After being tipped off yesterday, I immediately sent the following email to the executive secretary of the Montana Board of Horse Racing. I have yet to hear a response and fear I may not until Monday. That said, I encourage all who read this to call the Eastern Montana Fairgrounds, where the Miles City races are held: 406-852-0048. Big Hearted Factor is scheduled to be raced in the 10th tonight – 7:35 mountain, 9:35 eastern – so there should be plenty of time to reach someone.
Good afternoon, Gary. The horse Big Hearted Factor is 11 years old and has already been raced a shocking 106 times. Even worse, yesterday was his third race in the past 13 days at Miles City – and worse yet, he is slated to be raced again tomorrow, just two days after his most recent.
In all my years doing this, I have never seen such egregious abuse. While the stewards will undoubtedly say he’s still “competitive,” that shouldn’t matter. Again, 11 years old, 106 races, four races in two weeks (if tomorrow happens). Can you please intervene on behalf of this poor boy? Enough is enough. (His owner/trainer is Stan Brewer Jr.)
Thank you in advance, Gary.
Patrick Battuello
Miles City, Montana racing is in the bush track category and is not subject to the HISA/HIWU rules and regulations. Running the horses on Bute (Phenylbutazone) which is an NSAID painkiller is not against the rules of the Montana Board of Horse Racing.
Their “World Famous Bucking Horse Sale” is the signature event in Miles City and brings in millions of dollars of revenue for their economy. Putting a flank cinch on horses to watch them buck for entertainment in rodeos is cruel to say the least. This is their money-maker. 🤮🤬😡
Well unfortunately he ran and was 3rd of 5 horses.
Thank you, Andreea.
I called the Montana Fairgrounds or whatever the heck it’s called. Managed to get the phone number of a Robert Thick (?!) He is allegedly the race director. He did not answer his phone. I left a voice massage for him and sent him a text as well. I hope and pray it will help and this poor boy can catch a break. It is beyond comprehension what these horrible, heartless, human excrements are doing.
Big Hearted Factor : It’s not going to stop ! This is what is greater than horses : MONEY MONEY MONEY !!!!! The PRIK owner is going to run Big Hearted Factor right in ft o the ground – like he’s been doing !!!!! If one person complains, no one takes notice. But if many people complain, then people will take notice. And another thing : what about horses laughter in this PIG country ? Nobody wants to do anything about that, either.
Wanda, the med.s listed as letters are most likely Bute & Lasix as is used commonly in races other than stakes races or 2 year old races which if a state is going by HISA`s rules. Our state & as in many none interstate wagering states does not participate in HISA`s rules. So much for drug free Montana. No interstate wagering in Montana? Maybe don`t have to abide by HISA`s rules.
Done! I did have to sit through a spiel about buying tickets to a “bucking horse sale,” whatever the hell that is. But a young woman took my message. I hope it helps!
BIG HEARTED FACTOR is listed as “Med: B” and I am wondering which drug that is. According to the information I found, horses are supposed to be “drug-free” at race time. Banamine (pain and inflammation) and Betamethasone (joint therapy) seem to be the most likely ones that ‘B’ could stand for unless there is another one (other than Butorphenol, a sedative/analgesic). All of the other entrants in the same race are listed as “Med: BL”…
Were so glad to live in Oregon! Montana is 1 of those last states with the let R buck wild west days horsemanship states. Slowly but surely Oregon`s racing is going away. At least in the major metropolitan areas. We have seen horses here ridden in back to back races at the crummy 1/2 mile bull ring tracks at fairs. We have also seen a Thoroughbred horse ridden by the trainer/owner in a parimutuel race which is forbidden by all the rules of racing! That particular race day had an injury wreck causing a shortage of riders. The stewards allowed the well known trainer to ride her own horse as she had 1st started as a jockey at that small county 1/2 mile track many years ago. We hope Big Hearted Factor is prevented from racing!
BIG HEARTED FACTOR finished second in each of the last 3 races he was raced in: May 3rd, May 10th, and May 15th. All three races were at a distance of 5 & 1/4 furlongs.
The May 17th race is about 6 furlongs.
The bucking horse sale is called The World Famous Bucking Horse Sale which I share for those who didn’t already know. (I can’t say enough bad things about how horses are treated for the bucking events in rodeos.)
Also, there is “a wild horse race”. I wonder how legal that is! There is a video available to watch “the teams” getting ready for the wild horse race. It cuts off if you don’t have Instagram. At the beginning, it shows people walking but it cuts off without Instagram.
The only time I saw a so-called wild horse race was in July of 1978 at the Cheyenne Frontier Days rodeo. It was a chaotic free-for-all inside the rodeo arena. Anyone who believes in treating horses with kindness and compassion would be apalled! There was one Palomino that managed to get the saddle over his withers. Nobody was able to get on him. Besides being cruel to the horses, it was straight up stupid!
Thank you so much, Elizabeth.
This is a case of Animal Cruelty and highly unethical to race a horse more often than once every two weeks. Even twice a month is cruel but three times already this month of May is extremely cruel to the horse.
I sent a message to the Montana Department of Commerce about this although they won’t answer until Monday if they answer at all.
They also have the Miles City Montana bucking horse sale along with the horse racing at the Eastern Montana Fairgrounds.
Animal Cruelty rules there.
This is horrifying. An 11-year-old horse with 106 races already behind him should not be running four times in two weeks. No horse should! Thank you for acting so quickly and for putting direct pressure on the Montana Board of Horse Racing before tonight’s race. I’ll be calling the Eastern Montana Fairgrounds as well. Big Hearted Factor deserves us to step in before this goes any further. Hoping enough people speak up in time to make a difference for him. To think the horse’s name is Big Hearted Factor. Heartbreaking.