Derby Day Truth

It really is this simple…

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    • God meant for us to care for and protect HIS animals not hurt, kill or exploit them. I agree with all your comments… Not Prather’s . Patrick has never said he wants to kill thoroughbreds. He wants people to quit over breeding and quit racing and all other cruelty.

  3. UNDENIABLE abhorrent abuse of these voiceless helpless noble horses.

    And again we see the atrocities inflicted upon poor Nehro! His eyes said it all – I’m in indescribable pain, why are you doing this to me? Yet the humans agreed, he had no foot and it was hurting him like hell but so what! They don’t give a damn.
    There was no justice for Nehro and this fact deeply saddens me. The racing commission neglected to take the appropriate action against Asmussen, Blasi and the farrier (and no doubt the vet, who would’ve had to have been, deaf, dumb and blind not to notice the agony Nehro was in) and in doing so the racing commission condoned the shocking cruelty this racehorse endured. Any member of the public reading this and seeing the video can make up their own minds.

    The horseracing industry cannot defend the indefensible.

    And the horseracing industry will never be able to stop the exposure of the sickeningly cruel mistreatment of its “athletes”.

    Animals have rights but the racehorse does not have any which is indisputably evidenced in this footage by PETA and James Cromwell (narrator).

    Steve Wise has instituted proceedings in the law courts for the release of some captive chimpanzees.

    Perhaps soon the captive racehorse will be represented in the law courts.

    • Well said Carolyn!!! Let’s keep fighting for the TB’s rights, and hopefully soon, things will positively change for the TB. Marlene Thornley

  4. The horse racing industry investigated themselves and found Noone guilty of any wrongdoing. Atrocious!

  6. Keep fighting? really? so Patrick Battuello wants all thoroughbreds killed just like PETA wants all pitbulls and you all are okay with that?

    • Ms. Prather, again, where does Patrick say that he wants ALL Thoroughbreds killed? I think you are just spewing lies but I could be wrong. Therefore, I want the evidence.

      Also, where does PETA say that they want ALL pit bulls killed? Again, please provide documentation.

      Let me see if I understand your warped logic, Ms. Prather. If we see animal exploitation, should we keep our mouths shut or should we speak out? “Keep fighting the good fight” means that we must continue to shine a light on the “dirty secrets” in racing as well as other industries that abuse, and exploit, animals. Got it?

      • Mary, it’s a futile exercise. What I said (on her FB page) was that the domesticated Thoroughbred is man-made/man-exploited, and I’d sooner wish the species extinct – through sterilization, not “killing” – than have them continue to be produced as mankind’s tools.

  7. Why does Mr. T come to mind when I read Claudia’s post and this of her ilk? Wait….I know…. I pity da fools….

  8. Overbreeding is a key factor to horse slaughter. By limiting the amount of horses that come into this world we can control the population.
    Laws should be set for breeders allowing a certain number of pregnancies a year.

  9. Tracy you are so right but check out
    nurse mare foals and Last Chance Corral and many more who take in all these babies left to just die.. All we the people in the horse world are at fault ..plus we set here on the computers or phones and bitch about animal cruelty when we should be doing something more..

    • Sue I have been on their websites and its a sad thing. Those nurse mares are used only for their milk and their foals are thrown away and your right these breeders should be held responsible.

  10. And what about all the horrible deaths to the horses that are running free with no one around to help them and they lay there suffering and then are attacked and torn apart by predators in even a more horrible death…… you don’t even want to consider that do you?

    • Dee, once agin, the pro-racing enthusiasts, such as yourself, just don’t get it. This blog is called “Horseracing Wrongs” not “Wild Horses Attacked by a Pack of Wolves”. Your comment is idiotic, plain and simple. You are right where you belong!

      • That’s called living in the wild..Nature..horses today are not bred to be wild.

    • With all the hoopla,fancy hats, mint juleps and promoting of the Kentucky Derby, I saw no mention of, Upstart, the colt that did not finish. With earnings of almost a million for 8 starts,the just turned 3 year old stopped after a mile, “was eased through the lane and walked off”. I have not seen any report as to what the problem was or any word on how Upstart is doing.

      The code of silence and disregard for the horse extends all the way to the most “celebrated” event of this business.

  11. EXCERPTS FROM

    How to Keep Champion Thoroughbreds from Becoming Dog Food

    By Jonathan Miller on ©May 03rd, 2015

    It’s also instructive to consider the retirement arc of that champion [Ferdinand] thoroughbred. After only modest success at breeding talented offspring — Ferdinand was apparently a fighter, not a lover — he was sold to Japanese interests in 1994. In 2002, at the relatively young age of 19, he was “disposed of” in a Japanese slaughterhouse. While Ferdinand might have wound up as a gourmet steak at an upscale Toyko restaurant, the most likely fate of this elite athlete was in the form of processed pet food.

    Every year, however, an estimated 150,000 U.S. horses are sent to Canadian or Mexican slaughterhouses to feed horse-hungry palates in Europe, South America and Asia. More than 10,000 of them are thoroughbreds.

    By contrast, efforts to ban the export of horses to slaughter abroad have continually failed. Some reform advocates charge Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid with running interference for Nevada cattlemen who find the practice a convenient way to rid their lands of wild horses.

    But with a less powerful, lame duck Reid ambling toward his own retirement, legislation introduced last week could finally extinguish the practice. The Safeguard American Food Exports (SAFE) Act, H.R. 1942, would prohibit the transport of American horses for human consumption abroad, while also permanently forbidding the reestablishment of slaughterhouses in the U.S. As its title reveals, the bill is shrewdly promoted as a food safety initiative: Unlike cattle and poultry, horses are not raised to be consumed — there’s no FDA oversight to prohibit the use of drugs that could be toxic to people — so the practice poses severe human health risks in the U.S. and abroad. The bill already boasts broad bi-partisan support in the House, with 41 original co-sponsors, including Western Kentucky GOP Congressman Ed Whitfield, and Louisville’s Democratic Representative John Yarmuth.

    • Kathleen, the information re. Upstart can be found on Equibase results “Full Charts” in the “foot notes” section.

