The following letter-to-the-editor appeared in The Sun September 7 and the Press-Republican September 5:
This year, 58 horses have already died on New York state race tracks. Ten have died at Saratoga Race Course since April.
Horseracing is cruelty and violence disguised as sport and entertainment. It is predicated on the exploitation of sentient beings as gambling instruments. Horses are moneymakers in a morally bankrupt industry that disposes of them when their returns diminish. The idea that running is natural for these horses is a fallacy blithely repeated to reassure people of their right to participate in this exploitation, and to assuage their guilt about the subsequent deaths, injuries, and miserable, unnatural existence these animals must endure.
Racehorses are bred as investments and begin “training” at 18 months and racing at 2 years old, even though they do not reach musculoskeletal maturity until around age 6. There is nothing natural about horses being kept isolated in stalls for up to 23 hours a day, deprived of social interaction.
There is nothing noble in forcing horses, through violent whipping while perched on their back, to run at perilous speeds around a track, often in extreme temperatures, and in dangerous proximity to one another. They suffer horrific fractures, head-on collisions, pulmonary hemorrhages and myriad other dreadful injuries that lead to the same outcome – their untimely deaths at the hands of humans. Tens of thousands are ultimately “retired” to slaughterhouses in Canada or Mexico.
The time has come to shut down this abhorrent travesty. Join a group like Horseracing Wrongs to educate, agitate, and advocate. Do not stand idly by while others bet on lives that are being sacrificed for entertainment. Do realize that the pain, suffering and killing of these horses make for a terrible backdrop to afternoon picnics in fancy clothes. You can like horses. You can like horseracing. You can’t like both.
Christina Holland
Plattsburgh
Thank you, Christina.
This letter appeared in the The Patriot-News May 24:
Horseracing Wrongs reports 2,000 horses die racing or training on American tracks each year, and thousands more are confined, whipped, and drugged, suffering painful injuries. This figure does not represent the horses that did not make the grade because they were not fast enough, got injured, as the majority are just very young – or the rough equivalent of a kindergartner, and their bones are not fully developed. Horse racing is described as an institutionalized exploitation of baby horses. Those no longer [profitable] are sold like junk, in the back of the tracks, abandoned by their owners. The vast majority of the 15,000 “retired” racehorses are trucked to slaughterhouses in Canada and Mexico to be violently slaughtered and multiple thousands are strung-up and bled-out annually.
Horse racing is confinement and isolation, buying and selling, needles and syringes, bits and whips. And it is so very deadly. Hundreds more perish from what the industry craftily dismisses as “non-racing” causes – things like colic and laminitis, or simply “found dead in stall.”
The U.S. horse racing industry is engaged in wholesale carnage. Horse racing is an exploitation of a weaker species for $2 bets and frivolous entertainment. For more information go to Horseracing Wrongs.
Silvie Pomicter
South Abington Township, Lackawanna County
Thank you, Silvie.
This letter appeared in The San Diego Union-Tribune May 3:
The Union-Tribune asks if it is time to end or alter horse racing, suggesting that this “sport” can perhaps be cleaned up, as racing officials have recently opined, so as to become a safe enterprise for horses. But to accomplish that would require the elimination of greed, cruelty, stupidity and callous disregard for animal welfare – all of which are prominently on display in racing.
Horse racing is, of course, not a sport at all. It is a gambling operation with the animals bearing the mortal risks. And it is no mystery why horses “break down.” Equine veterinarians explain that catastrophic injuries are preventable but inevitable when the industry demands ever more speed in younger horses whose bones are not fully developed, whose minor injuries are masked with drugs to keep the animal performing and who are often viciously whipped.
This is not how anyone treats an animal loved and valued beyond its potential to make one rich. Spare us the hand-wringing and boo-hooing from racing officials about Santa Anita’s recent 20-plus deaths. About 2,000 horses are killed while racing or training in the U.S. yearly, and everyone involved in the industry knows it.
