Progress!

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.  


Here is the link to my petition site:


http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/endracingabuse/


Image Source: http://archives.bthesite.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/10/a8.jpg

Learn the facts about horse slaughter.

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 pain of a galloping horse.

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.

Synthetic tracks are the way to go.

(Image Source: http://www.collegiatehorsemen.org)

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.


http://www.slate.com/id/2164047/

Why the future of ex-racehorses is in great danger.

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/23/sports/23horses.html

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.

Cheating to win?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LD1gL3AwfYE&feature=related


This is a clip from the show "Jockeys" on Animal Planet concerning the controversial use of performance enhancing drugs used on race horses.

Progress.

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.

http://sports.espn.go.com/sports/horse/triplecrown08/news/story?id=3380100