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Mary Lamb
VCC English 101 Sat. a.m.
12 May 2007
Prof. O’Neill
Race to the Death
Horse racing never interested me. Although one time, I placed a bet on the Melbourne
Cup while I lived Australia. Other than that I never followed it much. However, on May
3, 2008, I watched The Kentucky Derby for the first time. I have to admit I found it
exciting to witness the horse “Eight Belles” run her heart out and beat 18 other horses.
But then I watched her lying on the track in agony. When the vet came on and
announced that she had already been euthanized, I started to cry. It made me extremely
angry. It seemed like such a waste that this glorious creature had to die, especially after
she tried so hard. Horse racing is an inhumane industry which causes injury and death to
magnificent creatures, and sadly the main focus is: money. Sometimes the horses are
given high doses of steroids and other drugs just days before a race masking pain and
causing further injuries. Secondly, well-known horses: Eight Belles, Barbaro, and
Ruffian were all injured and died due to being bred with “thin” leg bones. Finally, and
even more upsetting is what happens after the horses are no good for racing anymore;
they end up in slaughter houses where they are shipped overseas to Asia and Europe for
human consumption.
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However, horse enthusiasts say that using animals in sporting events has been popular
for thousands of years. In the article “Just Try and Stop These Horses from Running” it
states:
Wherever man and horse have found themselves together, there has been horse
racing. It was an Olympic sport for the ancient Greeks. The Romans turned it
into spectacle. Arabs were racing horses from before the time of Muhammad. In
North America, the Plains Indians raced the moment they began riding, their
“racetracks” often stretching as far as the eye could see. (1)
Horse people feel that injury and death in horse racing is just part of the deal. Some
casualties are to be expected, as long as they are kept to a minimum. They compare it to
human athletes being injured or starting out too young in football or hockey. Drug use
seems “normal” to them because it has been going on for years. Many individuals
involved in this sport blame the dirt track for all the broken legs. There is a lot of talk
about changing to an artificial surface. Some tracks already have, although there isn’t
much evidence to support how much of a difference it makes. Thoroughbred breeder
Peter Giangiulio states, "Racing isn't cruel. No one would do anything to hurt horses. My
horses are good and healthy. And so are everybody else's around here. [Horse people]
know for a fact that many horses love to run, that it's in their blood to be competitive”
(Lubrano A1). It may be true that horses love to run, but not with human beings sitting
on their backs whipping them, so they cross the finish line first, and win the big cash
prize.
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To begin with, the issue of drug abuse is a major concern because horses with injuries
such as a hairline fracture are given steroids and/or other drugs, so they can still race.
John Pricci, a sports writer reveals, “The use of race day medication and steroids must be
eliminated. Medication is not allowed in most major jurisdictions throughout the world,
so why here?” Human athletes are banned from using steroids and performance
enhancing drugs. The same rules should apply to animals in sports. It is not healthy, and
it is also wrong. The reality that these horses are being pumped with drugs so they can
race when they are injured is disturbing. With all the recent publicity regarding drugs in
horse racing the owners, trainers, and jockeys are now in the spotlight. Because of this
recent news, some owners have already taken step to end this practice, which is great
news. But, the majority of horse people continue the drugging of their animals. This
scenario goes to show that they don’t truly care about the health and happiness of the
horses. If they did, they wouldn’t be racing doped up wounded animals.
Secondly, well-known horses like Eight Belles, Barbaro and Ruffian all ended up
with broken legs due to the in-breeding of thoroughbreds which leaves them with fine leg
bones. Elliot Katz, a former veterinarian and president of In Defense of Animals, an
international animal-rights group in San Francisco,” explains, “Years of specialized
breeding has made the racehorse vulnerable to leg fractures; bred to be thin-boned to help
make them break quickly out of the starting gate, thoroughbreds look quite different than
their untampered-with cousins, the mustangs who run wild in the West” (Lubrano A1).
The most recent example of this particular problem was the death of Eight Belles at the
Kentucky Derby on May 3, 2008. She broke both of her front ankles and had to be
euthanized right on the track. Probably an even more well-known horse is Barbaro,
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whose story was followed all over the world in 2006. Author Steve Twomey describes
Barbaro’s injury, “His right hind leg blew apart [in the first few] seconds of the
Preakness” (88). Veterinarians operated on him numerous times. They kept him alive
for nearly eight months. But, Barbaro eventually succumbed to his injuries. So, on
January 29th, 2007, Barbaro’s owners made the difficult decision to euthanize
him. Twomey notes, “No evidence exists that Barbaro had underlying bone damage. In
fact, Matz, his trainer, was criticized before the Kentucky Derby for not running him
enough to have him in top form. That complaint evaporated after Barbaro won by six
and a half lengths, the biggest margin in 60 years” (90). But, some experts believe
otherwise. Barbaro must have been well-trained to have beaten such a highly trained
group of horses.
Lastly, Twomey mentions a “filly named Ruffian [who] snapped her
right front leg at Belmont Park” in 1975 (95). All of these beautiful creatures had painful
and deadly injuries. The practice of in-breeding in the horse racing industry causes these
enormous animals that sprint at top speeds to blow out their spindly little legs. The
breeders continue to breed these “defective” horses knowing what the consequences will
be. They believe horses bred this way will be faster on the track, therefore resulting in
more wins, which equals more money. Actions such as these wouldn’t be done by people
who truly cared about the health and safety of the animals.
