Through a FOIA request to the California Horse Racing Board, I have confirmed the following deaths at that state’s tracks in 2018. (Please note: The Board redacted the names of the dead horses; any identifications below came via other channels.)
unidentified, August 19, Golden Gate T
“Both sesamoid bones are fractured. Severe soft tissue hemorrhages and edema. Both front limbs demonstrated severe palmar osteochondral disease.”
unidentified, August 24, Golden Gate T
“Right front limb: Fractured sesamoids; palmar annular ligament tear; intersesamoidean ligament tear; intraligament hemorrhaging; subchondral bone disease. Left front limb: suspensory ligament branch hemorrhage; subchondral bone disease. Extensive gastric ulcerations.” (this horse was four years old)
unidentified, August 24, Los Alamitos
“Flipped in stall. Head/neck trauma unable to rise. Severe, comminuted skull fracture involving right lateral and ventral walls of the cranial cavity, was accompanied by marked subdural hemorrhage. Chronic ulcerative gastritis.”
unidentified, August 25, Del Mar T
“Left humerus fracture with possible pre-existing stress fracture. Complete transverse rupture of brachialis muscle. Massive hemorrhage affecting soft tissue.”
unidentified, August 27, Del Mar
“Horse reportedly acting colicky over the last 24 hrs. Palpation revealed distended small intestine. Rectal also had old blood on sleeve. The cause of colic is due to herniation of a 141 cm segment of mid jejunum through a rent in the gastrosplenic ligament leading to torsion and infarction of that bowel segment.”
unidentified, August 30, Los Alamitos T
“Catastrophic breakdown of the right front fetlock – [multiple fractures, multiple ruptured ligaments].”
unidentified, September 1, San Luis Rey Downs T
“Catastrophic breakdown of the left front fetlock – [multiple fractures, multiple ruptured ligaments]. Massive hemorrhage with bone exposure.”
unidentified, September 4, Golden Gate
“Euthanized due to colic – large colon torsion with cecal-colonic displacement and obstruction. Gastric ulceration.”
Valley Child, September 6, Los Alamitos T
“Left front carpus failure, [multiple fractures]. Right front carpus failure, [multiple fractures]. [That’s two broken legs.] Complete, transverse rupture and severe fraying of the lateral collateral ligament. The most significant findings, other than carpi breakdown, was extensive hemorrhages in the sub cutis of the forehead, likely of traumatic origin. Reason for the fractures may be related to extensive sclerosis and focal porosity on the fracture surface of the third carpal bones. This would cause an area of weakness in the bones, consequently making it prone to fracture.” (Valley Child was two years old – “weakness in the bones”)
I feel like I’ am going to throw up. Why aren’t these owners , trainers, handlers, who ever is responsible for this abuse charged.? Where are the Animal Cops for these poor horses?
Charged they need to be put down, given the death penalty jesus.
there is soooooooo much money in this disgusting so called sport that people just wont or don’t believe it. the more people boycott races the more the word will get around the world but it will take a long time as it did for greyhounds that are slowly being closed down. how stupid I was to think these poor animals actually enjoyed racing. in this day of fashion conscious and tv reality its hard to get the proper message across. most vets are prob bribed anyway, and if one spills the beans its curtains for their job. pants
Totally unacceptable. If it were the jockeys getting injured I could accept this as it is there choice to do this dangerous sport.
STOP THIS CRUELTY!!!!! HUMANS THAT DO THIS MUST BE ALL CHILD MOLESTERS. E THEY ENJOY TORTURING INNOCENT BEINGS.
I SO AGREE WITH YOU AND WE HAVE TO START PUTTING THEM DOWN.
This is UNACCEPTABLE!! This TORTURE must STOP! How could this possibly be alright? Because large amounts of money are involved?! Disgusting and disgraceful! Just because something is beholden to you, doesn’t mean you take advantage of it! It’s supposed to mean you have MORE of a responsibility to care for it!
These dam people racing the horses to their deaths is appalling. It needs to stop now. This is cruelty at its best.
THIS HAS TO STOP AND HAS TO STOP NOW. THE BOTTOM LINE IS THESE ASSHOLES, TRAINER, RIDERS & OWNERS ON CARE ABOUT ONE THING MONEY $$$$$$$. THEY DON’T GIVE A SHIT ABOUT THE HORSES THESE BEAUTIFUL INNOCENT ANIMALS THAT HAVE NO VOICES. I SAY PUT ALL THAT PARTICIPATE IN THIS HORROR FROM THE TRAINERS TO THE OWNERS TO THOSE WHO BET AND WATCH ALL BE PUT DOWN AND BURN IN HELL.
When election time comes round make sure you know what your candidate stands for.
I grew up loving horse racing as the merging together of the jockey and the horse, both called to greatness. I no longer can support horse racing due to these poor animals being forced to perform beyond their limits by drugs and other coercion. I cannot call the people Humans who do this to these innocent and beautiful creatures. This torture must stop. It even extended to the Kentucky Derby/Preakness this year, which was my last hope for horse racing. That is now done. I can no longer watch or support a sport of torture, which it has become. Let California lead the way to stop this – we have tracks that are killing more horses than in any other states. Time to stand up for all horses everywhere.
Reblogged this on Armory of the Revolution.
Truly, when is enough going to be ENOUGH with animal cruelty? Because working and running horses on injured, stressed and compromised bodies is nothing short of cruel abuse.
These people are greedy monsters. And for the ones who live through this, they get to go to slaughter when these horrible people have used them up. The horses never really win. Horse racing must end!
What a disgusting practice that these people do to such majestic creatures.
Dangerous,arrogant,egotistical people have allowed this to happen,and of course human greed as well as apathy are involved. Many horse racing events are attended,supported,and endorsed by very wealthy,influential people including supermodels,celebrities,.media,and corporate sponsorships from around the globe. In an ideal utopian world we would envision something much better for these beautiful animals that have served and companied humans on planet Earth. If governments,corporations and society cry foul loud enough and end this cruelty and stop treating animals as commodities only then are there rays of hope. Let’s make it so and force these racing events to swift closures.
The news needs to stop glorifying this so called. “Sport”. And maybe at this point the national government should be investigating because local governments obviously won’t get to the truth and hold right people accountable.
Beautiful, overbred, high-strung young animals being run to death so a dying industry of horse breeders can keep justifying the ongoing exploitation of these beautiful animals for the profit of a bunch of mobbed up race tracks and betting parlors. The whole thing is disgusting, just as bad as the dog tracks.