Aerator, you might remember, was killed at Turfway Jan 27, which happened to be his third birthday. Here are the details from the Kentucky Racing Commission: “open, comminuted lateral condylar fracture; biaxial sesamoid fractures; comminuted fracture of the first phalanx; severe soft tissue damage.” That’s at least four fractures. Also: “multifocal, locally extensive stomach ulceration.” Again, three years old.
Also, there were two steeplechases held Saturday, Iroquois (TN) and Willowdale (PA). Combined, no fewer than four horses went down: Piccadilly, The Hero Next Door (“a rotational fall”), Brooklyn Speights, and Market Bubble. In the just-released Stewards’ Reports, there were no updates given (though the Willowdale stewards did note that “the meet was very well run and organized”). Hard to believe that all four are still alive.
These certain groups always want everyone to know that they are so capable to run a well-run and organized event. Let’s just conveniently skip the parts where so many of the horses are so not-well-attended-to that they are overworked and overexerted and overly exhausted and cannot perform to “everyone’s” satisfaction, shall we?
The necropsy reports on these horses are shocking.
Apart from the acute destruction of their bones, ligaments, tendons soft tissue, smashed skulls and spines, these horses have been struggling with chronic issues such as severe arthritis, loss of cartilage resulting in grinding of bone on bone, joint destruction and painful diseases of the gastrointestinal system.
A lot of these victims are juveniles, as young as 2 years.
This is clear and indisputable evidence of the animal cruelty integral to racing. But it is the norm for the business. It is shameful these animals are excluded from the protection any of the animal anti cruelty laws.
It is painfully obvious these animals are not afforded any protection because, if they were, it would sound the death nell for a business that can only continue as long as abuse and obscene cruelty is ignored.
It is beyond time for civilized society to say NO to this barbarism!!