After conducting what it calls a “thorough investigation,” the Delaware Racing Commission has cleared the man who repeatedly (four times) punched a horse in the head prior to a race at Delaware Park to return to work, saying “no disciplinary action will be taken.” The Commission claims it conducted interviews with “individuals who are knowledgeable regarding the standard protocols of handling a fractious horse in the starting gate when a horse becomes a danger to the jockey and/or the assistant starter.” In addition, according to DelawareOnline, the Department of Agriculture’s animal-cruelty investigator has also granted full absolution. So, this man will continue working with animals after doing this:
Anyone know why assistant starter is striking the 7 horse in the head? @delawarepark @ScottTVG pic.twitter.com/b1N9ki4rFG
— mark bowers (@MarkBowers1) June 14, 2018
As I’ve oft written, the racehorse is chattel – a piece of movable property. As such, he does not, cannot, have any rights, at least not in any meaningful way. Even when it appears to be egregious abuse (above), the law – in this case, the Racing Commission and Dept of Agriculture – almost invariably defers to “common industry practice.” So what they are saying here is that punching a horse in the head is perfectly acceptable – meets “standard protocols,” is common industry practice – if a human decides said horse is a danger to humans. Further evidence that you can’t fix this vile business. If you truly care about horses, there is only one position to take: Horseracing has to go.
For all those who swear the racehorses (and those who don’t make the grade) are loved, why aren’t you raising the roof on these obvious acts of cruelty. This is why we MUST shut this public display of harm to the horses down.
It is on your heads – this mistreatment, injury and slaughter of this congenial and kind species. We all know there are humans who could not care less about the wellbring of animals in their control. It is up to us, who do care, to control their destruction.
Can you imagine the outrage had the horse who was repeatedly struck been Justify?
Conversely, can you imagine if this was a dog in the local park that got repeatedly beaten in the head by its owner for acting bad?
There would be numerous complaints submitted that would have, most likely, led to animal cruelty charges.
This business is legitimized animal cruelty conducted under the guise of “sport” or “entertainment.”
The operating procedures, which every racehorse is subjected to, result in mayhem, carnage, and strongly resembles nothing short of a blood bath.
It has got to go!
Years ago, when I volunteered for CANTER at Beulah Park, I was casually chatting with an owner/trainer in his shedrow when another owner/trainer’s son, in the next shedrow, was literally punching a horse in the head. I immediately began running towards the horse being abused, shouting to “stop” the punching. The o/t, whom I knew well, brushed it off and dismissed the abuse as her son “losing his temper.” The abuse occurred out in the open. I can only imagine what kind of abuse was inflicted on her horses in a more clandestine environment.
THIS IS A DAILY occurrence at every race track around the country , these animals are not only beaten, lip chained, whipped & HEAVILY DRUGGED to both train & MORE HEAVILY DRUGGED TO RACE , But it is the veterinarians that are culpable in this, this horse had a veterinarian standing right behind him, instead of being taken out of the gate & checked for harm that was done to the animal, he was allowed to race ? INSANE, the punch’s that horse received by a BIG MAN, the horse was hit in the mouth several times with a HARD METAL BIT AGAINST HIS TEETH. The vets are ultimately the ones who take OATHS TO CARE FOR & PROTECT THESE HELPLESS ANIMALS, & for this horse to not even be checked for bleeding or bruising of his mouth is an OUTRAGE. why people are not up in arm over this but a few animal lovers is even more disgusting.
