Considering what happened to Barbaro recently, do you believe that Throughbred racing is cruel?

Question

And purely for the entertainment value of humans? Thoroughbred racing has resulted in the largest number of injuries to horses. Is this cruel to horses?

Answer 1

This is a very complex question. I'll try to keep my answer, which is an emphatic "no," short.

First off, Thoroughbred racing has much more than entertainment value. A portion of every dollar wagered is siphoned off as taxes, which are put to use for the general good of the community. If racing in all forms ceased, the revenue shortfall would have to be made up somehow, either through increased taxes elsewhere, or cuts in programs that currently receive benefits from racing taxes.

Second, the Thoroughbred racing industry creates thousands of jobs, ranging from mutuel clerks at the racetracks, to accountancy jobs, janitorial/maintenance, catering and so forth, to those directly in support of the horses themselves: not just trainers and jockeys and grooms, but also those who grow the feed the horses eat, make or maintain the tack and supplies used on the horses, vets and vet assistants, farms where the horses are bred and all the people who work there. And all these people are working, paying taxes, contributing to a healthy economy.

As for the treatment of the horses themselves, after more than thirty years following racing, working with people who work in the racing industry, owning pleasure horses of my own, observing and participating in the pleasure horse industry, I feel qualified to make this observation: in every phase of the horse business, there are people who act to the detriment of the horses. There are people who deliberately sore the feet of Tenessee Walkers. There are people who deliberately breed Quarter horses that have HYPP, a debilitating metabolic disease (http://www.foundationhorses.com/impressive_syndrom.htm), because these horses also have the physique to be winners on the show circuit. There are people who perform peripheral neurectomies (nerving) on hunters and jumpers that acquire navicular disease as a result of what they are asked to do. And let us not forget the thousands of backyard pet horses that are neglected or abused, through ignorance, meanness, callousness, or lack of money.

The bottom line is, anywhere you look for abuse of horses, you are going to find it. It happens.

This does not change the fact that most people who work with horses, including those who race them, love their horses and feel beyond awful when something bad happens to them.

The people who are in Thoroughbred racing are, overwhelmingly, good people who are concerned for their animals. Even the people who act strictly out of mercenary feelings are concerned for their horses, for the simple reason that a horse that is lame or doesn't feel good costs them money. Horses that are unhealthy or lame are red ink on the debit side of the ledger, and horses that break down catastrophically are a financial disaster. So even those in racing with hearts of flint and icewater in their veins most emphatically DO NOT want their horses to be hurt by what they do.

Those who love horses, and that's most of the people in racing, want to see their horses well and happy and able to do their best. I have to tell you that nobody on a racetrack who works hands-on with the horses does it because they expect to get rich. No way. The hours are long, the work is grinding day-in and day-out, the work is physically demanding and frequently dangerous, and for every horse that has what it takes to get you your picture taken in the winner's circle on a weekend afternoon, you're going to work with a half dozen that just don't get you there and barely earn a paycheck.

So why do people do it?

Because they LOVE the horses. There is no better, finer, more athletic, more beautiful horse than a Thoroughbred racehorse. The best of them, like Secretariat, Bernardini, and yes, Barbaro, can make you believe in God and Heaven and perfection. It's that simple: you are very, very, very rarely privileged to witness the perfect machine doing what it was born to do, perfectly, flawlessly, beautifully, and man you can live through a thousand days of disappointments to see just one of those moments of perfection. It's that good.

And the animals themselves: horses in all their glory and valor and magnificence, when you have one of them at the end of a lead shank, turning to you with those amber eyes with purple depths, trusting you and loving you, it's a bit of paradise on earth. Even if the horse in his other moods is a devil who will bite you or kick you, eyes flashing white and bouncing around like he's weightless instead of 1,000 pounds of flesh and bone.

It's that feeling that makes most of the people in racing care for horses better than they care for some people. They love them, and when the horse is sick, the people who love the horse suffer. When catastrophe happens, that's when you go down into the deep valleys of darkness that racing can bring.

I won't argue that racing hasn't always done right by its horses, both champions and the obscure. Ferdinand and Exceller, great champions both, died in slaughterhouses when they failed as stallions. And many nameless and anonymous racehorses whose abilities were compromised went that route too.

As have many horses of many other breeds, when someone could no longer afford to care for them. The truth is that horses make very expensive pets, and the result is that some that have no utility value get euthanized.

But the people in racing care: that's why they give to the veterinary foundations that research ways of improving the lot of horses. That's why they create groups like the Pegasus Foundation, dedicated to re-homing horses that can't be raced anymore. That's why there are places like Old Friends, which attempts to assure that horses that are past use have a place to live out their days (http://www.oldfriendsequine.org/). That's why, even though they are wondering what it will do to the value of their bloodstock, breeders and owners are supporting the changeover from dirt surface tracks to Polytracks, which greatly lessen the incidence of catastophic breakdowns like Barbaro's.

I do not believe racing is inherently cruel. Thoroughbreds are bred to race, and most of the people who participate in the sport would die rather than see a horse harmed. And if fingers are going to be pointed at racing, I think we have to look at all other aspects of the horse industry, and educate ourselves on the things that go on there.

