the drugs that keep these horses running when they should be retired should also be exposed.
Again, thank you Jo-Anne for letting the readers of HW know who some of the scum in racing are. The account of Allie Gladiator at Penn doesn’t surprise me at all. Pretty much the same thing happened to Slade (you can read his Shedrow Secrets story here on HW). Everything I say here is the truth, and I’m certain the same is true for your comments. The folks who keep the abusers’ names secret only enable them to continue their horrific treatment of the defenseless horses. It makes me sick.
To ALL of the horses that suffer and die in this industry, we care. We see. We are trying.
The reason there are no post from racing supporters is because we are all barred from commenting.
True Awakening was euthanized 7 days after racing at Penn National. So you think they took 7 days to figure out the horse was injured to the point it would need to be put to sleep. What benefit would those connections have in keeping the horse an extra week?? You logic is flawed.
As for 78 horses dead for the year of 2014. That track runs year round. I believe they have 220 racing dates a year. They run 9 races a night with an average of 8 horses a race. That averages out to one horse for about every 200 starts and you are counting ponies, colics, and accedents in the barn area. That would lead me to believe Charles Town has a better average then most tracks..
This is just for your info Patrick, because I know this will be deleted like all the other comments I have made..
Your comment will stand, but I do have a question: By pointing out that CT runs more than the average track, are you suggesting that 78 (or 62 if you omit the “non-racing” deaths) dead horses isn’t as bad as it first appears? Is that the argument here? Just curious.
Absolutely!! 62 at a low level race track in WV of all places. I would think there would be 2 or 3 a day. You wrote how bad it is (paraphrasing) at Aqueduct because they have winter racing. Other speak of Ohio racing cheap horses, well here you have cheap horses running winter, summer , spring and fall. It is a bull ring they don’t use poly track and I don’t think they have turf. If they raced all there allotted dates, at the rate I used that is over 15k starters a year. (Many being one horse making numerous starts) 62?? Remarkable if you ask me..
I understand that 62 is 62 too many for you but I would think you would figure there would be a higher rate as well.
Another Country 2
As for 78 horses dead for the year of 2014,
I believe that is a fraction of the amount of horses dying at this track or any other track. Patrick gives us raw data but there are potentially thousands more going to slaughter from the tracks.
I spoke with 3 different horse owners in the past 3 weeks about their horses and one of them told me the slaughter at the race tracks is getting worse with the “no slaughter” tracks. Owners and Trainers are now TEXTING the KILL BUYERS at the no slaughter tracks and they come to the track and pick up the wounded horses and then send them to their death.
One of the owners I talked to was against horse slaughter. the second one was Pro horse slaughter. the third one had people sign a contract so they would not slaughter the horse. No matter what their attitude, once you put a horse into a race, you run the risk of them dying on the track. Once they are Into a claiming race, the risk is much higher.
I would say there was at least double or triple or more the amount of horses that died at the track this year due to the horrendous cruelty and abuse of trainers and owners sending their wounded horses to slaughter.
So Kathleen what you are saying backs up my comment. The number is low…
Another Country 2 – I have previously posted on this site re the questionable disclosed number of deaths published by the various Racing Commissions. My investigative research found that the total number of deaths disclosed by the racing authority can be TRIPLED if one wants to get closer to the truth. I not only included race day incidents where horses were euthanased/died on the day, but deaths where the connections in subsequent days were deciding whether or not horse could be repaired well enough to race again and then decide to euthanase, I included horses that suffered an injury but connections felt it was not worthwhile spending the money to fix it up nor spending the money to get a vet in to euthanse the helpless horse which is then put on a truck to be killed, I included trial and trackwork training deaths and I included deaths in the stables.
Yes the number of starters consists of many horses making numerous starts. A racehorse should have no more than 13 starts a year with sufficient respite between its preps.
And yes, I got it – your post was implying that there are many more. And we know there are many more!
It is hard to fathom the amount of devastating suffering these beautiful creatures endured before they died. It is absolutely criminal that the racing industry is not held to account for every single life taken. There is no limit to the cruelty imposed on these innocent, defenseless animals, and they continue to get away with it, with complete impunity.
