# Horse racing cruelty?



## Emma7442 (Jan 19, 2008)

Im sure everyone has heard about horse racing accidents and everything but there are so many horses that get killed when they are too old or sick ect.

I don't know much about America but I know in New Zealand there are a HUGE amount of ex race horses needlessly slaughtered.

I'm not sure what my views are on horse racing, from what I have seen I'm half and half.


Then again I have never believed in using animals big or small for human entertainment, especially when so many have to suffer for it. 

What do you think?


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## sempre_cantando (May 9, 2008)

It is sad seeing horses hurt in accidents. I know because my horse was badly hurt earlier this year by panicking and coming down on a fence post :shock: She's ok now though but still has a space in her chest where the muscle hasn't properly joined back together.

We have to remember that the entertainment that horses provide us with is what stops them becoming extinct. If we didn't use horses for riding etc, no one would keep horses and there's not much space left in the wild for them so they'd slowly become extinct. Or worse, horses would be used as a food source all over the world, including america, australia & new zeland. Way worse than horse racing!


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## PoptartShop (Jul 25, 2010)

Guys keep it nice in here, we don't want any arguments. 

Anyway, I think that horse racing _accidents_ are bad, I don't like them...it's sad seeing a horse get hurt. Especially if they are young.  I dislike the fact that if the horse doesn't win or make much money, they send them off to slaughter (across the border for the US...usually Mexico) & livestock auctions. :roll:


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## alstaxidermy (May 27, 2008)

As with all things for me at least, I don't just see black and white, I only find gray. I think it has it's good and bad points and no matter what rules we enforce or impose, there will always be accidents and issues of neglect and cruelty. Personally, it's not for me (racing I mean) - we don't even go to the local track. But I don't rant at people I know that partake in the sport either - they feel like they are right and I feel like I am right, so we agree to disagree and leave it alone. I kind of wish more people would look into adopting horses and that it was a bigger deal kind of like with dogs. I always hear people say that buying a 'good' horse is expensive or they would have one, so I suggest adopting one and they always act as if they never knew you could adopt a horse. But then I think about my next point...

Honestly, I kind of worry more about people that buy a horse and then don't know what to do with it while it slowly starves out in their yard or is mistreated regularly for it's behavior because the new owner doesn't know what they are doing. That to me is worse than sending one off to be slaughtered. The slaughtering process must be awful since death is never pretty no matter what, but it is relatively short compared to a long slow death due to neglect and disease.

So...yes I think improvements could be made and that would help. But I also think that you should be careful what you wish for. Hopefully that makes sense...


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## DollyGirl (Jul 1, 2008)

No, I don't believe it is a cruelty. A horse can break his leg playing in his pasture. Also Horse Slaughter has been band in the United States. If you lived in the US you would have to haul ur horse To mexico or Canada to slaughter.


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## my2geldings (Feb 18, 2008)

PoptartShop said:


> Guys keep it nice in here, we don't want any arguments.
> 
> Anyway, I think that horse racing _accidents_ are bad, I don't like them...it's sad seeing a horse get hurt. Especially if they are young.  I dislike the fact that if the horse doesn't win or make much money, they send them off to slaughter (across the border for the US...usually Mexico) & livestock auctions. :roll:


where was the problem? :roll:


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## Kirsti Arndt (Jun 23, 2008)

anytime you add humans into the mix there are going to be issues with cruelty. Arlington raceway in Chicago-2006 euthenized 22 horses on the track in the first 5 weeks of that race season. it is fully documented. My thought is to reform sports that involve animals not ban them. there were terrible accidents at the Rolex this year too.Too sad a situation all the way around. just breaks my heart but we can only do what we can do -which is give our own animals the best possible care that we can and support orgainizations that help rather than hinder (i.e rescues) and be of support to each other
please excuse my spelling.


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## PoptartShop (Jul 25, 2010)

There was no problem- that's the point, we don't _want_ any.


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## HooverH (May 17, 2008)

We have slaughter auctions in Ohio, at Sugarcreek. Now, they may be hauled to Canada, I don't know. When Hoover when to his first vet visit with me, there was an Amish man with a huge STB mare ahead of us. She had hurt her ankle, and the man was asking the doctor where he could sell her for meat rather than have her laid up for a while. He had bought her at a harness racing auction, where she would have been sold for meat if not sold for work. Hoove would have sold for meat if the rescue hadn't grabbed him. While we may have a ban, there are still plenty of people willing to feed the market in America, and make a profit shipping horses over the borders.

