what is your take on the horse racing industry?. do you support it……
TRANSCRIPT
What is your take
on the horse
racing industry?
Do you support it……
Are you
against it…..
To get the select few that are fast enough to
become champions, thousands must be
produced every year. The many that do not
make the grade to compete end up being disposed of in some
manner, and for most that is the end of the
road.
The horses that do go on to race come to
their retirement at an early age. About 5,000 horses go in to racing
every year, and the same number come
out. All of these animals must go
somewhere, and their number highly exceeds
the capacity of retirement facilities.
Race horses start race training when they are
about one year old. At this age the skeletal system has not finished growing, and the intense training puts a lot of strain on the bones and muscles. This causes many lower limb injuries such as fractures, pulled ligaments, and strained
tendons.
Many of these injuries come
from the horrific falls that will occur during many races.
Most injuries for horses cannot be fixed, so they are euthanized on the spot. Very few owners want to take the time and money to try the
expensive operations to save their horses. Most
horses that get the chance have a difficult time recovering, and
don’t make it through.
In every 22 races studies show that at
least one horse suffers an injury severe enough to
keep it from finishing the race. Another 800
horses in North America die from
racing-related injuries every year.
In many instances when horses are injured they are put back on the track even when they are not healed.
The pain is often masked with drugs so the horse runs
anyway which reeks havoc on the body. This occurs mostly
because the owner cares more about the money
involved than the animal used to make it.
Another problem that is almost exclusively
designated to horses in the racing industry is Exercise
Induced-Pulmonary Hemorrhage which is
bleeding of the lungs. EIPH is caused by long, hard, and
strenuous workouts, and studies have also shown that an estimated 70-100
percent of horses either in racing, or in training have
this condition.
All race horses are kept in small stalls throughout the
day except for when they’re out on the track. They never get to graze or run in an open
pasture with other horses, and no one on their backs.
Help these horses and give them a voice. Laws need to be changed to
prevent the cruelty, but yet still preserve the
sport. Drugs need to be outlawed, the race age
needs to be pushed back, retirement homes need to be sponsored, and horses need to be
adopted instead of slaughtered.
Works Cited
Fabiola, GroBeadle, Ralph. "Treatment of Laminitis Being Studied." Louisiana State University Equine Veterinary Research Program. 1997. EVRP. 4 Apr 2009 <http://evrp.lsu.edu/06laminitis.htm>.
Burba, Daniel. "The Dilemma of Bucked Shins in the Racehorse." LSU School of Veterinary Medicine 5 Apr 2009 <http://equine.vetmed.lsu.edu/bucked%20shins.pdf>.
Connor, Richard L. "Derby death could have provoked call to humane action." Fort Worth Business Press 19 May 2008: 47+. MasterFILE Premier. EBSCO. Mary and Jeff Bell Library, Corpus Christi, Tx. 4 Apr. 2009 www.tamucc.edu
Eng, Richard. "RICHARD ENG: Milkshakes are sour subject in horse racing." reviewjournal.com. 1 Apr 2005. Las Vegas Review Journal. 1 Apr 2009
<http://www.reviewjournal.com/lvrj_home/2005/Apr-01-Fri-2005/sports/26198082.html>.
Fabiola, Groshan. "Gastric Ulcer in Racehorses." ezine @rticles. 2008. 1 Apr 2009 <http://ezinearticles.com/?Gastric-Ulcer-in-Racehorses&id=399514>.
"Horse Racing — the Horror Behind the Glamour." Chai Online: Concern For Helping Animals In Israel. 26 Mar. 2009 <http://chai- online.org/en/compassion/entertainment_racing.htm>.
Jonsson, Patrik. "Horse racing moves to reform, but faces many skeptics." Christian Science Monitor 100.227 (17 Oct. 2008): 2-2. MasterFILE Premier. EBSCO. Mary and Jeff Bell Library, Corpus Christi, Tx. 7 Apr. 2009 <www.tamucc.edu>.
McClain, Shannon. "Teaching others about the cruelty of horseracing." freewebs.com. 2006. PARC: People Against Racehorse Cruelty. 30 Mar 2009 <http://www.freewebs.com/helpthehorses/index.htm>.
Palmer, Kristina. "The Horse Racing Industry." 22 Apr. 2004 1-5. 27 6 Apr 2009 <http://matone-studios.com.c25.sitepreviewer.com/gove-dupont/k_palmer/projects/horseracing.pdf>.
Rees, Jennie, and Hall, Gregory. "Breeding, betting and dirt at issue in horse racing reform." USA Today 11 May 2008 2 Apr 2009 <http://www.usatoday.com/sports/horses/2008-05-11-horses-
reform_N.htm>. Schoffner, Denny. Personal interview. 6 Apr. 2009. Smith, RaeLeann. "Horse Racing: Stop It (or At Least Reform It) ." Encyclopedia Britannica Advocacy
For Animals. 2008. Encyclopedia Britannica, Inc.. 1 Apr 2009 <http://advocacy.britannica.com/blog/advocacy/2008/06/horse-racing-stop-it-or-at-least- reform-it/>. "The History of Horse Racing." 7 Apr 2009 <http://www.mrmike.com/explore/hrhist.htm>. "The Horseracing Industry: Drugs, Deception and Death." PETA Media Center. PETA. 1 Apr 2009 <http://www.peta.org/factsheet/files/FactsheetDisplay.asp?ID=65>. Tyler, Andrew. "RIDING FOR A FALL - The genetic time bomb at the heart of racing."Animal Aid. Mar
2003. Animal Aid. 7 Apr 2009 <http://www.animalaid.org.uk/h/n/CAMPAIGNS/horse/ALL/447/>
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x_7iUwxix8Y
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TCx78Fh30NA
Here are two graphic videos from www.youtube.com that are prime examples of the shocking injuries
that the horses can sustain while racing.