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.