To the betting public, their blood is on your hands – have you no soul? Marlene Thornley
This list is absolutely gut wrenching. And as we know it is a list that does not include all of the horses that have died. At the very least, this 78 can be doubled to get closer to the truth. UTTERLY SHAMEFUL.
Concrete Cat, 4 y/o gelding. A total of three horses – Concrete Cat included – FELL in his final race. From the chart; “Concrete Cat bumped with Mister Meehan…clipped…heels, fell and was vanned off after getting up and galloping past the finish line.” Now remember, Concrete Cat was euthanized for fractured ribs and a punctured lung. And lest we forget, as the pro-racing folks frequently remind us, horses run because they love to…and we humans cannot make them do something they don’t want to do. Amazing… Concrete Cat must have REALLY loved to run because even after he fell and broke his ribs and punctured his lung, he STILL got up and ran! RACING APOLOGISTS…your ludicrous defense for your brutal industry is full of holes.
Big Dividend, 5 y/o gelding. “Collapsed post-race”. “Sudden death”. So racing insiders, do ya think this 5 y/o died from a “bad heart”?…a diseased heart that only became evident in his 33rd start? Never mind that he finished 2nd on 3/7, 1st on 3/21, 3rd on 4/5, and another WIN on the day he collapsed and died…all that with a cardiac malady. Right.
Blue Book , 5 y/o mare. Another racehorse with a bad heart, racing fans? This Black Tie Affair mare “gave way”, “eased”, and “collapsed when the rider stepped off”. Another “sudden death”. Blue Book’s last four finishes before her collapse and sudden death on April 30 were a 1st, a 2nd, a 1st, and a 2nd in that order. Miraculous…all with her heart problem. Sure.
4 y/o mare, It Might Get Loud. This suffering mare lived with broken sesamoids for 8 days before she was finally put out of her misery. It seems the $550 she earned for her 4th place finish in that final and fatal race could have been used in a timelier manner to do the humane thing for her. You know how racing apologists like to kindly mention how a racehorse has “earned their retirement”…well It Might Get Loud didn’t get to retire, but couldn’t her last check have been promptly used to end her suffering? Didn’t she EARN that, racing supporters?
And the same is true for the 4-year-old horse, Opequon Creek. Fractured sesamoids in his race on May 16 where he finished 5th for $480…yet he lingered in agony for another 12 days.
No racehorse is ever exempt from the risks in horseracing. Full Ride, a 4 y/o Tapit gelding, was a 150K yearling purchase for Spendthrift Farm. This poor bay fella suffered MULTPLE FRACTURES in his last race, a race where his life was taken for the $100 he made for his last place finish.
10 y/o Scootingon Theedge never won a race in his 25 starts. In fact, he made only $3300 during his “career”. But that didn’t stop his O/T Sylvia Johnson from making him run time and time again. The dark bay gelding had lengthy lapses during his enslavement – he didn’t run at all from November 2008 to October of 2010, then again, no races from September 2012 to January of 2014. He last raced on 9-19-2014 then died of anaphylaxis eleven days later. What did Scootingon Theedge endure for seven long years?…what did he bear on the day of his death?…we’ll never know.
What trainer Ollie Figgins and owner Ray Pennington did to 5 y/o True Awakening is inconceivable. The gelding raced on November 14 at Penn National where he “flattened out” and suffered a fractured radius. But Figgins and Pennington intensified his pain by sending him on to another track – True Awakening was put on a van/trailer and transported to Charles Town. With a broken front leg. I’ve seen one racehorse with a fractured radius and I’ll never forget it…he was non-weight bearing and in extreme pain. Now imagine that horse having to load onto a trailer and travel.
78 dead horses – one track – one year. I’m not a betting person, but I’ll bet we won’t see a single comment on this post from racing supporters.
Thank you Joy for your excellent research and exposing the truth! I loathe the racing industry’s constant declaration that horses run because they love to…and we humans cannot make them do something they don’t want to do. What a load of crap that is.
