To all those who submitted disgusting defenses of the outrider who abused Rich Strike Saturday, I ask, simply, what is to be your rationalization for the following?
The 3rd at Remington yesterday. Mi Bella Valentina is the horse seen flipping and thrashing in the gate. She is (was) three. Maudest Maven is the horse seen bouncing off the dirt several times. She, also, is (almost assuredly, was) three.
(I made the video a bit longer than usual in order to more comprehensively show the horror – pay special attention to the head-on in the final minute.)
Heartbreaking
I can’t watch the video….I just can’t. Yesterday on Facebook I really got into it with some “horsewomen” trying to defend horseracing. I sent many links to your information about the cruelty inherent in horseracing, even photos of broken bones, etc. These women attacked me. I was absolutely shocked. They went on about how horses are “athletes”, they are treated like “family”, fed the best diets, etc. These women just don’t get it. No horse wants to run hell bent for election full speed down a track for years on end until finally breaking down. Even video of horse abuse doesn’t sink in with these people. The “wonder horse” garbage was all over on Facebook yesterday. I tried my best, but finally gave up. I will not give up fighting for the horses. Another day, another battle.
Karen, if the people that you are trying to educate, and they attack you, knew anything about what’s on the inside of a horse, literally, for one thing, and this is just part of it, the ULCERS. Do they have even have a clue about horses having ulcers and that it’s common for race horses to have ULCERS as well as Degenerative Joint Disease??? I’m sure they don’t care about that but the good thing is you can always hope that somebody that didn’t even engage in your conversation saw what was going on and it will educate somebody else that actually might have an open mind to learn something.
Wanda, I informed the women that horses were literally dying. I got nowhere even with that. The bottom line is they don’t care. There were many people on the thread. Maybe someone will go out and do some investigating on heir own. We can hope.
Yes, Karen, we can hope and thank you for doing what seems like a lost cause but it is worth the fight to be the voice for the horses! If people who are unaware see the pictures of the necropsies, it will get to some of those people.
I can’t ever watch these videos. I tried. Just can’t and so did I Karen…also yesterday but on IG. Same crap was fed to me. And coming from a guy who considers himself educated because he is a vet tech (even more disconcerting) and who was trying to convince me that 90% of the time horses are treated royally. And that, because he visited a barn ONCE and nothing “fishy” was happening. It is incredible how thick people are. I told him to check out HW for facts and the truth of horse racing. Do you think he will? I would not hold my breath. It’s like these people have been completely brainwashed by the ugliness of this corrupt industry. Oh, but they are all horse lovers. Suureee!!!
Thank you, too, Andrea! DITTO to you what I said to Karen! 😌
Thank you, Karen, for always educating those who choose to listen – I PROMISE you, you are reaching people and making a difference. The apologists and diehard racing fans? – remember, THEY ARE NOT OUR AUDIENCE.
I, too, was involved in some “back and forth” with apologists yesterday on Twitter. You know immediately which folks are racing supporters, not horse supporters, and that no number of abused, crippled, or dead racehorses will change their minds…for whatever reasons they choose racing and not the horses. So why engage?…when these yahoos comment and are then sucked into our engaging with them, it increases how often the post is seen. Additionally, there are individuals who are reading and they get an even clearer understanding of what an unnecessary industry racing is and the kinds of people it attracts. They often say nothing, but you can bet they’re reading and being affected – I know that to be true because of the private messages I’m sent.
So while they attack you, thinking they’re insulting you (they frequently use the little laughing face icons, right?), it’s us who are quietly laughing, knowing all they are doing is helping our cause…we were never out to convince them anyway! 😏
KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK! While the industry is carrying on self-destructing, we will continue to provide a few nails for the coffin here and there!
Joy so true…the smiley faces. He told me “pop off sis” followed by a smiley. It’s as if they have some obscene language in common, as obscene of their adoration of horse racing. Sick!
Everything we do is for the horses and to end the insanity. Gotta have some thick skin. And maybe, just maybe there are still a few with some decency left in them willing to check out HW and educate themselves. Hope springs eternal…
Andrea, once in awhile someone will confess that they gambled on racehorses and at some point saw enough to “turn their stomach” or repulse them in some way that changed their whole outlook on horse racing and wagering. I appreciate your efforts to help make that moment of truth happen for more people even though you might have no idea who that person or those people might be or that it even happened.
The outrider at Churchill Downs did a phenomenal job of keeping everyone on the track safe. I do applaud him for doing so. However, while tragic, I don’t see what this has anything to do with that?
