(Note: I like to re-post this every couple of years as a reminder.) Up until very recently, knowledge and appreciation of the equine mind has been noticeably lacking. Sure, we’ve learned rudimentary things about horses through the years, but only…
When I first reported the gruesome (see this) killing of Vogue Blue Chip while he was being transported to be raced at the Windsor Fair on Aug 31, I promised we were not done. Below is the full document we…
I am writing today to convey my heartfelt appreciation for your Animal Welfare Policy in general, and more specifically, for your position on animal racing and the rodeo. It is enlightened, progressive, and without question on the right side of…
Some of you may already know that Tripadvisor now attaches the following to search results for American racetracks: “This business does not currently meet Tripadvisor’s Animal Welfare Policy.” This applies equally to the cheap tracks and the heavy hitters like…
For many, a divine sanction for animal exploitation is found in Book 1, Chapter 1 of the Bible: “And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of…
Following in the footsteps of The Stronach Group’s much-ballyhooed “surgical intervention” program, this year HISA created one of its own – “The HISA Equine Recovery Foundation,” or HERF. HERF, says its website, “is a nonprofit dedicated to supporting Thoroughbred racehorses…
A recent letter from a group of West Virginia legislators to the two U.S. senators from that state illustrates (again) the gaping inconsistency between the ways dogracing and horseracing are perceived, spoken of, and treated in this country. The letter…
In a Dec 2024 interview in Equus Magazine, neuroscientist and horse trainer Dr. Janet Jones was asked the following: “Do racehorses and other equine athletes have competitive instincts?” Her answer: “It would be the rare racehorse who ‘loves to run.’…
Ahead of today’s Preakness Stakes, the 27 (disclosed) kills at Maryland tracks last year: Trophy Boy, Jan 14, Laurel S “Showed signs of illness Dec 26. Condition deteriorated and connections could not financially afford to send the colt to a…
As HISA trots out another supposedly glowing “safety” report, I thought it a good time to revisit this issue – the killing, that is – with context. In 2014, we confirmed 1,104 kills at U.S. tracks (the actual number of…
With the Kentucky Derby upon us, a reminder: Even if you only watch, or wager on, this one race, you are a part of it – the it being the everyday abuse and constant killing of horses at American racetracks.…
With the Kentucky Derby just a few weeks away, a reminder: Even if you only watch or wager on one race a year, you are a part of it – the it being the everyday abuse and constant killing of…