      Thank you for the link I can’t believe it did not say Upstart had a “problem”.

      • Rose,

        thank you. i have never watched the Kentucky Derby before. Not a good experience.
        People there seemed so oblivious to these horses putting their life on the line.

        These horses were running so close to each other i was really concerned for their Safety.

        I did not go far enough down on the page . 4w, stop 1m, eased

        UPSTART was four wide around the first turn, stopped after a mile, was eased through the lane
        and walked off. The inside gate was left open.

        http://www.equibase.com/static/chart/pdf/CD050215USA11.pdf

  12. It is all over the internet that Americana Pharoah was whipped 32 times during the Kentucky Derby. I don’t know if this is true, but even the racing apologists are disgusted by this example of animal abuse.

      • Carolyn, as Patrick has previously stated on this blog, there are no heroes in racing, only exploiters. Some of those who participate are better than others, but ALL use and abuse the horse and Zayat and “Bastard Bob” are just two examples, as is the jockey. They all make me sick.

    • Agreed Mary – i’m familiar with what goes on – the only heroes in racing are the exploited horses. The last paragraph in my comment on BAFFERT was full of sarcasm, in my mind, but on reading it again I don’t think it came across that way. I was extremely tired and had been trying to catch up on my Whipping Racehorses Research work that I’m doing. Did American Pharoah’s jockey breach any of the whip rules there? If he didn’t, then that is outrageous and totally unacceptable. He should at the very least be suspended for a period of time that means he couldn’t ride in the next Triple Crown race (Preakness Stakes) for what he did to Pharoah. I’ve seen something similar happen to a jockey in another country.

      If I heard correctly when Baffert was interviewed post race, Pharoah had colic A FEW DAYS before the Derby and if that was true then in my view that horse was not given sufficient time to recover and he was struggling in that race and then the flogging, a 3 year old UTTERLY SICKENING!

      Mary, is it possible for you or anyone else on this site to send me a link to the Whip Rules in Kentucky or direct me down the right avenue to obtain same? It would be very much appreciated.

  13. American Pharaoh wins the 2015 Kentucky Derby

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KwMuXuS4ky

    What a merciless flogging this horse copped – for what?

    The MONEY and the egos of the jockey VICTOR, the trainer BAFFERT and the
    owner ZAYAT. Jumping for joy! Congratulating one another and verging on hysteria.

    In the meantime, American Pharoah, has absolutely no idea what he has done.
    What he does know is that he was viciously beaten with a whip in consecutive hits not giving him a chance to respond when he was going as fast as he could. He was beaten with a WHIP about 30 times that I counted. His sweated body and mouth frothed up from the stress of the race was very obvious. He appeared to be wearing a tongue tie. No doubt his body was stinging from the flogging 24 hours after the race.

    Proud of yourself VICTOR? And as for standing up past the post and waving your whip to the crowd that is the last thing the horse needs, unbalancing him, the pressure of the bit in his mouth, jockey’s saddle digging more into him when standing up in the irons whilst this horse was seriously fatigued after having been raced dangerously beyond his limits and at the risk of injury/death. You didn’t ride this horse with any horsemanship VICTOR, you rode this horse in an exceedingly abusive manner. It was sickening to watch you flog this horse – you rode him with the WHIP.

    The famous Kentucky Derby on a dirt track, I got the shock of my life, how hard that must be on the horses. I was expecting to see a beautiful Kentucky bluegrass turf racetrack. To think that these horses race on a DIRT racetrack for one of the most famous big prizemoney races in the world is beyond belief.

    BAFFERT said he was so pleased that Mr Zayat had sent this horse to him, the look on his face said it all…… yes NEHRO, ASMUSSEN, BLASI and others. He was displaying signs of colic…..??? but “he came out of it”…. big sigh of relief after the vets worked on him after all he was a Derby hopeful. For this horse to have been colicky is puzzling, being managed by a top trainer, money no object and no doubt given the best feed and care for the horses. It was all about BAFFERT, the great pressure he suffered and the empty comments he made and if my memory serves me right the only mention about the horse was that he came down with colic very recently. This is horseracing.

  15. Victor Espinosa, what a sickening display of abuse on American Pharoah. Instead of being applauded, you should be substantially fined, for excessive use of the whip on this poor horse. I am sure the whipping produced welts, and American Pharoah will undoubtedly be hurting from that beating.

    Mr. Zayat, you are just as bad, for your complacency, and letting your horse take a beating like that. Bob Baffert, nothing you do surprises me in the least. You are the epitome, and poster child of everything that is wrong in racing. It was in your barn last summer, that many mysterious, and unsolved deaths of TBs occurred. You are just another blood sucking leach on the backs of these majestic animals.

  16. Carolyn and Marlene, you said it well.
    Zayat was quoted as saying American Pharoh is probably ”
    the best horse he has ever owned.”.So Mr. Zayat, are you happy with the abuse your best horse suffered or do you just dismiss the whipping because your ego and bank account are more important to you. ??
    As for the trainer, Baffert, he is one of the untouchables in this corrupt business. Money is all that counts.

    • Rose,

      Zayatt also said NEHRO was his favorite horse and NEHRO was drugged and forced to run on terrible feet and then he died of colic.

      • Spot on Kathleen – every horse that does well for him will be “his best horse”.

      • Kathleen, I hope the “untouchables” in this business get what they deserve. However, justice sometimes takes a long time. It will take outside intervention for any change to occur. However, like you said, there is such a thing as returning karma and I think of it as universal justice.

      • Rose,

        I agree that it will take “outside intervention for there to be a change.”

        Steve Asmussen was FIRED by Zayat and lost 12 horses to train from Zayat stables After the PETA expose came out about NEHRO dying of colic on KENTUCKY DERBY DAY and the expose on being treated so badly by Asmussen’s group so the good news is he did not train American Pharoah and get the credit for the Derby win.

        I personally believe it is the horse not the trainer that wins the race but i sure am glad that some of Asmussen’s KARMA returned and he did not train that horse or get the credit for his win.