Additionally, after the horses run their hearts out, the end of the road for some
thoroughbred racehorses is the slaughter house. The fortunate ones may be adopted by a
loving family. But, the unlucky ones end up on someone’s dinner table. Horse meat can
bring in up to twenty dollars per pound overseas. Kim Masters Evans’ article “Animal
Rights” cited, “The USDA reported that more than 63,000 horses were slaughtered in the
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United States in 2003 for human consumption overseas. It is unknown how many of
these horses came from the racing industry.” That number is staggering because it
equates to 173 horses per day. Note that number: 173 horses each and every day. These
beautiful creatures – wasted. Evans goes on to report that, “Animal welfare groups allege
that many injured racehorses are not humanely euthanized but are shipped off to
slaughter without being given painkillers…Welfarists say that racehorses going to meat
slaughterhouses travel for many hours in cramped carriers with no food or water.” This
information is beyond alarming. Not only do racehorses have to run when they are
injured. They are also whipped repeatedly to encourage them to run faster. Then as a
last straw, once they are injured or too old to run, they are inhumanely transported to their
death while squashed in trailers like sardines. According to the article “Options for ExRacehorses,” “The most talented runners are retired to stud or join a broodmare band,
but often horses must move out to make room for new prospects” (Thomas). Thus, the
majority of horses are not that lucky. This kind of treatment reiterates the point that the
horse racing industry doesn’t really care about the animals at all. If they did they would
make other arrangements for retired horses; they would let them retire with dignity rather
than transporting them like garbage to the final massacre.
If horse racing must continue, there are steps that should be taken to ensure the
safety of the animals. The first step is mandatory drug testing of the horses. Human
athletes are required to go through drug testing. So, the same process could be used on
the horses. A recent article in The St. Petersburg Times states: “Big Brown's owner
doesn't want to wait for the Federal government to come in and clean up horse racing.
Michael Iavarone, co-owner of IEAH Stables, said Monday that the 50-plus horses
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owned by the syndicate will be drug free by the end of the year” (Jensen 5C). These
actions are an excellent step towards improving the conditions for racehorses. It is a bit
reassuring that the owners are waking up to the fact that society is fed up with this
situation. One could only hope that other owners follow suit. Also, the thoroughbred
breeders need to stop breeding horses with bad leg bones. Thoroughbreds were born to
run, but not on “inadequate” legs. Lastly and the most disturbing issue is the slaughter of
the horses. This atrocity needs to stop immediately. The horses could be sold to the
public or even donated to charity. Sports writer, Thomas maintains, “The problem of
what to do with ex-racehorses is ongoing, and several organizations have been created to
help resolve this.” The Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation was established in 1993.
This particular organization has been around the longest. But, there are several others
including: New Vocations, United Pegasus Foundation, ReRun, and Canter. All of these
groups take in unwanted racehorses and work to place them with adoptive families.
Unfortunately, many of these horses are labeled as “non-riding.” This phrase means their
condition is not sound enough for riding. Therefore, they can only serve as companion
animals. But, isn’t anything better than becoming someone’s next meal?
Summarily, the majority of the individuals involved in horse racing turn a blind
eye to the inhumane treatment of the animals because there is too much money at stake.
Steroids and other drugs are given to the injured horses to hide their pain and injuries.
Thousands of horses all over the world break their legs every year while running at top
speeds because they are whipped non-stop during the race, and their fragile leg bones
cannot withstand this abuse. These conditions are unacceptable. We, as human beings,
need to take responsibility for our actions. Horses are some of God’s most magnificent
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creatures. They deserve better treatment from us than this nightmare called horse
racing.
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Works Cited
Evans, Kim Masters. “Animals in Sports.” Animals Rights (2006): Opposing
Viewpoints Resource Center. Gale Group. Seminole Community College
Library.
Jensen, Don. "Hoof-Plagued Big Brown Off Steroids." St. Petersburg Times 24 June
2008: 5C Opposing Viewpoints Resource Center. Gale. Seminole Community
College Library.
“Just Try to Stop These Horses from Running.” Maclean’s 121.19 (2008): 2(1). Opposing
Viewpoints Resource Center. Gale. Seminole Community College Library.
Lubrano, Alfred. “Horse Racing is Still Saddled by Cruelty Issue.” Philadelphia Enquirer
27 May 2006: A1+. SIRS Researcher. Seminole Community College Library.
Pricci, John. “Pricci: Racing Must Ditch Drugs, Rethink Rules.” NBC Sports
COMMENTARY 10 May 2008. 30 June 2008.
http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/24544600/from/ET/
Thomas, Heath Smith. “Options for Ex-Racehorses.” 26 May 2008. 6 July 2008.
http://www.thehorse.com/ViewArticle.aspx?ID=11927
Twomey, Steve. “Barbaro’s Legacy.” Smithsonian April 2007: 88-97. SIRS Researcher.
Seminole Community College Library.