I first reported on Salt On the Rim in June. At the time, the 12-year-old was being readied for her 102nd race. The abuse, of course, continued, and continues: In the 5th race at Mountaineer tonight, Salt is set to go under the whip for the 106th time. As I previously wrote, knowing what we know about the effects of this vile industry – 4-, 3-, even 2-year-olds plagued with osteoarthritis and degenerative joint disease; over 90% of active racehorses suffering from ulcers – imagine what this poor, old (for racing) lady’s body must look and, more important, feel like.
Look, I know this is repetitive, but if every person reading this today – and we have thousands of site visitors daily – called, pressured, harangued the relevant authorities, we may just get a measure of justice. At the least, they’ll know we’re here, and not going away. Please, for Salt.
West Virginia Executive Director Joe Moore: 304-558-2150; joe.k.moore@wv.gov
West Virginia Commissioners: phones, emails
Mountaineer Chief Steward Jim O’Brien: 304-387-8371; jim.o’brien@wv.gov
Mountaineer Investigator Bret Smith: 304-387-8530; bret.smith@wv.gov
Mountaineer Contact Form; 800-804-0468 (ask for racing office)
they force the horses to race until they die on the track. absolutely bad. this horse deserves retirement
I’ve called and emailed all on the list.
Everybody knows that SALT ON THE RIM should have been retired a long time ago.
However, horse racing doesn’t want to retire their racehorses because then they would have to really “love” them and take care of them when they are not earning money.
Despite what they say “love them like family” they only love them when they are making money for them, flipping a buck for the parasites and wagering companies.
When they are no longer viable, when they are all crippled up, horse racing never stands by their “family member” instead dumping them.
The claiming ranks has got to be the worse business system set-up for racehorses because it guarantees abuse and provides a dumping ground to get rid of a horse.
Out of all of the animal exploitation businesses in this country horse racing is the only business that gets hundreds of millions of dollars in public subsidies.
It’s the only animal business immune to our national Felony Animal Cruelty laws and it’s the only business that repeatedly, on a daily basis, maims and kills their profit slaves.
From a former insider, I guarantee you that SALT ON THE RIM is full of ulcers, is on a steady stream of drugs to keep her going and is in distress on a daily basis.
She’s been claimed so many times and everybody is responsible for her demise, but the current “trainer” LOIS MEALS and owner “COUNTRY ACRES STABLES LLC,” (whoever that is?) deserve a mention for ensuring that SOTR continues to be beaten and abused.
If anybody in horse racing is reading this post you would be on the phone calling and emailing all of the above contacts demanding that this poor filly gets retired.
Who is the trainer and the owner?These are the people who need to be stopped. Let’s start a petition to get this horse retired. I did it with a race horse at Belmont a few years ago. I got 2500 racing fan signitures who used to bet on this horse and submitted it to the trainer and owner. The trainer of course was extremely mad to say the least. I also submitted copies to the stewards and track vets. Within a few weeks the horse was sold to a good owner and retired. It lived a long life on a farm. The officials at Belmont didn’t want anymore bad press.
Bless your heart (in the best meaning of that phrase) for helping that horse to get its forever home. You mentioned that the trainer was mad, which makes me wonder why. The owner has the final word, not the trainer, unless they are one and the same, so why is the trainer upset? My guess is that he doesn’t want the horse’s new owner to find out, when it is checked by a vet, what the horse had to endure while it was racing, what drugs have been administered to it to keep it going. Because they know that this kind of info always gets out, somehow. And it doesn’t make them look very good to those of us who pay attention to the state of racing.
Contacted all of the above. One can only hope there is a shred of decency left. I tried reaching out to the owners but it seems Country Acres Stables LLC ( G. Buhrow) contact info is nowhere to be found.
I sincerely hope that SALT ON THE RIM (FL) (January 30, 2010) isn’t killed at the racetrack or a slaughterhouse. I hope she’s saved and sent to a sanctuary. She deserves a chance to live without being constantly exploited as all horses deserve.
I expect that she might have to be kept on pain-killing drugs just to stand and walk, let alone gallop. Maybe she is close to being euthanized and/or sent out to die on the racetrack or retired to the slaughterhouse. Who knows for certain what x-rays would show except the vet/s that took x-rays the last time and who knows when that was?