  17. Kathleen, thank you so much for giving this correct information. Of course I retract what I said about American Pharoah suffering colic. I did not realize Baffert was talking about another horse he had in the Derby. It appears Dortmund only had about 7 days to recover from his colic and you say he is sick after the Derby race. I couldn’t find anything about him in the second link you sent but then again I’ve been on the computer for hours and going cross-eyed!

  18. Jo Anne Normile, hope you get this – thought there was a chance you’d look at Patrick’s Kentucky Derby post.

    At last I have been able to look at your presentation at the 2013 American Equine Summit. It was fantastic and what an inspiration you are! Microchipping not mandatory. It truly shows how lowly they think of their athletes, their assets. That was so interesting about the iris eye scan. A percentage from the wagering simply must go to the after care for these noble horses. All that wagering money, all the money these suffering horses earn for them and they have the audacity to sidestep this issue.

    Social media has been a real plus for the plight of the racehorse. I cannot see the racing industry continuing to get away with it because there’s so much more exposure of the abhorrent cruelty and people are speaking out. The last picture of mare in foal and foal at foot on their way to being slaughtered was something I will never ever forget. Thank you so much for all your hard work for the racehorses. I would like to see the mare and foal picture plastered all over the place, wherever and whenever possible, shaming the racing industry and informing the public. NO MORE SLAUGHTER!

    • Carolyn,

      Can you post the link to JOAnne’s presentation at the 2013 American Equine Summit.

      I agree with you NO more HORSE SLAUGHTER.

  19. Kathleen – here is the link for Jo Anne Normile’s presentation at the American Equine Summit in 2013

  21. DERBY DAY – BEHIND THE SCENES

    I wonder if any of the horses had any of these drugs in their body on DERBY DAY ????

    I am sure there are more but this is what I have found so far.
    _________________________________________________________________

    Phenylbutazone: Banned for use in all food animals (the label directly indicates it is only for horses not intended for slaughter). In Europe, while phenylbutazone is not included in Table 2 (banned substances) of Commission Regulation No. 37/2010, it is not listed either in Commission (EC) Regulation No. 1950/2006 establishing a list of allowed substances if a six-month withdrawal period is observed, so any animal treated with this drug is categorically excluded from the food chain, particularly horses, whose treatment with this drug must be stated in the European Equine Identification Document (Equine Passport) and subsequently signed out of the food chain in the aforesaid document
    Chloramphenicol
    Clenbuterol (Ventipulmin)
    Diethylstilbestrol (DES)
    Dimetridazole
    Ipronidazole and other nitroimidazoles (including metronidazole)
    Furazolidone, Nitrofurazone, other nitrofurans
    Sulfonamides
    Dipyrone
    Dapsone (4-[(4-aminobenzene)sulfonyl]aniline)
    Glycopeptides (antibiotics such as vancomycin)
    Fluoroquinolones
    Gentian violet (Tris(4-(dimethylamino)phenyl)methylium chloride)
    Aristolochic acid (8-methoxy-6-nitrophenanthro[3,4-d][1,3]dioxole-5-carboxylic acid) and preparations thereof
    Chloroform
    Chlorpromazine
    Colchicine
    Hormonal steroids for growth promotion purposes (testosterone, progesterone, trenbolone and derivatives)
    Anabolic or gestagenic steroids for therapeutic and/or zootechnical purposes (boldenone and estrogens such as 17ßestradiol, estriol, and other sex hormones).
    All ß-agonists (e.g. compounds belonging to the Clenbuterol family)
    Stilbenes ((E)-1,2-Diphenylethene and isomers), salts and esters.
    Thyrostats (Thyroid hormones, derivatives like Levothyroxine and their agonist such as thiouracils and sulfur-containing imidazoles)

  22. DANGEROUS DRUGS GIVEN TO RACE HORSES
    PART TWO

    All the drugs listed on these two lists are routinely given to horses in a daily basis throughout the United States, especially those involved in racing.

    But not only medicines are administered to American equines, other compounds not catalogued per se as “medicines” are also frequently given to US horses, such as dimethyl sulfoxide (an lab grade polar aprotic solvent used as a liniment on horses to treat sore legs), protein supplements and, much like beef cattle, bone meal, which is a known vector for BSE or “mad cow” disease.

    Altrenogest (gestagenic agent, MRLs set to 1 μg/kg in fat and 0.9 μg/kg in liver)
    Carprofen (NSAID with uses similar to phenylbutazone but less potent; MRLs set to 500 μg/kg in muscle, 1,000 μg/kg in fat, liver and kidney)

    Cefquinome (antibiotic; MRLs set to 100 μg/kg in liver and 200 μg/kg in kidney)
    Ceftiofur (antibiotic; MRLs set to 1,000 μg/kg in muscle, 2,000 μg/kg in fat and liver and 6,000 μg/kg in kidney)
    Dexamethasone (corticosteroid; MRLs set to 0,75 μg/kg in muscle, 2 μg/kg in liver and 0.75 μg/kg in kidney)
    Febantel, Fenbendazole and oxfendazole sulphone (antiparasitic agent; MRLs set to 50 μg/kg in muscle, fat and kidney and 500 μg/kg in liver)

    Firocoxib (NSAID; MRLs set to 10 μg/kg in muscle and kidney, 15 μg/kg in fat and 60 μg/kg in liver).
    Flunixin (NSAID; MRLs set to 10 μg/kg in muscle, 20 μg/kg in fat, 100 μg/kg in liver and 200 μg/kg in kidney)
    Isoxsuprine

    Ivermectin (antiparasitic agent; MRLs set to 100 μg/kg in fat and liver and 30 μg/kg in kidney)
    Kanamycin (antibiotic; MRLs set to 100 μg/kg in muscle and fat, 600 μg/kg in liver and 2,500 μg/kg in kidney)
    Mebendazole (antiparasitic agent; MRLs set to 60 μg/kg in muscle, fat and kidney and 400 μg/kg in liver)
    Meloxicam (NSAID; MRLs set to 20 μg/kg in muscle and 65 μg/kg in liver and kidney)
    Metamizole (NSAID; MRLs set to 100 μg/kg in all relevant tissues)
    Moxidectin (antiparasitic agent; MRLs set to 50 μg/kg in muscle, and kidney , 500 μg/kg in fat and 100 μg/kg in liver)

    Neomycin (antibiotic; MRLs set to 500 μg/kg in muscle, fat and liver and 5,000 μg/kg in kidney)
    Trimethoprim (anti-infectious and chemotherapy agent; MRLs set to 100 μg/kg in all relevant tissues)
    Vedaprofen (NSAID; MRLs set to 50 μg/kg in muscle, 20 μg/kg in fat, 100 μg/kg in liver and 1,000 μg/kg in kidney)

    • They surely would have Kathleen – excellent information. It is criminal what they’re doing to these racehorses.

