At the “International Gold Cup” steeplechase in Virginia this past Saturday, there was, of course, the run-of-the-mill maiming. From the Stewards’ Report:
race 1: “Lowcountry was pulled up lame.” “Webb fell.”
race 2: “Modus Operandi [abuser: Keri Brion] hit the first fence hard and fell.”
race 4: “The winner, Robert’s Luxury, pulled up lame.”
race 7: “Tease And Seize fell [twice].” Yes, twice.
Then there was this, also from the 7th race: “Hurtgen Forest suffered a fracture on the first turn and was euthanized on the course.” Dead, at the age of four.
The report closed thus:
“Several trainers and riders expressed to the stewards their unhappiness with the hard and rough ground…. Given the short fields, the number of horses who came up lame, and vehemently critical comments from horsemen, greater attention needs to be paid to the repair and preparation of the racing surface if Great Meadow is to restore its reputation as a premier venue.”
Boy, you’d think after 100 years, they’d have the whole safety/welfare thing down.
Horseracing is animal cruelty. Horseracing is animal killing. Horseracing must end.
I truly believe, and based on my extensive years in this business, that this is a snuff show.
The horses are sent out there to deliberately suffer and die for the “entertainment” of the sadistic owners and trainers.
As a lifelong horse person it’s seems evident to me that the course, in and of itself, is designed to deliberately invoke suffering, mangling and dying,
This is like the gladiator from the Roman times and the sadistic people partaking in it and watching this goes there to see blood, gore and death.
This, of course, is all being supporting by hundreds of millions in public subsidies that is rubber stamped by our elected politicians every single year.
It’s a disgusting shame and thoroughly revolting for those of us who possess basic human emotions of compassion.
It’s so long overdue to END THE SUBSIDIES and have our communities, children, and local residents benefit from this money not an elite group of wealthy people many of whom don’t even live in Virginia.
Instead of complaining about the ground,they should all quit and find other outlets of employment. I’ve said it several times here the Steeplechase is a barbaric form of abuse. If 10 horses begin the race you can bet your bottom dollar, 10 don’t make it over the finish.
We have always hated jumps racing! Completely unnatural for horses to be forced to do! Agree with the ending of subsidies. All $$ generated by taxes should be used for health & education of the people who are taxed.
It is unfathomable to me that any person who calls himself/herself/themselves a horse person would expect a four year old colt/filly/mare/gelding to jump hurdles and run for two, three or four miles, whatever or however long these races are. They’re ridiculously long and brutal on any horse.
Even barrel racers allow their horses to mature to at least five years old before they demand heavy work from their mounts.
This forcing of horses to perform as though they were mature is completely defiant of good sense or common sense. These types of animal cruelty events definitely must be recognized for what they truly are: Felony Animal Cruelty.
Horseracing has been turned into animal cruelty by the “win at any cost” crowd. It should be outlawed at the federal level so it cannot occur anywhere in our great United States.