From the most recent Oak Tree at Pleasanton (California) Stewards Minutes:
“PHANTOM FLYER, while working at Golden Gate June 27, spiral fracture mid cannon bone right hind leg; non weight bearing after swelling – euthanized.”
In the 3rd race on June 30, “At the start, [2-year-old] QUANT SAVANT stumbled badly falling…got up and started to run, but went over the inside rail…race continued while QUANT SAVANT sliced through three Fairways and two Putting Greens…captured by Track Crew and walked off the golf course to a waiting Equine Ambulance to be given a ride home…suffered severe lacerations to her upper right leg.”
PS: “The Stewards hung the Inquiry sign, but determined that the horse was at fault.”
Two races later, “Less than ninety yards from the Finish Line, [2-year-old] ROB’S GOT GAME appeared to have ducked in from the crowd noise and attempted to jump the rail…the horse’s bridle came off and he ran to the ¾ pole where he was captured…suffered a laceration to his left knee and was given a ride in the Equine Ambulance.”
“The horse was as at fault”
How callous and cold-hearted.
It just beggars belief.
These reports are the base of the problem. The horses have ducked out, veered off in fright, jumped rails badly. For so many of the public – these sights and reports add to the myth that horses are skittish and undependable – when the opposite is the truth. But the point is, the conditions of training and racing put so much pressure on the horses that they lose all sense of trust and bolt in fear putting themselves and others in danger of injury. . It breaks my heart to read this. This industry feeds this myth so that the restraints, the blinders, the ridiculous mouthpieces, the small living spaces, and killing happen under the umbrella of the humans need to control the “unfortunate” unpredictable, skittish and uncontrollable foreign beings. Foreign because few “understand their needs or how to control them” and the public accepts whatever they see (the whipping, jerking of reins and stud chains, hitting them in the face and neck, shooting them and slipping them off to kill pens) as “good those guys know what to do”.
When will the public say to themselves: if the legs are so precious – why are they raced so young and so often.: if the horses are afraid, why do we force them to do what makes they afraid; if the “connections” continue to cause injury, fear and death to the horses – when will they be made accountable.
There has ot be some sanity somewhere that will put the “connections” under the microscope of criminal laws. And if there is not, and we know “business” shoves cruelty down our throats so as not to face their cold hearts – things have to change.
Maybe the time has come that those of us who speak FOR the animals take back our place (when the laws were put in place, humans were more concerned with compassion)) and have these industries ask us for permission, and explain to us why they shouldn’t be convicted of animal abuse. We obviously have the wrong people making decisions now.
Another horse hit the rail at Louisiana downs last night- the announcer even said “we have a horse that hit the rail unseating the rider,” yet the chart on equibase just stated ducked in at gap and walked off. Hopefully this horse is ok.
Yes, Peggy! I was sent a few photos and it was horrific. Horses will do anything to stay on their feet as going down makes them that much more vulnerable to the predator. So not only does falling down increase the odds of physical injury, imagine what it does to their psyche. And for WHAT? – so some human can exclaim “my horse can run faster than yours!”? How adolescent and asinine!
Thank you for bringing this to our attention – we care about every single one of them.