      Agreed, so many people in the crowd on KENTUCKY DERBY day have no idea of the miserable lives these horses endure.

      They watch the horses but are blind to the cruelty, especially the WHIPPING! Of course the trainers, most owners, racing administrators and others know what these animals suffer.

      It’s all about partying, dressing up to the nines, socializing and the betting $$$.

      WHAT’S IN IT for the HORSE?

      • Carolyn,

        The WHIPPING was terrible.

        I get that people cannot see the drugs as they race but they can see the WHIPPING.

        I can hardly stand watching the race as I cannot stand the whipping.

        It is total ABUSE.

      • Carolyn,

        I was just told that the jockey Victor Espinosa is known for WHIPPING horses he rides.

        He rode AMERICAN PHAROAH..

        This person also said that WHIPPING takes a toll on the horse. Very bad for his SPIRIT.

    • Kathleen , i strongly suggest you take a pharmacology class !! Ivermectin ,Moxidectin ,Mebendazole are wormers If you have a horse you better be giving them a wormer ! You have a couple of topical anti-bacterial salves on here ! Neomycin Is neosporan !!! Nitrofurazone is a topical wound slave !! You also have a bunch of antibiotics on your list . Sulfonimides are used to treat respiratory infections . Come on use some common sense here better yet ask your vet !

      • Laura,

        I did not put this list together. This comes from a RESEARCH PAPER on horses being slaughtered.

        I know there are topicals on there. THese are the list of drugs that the RESEARCHER said can end up in a horse that is slaughtered for food.

        The RESEARCH PAPER DEALS with HORSES being sent to HORSE SLAUGHTER.

        The RESEARCH is about twenty pages long. If you want the RESEARCH PAPER, you can email me and i will send it to you.

        kathleen@usbusinessfinancecorp.com

      • Laura,

        I work with four different groups trying to get horse slaughter banned in Canada and groups here that are working with Congress to pass the SAFE ACT so HORSE SLAUGHTER will not come back to the US. ever again.

        I have friends that have groups that have been working on anti horse slaughter for 10 years.

        in 2014, due to a number of people in Congress, HORSE SLAUGHTER PLANTS almost re-opened in the US.

        Fortunately, Victoria McCullough worked with Joe Biden and Joe Biden convinced several swing voters to change their mind and that kept horse slaughter plants from opening back in the US in 2014. When the budget comes up again, there will be another potential serious problem.

        The people I know that are lobbying Congress on this subject are using the approach that HORSE MEAT is TOXIC due to all the drugs that RACE HORSES are subjected to.

        This is a RESEARCH ARTICLE .

        The name of the research article is called HORSEMEAT and DRUGS.

        THe articles major POINT is that HORSE MEAT is UNFIT for human consumption.

        From the article.

        “American horses are not food animals and should not be slaughtered for food to begin with, no matter if the meat is ate by others abroad or how many phony affidavits are presented by clearly biased party whose sole interest is cashing in money.”

        “On a study conducted on June 2011 by the Canadian Horse Defense Coalition (CHDC) titled Pasture to Plate revealed numerous irregularities in the EIDs of horses slaughtered during those days at Les Viandes De La Petite-Nation, Inc. plant in Quebec. ”

        “These evidences were not only uncovered as a result of investigations carried out by equine welfare advocates but also acknowledged by European Union’s FVO-SANCO officials in their 2010 Canada and Mexico audit reports”

        “The results of this landmark study imply that, if we take a serious approach to food safety, using current, in-force worldwide legislation as reference, a significant part of the US horse population would be unfit for human consumption, being therefore necessary to remove it from the slaughter pipeline. This, in turn, would ruin the business model the foreign-owned horsemeat cartel is based on, since it would substantially increase the price of American horses really fit for meat production, cutting down the plants’ bottom line; there wouldn’t be any difference between buying American stock and sourcing the animals from Great Britain or “meat horse” farms in France or Romania.”

        This article talked about in great detail the drugs used in HORSE RACING and also chemicals that are used on horses for different ligament problems, etc.

        More from the article.

        “In addition, pursuant to European Commission (EC) Regulation No. 1950/2006, some substances deemed to be essential for the treatment of horses are allowed to be used in animals intended for slaughter, provided a minimum withdrawal period of six months is observed in order for such compounds to reach Commission established Maximum Residue Limit (MRLs),

        THE FACTS

        RACE HORSES CONTAINING TOXIC DRUGS LIKE BUTE ARE BEING DIRECTLY TAKEN FROM “NO SLAUGHTER” RACE TRACKS BY KILL BUYERS TO CANADA AND MEXICO AND BEING BRUTALLY MURDERED FOR FOOD.

        RACE HORSE OWNERS HAVE TOLD ME THIS DIRECTLY.

        TRAINERS AND OWNERS ARE TEXTING KILL BUYERS TO COME PICK UP THEIR WOUNDED HORSES TO BE KILLED FOR FOOD. THERE IS NO SIX MONTH WAITING PERIOD. THEY ARE BRUTALLY KILLED WITHIN WEEKS OF LEAVING THE RACE TRACK..