I have to admit, I don't following racing all that much. After what happened to Eight Belles in the Derby this year, I've sworn off watching it all together.


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## Curly_Horse_CMT (Jun 8, 2008)

*Horse racing*

I think horse racing is cruel. People have bred these horses as a source of entertainment and to bet. Then, when they are three or four or maybe a little older, they are either sent to breeding farms as stallions and broodmares, or to the slaughterhouses or to the sale barns/rescues where they might find good homes. But they have soo many injuries ie bone chips, knee injuries, tendon injuries, ect that who can say that some of them can make nice horses or not that are sound to ride later on in life? They are young horses that have their lifes cut short due to a need of human entertainment. When people use steriods on the horses to build them up more, it is even more sickening. There is alot of money in the horse racing buisness, but accidents come off the track every day and horses have to be euthenized. The same thing goes for harness racing too. Its not all the people that make the horse racing industry bad. But when people just throw horses away like garbage because they "dont have the pride to run" is rediculous and sick.


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## barefoothooves (Sep 6, 2007)

Hmm, well, personally, while I don't like the idea of slaughering a horse because he's not living up to his potential, as it sounds so ugly.BUUUUTTT,

Everything that lives must die at some point and suffering is hard to define sometimes. Being deprived of basic living rights-food, water, shelter and companionship. Yes, it's cruel. Having to suffer immense physical pain, cruel as well.

Working for a living-i.e. racing, jumping or pulling wagon? Not cruel, if the animal is compensated for it and not abused with overwork, beatings, etc. I have to work and work hard, my body takes a beating some days, but that's life. 

I don't think it's cruel for a horse to be put down, in and of itself. If the animal isn't forced to endure long standing pain during the death. Like I said, all life comes to an end at some point. I think a rubber bullet is kinder than being ripped to shreds by a predator. I think euthansia by chemical meds can inflict pain and fear as it takes longer than a bullet. Starving or freezing to death is much worse, or at least I'd prefer for someone to end it for me with a bullet than any of the other mentioned ways. I also don't see how it's cruel to be eaten. Humans don't eat horse flesh before it's dead. Once a body is dead, it's neutral. Personally, I'd RATHER them be processed and utilized one last time than to think of them rotting, and contaminating the air and water, and what do you do with the carcasses? They can't all be buried. In nature ,they would be eaten, probably the meal would start before they were completely dead. 

A horse being raised for human service or entertainment is not cruelty in my eyes. Humans dominate the world, we control other species. Horse get hurt, by accident or when serving people. It's not pretty, and we should do what we can to minimize the injuries. But you can't wrap them in bubble wrap and keep them alive forever. Commercial slaughter may be scary, but horses get scared of loading in trailers, or of flapping trash bags, etc. To them, it's no less horrifying than anything else they ever percieve as danger, yet we purposely expose them to scary things to "train" them to accept them. 

Horses, as much as I hate to say it, are just animals. No better than any other, we as humans favor them, so we put more value in what we think they percieve as suffering. Yet we think nothing of a cow's view on being slaughtered and eaten, or the spiders we crush on our walls. We just don't see them as valuable to us so don't think about how cruel it might be to be crushed alive..I think horses get it a little easier BECAUSE we breed them for our use. Hunters kill deer...they don't get a clean shot to the head, but we don't raise them as pets...I feel that if deer were domesticated, we would concentrate more on a "painless" death for them (and I'm in no way taking an anti-hunting stance-I am all for hunting and yes, I squash bugs) So is a horse's "slaughter" any worse than any other death? It's all relative. I'd rather slaughter them then watch them waste away with all their aches and pains.

Eating them..I couldn't eat my own horse, I'm much to sentimental. But I COULD eat a burger knowing it's horsemeat. It's just food.

I hope nobody is offended by my comments, that's just my own view.


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## farmpony84 (Apr 21, 2008)

PoptartShop said:


> There was no problem- that's the point, we don't _want_ any.


Well now there is a problem! How DARE you assume we would get out of line, out of hand, out of...

Teehee... kidding!


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## Angel_Leaguer (Jun 13, 2008)

barefoothooves said:


> Hmm, well, personally, while I don't like the idea of slaughering a horse because he's not living up to his potential, as it sounds so ugly.BUUUUTTT,
> 
> Everything that lives must die at some point and suffering is hard to define sometimes. Being deprived of basic living rights-food, water, shelter and companionship. Yes, it's cruel. Having to suffer immense physical pain, cruel as well.
> 
> ...


