Yesterday, during a public-comment period at a California Horse Racing Board meeting, the activists – the true animal activists, that is, the ones calling for an unequivocal end to horseracing – came out in force. Those who spoke – Amanda Lunn, April Montgomery, Wayne Johnson, Ron McGill, Heather Wilson, et al. – even though they did so as individuals, made us at Horseracing Wrongs so very proud. Thank you for your intelligence. Thank you for your eloquence. And most of all, thank you for your unshakable resolve.
I would encourage a full watch, but one exchange is a must. In response to April’s recitation of the decidedly uncomfortable facts – “they (horses) are dying here” – Madeline Auerbach (below), the Board’s vice-chair, came back with this:
“So are the children. Why don’t you get on a crusade about all of the children going back and forth to school who don’t make it home every day?”
April pressed: “Are there dead horses dying on this track every day, yes or no?” Auerbach: “Are there children dying around the city every day?”
Why, good people of California, are you wasting your time and energy on dead horses? I mean, they’re just horses, for heaven’s sake. (By the way, Ron had a great retort to this when he stated the obvious: Animal rights and human rights are not mutually exclusive; indeed, we can and should champion both.)
Ms. Auerbach also claimed that “our horses do not go to slaughter,” revealing herself as either unforgivably ignorant or a cynical liar. Yes, they slaughter racehorses – by the multiple thousands annually.
We knew going in that people like Auerbach would not go down without a fight; this is, after all, a multi-billion dollar business. But when you have the facts, the truth – the right – on your side, you simply cannot lose. We will keep educating and exposing and the Madeline Auerbachs of the world will increasingly begin to fade away.
So, apparently, she hasn’t heard about one of the most awarded California Thoroughbred breeders, Barton Thoroughbreds, dumping 26 of their yearlings In a kill pen this week? The information has gotten around the country in a few days. Even industry sites had articles on it. Maybe she needs to get out more?
Madeline Auerbach is either 1.) ignorant 2.) complicit, 3.) a Liar.
It is a well known “Industry” FACT that thousands of thoroughbreds go to slaughter.
Where was she while Dr. Leonard Blach, owner of Mine That Bird, was expert witness in Court, in favor of opening a Horse slaughter plant in his virtual backyard in Roswell, NM?
Maybe Jim Wilson who made the sappy movie 50-1 about Mine That Bird could fill her in, I think he runs at Santa Anita.
She needs to hear from Rick Porter, who recently created National Thoroughbred Welfare Org. to save horses off the backside of Louisiana tracks, where they routinely end up in Killpens. Rick Porter intends to make NTWO a National Organization, as this happens in every State.
Maybe, she needs to read the Paulick Report, even the venerable Ray Paulick has opened his eyes to the seedy trafficking of horses to slaughter.
In this report, he covered the mutilation of tattoos of horses from Tampa Bay shipped to Louisiana. Though the headline focuses on Horatio Barbaran, the perpetrator is millionaire-owner Jack Darling, who barely got a mention.
https://www.paulickreport.com/news/ray-s-paddock/tampa-bay-downs-bans-trainer-horse-burned-lip-tattoo-rescued-kill-pen/
And Sue, I just have to share your suggestion regarding the “children who don’t make it to or back from school everyday”, according to Auerbach – she could resign from the board and become a school crossing guard.
Madeline Aurbauch was part of the decision to increase the weights the horses have to carry, undoubtedly leading to many, if not most injuries… if so many racing horses weren’t injured, then they wouldn’t be sent to the kill lots. There appears to be a fundamental lack of concern for the horses’ long term health in favor of profit. Studies have shown that children are being injured by carrying heavy backpacks. Only a few studies evaluate weight on fully mature horses (not 2-3 year olds), which demonstrated that a horse should not carry more than 10 percent of their body weight at walking or jogging, or horse will be injured. These findings are clearly exceeded in US racing. How many horses in US racing have a long career then make it out to a happy and injury free retirement? Very few, possibly none nowadays.
THANK YOU, Madeline Auerbach, for opening your mouth – again and again. You did the anti-horse racing cause a huge favor by doing so.