      • Laura,

        Here is one of the YOU TUBE VIDEO’S on the subject of HORSEMEAT AND DRUGS

        https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S3UwE1hVaS0&feature=youtu.be

        Health Alert: Toxic substances and the Human food chain

        Published on Feb 22, 2013

        The USDA has indicated that they intend to keep pushing for re-opening horse slaughter plants in the US, but new federal legislation, if passed would protect America’s horses and consumers.
        The Safeguard American Food Exports (SAFE) Act is a bill to prohibit horse slaughter in the U.S., end the export and slaughter of America’s wild and domestic horses abroad, and protect the public from consuming toxic horsemeat.

      • Kathleen , If you put this list up just to show what is banned in slaughter horses used for meat then i apologize . I do support your cause as far as slaughter goes .. I really hope your groups succeed in your efforts . My point was that there are illegal drugs that a few in racing try to get away with But there are also very necessary legal medications and treatments on this list , such as wormers , antibiotics ,nsaids and yes even corticosteroids . For example i had a filly that was stung on the nose by a wasp , she had a severe reaction and was treated with Dexamethasone to reduce the swelling in face so she could breathe.

      • Laura,

        I do Apologize that my Original post did not have the right title.

        MY original post should have said RESEARCH PAPER ON RACE HORSE BEINGS SENT TO SLAUGHTER.

        OR

        DANGEROUS drugs being given to Race Horses and Chemicals found in horses at HORSE SLAUGHTER PLANTS.

        I had copied it from a research paper on HORSE SLAUGHTER and the Toxic drugs and chemicals found in race horses at horse slaughter plants.

        THe point of the research was to show how toxic horse meat is.

        I do apologize that i did not copy and paste the first paragraph. Then my message would have been clear. it was late and I was tired.

      • Laura,

        I am the one that needs to Apologize. My title was completely Incorrect.

        Thank you for bringing it to my attention. I really appreciate you doing that.

        I had originally copied and pasted the whole RESEARCH article I had gotten from a friend. It went on for too many pages to post to this list.

        By mistake, I stripped out the whole paragraph on the fact that this was A RESEARCH study done for educational purposes to stop horse slaughter .

        The RESEARCH article listed anything that went into a horse or on a horse TOPICALLY in terms of sore limbs, etc. What is totally fine for a horse topically is toxic to someone who actually eats horse meat.

        I let my 1 1/2 year old German Shepherd puppy sleep on horse stall matts in his indoor kennel and within two months he got really ill , had terrible rashes and died within 4 months. horse stall matts are great outdoors for horses but not for puppies indoors. Big mistake on my part. Since we had three German Shepherds, i had horse stall matts covering the family room floor for ten years. We moved a large indoor kennel indoors and put a new puppy in the kennel. the matts were on the floor and that is what he slept on.. He got deathly ill and died from inhaling toxic fumes from the matts. I could smell them when I rolled up the matts and removed them from the house.

        Right now, people throughout the world are CLUELESS that they are eating race horses that were loaded with drugs and toxic chemicals.

        I am totally ANTI HORSE SLAUGHTER on MORAL grounds but Congress for the most part, does not care about Moral issues when it comes to horses so the only approach that stopped horse slaughter from coming back to the US in 2014 was telling the Congress that horse meat was TOXIC. That got their attention and they killed the bill that would have allowed horse slaughter plants to re-open in the US.

        If you email me I will send you the whole research paper.
        kathleen@usbusinessfinancecorp.com

  23. Great informative post Kathleen!! The public needs to be made aware of the numerous drug cocktails these horses are made to ingest, and how dangerous they are by compromising their systems.

    Bute the pain killer is given to mask their injuries, and can be attributed to many breakdowns. Many of the drugs, some of them designer drugs, are meant to enhance performance, and instead compromise the horse in going beyond their natural ability, another cause of breakdown.

    We can all learn from your posts Kathleen, especially the public.

  24. Thank you Marlene.

    Education is crucial. 170,000 plus showed up for Kentucky Derby. I doubt that most of them knew that tens of thousands of race horses are dying, being drugged and slaughtered behind the scenes.

    BABY Is an example of a horse that had a terrible injury on the track and had to be put to sleep. I highly recommend everyone on this list that loves horses – anti racing and pro racing – read it. The death of JoAnne’s horse changed her life.

    BABY was badly injured but he did not collapse on the track. He just stopped. If he would have fallen, other horses could have died as well.

    “SAVING BABY”

    Jo Anne said “His Response to his pain was literally, heroic. I understood that day in a way I never had before what was meant by the phrase, “THE HEART OF A THOROUGHBRED”. ”

    JoAnne also owns the grand daughter of SECRETARIAT. Her entire book is EXCELLENT and a great look at what goes on behind the scenes in the racing world through the eyes of a woman who really loves horses.

  27. JOY ATEN,

    Someone gave me this list that you had posted. Where did you find this list ?

    Do you know of any more ? I agree that this is INDEFENSIBLE.
    _____________________________________________________________

    INJURED HORSES –

    that were originally trying to be part of the Kentucky Derby race

    .ALL of them suffered their injuries at the age of 2 or 3. Indefensible.

    -One Lucky Dane, condylar fracture
    -Dubai Sky, hind leg fracture
    -Far From Over, hind leg fracture
    -Imperia, “hind-end issue”
    -Savoy Stomp, injured hock
    -Danny Boy, “broken leg”
    -Khozan, “hind ankle injury”
    – Eagle, “injured knee”
    -Acceptance, “sore shins”
    -Calculator, “undisclosed injury”
    -Mawthooq, tendon injury
    -Royal Saint, “chip”
    -Leave the Light On, “injured ankle”
    -Barbados, knee fracture (surgery)
    -Mr. Jordan, injured check ligament
    -Hashtag Bourbon, ankle chip
    (surgery)
    -Om, hock injury
    -Take Charge Brandi (former Oaks
    contender), knee chip (surgery with
    stabilizer pins placed)
    Also;
    -Prospect Park, high white count
    -The Great War, bled through Lasix

    • Racing publications. It’s very likely there are more but recent time constraints have kept me from looking for them.

