Response to RunWolf's comment...
The racing of dogs and horses does not in and of itself bother me. Some dogs and horses love, love, love to run. Nothing wrong with competing them in an activity they love. It's the industry that's the problem. Too many of the dog and horse racing people treat animals as property, just objects, and disposable ones at that. And just because a horse has done well, like Barbaro, really doesn't guarantee anything. I recently learned from a column from ESPN or Sports Illustrated online (can't remember which) that the great chestnut stallion Ferdinand, Kentucky Derby and Breeder's Cup Classic winner from the late 80s, ended up dying in a slaughterhouse in Japan. He was bred for a while, but his get didn't do so well at the races, so he just got passed from one horse dealer to another until he finally reached rock-bottom--and ended up as some Japanese person's dinner.
That just broke my heart--his win was the first Derby I ever saw, and I've always remembered that big beautiful red horse, ridden by Bill Shoemaker in pink and blue silks, winning the Derby. That's the truly ugly side of horse racing--not the running itself, even though it has its dangers.
After all, I've known two horses personally that had to be put down after breaking legs. In both cases, they were kicked by another horse while out playing in the pasture. My own horse bowed a tendon, an extremely serious leg injury, while out in a pasture, after almost 25 years with no serious injuries as a hunter-jumper. Life is dangerous--that doesn't mean that horses shouldn't run races, or jump fences, or play in pastures. But the horse world (and dog world) must take responsibility for what happens after the races are over. Big steps have been taken in that direction, with strong adoption programs now in place for both greyhounds and thoroughbreds--and there's a group called the Green Pastures Initiative that works to provide decent retirements for ex-racehorses. They had a big fundraiser at the Derby this year, selling $1000 mint juleps. Still, as Ferdinand's story shows, there's clearly a long way to go.
That just broke my heart--his win was the first Derby I ever saw, and I've always remembered that big beautiful red horse, ridden by Bill Shoemaker in pink and blue silks, winning the Derby. That's the truly ugly side of horse racing--not the running itself, even though it has its dangers.
After all, I've known two horses personally that had to be put down after breaking legs. In both cases, they were kicked by another horse while out playing in the pasture. My own horse bowed a tendon, an extremely serious leg injury, while out in a pasture, after almost 25 years with no serious injuries as a hunter-jumper. Life is dangerous--that doesn't mean that horses shouldn't run races, or jump fences, or play in pastures. But the horse world (and dog world) must take responsibility for what happens after the races are over. Big steps have been taken in that direction, with strong adoption programs now in place for both greyhounds and thoroughbreds--and there's a group called the Green Pastures Initiative that works to provide decent retirements for ex-racehorses. They had a big fundraiser at the Derby this year, selling $1000 mint juleps. Still, as Ferdinand's story shows, there's clearly a long way to go.