The abuse of racehorses and horse slaughter go hand-in-hand.
Many racehorses of all breeds that are not "useful" anymore are sent to slaughter, and abusive owners will only prosper more. Please consider signing this petition.
"Tapeta" footing is an excellent example of how racetracks are revolutionizing and ameliorating the way horses race by preventing fatal injuries to both the horse and rider.
Instead of the hard impacting standard footing a dirt track has, Tapeta tracks have a layered system that reduces maintenance to the track. Therefore, it is more easily ready to perform on.
Today, racetracks, arenas, and more equestrians facilities are using this footing all over the world, and more and more racetracks switch over to this footing every year.
I was privileged to visit a Thoroughbred breeding and training facility recently, and they had just installed this new footing. When walking on it, I felt like I was on a cloud, and the horses seemed to feel that way, too.
Recently, the National Thoroughbred Racing Association has added a new addition to their safety and Integrity alliance Program. Titled the "aftercare program", through their main website, you can research several adoption programs, organizations, and common questions concerning the welfare of racing thoroughbreds and what future careers they could have.
This is such an exciting step for the racing industry and the many racehorses who suffer after their racing careers are over. Many months ago, I had written to Mike Ziegler, executive director of the NTRA Safety and Integrity alliance, concerning the aftercare of racing thoroughbreds and despite the somewhat generic response I received, maybe after all I might have given them an extra "push" to make this new addition to their program a reality.
This article on WJZ shows how prison inmates are given a second chance to horses who need help. Many of the horses that are being rescued have had pasts in the racing industry and have been left to suffer. This article was very insightful and gave me a new perspective on the hope for not only the horse's futures, but the criminals who are helping them.
As my assignments for my peace action project came to an end, this Saturday during the Kentucky Derby, yet another breakdown took place in the "most exciting 2 minutes in sports", convincing me even more that the need to implement even more laws concerning race horse safety is dire. "Archarcharch" stumbled out of the starting gate and fractured his leg. He underwent surgery and is said to be recovering well and going straight into retirement.
How can these accidents be prevented? What more can the horse racing industry do to prevent these split-second life threatening accidents?
Read the New York Times article covering Archarcharch's breakdown
150 horses were impounded recently from a breeder in Maryland. Many were sent to Days End Horse Rescue in Lisbon Maryland, where the rescue is in dire need of donations and foster homes. Included links are to Day End's website and an article concerning the impoundments.
I have written a letter to a Pimlico representative with questions concerning the welfare of horses and have attached my blog and online petition to the letter! I will have more updates once I have gotten a response.
Ever since horse slaughter has been banned in the United States, several horses are saved from the terrors of slaughter. But this does not decrease the amount of unwanted or abused horses in the US. Several horses are sent to neighboring countries such as Mexico and Canada, where in 2009 31,584 horses were sent to Mexico and 31, 140 horses were sent to Canada.30% were former racehorses. When sent to be slaughtered, horses are crammed in unsafe trailers to travel for grueling hours, and are not offered food and water. Some horses do not survive the trip. When slaughtered they are killed in unthinkable ways, that no animal should ever experience. US racehorses might be less likely to be sent to slaughter, but it it not impossible, and they still endure the abuse that rises the issues of the abuse of racehorses in the US.
The gallop of a horse may be graceful, majestic, and beautiful, but what pain can a horse endure while performing at 40 miles per hour?
Many more injuries occur to racehorses due faults concerning the welfare of horses in the racing industry. The hard track can wear down the hoof so much that horse shoes need to be changed daily, which not only avoids the issue of the health of the horse's hoofs but makes it worse. Thoroughbreds are naturally born with weaker bones that can barely sustain their weight. As a result, several horses become permanently disabled due to the carelessness and greediness of their owners in the racing industry. They grow up to not only be physically disabled, but to have a disabled future as well.
To ensure less breakdowns of horses and permanent injuries on the fragile legs of thoroughbreds caused by harsh dirt tracks, several race tracks are converting their tracks by replacing hard compact dirt surfaces to synthetic surfaces. Synthetic surfaces are easier on the horses legs as they travel over 40 mph to the finish line. Here's an article explaining this innovation to prevent the neglect and injuries of horses in the racing industry.
Featured recently as the front page article in The New York Times,The Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation is in great need of financial support in order to care for the thousands of abused ex-racehorses they take in every year.
So far my progress with bringing awareness to race horse abuse has been moving along. I have currently started a petition site called "Save abused racehorses of the US" on various petitioning sites. The one that had gotten the most significant response was my petition on the care2 site, which has almost 400 signatures. Once I have reached my goal to 1000, I plan on writing a letter to a representative of the horse racing industry to show how many people support this terrible disguised form of cruelty.
This is an article of Eight Belles, a mare that had to be put down during the Kentucky Derby on the spot due to devastating front ankle breaks from collapsing after her 2nd place win.
Race horse abuse happens more than you think. Hidden behind the flashing lights, trophies, and cheering crowds, these horses are pumped up with steroids, forced to run more than they are built for, and have bad conditions to run in. Don't think this is important enough? Think that this will never be solved? Try again.
To have a better chance of trying to raise awareness and effect the problem positively, I am going to write a letter concerning the track conditions to a racetrack that is local to me, Pimlico. I chose Pimlico because in 2006, A horse named Barbaro had tripped during the Preakness and had broken his leg, it may have been for 'natural reasons' why he had tripped, but I believe Pimlico's track had to do with it to. Also when I had visited the dirt track during a field trip, a horse was exercising and had tripped and broken its leg, being put down on the spot. It is apparent the track conditions need major rehabilitation.
I will blog more to show my progress! I leave you with the devastating trip Barbaro had during the Preakness States in 2006.
"Tapeta" footing is an excellent example of how racetracks are revolutionizing and ameliorating the way horses race by preventing fatal injuries to both the horse and rider. 
Recently, the National Thoroughbred Racing Association has added a new addition to their safety and Integrity alliance Program. Titled the "aftercare program", through their main website, you can research several adoption programs, organizations, and common questions concerning the welfare of racing thoroughbreds and what future careers they could have. 
This article on WJZ shows how prison inmates are given a second chance to horses who need help. Many of the horses that are being rescued have had pasts in the racing industry and have been left to suffer. This article was very insightful and gave me a new perspective on the hope for not only the horse's futures, but the criminals who are helping them.
As my assignments for my peace action project came to an end, this Saturday during the Kentucky Derby, yet another breakdown took place in the "most exciting 2 minutes in sports", convincing me even more that the need to implement even more laws concerning race horse safety is dire. "Archarcharch" stumbled out of the starting gate and fractured his leg. He underwent surgery and is said to be recovering well and going straight into retirement.
150 horses were impounded recently from a breeder in Maryland. Many were sent to Days End Horse Rescue in Lisbon Maryland, where the rescue is in dire need of donations and foster homes. Included links are to Day End's website and an article concerning the impoundments.