  28. HORSE SORING ABUSE in KENTUCKY -HOME OF THE KENTUCKY DERBY

    Last week Senator Kelly Ayotte (R-NH) and Senator Mark Warner (D-VA) renewed their efforts to bring the PAST Act (Prevent All Soring Tactics) into law and already they have 17 co-sponsors, but Alexander Lamar , who will be 75 this July, strangely believes if he asks his “Licker” friends nicely, they will halt the inhumane torture of the animals that has hobbled the once-majestic Walkers in the South for almost 100 years.

    The simple truth is the “Big Lickers,” operating out of Shelbyville, have already decimated the once-proud state symbol and their Breeders and Exhibitors Association, which is run by Steven B. Smith, is now in tatters. Longtime Walking Horse people are fleeing the Big Lick in droves. Horse shows are being boycotted. Cheaters are being caught in record numbers and this summer, when jail sentencing is expected in some cases now that soring is indeed a state felony, the scandalous behavior of the “Lickers” is being openly referred to as “blatant suicide.”

    The “Big Lick” saw twice as many “tickets” – USDA citations – given at its “World Celebration” last August than the year before. A staggering 50 percent of “Big Lick” horses inspected by the USDA in Shelbyville were in violation of the federal Horse Protection Act.

    The differences in the Ayotte-Warner bill and Alexander’s feeble challenge are huge. The PAST Act has badly-needed penalties including jail time, permanent disqualifications, and heavy fines and would require a certified USDA inspector to attend every show. Lamar’s idea is a 30-day suspension the first time, a 90-day suspension the next. Oh, and Lamar’s crowd insists it bring its own carloads of inspectors. Please!

    You can read full article at TUESDAYS HORSE

  29. Concerning the beating of AP in the Kentucky Derby : Chief Steward, Barbara Borden, told the Courier Journal that “we watched it many, many times prior to making it official and that was not anything that got our attention”. She also said there isn’t a limit in Kentucky as to how many times a jockey can hit a horse during a race and Espinoza’s ride didn’t stand out as “SUPER excessive”. WOW, I would love to know what she would find SUPER excessive or to know what the record is for the most strikes. So, she did not find it SUPER excessive. I wonder if she found it just plain excessive but not SUPER…

    What is wrong with these people ?

    • Rose, Barbara Borden is SUPER disgusting.

      I realize this industry is her bread and butter, but I still cannot comprehend how racing’s “employees” like Borden are able to rationalize animal abuse on a daily basis. Guess they’re SUPER apathetic. And SUPER conditioned. Or just SUPER heartless.

    • I cannot believe this Rose! NO LIMIT on the number of times a jockey can whip a horse in a race in Kentucky? Oh well, that tells me there are no Whip Rules in place and therefore the welfare of the horse is simply not a consideration.

      “we watched it many, many times prior to making it official and THAT was not anything that got our attention”. She also said there isn’t a limit in Kentucky as to how many times a jockey can hit a horse during a race and Espinoza’s ride didn’t stand out as “SUPER excessive”. THAT meaning the vicious whipping.

      And this is the Chief Steward, BARBARA BORDEN, who made the above public statement. Does she think the public are stupid? SUPER excessive it was.

      The whipping of American Pharoah was nothing less than an act of abhorrent abuse of an animal. “..we watched it many, many times”. The fact of the matter is that they saw the merciless beating of this horse and found it ACCEPTABLE. That tells me that Barbara Borden and the other relevant officials are not fit and proper people to carry out their duties. And they declare they “love” their athletes, their assets, these noble horses. Yet they are completely comfortable to watch horses being beaten with whips excessively with no limitations and send them off to slaughter when they’re “finished with them”.

      • Yes, Carolyn, I found it very disturbing. And in a state that reaps 4 billion a year from the Thoroughbred industry and is home to the most celebrated event of the business, the “run for the roses”. Shame on Kentucky !!!!

  30. Espinoza’s Use Of The Whip On American PHAROAH Scrutinized
    PAULICK REPORT

    Jockey Victor Espinoza is coming under fire for what some consider an ‘excessive’ use of the whip on American Pharoah as the pair battled Firing Line through the stretch during the Kentucky Derby.

    According to an article in the Louisville Courier-Journal, Kentucky racing officials plan on looking at the stretch run again, and Espinoza’s tactics aboard the colt. Chief steward Barbara Borden told the Courier-Journal that “We watched it many, many times prior to making it official, and that wasn’t anything that got our attention.”

    The three-time Kentucky Derby-winning jockey admitted that he had to ride American Pharoah “harder than ever” during the stretch drive. Espinoza’s tactics have come under scrutiny after Bloomberg.com posted an article not just about American Pharoah’s Derby win, but pointing out that the colt had been “whipped 32 times.”

    There isn’t a limit in Kentucky as to how many times a jockey can hit a horse during a race. Borden told the C-J that Espinoza’s ride “didn’t stand out to us to be super excessive.”

    for More on this story

    Check out LOUISVILLE COURIER JOURNAL and BLOOMBERG

  31. Kentucky Derby winning jockey whipping studied

    THe Courier Journal May 6th

    The headline at Bloomberg.com reads not just that American Pharoah won the Kentucky Derby, but that he was “whipped 32 times” before doing so.

    Indeed, Victor Espinoza admitted to riding the Bob Baffert trainee harder than ever on his way to a victory Saturday. But what may have helped get him there — the 32 cracks — has drawn scrutiny in the days following the race.

    Chief state steward Barbara Borden told The Courier-Journal on Wednesday that Kentucky racing officials plan to look at the stretch run and Espinoza’s tactics again, though, “We watched it many, many times prior to making it official, and that wasn’t anything that got our attention.”

    Kentucky rules are in contrast to a soon-to-be-adopted policy in California, where starting July 1, the state’s horse racing board will allow jockeys use of the whip only three times in succession before waiting to let a horse respond.

    The three-time Derby winner Espinoza, of course, is a regular on the California circuit. Violation of the new statute there won’t result in disqualification — rather, fines for offending riders.

    “This has been a long time coming,” California Horse Racing Board commissioner Bo Derek said in November. “Jockeys like John Velazquez and Gary Stevens worked with us. In 2010 we amended the riding crop by putting more padding in it. Most jockeys already are showing they abide by the rule. It will encourage young riders to be more skillful and better riders.”

