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.
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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.