For nine years and 82 races, the horse christened Electric Alphabet toiled at racetracks across the American heartland – from Arkansas, to Kentucky, to Louisiana, to Iowa, to Illinois, to Indiana, to Ohio. Nine long years of servitude. Nine long years of suffering. But today, it is over – not, mind you, in some fantastical safe-landing sort of way; rather, he is dead, killed yesterday at Mahoning. Killed because his long-time owner, Tracey Wisner, was hellbent on extracting every last cent from his surely battered body. Killed because track officials, in their endless desperation to fill cards, simply looked the other way. (In November, Mahoning allowed this almost 12-year-old horse to be raced three times in 27 days.) Killed because some think it innocuous to gamble on the backs of innocent animals. Killed, in fact, for nothing at all.
This is heartbreaking. As a kid, I loved horse racing and followed the likes of Secretariat and Forego. Now I can’t bear to think about the suffering that these majestic animals endure, many never to enjoy the comfort of retirement. Thank you for sharing their stories — they will not be forgotten.
Thank you, Theresa – I, too, used to love horseracing and followed it as closely as I could. I’m ashamed to admit that I did, especially because there always seemed to be this little voice telling me something was “not quite right”…watching the races, I was very worried about the safety of the horses – yet I never felt that worry watching my own horses in their paddocks/pastures.
Then I learned first-hand about the industry…that racehorses are NOT family “pets”, NOT family members – that they ALL will become unwanted and without a “home”. And that’s just one of the sad truths racehorses face.
Thank you for caring.
They ALL become unwanted. Well crap tell that to my 2 ottbs in my pasture and the other 25 I’ve rehomed on my own. They are family to some. They are loved to some. Not all. And not enough. But really they ALL end up thrown away… Not true
At2016 – ALL become unwanted by their racing connections – even your 2 and the 25 you rehomed…they’re not living on their racing connections’ farms, are they…
Every racehorse will find themselves unwanted by their racing owner – every racehorse will reach the day (if they live that long) when their racing owner no longer wants them. Fact.
This beautiful white horse deserved to have been retired and in a lush pasture far away from the life he lived for probably 10 of his 12 years. When his legs broke and gave out, this poor horse had the good sense to just stop, and try not to move anymore. Many try to run on with their broken legs, this one had enough self-preservation to hold still. And yet, he still gave his life. For just one more race to be eaked out of his worn and broken body. I had chills thinking about him tonight, about the fear and pain he must have felt. I was told that this sweet, white beauty should have been retired a few years ago. But apparently his greedy connections had to use him until he gave his all for them. And I bet they don’t mourn his loss.
Disgusting parasites.
Blood-sucking leeches like Wisner want to suck every last drop of blood out of them as they did here with the inhumane treatment, and subsequent death of Electric Alphabet.
The entire system promotes, and enables such horrific treatment of these racehorses.
They are all either abusers, enablers of this abuse/dying or both.
This is a VILE business, and it can’t close soon enough for these poor non-consenting, voiceless, profit slaves.
Trainer Spiess and owner Wisner sent this horse to his death, Like so many others, Electric Alphabet, did not stand a chance in the clutches of those without compassion and conscience.
Where were all the good people in racing while this poor 12 yr old gelding was being run into the ground? Heartbreaking and disgusting.
Cruel senseless killings for stupid greedy people
Since this abuse is so obvious to anybody who has one ounce of compassion, I want to make it increasingly clear for those who don’t:
A horse’s age is 6.5 times that to 1 human age year – this is widely accepted.
So they were running Electric Alphabet at the age of 78 years old with most likely pre-existing conditions, while being doped and whipped.
Is there any bottom for these blood sucking leeches?
Apparently not.
So sorry for you Electric Alphabet, your beautiful white silhouette will not be forgotten.
Just found out that Electric Alphabet was on the racehorse “WATCH LIST.”
There is a watch list regularly compiled by racehorse lovers who state the names of racehorses who are on the verge of breaking down and/or dying according to the PP’s.
Like Patrick, they spend countless hours compiling the FACTS, and this list is a sorry site for any horse lover.
Here’s a link to the recent list, and some of the turn around times on these racehorses is blatant animal cruelty.
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1vqVPGLmiQjskz8d9U1MN-ZdahiFv5MCHI48VSRYdwos/pubhtml#
The horse racing business is legitimized animal cruelty conducted under the guise of “sport/entertainment.”
Please don’t bet, don’t watch, don’t support this.
Especially don’t take your children because it’s very traumatizing to them when they see a racehorse snap its leg -off, go down in the dirt, profuse bleeding coming from their nostrils, and/or being beaten with a whip.
Thank you Gina for posting this link to this very interesting sites list! We watch several trainers / horses as well.