It is PURE SPIN by the racing industry in an effort to fool and deceive the public. Here are some of the facts. Horses race because they are forced to do so. I have a few years of research on pre-race and post race racehorse behaviour. Pre-race from being led off transport trucks/floats, in the pre-race tie-up stalls, in the parade ring, cantering to the gates, being forced into the gates and finally in the gates. For legal reasons at this point in time I cannot share this. However, I can unreservedly state, based on my research, experience and knowledge, that most racehorses fear racing, their behaviour is the evidence.
Yes, they fear going into the gates and the race ahead of them whilst going into the race with a pre-existing injury, being flogged, racing tight, clipping heels, likely to suffer injury and/or death and suffering serious fatigue. One only has to watch horses reluctant to go into the gates and then being forced in by the attendants. Scratchings at the gates are not uncommon. Blindfolds are sometimes used. Oh yes, that’s how much they “love to run”! I have serious incidents occurring in the gates when the horse is so stressed that he rears up in a very confined space, becomes cast and suffers injury and I even have deaths resulting in this horse behaviour that evidences that horses most certainly do not love to run.
“We humans cannot make them do something they don’t want to do”. And these people call themselves horsemen? Humans CAN make a horse do something it does not want to do. And surprise, surprise HORSERACING is an excellent example.
I’m giving this link which I’ve just received from the United Kingdom as an example of a horse being FORCED to gallop at fast speed and jump obstacles – the outcome, have a guess, DEATH!
http://www.animalaid.org.uk/h/n/NEWS/news_horse//3248//
And as usual the racecaller ignores the abhorrent death of this horse which is the strict policy for horseracing whether it be flat racing or jumps racing. What more could one expect from the callous racing industry racecallers. When this 6 year old hit the ground he bounced like a rag doll suffering an horrific violent death. JUSTIFY THAT!
Carolyn, I just wish I had the time to look at the charts of the other 70 horses from this post of Patrick’s and try to tell their “story”. It’s heartbreaking to me that we know so little about them…a name, an injury,a death date…I don’t want to become so used to seeing the names of dead horses that I’m not affected by it anymore. I want to visualize them, imagine one of my own horses in their place in order to make them jump off this horrific list and become very real…and in fact, two of my beloved horses WERE in similar circumstances…they were just fortunate enough to get out of racing alive. Each one of these 78 horses – killed by the racing industry – was once a tiny foal whose breeder had great hopes for, was once prancing to the starting gate for his/her first start, was once (hopefully) enjoying a good roll in a deep layer of clean bedding, and on and on…they were once alive and beautiful and simply the magnificent creatures we love. They were once whole. This sadness and anger we feel over the tragic and unnecessary deaths of the horses enslaved in the racing industry must never diminish. I’m afraid that if it does, we’ll cease fighting for them. And that’s why I wish to talk about them, write about them…they were alive and wanted to survive. They deserve someone to mourn them.
Thank you, Joy.
My sentiments exactly Joy! It was great work that you did on those horses killed by the racing industry and I believe that any reasonable thinking person on reading your post would understand that the other 70 horses on Patrick’s list would’ve had similar histories. Of course there would be some that were different. The important thing is that examples be exposed to the public in whom I have faith. The horses you investigated are just a drop in the ocean and this is a very sad fact. However, revealing the truth as to what is really going on with these beautiful creatures will ultimately triumph. As someone else posted not that long ago “the crime against these horses begins in the breeding barn”.
It was reported at a yearling sale recently that barely half of the yearling colts measured up.
The other 50% had narrow chests (breathing problem), bone problems and their x-rays/tests revealed real problems. Amongst other things, feed is believed to be the main cause. These breeders are giving these babies all sorts of stuff to make them look good for the sales. They are not being allowed to grow naturally and as we know they’re taken from their mothers far too early. Apparently a leading equine racing industry vet was concerned with what he came across. Now that’s saying something! SHAME on the thoroughbred racehorse BREEDING industry!
Carolyn…yes, I agree with your thoughts on what’s being done to TB babies to “ready” them for the sales…it’s sick! Vets perform leg straightening surgeries/procedures on them so they have nice straight legs for the sales…when if just given time, their little limbs would straighten naturally on their own!…but they need to look good and bring in the dough! I asked an equine orthopedic surgeon who performs these surgeries what effects there are on the horse’s legs long-term…since the legs are being “artificially” straightened at an earlier age than they would have straightened naturally in their own sweet time, one could assume that interfering with nature would have a detrimental outcome…he said he didn’t know…that “there weren’t any studies on it”. How about we just use some common sense…
Joy,
I agree that every horse that dies deserves to be mourned. Thank you for sharing your stories.