Answer 2

I really understand where you are coming from with this but i think that some people need to look at where the owners are coming from... I am in the horse community, I do not race, but that is not the point I have met many other people in the racing business, each and every person that i have met has deeply loved their horses. For the many people in the racing industry it is not a hobby it is a lifestyle,there are only a few cases where the owners are really in it for the money. I really wish that these people who are constantly saying that "racing is bad" or "racing is inhumane" would just keep their opinions to themselves. All races always have certified vets on hand and most will even have farriers too. Now i want to ask you, have you ever looked into other equine events? There are many such as pole bending, barrel racing, cross country, hunter jumper, roping, trail, endurence, dressage, cutting, bronc riding. and many, many others. Have you looked into their stats on death and ingery rates? The point that i'm trying to make here is that in every equine event there is some type of risk for both horse and rider. I hope that you can see the other side of the fence as well as your own.

Answer 3

The thing is, thoroughbreds are, in a way, a genetically engineered animal that has been specifically developed for one thing: racing.

Many people say that the jockeys "force" them to run, but notice what happens when a jockey falls off a horse during a race. The horse continues to race against the other horses.

Having said that, in my opinion there is too much U.S. racing at too many tracks, including very small tracks where the owners/trainers/jockeys/grooms have to win races in order to put food on the table. Despite the many racing people who really, really love horses, there are definitely instances of mistreatment, usage of illegally drugs, horses being raced too often, etc. and a lot of this arises from the constant pressure to survive financially.

So I don't think racing is inherently cruel but some improvements need to be made.

One recent development is the installation of "polytrack" at many racetracks, which is a synthetic surface that cushions the impact on the horse's hooves.

Answer 4

No. if you have ever been around these horses they LIVE for racing, it is what they are bred for, and if racing was banned, what would happen to these horses? a race track in West Virginia just shut down about a year ago and hundreds of thoroughbreds were then homeless. 130,000 horses were sent to slaughter in 2004 in the United States Alone, is it better for them to race and live under the love and care of their trainers and personal grooms, or to suffer en route to Texas (where the 2 slaughter plants in the US are). I have personally taken in horses off of the race track and with time they become wonderful horses in their new profession, but if racing were banned the glut in the market would mean that all of these athlete's would then have no job. by the end of their racing career theses horse s are usually only about 4-6, an age where they are still considered very young, and their experiences make them very mature for their age. Man O'War, whom many considered the greatest racehorse that ever lived, was only 5 when he retired. horses live to be around 35, and can be ridden well into their 20's. In fact the first horse I was able to compete (we leased him from a neighbor) was a 19 year old x-race horse.
almost any sport has a degree of danger. That is like asking if football should be banned, there are many injury's associated with that sport?

Answer 5

I bet they were protesting at the Kentucky Horse Park because the Rolex Kentucky Three Day Event was held there recently. Apparently dressage, cross country jumping, and show jumping are abusive towards horses. Any horse can be fatally injured. My sister's mare had to be euthanized after getting kicked in the shoulder by another horse. A fatal injury to a horse that was never a racehorse. Years ago, my mom sold a two year old filly, and the new owners had just gotten her home and were unloading her from the trailer when she reared and broke her leg on the trailer partition. A fatal injury to a horse that was not a racehorse. So no, it's not correct to assume that a horse won't get fatally injured if it never becomes a racehorse. Of all the races at Churchill Downs last Saturday, Eight Belles was the only horse to suffer a fatal injury. What happened to her is a risk every owner and trainer takes when they enter their horses in races. PETA just wants attention. Don't give it to them.

Answer 6

Seriously, take a look at your question. What other sport would do any harm to horses? Baseball? Football? Those Budweiser Clydesdales may pull a seismoid filming those commercials.

Seriously though, thoroughbreds are bred to race. If racing didn't exist the breed wouldn't exist. Ask Storm Cat about his life - he gets $500,000 to have a baby - yeah thats for one baby.

Racing isn't cruel - it is just the opposite actually.

Answer 7

No. Race horses are well taken care of better if I might add than most people take care of their pets. Injuries happen just like in any other sport. Can basketball or football not be cruel to humans? It is of entertainment value to humans is it not? A player sustains an injury that ends his career, is that not cruelty to the humans that play for our entertainment?!

Answer 8

i believe that if the owners are not taking care of the horses properly and injuries result, it is animal cruelity. simply racing horses is not necessarily cruel because it could be considered exercise. but i don't watch the races cause i don't like seeing the jockey swat the horses with the sticks to make them go faster. but with proper care and good vets, these horses should not be having these kinds of injuries. it is all really quite sad, no animal should be harmed in that way.

Answer 9

I do not support racing. All that screaming and whip whip whippin, and so many injuries. I do think some horses enjoy the thrill of racing other horses, but nevertheless I think it is purely entertainment for people. Horses in the sport don't usually live as long as others, but I do think the owners of the horses care very much for their animals.

Answer 10

Yes and No. I think that they race them too young, when their bones are not fully developed and thus it creates injuries that could have been foreseen if people would quit being so anal about the 'posh' side of racing. Its a gambling sport, and in it sometimes the horses and riders get hurt or even killed, so I say that I have no comment.

Answer 11

as long as the animals receive proper care as well as love and attention, it is not cruel. however, if owners start mistreating the animals and burning them out, it starts to get inhumane. generally, though, horses love to race, and sometimes, bad things just happen.