Horse “Slams Head” in Gate, Raced Anyway

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More steeplechase madness. According to the stewards at the Pennsylvania Hunt Cup Sunday, in only four races:

Lonely Weekend “fell at fence 11.”

Boutonniere “pulled up lame.”

Real Good Man “was pulled up” and did not finish.

And, “Tapped Off ran erratically early toward the rear…made some ground while still running inconsistently…. As jockey attempted to use her whip mid-stretch, the horse made a slight bobble and the jockey…became unseated. [Horse] ran back to the barn and fell over the outside fence and into the stabling area, where he remained for an extended period of time. He was [then] attended to by the course vet.”

Then there was this, last week at Churchill:

Mint, said the chartwriter, “reared as the gates were opening and slammed her [sic: Mint is male] head into the top of the stall.” The 4-year-old was raced anyway (of course), “[coming] out many lengths behind the field in the aftermath, then was distanced around the first turn before pulling up entering the backstretch.”

This is horseracing.

5 Comments

  1. The injustice of the innocent and voiceless!
    All animals deserve to live free from human inflicted suffering!
    Horse racing is a terrible sport, it’s right up there with greyhound racing which has been banned everywhere!

  2. This abuse of horses is hideous and egregious!
    It must be recognized by law as the unacceptable cruelty that it is! There needs to be legislation passed to stop the government subsidies and government-directed benefits to horseracing AND make the punishment fit the crimes committed against horses in this industry.

    #HorseracingisAnimalCruelty
    #EndHorseracingNOW

  3. It is very likely that poor horse was run with a concussion. That horse should have been not allowed to run at all. If we had been the rider we would have not allowed the horse to run. A rider does have the ability ( On Paper) to gate scratch any horse they feel unsound. Of course in reality any rider gate scratching horses won`t get many rides!

    • The trainer could blame the rider for the horse getting his head slammed into the gate. Either way, the horse suffers and it’s all about the paycheck.

  4. All horses deserve a good life . They deserve to be treated as members of the family. Horseracing is a cruel sport that must be ended as soon as possible!

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