Joy,
Regarding “It Might Get Loud, who suffered for as long as 8 days with broken sesamoids is unforgivable, and inexcusable. This really infuriates me. These trainers lack common human decency, and most of them should never be let near a horse. I wouldn’t entrust my parakeet to their care. Most of them would do anything for the almighty dollar, they have no boundaries. The owners are also to blame, they are fully aware of what is going on, and do nothing to stop it.
Also, it is hard for me to believe that people who are active in this Industry, are clueless to the on going abuse and cruelty, of the horses, day in and day out. If you have any connection with this Industry, then you condone this blood sport, where the horses are made to suffer and die daily in great numbers. You should all be ashamed of yourselves for your participation in the deaths of these throughbreds, and I hope that you are listening. You should feel the pain that you have subjected these beautiful creatures to.
The throughbred is in dire straits, and change cannot come fast enough to save them. They need action now and there isn’t enough public outcry to effect change immediately. All of us need to keep fighting for legislation to be passed to protect them. This is the only way that change will manifest itself. The Industry will change only when it is forced to do so.
To Joy, Kathleen, Patrick, Carolyn, Mary, JoAnn, and all the good people on this site, keep fighting for them, for one day they will be free. Marlene Thornley
Marlene, it infuriates me, as well. And yes, leaving It Might Get Loud to suffer another 8 days, Opequon Creek another 12 days, and True Awakening another 7 days was completely inexcusable. Yet I saw those things happen again and again at the track. And the “good folks” who would know about a suffering horse wouldn’t say anything because “ratting on” another trainer might ultimately affect their own pocketbook. It was sick.
Joy,
That is very troubling to me that trainers that witness abuse will not help the horse.
They could even make an anonymous tip to the security office at the backside. when I have been calling to check on horses and trying to get a hold of an owner or trainer, I am connected to the security office. I wish those who witness the abuse would at least have the decency to make the anonymous call instead of leaving a horse in pain or alone in his stall for months on end.
Marlene,
We really do need legislation passed to protect these horses. it is so hard to get Congress to act, even on the subject of horse slaughter.
Joy, I had no idea they were doing this to these babies – how SICK can this breeding industry get! I came across this following article
http://www.thehorse.com/articles/29259/5-tips-for-feeding-weanlings?utm_source=Newsletter&utm_medium=nutrition&utm_campaign=04-13-2015
Some excerpts –
..separated from their mothers… this is A CRITICAL TIME in the young horse’s life..
…Both scenarios can put weanlings at risk for developmental orthopedic disorders.
…under or over-supplementation MUST BE AVOIDED TO PREVENT DEVELOPMENTAL ORTHOPEDIC DISEASES.
Weaning is an extremely stressful time for young horses
….To reduce the risk of developmental orthopedic diseases due to rapid fluctuations in growth rate that commonly occur at weaning or during other times of stress…
Feed each weanling INDIVIDUALLY TO MONITOR HIS OR HER PROPER GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT during this critical time.
From your information Joy and what was reported to me recently, it appears that many breeders are not doing what they should be doing for these weanlings, especially if some end up having to have surgery to “fix” their legs. The science and the research is there for them to follow strictly. Their duty of care to these babies is non-existent. I cannot imagine most breeders feeding each weanling individually to monitor his or her proper growth and development during this critical time. As you said “some common sense” which these breeders deliberately avoid all for greed!
Joy,
TRUE AWAKENING was transported to another track with a broken front leg and then he was euthanized.
Why didn’t they let him stay in one place and heal or euthanize him immediately ?
IT MIGHT GET LOUD – why did they wait 8 days to euthanize her ?
Owner(s):
Kenneth B. Parsley –
Trainer:
Ken B. Parsley
OPEQUON CREEK -why did they wait 12 days to euthanize him
Trainer:
Ollie L. Figgins, Iii
Owner:
Robert T. Hall
I pray that they all May rest in Peace and that karma will return upon all those that abuse their horses
and allow them to suffer
.