AUERBACH is guilty of murky thinking (whether intentional or not) — the topic here is Horses — NOT children, who, by the way, have Parents/Guardians/Protectors with the WILL to CHOOSE and LIVE accordingly — WHO protects the horses? — the comparison she makes to horses is absurd — actually, it’s quite insulting — which leads me to believe either she is NOT ignorant — she simply does NOT give a damn about horses and animals or she genuinely does NOT get it.
Auerbach gets it all right she just doesn’t want others to.
Her statement that “none of our horse go to slaughter” is so ridiculous and so full of holes I can hardly believe she said it. One need only get a glimpse of the claiming game, where the vast majority of “their” horses compete and change hands over and over and wind up in other states. So when they go to slaughter then I guess they are not “their” horses!?And that is only one aspect.
Frankly, like so many in the business, I think the woman has a problem with the truth!
What in the hell is the matter with this Madelaine Auerbach – can she not get her head out of her ass and actually see what is taking place within the horse racing industry. She has no clue about the horse slaughters or just doesn’t give a shit. Let’s face it people her hands are being greased by those losers within the horse racing industry. No other reason anyone could be this ignorant and stupid. Don’t go comparing the loss of our horses to children – children have a chance with their parents or guardians, horses have no chance when left to the whims of those within this abusive “sport.” You Lady are part of the reason for the torture with the packing of more weights – what in the hell do you even know about horses and racing and the damage being done to these poor animals. Get a life and get away from a topic you have no clue about. You want to see horses going to slaughter then fly to Edmonton, Alberta to the airport there and watch them being loaded onto planes to fly to Japan etc so they can be killed for human consumption. These horses are also being shipped in from the USA to Canada for this reason. You think you understand what is going on Lady – you are f*cking clueless. But the clueless ones are the really dangerous ones!!
Wow! What an ignorant, heartless, selfish woman ( Auerbach)! That always seems to be the comeback from ignorant ,selfish people that never give back at all to society or animals.
It’s obvious that Ms. Auerbach, who lives in Bell Canyon, CA is a willfully, ignorant apologist that seems to think that everybody else is like her.
Her racehorse exploitation behavior started back in 1996, but there are so many racehorses that she bred and dumped that it would fill a book.
Racehorses like SUPERSONIC HEAT, JAY AY, CASSIDY LOVES YOU, SHEM TOV- whom she bred, brought into this world, and got rid of every single one of them when they were no longer performing at the upper levels after she made lots of money off their bones, backs, and lives subjecting them to the brutal practices of horse racing.
HUNTSVILLE was a multiple-stakes placed racehorse made her over $200,000 approximately, but that still wasn’t enough because Ms. Auerbach dumped him into the claiming where he disappeared off the radar.
HUNTSVILLE was a gelding so he’s of no monetary value to Ms. Auerbach’s never ending breeding enterprise that provides racehorses for this abusive business.
Then there’s FRANKIE EYELASHES – remember this racehorse Ms. Auerbach?
This is another one you bred, brought into this world, made money off of him, and dumped him when you, most likely, knew he was lame and in pain because in his final start, after changing hands in the claiming ranks, he was “vanned-off” and I’m sure you didn’t shed a tear because you were busy breeding more victims.
HEAT DU JOUR the same as all the others only he ended up with racehorse killer Jerry Hollendorfer where he finished last by lengths in his final start and then disappeared off the radar.
You are a human parasitic blood sucking leech – that will probably be the legacy you leave your grandchildren.
Thanks for naming some of Auerbach’s discarded, Gina. In looking up some of her horses, as well, I noticed Cassidy Loves You, too: dumped by Auerbach in a claiming race, the chestnut gelding last raced at Beulah in 2006 for a lousy $3500 tag. Another she bred, raced and also got rid of – Empty Headed – was in a 5K claiming race at Golden Gate in 2016 but no races since. I can’t imagine how many horses she has gone through in her years of racing involvement. Looking her up in Equibase to get a glimpse of the magnitude of the exploitation, she’s listed as owner not just independently but in over 20 racing partnerships, as well. Can you imagine that? – where are all of the horses she used? She doesn’t have a clue.
As for Ms. Auerbach’s outright lies completely denying that racehorses go to slaughter?
At the next meeting we will show up with FACTS from the Canadian Department of Agriculture to outright prove that you, Ms. Auerbach are a liar and you are no longer going to get away with controlling your false narrative.
A huge shout out to all the brave individuals who were a voice for the racehorses unlike the exploiters.