I agree with your thoughts. i couldnt eat my own horse, but growing up we did raise cattle, goats, sheep, rabbits, and chickens and ate them...even after i showed them in 4-H. Horse racing is just a form of a horse sport. what about breaking out a 18 month-old horse to be in the show pen within a few months to do anything from western, english, barrel racing etc....their bones and joints arent ready for that, wouldn't that be flagged as cruel? It is sad to see that a less then 10 year old horse having to have injections in the hocks or what not because of being started out too early just so that some one can make a profit...


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## jeddah31 (Jun 11, 2008)

the reality of it is, any horse, coming from any industry, can be slaughtered or sold an auction to an unwelcoming environment to say the least. 
The only problems I have with racing, is;
1. all the horses run together not in separate partitians causing trip overs/falls
2. the TB's are raced too young, 2 years is not long enough for the body to develop properly to be strong enough to take on the impact of the fast work
3. racing TB's have no additional training therefore after their racing career no one wants them if they're only trained in one area, causing more of them to be slaughtered

possibly more but cant think right now, will get back to this


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## ponyboy (Jul 24, 2008)

I live in Canada. A show did a piece on horse slaughter here a while ago and let me tell you it wasn't pretty. They are basically breaking all the rules in the book because they're overloaded with all the horses from the US, and the authorities don't care. What gets me is that the people who eat horsemeat as a delicacy probably don't realize the situation is so bad here it's not even sanitary. The report said they think meat from Canada is "better" somehow.

As to racing, I could have become a jockey - The way the sport is now I'm very glad I didn't. And it's too bad, because racing is the most natural thing in the world for a horse.


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## Filly213 (May 26, 2008)

i'm not against racing as a sport, just some of the people who push the horse until it's broken, then throw it away. 

i agree with barefoothooves though. and we all view cruelty in different ways.


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## Kentucky (Aug 2, 2008)

I agree with both Angel-Leaguer and Barefoothooves. That is nothing worse in my mind seeing an animal suffering. 

There is another side of the debate. the amish man HooverH spoke of, a working rancher, the race horse breeder, and various others use these horse for their living not enjoyment. These people don't care less their animals. Each animal they own must pull its own weight, or it leaves. Of course, accidents and sickness do happen, if the animal can recover, great. But, if is no hope for a recoveray at all, a quick death seems kinder to me ,at least.

In fact, I heard that herds of horse have been turned loose in the eastern part of my home state, mostly in bad shape. I guess the coyotes will have a feild day, if true. The owner had no other way.

Angel_Leaguer, I growup on a farm similar to yours, cow/calf and feedlot. I guess thats where I got alot of my veiws. I'm sorry if ticked anyone off. But, if the animals are calm at and up to the point of slaughter, their will be a better meat, more tender, any way.


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## brittx6x6 (Mar 4, 2007)

I think horse racing can and can't be cruelity. I know alot of people who have race horses and ex racehorses. The people that I know who have race horses, treat their horses like royalty! 

*The race horses get*
1. smoothies in the summer and hot mash in the winter
2. Lots of turnout, depending on the weather (they don't go out in storms)
3. Full body exam after every workout and race
4. When retired they are sold to good homes (properties visited) or they are donated to rehabilitation centers if something has happened...one horse had epm and was donated and they kept contact with the center and still get pics of the horse

*The rescued horses come in*
1.Abused
2.Skinny
3.Wormy
4.Sore


So it all depends on who starts the horses, the owners, and where the horses go after they are retired.


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## Kentucky (Aug 2, 2008)

I have found that is true in almost everything, including rough stock animals (horses and bulls)


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## FutureVetGirl (Aug 5, 2008)

I'm not against it, because most of the horses that race, in both harness (what I've seen more of) and in the flat, as well as in steeplechase, absolutely LOVE to run. For most of them, it's not a matter of being forced to do it, they WANT to do it. But, there are a few things I'd want to be changed:

1. Horses to be raced no younger than 4 years of age, they can be ridden and trained earlier, but raced at that age.
2. Every care is given to ensure the maximum amount of safety for both horse and rider.
3. Horses can keep racing past their "prime", but in "veteran" races.
OR 4. Every racehorse (unless a huge injury prevents them) is given a chance for a great life in a new or different sport.
5. If the horse doesn't want to race, DON'T Make him!


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