  32. Kentucky rules are in contrast to a soon-to-be-adopted policy in California, where starting July 1, the state’s horse racing board will allow jockeys use of the whip only three times in succession before waiting to let a horse respond.

    The Courier Journal -May 6th

  33. American Pharoah Whipped 32 Times in Victory

    FROM Bloomberg Business

    In his first two races this year, American Pharoah hadn’t felt the sting of the jockey’s whip a single time. In the Kentucky Derby, he was cracked some 32 times.

    Those numbers, perhaps more than any other statistic, underscore how hard the big horse had to work to capture America’s most-prestigious race on Saturday. This was not the walkover that some racing touts — myself included — had seen as a real possibility. Instead, Pharoah gutted out a grueling, one-length victory that appeared to take a lot out of him.

    There were signs early that it wouldn’t be easy.

    The horse never really looked comfortable at any point in the race. When the field came off the first turn and entered the backstretch, jockey Victor Espinoza was already pecking at Pharoah to keep up. If you had given me the opportunity to cancel my bet on him right then, I just may have taken it. The front-runners were setting a dawdling pace that Pharoah normally would have matched without the slightest of effort.

    Fast forward to the midpoint of the second turn, and Espinoza was already urging him vigorously to go after the two leaders. Seconds later, before they had even straightened out for the home stretch, Espinoza cocked the whip in his right hand and raised it up high.

    This was the first time that the jockey had ever felt Pharoah struggling to pull away from his rivals. It clearly made him nervous (he said as much in the immediate aftermath of the race). He responded by flailing away time and time again as his colt slowly edged past Firing Line and Dortmund, the second- and third-place finishers.

    Triple Crown?

  34. AMERICAN PHAROAH Whipped 32 Times in Victory Part Two

    THIRTY TWO CRACKS OF THE WHIP ARE A LOT.

    Beyond being aesthetically unpleasing to watch, so many blows can take a lot out of a horse, each one acting as a forceful prodding to try harder. And at some point, they stop being effective.

    Stronger-finishing jockeys, like Joel Rosario, who rode fourth-place finisher Frosted, rely much less on the stick to drive their horses to the finish line. Rosario hit Frosted only four times as he surged toward the leaders late in the Derby.

    Sunday morning reports out of Kentucky indicated that the winner came out of the race looking a few pounds lighter. Perhaps he’ll recover in time to capture the Preakness Stakes in two weeks. But would he then be up for winning again just three weeks later in the Belmont Stakes to become the first Triple Crown champion since 1978?

    I doubt it.

    As the tight Derby finish proved, this is a talented crop of three-year-old horses. And some of them — perhaps Frosted, perhaps sixth-place finisher Materiality — will bypass the Preakness and await Pharoah at Belmont Park.

    There, going the marathon distance of 1 1/2 miles, the effects of those 32 cracks just may catch up to him.

    (David Papadopoulos, managing editor for the Americas editing hub at Bloomberg News, has been following thoroughbred racing for more than two decades and was runner-up in 2008 Eclipse Award voting for feature writing on the sport.)

  35. JUST KEEPING HIM BUSY ????

    REALLY BOB BAFFERT ??

    LIES, LIES AND MORE LIES
    ____________________________________

    Baffert: Jockey kept Pharoah ‘busy’ with whip

    Asked Thursday of Victor Espinoza’s now well-publicized 32 whips of Kentucky Derby winner American Pharoah in the stretch of Saturday’s race, trainer Bob Baffert offered some context to his jockey’s tactics

    “I never noticed it during the race, and after I read something (Wednesday), I went back and looked at it,” Baffert said on a National Thoroughbred Racing Association teleconference. “First of all, the whips they use now are so light. He was just keeping him busy.

    “The horse wasn’t responding when he was turning for home. It looked like it took a lot to just keep him busy and focused.”

    Espinoza won his third Derby as a result and Baffert his fourth.

    The jockey’s 32 cracks came under added scrutiny this week even as Kentucky chief steward Barbara Borden told The Courier-Journal that “we watched it many, many times prior to making it official, and that wasn’t anything that got our attention.” Borden said officials will review Espinonza’s ride again.

    “It was keeping him busy,” Baffert said. “…He was hitting him on the saddle towel. He doesn’t hit that hard.”

    Three-time Kentucky Derby-winner Gary Stevens, who finished second on Firing Line, said the shorter, padded crops required today keep a horse from getting marked.

    “I hit mine more times than I have in the last three years, but I wasn’t counting,” he said in a text response to The Courier-Journal. “It’s the Derby and we both were doing all we could to encourage (our horses). I know I wasn’t hurting my horse, and I doubt Victor did, either.”

    Full Story at the COURIER JOURNAL

    • These jockeys are nothing more than parasites. Pure and simple. There is no saving this industry. No making it better. It is impossible because the people that run, support, and earn money in it are too bereft of morals and conscience. Horrible degenerate detestable people.

      • Amen, Ray! I have been saying for years that racing is rotten to the core. Even though the horses suffer tremendously, the people, causing the suffering, “love” what they are doing. No conscience and no morals but that is horseracing.

  36. THE OWNER OF AMERICAN PHAROAH COMMENTS ON RACE
    ____________________________________

    Zayat: American Pharoah poised to improve

    Jockey Victor Espinoza said he had to ride a homebred Pioneerof the Nile colt harder the last 1/8 of a mile than he did while romping in Oaklawn Park’s Rebel Stakes and Arkansas Derby.

    “The fact that he had to work for it, in my opinion, only compliments American Pharoah and compliments the field,” Zayat said. “…This race would probably be the best race that would set American Pharoah to even move forward.”

    FULL ARTICLE at the Courier Journal

    • THE OWNER OF AMERICAN PHAROAH COMMENTS ON RACE

      No mention BY ZAYAT in the previous article about the fact that his jockey hit his “FAVORITE” horse 32 times.

      THAT is how he treats his FAVORITE horse ??

      THat is NOT love.

      That is BLATANT animal ABUSE.
      ____________________________________

      REMEMBER NEHRO ?