I have protested against horse racing at Del Mar for 30 years, and have observed that many racing enthusiasts are unmoved by the painful, violent injuries and deaths at the track. I ask patrons, “How many horses have to die before you will turn around?” My query is often met with a raised middle finger, but the few who answer tell me there is no number that makes a difference. They come to make money and be entertained; the rest does not matter to them, any more than it does to the breeders and buyers and sellers. It is all about money, and many admit it without shame.
It took many years for the public to realize the truth about the excesses and abuses in marine parks, circuses and dog racing, but these businesses are now on the wane and horse racing will eventually meet the same ending. Hopefully, in San Diego, the media will stop glamorizing opening day as the social event of the year, where a ridiculous hat is more newsworthy than the ugly truth about the racing industry. Meanwhile two out of three retired racehorses are abandoned, euthanized or sold to slaughter – the aftermath of two-dollar bets.
Abolish horse racing. You can’t “clean up” a mess this big.
Jane Cartmill
Encinitas
Thank you, Jane.
Thanks for your hard work
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________________________________ Från: Horseracing Wrongs Skickat: Wednesday, September 11, 2019 2:14:39 PM Till: tovecharles@hotmail.com Ämne: [New post] Heartening Letters-to-the Editor
Patrick Battuello posted: “The following letter-to-the-editor appeared in The Sun September 7 and the Press-Republican September 5: This year, 58 horses have already died on New York state race tracks. Ten have died at Saratoga Race Course since April. Horseracing is cruelty “
Great letters including one from our own San Diegan Jane Cartmill.
A huge shout out to those who exposed the ugly truth behind an antiquated business model that doesn’t qualify for a “sport” or “entertainment.”
Horse racing qualifies as a wholesale carnage market, a public butcher show, and a blood bath.
The facts speak for themselves.
It’s laughable to read the comments from those who focus on “change” to save their beloved “sport.”
I don’t see any of these people down at the kill auctions, where us radical animal rights people (their words) are digging deep into our pockets to rescue their disposable gambling chips.
This is a multi-billion dollar profit machine that receives handouts in the form of taxpayers money, corporate welfare AKA casino profits that should be going to our communities.
Yet, in the light of all their billions most racehorses end up bleeding out on the slaughterhouse floor or end up in extremely neglectful situations like Dr Drip.
Found in horrific condition with maggots eating him alive and, incidentally, there were NO donations from these people who claim to “care” about racehorses.
The best I could do was send some bags of feed, which came too late, but benefited the other disposable racehorses.
https://www.theadvertiser.com/story/news/2018/07/10/racehorse-died-terrible-death-were-his-abusers-punished/771428002/
I don’t see or hear from any of these apologists who supposedly love them like “family members.”
They only love them when they are bringing in the money, when they can exploit them, but that “love’ quickly dissipates when they actually have to take care of them.
The people in this business know full well that there are not enough homes to go around now.
All other domestic pet situations in America provide a 1-800 number that people can call when they see neglected, abused or dumped animals, but not this multi-billion dollar business because they know damn well that they have not adequate “retirement” plans in place to take care of their disposable gambling chips.
Most all racehorses “retirement” is kill auctions or slaughterhouse floors and that’s the sad truth
Yet, they keep exploiting their voiceless victims and attempt to project a falsified image to the unsuspecting public.
There is no such thing anymore as the “unsuspecting” public because we all know what goes on and what happens to racehorses.
Isn’t it funny how they are focusing on “changes” to save their despicable asses?
If they truly cared this would have changed years ago.
It’s only because their money making machine is being jeopardized that they are reacting.
There are no changes that can justify this unnecessary gambling venue at the behest of a sentient being – none and that’s why it needs to shut down.
The disgusting fact if the matter is that as long as there is money or entertainment involved, the vast majority of people are completely indifferent to whether an animal is suffering. Torturing, abusing and exploiting are accepted if there is a profit to be made or a cheap thrill involved. I think it is a frightening commentary on America that we accept and even endorse wholesale animal cruelty and abuse.