Well, go ahead and applaud away, Kelly! You’re not alone, as racing folks are slithering all over social media to defend Chubs Blasi’s yanking and punching on Rich Strike’s mouth as “life-saving” actions. (Who knows what hideous carnage and casualties the Derby winner might have inflicted on innocent people and horses if he hadn’t been there to save Derby Death Day?;)
Kelly C, he should have GIVEN the horse a chance to catch breath and decompress. The whole nonsense was totally UNNECESSARY. Chubs was ignorant of that fact.
kellycrimmins, look at it this way, does anyone care about the hideous cruelty that is going on at this racetrack, Remington Park, in Oklahoma? Does anyone care about the horses being injured because human beings are forcing them to be racehorses? Does anyone care about the tremendous amount of stress that racing puts on the horses? Who is for it? Who is against it? What kind of person would defend causing INJURIES to the horses?
Kelly, first of all an outrider is completely unnecessary because had they respected the racehorse, in this case RICH STRIKE, and let him gallop out on his own the horse would have slowed himself down.
All the racehorses I trained I gave strict instructions to the jockey to permit my racehorses to gallop out on their own and let the horse slow themself down not an outrider or the jockey.
It should be obvious to anybody that RIch Strike was not comfortable with the situation.
If a jockey pulled my horse up abruptly pass the finish line for his or her own convenience then they were fired.
Years ago the old “horsemen” including my Dad NEVER used outriders or ponies.
This is a relatively new concept (to those who haven’t been around this business as long as I have ) and it does nothing for the racehorse and only facilitates issues like these.
It’s much more dangerous to have an outrider than to not have an outrider.
RS was not ready for the outrider and having horses around him only conjured up his fright and flight response.
When my Dad won stake races, and he won lots of them, he would instruct them not to put the bed of flowers over the horse after the race.
Those stupid bed of roses or whatever flowers are not good for the horse.
They are only good for human egos and media frenzy pictures.
If you’re so concerned about safety then that should be eliminated because so many horses get spooked from those flowers and a horse doesn’t want a bed of flowers put on it when it just raced.
A horse needs to be hot walked, a shower to get all of the dirt out of their eyes and all over their body, they want peace and a big feed tub full of oats or hay after they’ve cooled down.
The bed of flowers and all of that media bullshit delays taking care of the horse, but this business is now built on human egos and human convenience and especially money – lots of money that most racehorses never benefit from, instead, most get dumped at kill auctions subsequently bleeding out on the slaughterhouse floor.
Are you ever concerned about their safety?
Furthermore, it seems rather hypocritical and devoid of any type of logic when you’re so concerned about everyone on the track being safe when you never mention all the racehorses dying on tracks all over the USA every single damn day.
I suppose their safety crosses your mind especially when it’s convenient.
Wouldn’t it serve the racehorses well to not be forced into intense confinement and to be subjected to the daily abusive business practices that the industry requires?
Then your concerns about safety wouldn’t put a dent into your day right?
Gina, I saw a video on YouTube about the groom of RICH STRIKE. There were several people in his entourage. I don’t know their names except that they gave the name of the groom, of course.
What I cannot stand is that they have his tongue tied up so that his tongue is hanging out the right side of his mouth. It’s horrible! It totally repulses me! It makes me cringe! I can’t exactly put it in words how much I hate that garbage way of handling racehorses!!! Plus, it appears that they got soap in his eyes, but his handlers and groom don’t seem to be one bit concerned about the soap in his eyes or his tongue hanging out and not being able to close his mouth.
Watching that video was sickening. I would say horrifying if it wasn’t for the fact that this happens all the time at racetracks. How can people defend horseracing? “It was just something that happened” isn’t a good enough excuse.
This man-made disaster looks like something that the rodeo people would get a kick out of watching one horse thrashing around in the gate and falling down while the rest of the horses take off running plus the other one bouncing off the dirt and then getting up and bucking/ kicking because the saddle slid back to her flanks acting like a flank cinch the rodeo people use on the bucking stock to make the bucking horses buck. Sadistic people would do this and enjoy it. It takes a SADIST to do this and anybody who defends it is also a sadist and a moron.
Since this race was not a high enough profile race to attract so many “fans” as the Kentucky Derby, and plus horses got hurt by something other than a sadistic creep smacking the crap out of the winning horse, I don’t expect so many commenters to attempt to defend this atrocious cruelty. God forbid a horse fight back. No “jaws” on the attack to pose a threat to life and limb of a die-hard horse-abuser here. I could say that the jockey that fell off did a good job of hitting the ground as well as the horse did, but he didn’t bounce so much as the horse did. Wow! I’m surprised that she got up on her feet and was able to buck. I’m not sure but I think the horse in front of her may have cut her off slightly causing the fall.
That specific race made my heart drop. Any unfortunate accident is terrible but watching it as it happened must have been horrible, as it was for myself, but for everybody else watching the race, everyone involved (including the horses), and especially the families of everyone involved. My prayers go out to you. 💜💙💚
If the families cared, they wouldn’t allow an animal they claim to love go out there in the first place.
My name is Elaine Luikart. I don’t know how to email you but if you email me I can email you back. I used to work with show horse people. What I learned would floor you but I don’t know how to get it known. I tried and was severely retaliated against. Please email me so I can send you details.