      Zayat called Nehro, the 2011 Kentucky Derby runner-up who also was second in the Louisiana and Arkansas Derbies, his “all-time favorite” horse.

      “It’s horrifying to think that the video of his treatment is true and that Nehro suffered in any way,” he said. ”

      _____________________________________

      ZAYAT has not, to my knowledge, sued Asmussen for what he did to NEHRO, his “ALL TIME FAVORITE” horse.

      • Kathleen, there has been a lot of attention given to the whipping of American Pharoah, the winner of the Derby. However, I think it is now time to move on from the whipping issue. Although it is unacceptable, there are more pressing issues to deal with when it comes to racing such as drugs (both legal and illegal), joint injections, running horses before they are skeletally developed, slaughter and the racing industry’s reluctance to be transparent, to name just a few.

        As far as Zayat is concerned, he will say different things depending on the day of the week. Winning is what is important to him, not doing what is best for the horse. I believe nothing that comes out of his mouth. They are all liars. To belabor the fact that he said Nehro was his favorite and now American Pharoah is his favorite is ridiculous. His favorite is the horse that is WINNING, plain and simple.

        Remember…there are no heroes in racing (including Mr. Hudson), only exploiters.

  37. Mary,

    I added those posts because major news outlets rarely mention whipping and i wanted it added to this blog for the record.

    I also wanted Bafferts and Zayats statements recorded for the record for other people to see.

    • Kathleen, thank you so much for putting up these posts about WHIPPING. It is bad enough when a perfectly healthy racehorse is whipped – it is barbaric.

      As I’ve mentioned before I’ve been doing research on whipping for several years now and I cannot begin to tell you the terrible consequences when a horse is whipped. Just one example was when a horse was so badly whipped, when it was seriously fatigued, near the winning post its legs went like jelly and he was all crooked and all over the place but the flogging continued and then the horse crashed into the running rail which of course broke and the horse suffered a seriously deep and large injury to its stifle and was euthanased on the track.

      In my opinion, the WHIPPING is extremely important to address for numerous reasons.
      Imagine a horse being forced to race, he has a stress fracture that has not been picked up by x-rays/MRI but he knows he’s not right, has a virus that’s gone through the stable, has been injected with pain killers, has dysfunctional feet e.g. underrun heels, he is sore from being overworked and overraced and then he’s sent out there to race already in a bad way (which the public cannot see) and he cops a vicious and merciless flogging.

      This is typical of what is going on every day for many thousands of horses in many parts of the world and the whipping must come to an end and be BANNED FOREVER.

      • Carolyn,

        I just spoke with someone over at the KENTUCKY RACING COMMISSION for 45 minutes.

        What I learned from him is that if enough people speak out, the rules for WHIPPING a horse can be changed in Kentucky.

        The person I spoke with was actually connected to the KENTUCKY REAL ESTATE COMMISSION and not just someone who answers the phone and takes messages.

        I posted my conversation with him under WHIPPING.

        I asked him how the Kentucky Derby Commission would feel if the horse that was beat 32 times finished the race the Winner and then collapsed after the finish line because he pushed his body so hard he reached a breaking point.

        I told him that people that I know that attended the race were horrified. My friend is NOT a racing fan but he was there as he was hired to take photos of one of the horses in the race so he had a PRESS pass and could go everywhere. He was close to the finish line and has a photo of that as well as photos of AMERICAN PHAROAH after the race being washed down.

        I called my friend today as well and told him he could complain Anonymously since he takes pictures in the Industry he does not want his name out there. I told him to call everyone he knew and tell them to complain.

        My friend spoke with many other people that were shocked at how the horse was WHIPPED. He said the horse was “spent and Exhausted” Other people that saw the horse said he looked really underweight. He did not look good.

        I told The man from the KENTUCKY RACING COMMISSION that back in 2009 a horse was hit 21 times. This year it was 32 times. Next race it could be 59 times. It sets a really bad example for the rest of the country for the Kentucky Derby to not speak out about this ABUSE and I reminded him 170,000 people were in the audience.

        I told him that the video of the race was circulated on the Internet and in social media and that the headlines were that the horse was WHIPPED 32 times.

        PLUS, I forgot to mention this fact to him.

        16 MILLION WATCH 141st RUNNING OF THE KENTUCKY DERBY ON NBC

        Viewership Peaked at 17.9 Million As American Pharoah Crossed Finish Line

        NBC Sports Live Extra Sets Kentucky Derby Record

      • Carolyn,

        I am putting together my email for KENTUCKY RACE HORSE COMMISSION that will be sent to all 15 Voting members. I have copied and pasted different posts from this website as they were very well done and taken out the names of those posting.

        if you have any research you want to send me on WHIPPING , here is my email address.
        if you want a copy, i will also send you a copy of my email to him.

        kathleen@usbusinessfinancecorp.com

        • Kathleen, i’m putting something together now, please bear with me – i will be emailing you very soon.

      • THank You Carolyn,

        I really appreciate that.

        The person I connected to will be showing this email to all 15 members.

        If they do nothing we can go to The Governor because he appointed them. He said they are paying attention to all the bad press and talk about this.

        MY friend that was at the race track was telling one of these people connected to the KENTUCKY RACING COMMISSION that they need to get ahead of the problem and deal with the drugs and the horse slaughter.
        That was before the race.

        My friend was against the beating of AMERICAN PHAROAH, the DRUGS happening at the track as well as the HORSE SLAUGHTER. He is not a fan of racing but he does take photos there.

  39. The Catalyst video that Patrick posted in March proved with scientific evidence that the horse definitely feels pain when whipped and it was also proved that horses’ skin is more sensitive than humans’ skin and they came across this fact purely by accident when they were doing the research.

    In the Catalyst video, Prof. Paul McGreevy stated “It’s become an extremely important issue because it is arguably the most visible form of violence to animals.”

    http://www.abc.net.au/catalyst/stories/4201890.htm

    In my view, banning the whipping of racehorses is a priority. One of the reasons is that the whipping of racehorses is in full view of the public either at the track or in people’s homes and when awareness is raised on this, people can understand the issue.

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