I am encouraged by the letters written and hope they are indicative of a change in the general public’s attitude toward this vile “sport”.
Oh boy, I love it .Gina,you and Rebecca are on fire today.I love it,we could not be more blessed than to have the two of you in OUR corner. God bless Gina and Rebecca,keep “cookin” Ladies. 😇🙏🐎
DRUGS DRUGS DRUGS DRUGS – WHEN WILL THEY GET RID OF THE DRUGS THEY DOPE THESE POOR HORSES WITH – baffert is one of the biggest dopers in the business, hidden by the stewards & racing officials for YEARS ( NOT months) ,this poor horse Justify has been doped up to his eyeballs in every race he ever has run(this horse is DEAD LAME the morning after the derby- HERE IS THE EVIDENCE WITH ALL THE IGNORANTS SURROUNDING HIM EWWWING & AHHING AS THE HORSE ALMOST CAN’T STAND UP ON HIS OWN SORED LEGS & FEET ) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VYybJiudbEc baffert is a HUGE horse doper along with drug o’needle as he is known to racing insiders, i mean doug o’neil & they have been protected by racing officials for MANY MANY YEARS———- AFTER JUSTIFY WON THE TRIPLE CROWN ( DOPED IN EVERY RACE ) Four months later — and more than two months after Justify, Baffert and the horse’s owners celebrated their Triple Crown victory in New York — the board disposed of the inquiry altogether during a closed-door executive session. It decided, with little evidence, that the positive test could have been a result of Justify’s eating “contaminated food” WHAT A JOKE , THE OLD “CONTAMINATED FOOD” EXCUSE – THATS USED EVERY TIME ONE OF THESE PIGS GETS CAUGHT . JUSTIFY’S DOPING GET SWEPT UNDER THE RUG BY ALL INVOLVED BECAUSE MILLIONS OF DOLLARS ARE AT RISK – HOW DISGUSTING THESE PEOPLE ARE https://www.nytimes.com/2019/09/11/sports/horse-racing/justify-drug-test-triple-crown-kentucky-derby.html
My sincere hope, on behalf of the racehorses, is that the CHRB in conjunction with the State of California gets sued from here to Kingdom come.
Multiple lawsuits from the wagering public, class action lawsuits should ensue in some capacity.
The State of California should be held accountable for continuing to support a criminal enterprise and just prior to this they actually empowered the government taxpayer funded CHRB with Bill 469.
The State of California is complacent in falsifying records to the wagering public and that’s a felony.
Millions of people have been duped and somebody has to pay for this.
Although I have no sympathy for people who wager, if it means shutting down this business than so be it.
The CHRB has always and still is comprised of apologists who have investments in horse racing whether that’s in racehorses directly, breeding, flipping and selling, or whatever how in the hell can these people be put back in charge again?
What about Mr. Golden boy himself, Bob Baffert, knowingly and willingly played along with their scheme even while he was notified of the doping positive, but obviously reassured that everything would be “taken care of.”
If they are covering this up then what the hell else are they covering up?
A whole lot.
A bunch of dead racehorses, some under suspicious circumstances, some who drop dead after they are not performing – that’s whose being covered up with a dirty tarp to boot because this multi-billion dollar money making machine won’t even spring for a proper tarp when they die.
Nor will this multi-billion dollar cash machine take care of their disposable gambling chips although their few scattered aftercare programs are completely ineffective and barely put a dent into their unwanted racehorse problem.
It’s time to shut down this criminal enterprise because that’s exactly what it is.
Having been in racing for many years I have been out for 16 y ears. Everything said here is true;
Thank you, Michael.
Yes, thank you Michael – what this site provides is nothing but the truth. And many who comment here have been eye-witnesses to the cruelty, crippling and killing.