But the human species does participate in the GROTESQUE SLAUGHTER & EATING of the worlds most HELPLESS CREATURES every day 3 times a day that are MUCH MORE ABUSED THEN THIS BY THE SOCIOPTAHS WHO WORK IN THE SLAUGHTERHOUSES ( Mary Poppins does not work in slaughterhouses & I DONT SEE ANYONE UP IN ARMS ABOUT THAT, BUT I SEE THEM GRILLING, BOILING, BROILING & THEN CUTTING UP IN SMALL PIECES AN ANIMAL THAT WAS ALIVE & BREATHING 2-3 DAYS AGO ? So why are there so many HYPOCRITES on these pages? you care about an animal that was punched in the face yet you participate in the DAILY BLOODY GROTESQUE MURDER & DISMEMBERMENT ( 85% of the times these slaughter animals ARE ALIVE DURING THE ENTIRE PROCESS ) – So I DOUBLE DARE YOU “animal loving” HYPOCRITES, TO WATCH THIS ENTIRE FILM WITHOUT LOOKING AWAY, THEN YOU CAN CALL YOURSELF AN ANIMAL LOVER, & ONLY THEN DO YOU HAVE THE RIGHT TO COMPLAIN ABOUT THIS innocent horse getting punched in his face. THAT is NOTHING to what YOU participate & CONTRIBUTE TO DAILY & nothing near to what HAPPENED TO the INNOCENT ANIMAL THAT IS SITTING ON YOUR PLATE AT DINNER TONIGHT. the official ” Glass Walls ” documentary ( by Paul McCartney) – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ql8xkSYvwJs&t=4s
I can say with utmost certainty that I saw abuse, inhumane treatment, and/or racehorses in distress and suffering on a daily basis.
I quickly learned that reporting things has severe repercussions with little to nothing getting done.
In fact, this business clearly rewards the trainers who dope, cheat, abuse, maim and/or kill so these poor racehorses have little chance of making it out intact or alive.
Just take a look at the Racing Hall of (Sh)ame.
Most all of the trainers are multiple drug violating trainers, cheaters, dopers,and/or killers with a long list of dead racehorses under their belt (Bob Baffert, Wayne Lukas, Steve Asmussen, Todd Pletcher, etc.)
Shameful, disgusting, and further confirms that people at the highest levels are enablers of these killings.
And more business as usual in this animal-abusing industry….
“Testimony at a pretrial hearing held Thursday revealed some veterinarians at Hagyard had been modifying the dates shown on presale radiographs for years, potentially as far back as 2006.”
https://www.paulickreport.com/news/bloodstock/lawsuit-against-hagyard-equine-medical-reveals-misdating-of-auction-x-rays/
And MORE business as usual….
“On September 11, 2016, a field of eight Standardbreds competed in the $252,000 Pennsylvania Sire Stakes Championship at Harrah’s Philadelphia in Chester, Pa.
Ten days later, the Pennsylvania Equine Toxicology and Research Laboratory (PETRL), the official racing laboratory, issued a report to Pennsylvania Horse Racing Commission (PHRC) headquarters in Harrisburg with a finding of oxycodone in the blood and urine of a horse that won part of the purse money.
What happens next is – nothing.”
OXYCODONE in the horse – a Class 1 drug…and NO ACTION TAKEN.
No action and nearly 2 years goes by before it’s even reported. What a brutal, crooked industry. And the horses keep taking the brunt of it all.
https://www.paulickreport.com/news/ray-s-paddock/class-1-drug-found-in-pennsylvania-stakes-race-no-action-taken/
To anybody considering getting involved with this business or gambling on the racehorses know this:
You are now a participating in one of the most vile forms of animal exploitation in the world, and it’s corrupt to the core.
Your racehorse is merely a number for them to generate gambling profits, and set up their win because the controlling few know who’s going to win before the gates open most likely.
You horse will get maimed and/or killed, and if they are lucky enough to make it out alive it will be virtually impossible for you to find a decent, forever home for them.
That’s what they don’t tell you, that’s what they avoid telling you.
Furthermore, the wagering public has no clue as to what dope the racehorse is given before a race.
They keep those doping/vet records secret for a reason.
Most trainers are in with the wagering people whether that’s the HBPA or the wagering firms so the possibility of you getting a fair shake is next to nil, but it’s your racehorse(s) that will suffer the most.
Investigation after investigation tells us that NOTHING is ever done to clean it up, and the politicians are, most likely, getting their palms greased by skimming-off the casino profits and using the racetracks as a front.
This business is absolutely vile, corrupt, and a total waste of money.
You would be better to support a charity or rescue some racehorses because there are plenty.
Don’t let anybody convince you otherwise.
So sorry for all the racehorses dropping dead in the dirt.