From the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission for driver Yannick Gingras at Lexington Sep 19: “Hereby assessed a civil penalty of $500 for leaving welts. The find [sic] was lessoned [sic] due to whipping within prescribed rules of the KHRC.” So indifference toward animal cruelty is not just an Indiana thing. This is not the first time Gingras has surfaced here. I’ve previously reported Gingras being fined for “racing a horse in an unfit condition,” and (same week) for “kicking a horse.”
In NY, this directed toward Justin Huckabone: “While driving #5 Atlantis at Monticello on Sep 27, you did use your whip in an excessive and indiscriminate manner for the length of the stretch. This is your second violation within the calendar year. Future violations will result in increased penalties.” Increased from what? $250 fine, 1-day suspension.
Staying in NY, Joseph Chindano has been fined $100 for “kicking a horse” at Yonkers Sep 29. This fine – for, again, “kicking a horse” – is the same that’s been levied on Billy Davis and Ronnie Wrenn in Ohio for “talking on the race track.” The Chindano incident/fine, by the way, was noted twice in the weekly rulings. Not sure if this was in error or that he actually “kicked a horse” twice on the same day.
This is horseracing.
It’s sickening and disturbing that horses are abused on a daily routine basis and that only some fraction of this abuse is recorded and wrist-slap penalties imposed.
The exploitation of horses for racing and wagering handle needs to be recognized as the violation of Animal Welfare that it is, not rewarded with corporate welfare to the abusers and their organizations.