Horse race is a sport in which horses are forced to sprint-often under threat of whips and illegal electric shockers-at speeds so great that they frequently sustain injuries and often hemorrhage from exercise-induced pulmonary hemorrhage. The sport also involves exposing them to the stress of being around humans, and it is not uncommon for a racehorse to die during or after a race. The 2008 deaths of Eight Belles and Medina Spirit sparked a rethinking of racing’s ethics and integrity, but that seems to have done little to stop horses from dying during or after races and training. Thousands of these animals are killed each year.
The sport has a long history, and archeological records indicate that it was practiced in ancient Greece, Egypt, Babylon, Syria, and Arabia. The first organized races in the United States were conducted by British troops during their occupation of New Amsterdam (now New York City) beginning in 1664. The race was modeled on the British system, in which horses competed in two 2-mile heats, with weight restrictions applied to certain horses and a silver cup awarded to the winner.
Modern horse racing, however, is a very different beast than the old-fashioned races. The purses for races are jacked up with taxpayer subsidies and casino cash, which gives horsemen an incentive to run horses that should not be on the track and to push them beyond their limits. Many of the horses are injected with cocktails of legal and illegal drugs to mask injuries, disguise pain, and artificially enhance performance.
Horses are not able to express their natural instincts, which leads to compulsive behavior such as cribbing-biting on the gate and contracting its neck muscles-and self-harm behaviors including kicking and pacing. This suffering is exacerbated by the unnatural environment in which they are housed and trained. Often, the injuries they sustain in a race or in training are not treated properly and can result in death.
When a horse retires from racing and no longer has the ability to earn money, it is usually put into a pasture where it will eat grass and other forage until it dies of old age or is destroyed in a slaughterhouse. Approximately 12,000 thoroughbreds are sent to slaughterhouses in Canada, Mexico, and Japan every year because their owners do not want to pay for them. The majority of those slaughtered are males, but some women and children are also included in the total. The gruesome deaths of these horses are a reminder that behind the glitzy façade of Thoroughbred racing is a world of drug abuse, injuries, grotesque breakdowns, and slaughter. It is a sad fact that people can witness the catastrophic and violent deaths of horses in a race or in training and move on without feeling a pang of remorse or a desire to change the way horses are treated in this industry. The time for change has come. Whether you are a fan of horse racing or not, please sign this petition to help stop this horrific cruelty.