Kathleen…because they didn’t care.
I’m no mathematician, but 78 seems like 1.5 per calendar year, and I don’t think the track ran 52 weeks. Criminal and immoral. I enjoy the comments about the trainers and owners, but I’ll say it again: the industry puts admitted horse dopers like Todd Pletcher and Bob Baffert in its “hall of fame” and holds them up as examples of the best the industry has to offer. If that is the goal, you can expect nothing more from this industry but more inhumane behavior and excuse making from the vile people who run and protect it.
Speaking of the HAll of Fame,
there should be a Hall of Shame for all those who abuse horses in the racing world.
I have been told the Todd Pletcher and Bob Baffert send horses to slaughter as well so I would say that they would be candidates for the Hall of SHame.
I agree, raysaputelli…Baffert and Pletcher and Asmussen are no different than the abusive “cheap trainers”…they just have much bigger bank accounts and wear expensive suits (and sun glasses in Baffert’s case). Oh and they abuse a much greater number of horses. ALL vile…every one of them.
Right you are, again Joy!
I agree with your assessment, raysaputelli. The horrific abuse of the horses by these so called trainers at the hellhole tracks is tolerated by the “elite tier” and all the “officials” of this business because they do not give a damn about the horse. Money and ego matter. Really, the only difference between the Mike Newls and the Pletchers of this business is money.
I was at the Lexington KY airport a few days ago and the whole area is plastered with horse murals, from mares with foals in bucolic settings to racing scenes . There was even a gallery of spectacular pictures of horses in the wild. These are the images presented to the unsuspecting public.
The whole industry is a sham. The ugly truths are hidden and the cheating and corruption rewarded.
PS Looking at the gallery of magnificent wild horse pictures one would not have an inkling of the suffering these creatures are enduring at the hands of our BLM and others.
Rose, I am in LEX quite a bit and want to be sick every time I see the pictures. But the industry is a big part of that town’s already weak economy so don’t expect it to change any time soon. I like money as much as anyone, it pays the bills. But when money rules a people’s hearts and minds the best I can feel is pity, but usually just disgust and disdain. PS I am tweeting on this subject with #killhorseracingnothorses. It’s probably too long… But I like it. If you take to twitter, use it and spread the word.
You are right, Ray, the horse business is a huge part of the economy for Lexington and the state. Because of the 4 billion a year the business generates for the state, I’m sure change will be a long time coming. However, the dark side of the industry needs more publicity and that is happening slowly but surely.
As you know, many people believe racehorses lead a privileged life and that is the deceptive image racing would like to maintain.
Many in Lexington take time from their regular employment in spring and fall to work at the track because it pays well. Keeneland attracts the “elite” of the game and the money flows. No thought is given to the hellish tracks and the horses that are suffering outrageously. And as we know, their numbers are by far greater than those competing at Keeneland. Also, the sad fact is, some of the horses at the hellish tracks once raced at places such as Keeneland.
Rose,
I spoke with a woman who works for Bloodhorse while trying to find an owner of a horse i was concerned about and I asked her if she ever went to the race track and she said she went to Kneeland. I asked her if she realized how many horses were dying every week at the track and she said she had no idea and I told her to go to http://www.horsracingwrongs.com to see the list. She sounded shocked when I told her some of the numbers.
Even the people in the industry that work at the track and for the publications do not realize what is going on
in terms of death and destruction behind the scenes.
Unless CNN, 60 minutes, Wall Street Journal take on this fight and inform the masses, this cruelty will continue. The Jockey Club and other racing organizations and veterinarian organizations all have a responsibility to the horse. Those organizations are impotent in caring out their responsibilities. Horse racing organizations and bad horse people have no concept of horse behavior. Horses don’t enjoy running unless they are playing or travelling with their herd. They are prey animals since the beginning of time and they run from pain and fear,not because they care about the money or fame.They deserve better from us.
Yes Jo Anne, if only CNN, 60 Minutes or Wall Street Journal would take this on, IF ONLY!