Take Action Against Horse Racing Abuse

D

Deleted member 3018

Guest

"The goverment doesn't want to do anything about horse racing, because there is a lot of money involved."
SOUNDS LIKE FUR FARMING. But do not despair, fur farming is already going to be completely banned, (or has already been banned) in Belgum, Bosnia-Herzegovnia (coming into operation in 2029), Great Britain, Ireland, Scottland, Austria, Norway (coming into operation in 2025), etc...

Horse racing can be banned as well. It has to be.

In the video there are some examples, what we can do, but if you have other suggestions, share them with us, please.
We must end this abuse.
Maybe if you are a part of an activist group, this could be their next campaign?
 
  • Like
Reactions: mavrick45 and Lou
SOUNDS LIKE FUR FARMING
...Or like any other factory farming, really..
But what makes horse racing abuse so unique, is that many people can see that the horses are suffering, and still completely capable of ignoring it.
When in factory farming, only the workers and some students see what is really going on.
Maybe if more people would see behind the scenes of racing, they'd finally wake up.
 
I'll just keep sharing these videos from Think Like A Horse.
If you have a social media page, it would be great if you'd also share, especially the first video.

 
Instead of riding horses, people should try riding other humans. I would think that the race would still be interesting.

1015
 
  • Like
Reactions: FlandersOD
@wonderfularizona

At first, I thought that you were being serious...

But... yeah, that could happen... maybe there is going to be human (slave) racing in the future (estimated 2090) when the world is like from Mad Max...
 
  • Like
Reactions: Hog
I was part serious and part silly. There are so many ways you can read what I said.

I recalled how the iditarod is a lengthy, difficult, and frequently cruel dog race. Then I thought if I pulled a little kid on a sled, he or she would have a great time. I imagined myself racing against another guy pulling another kid. I can imagine the kids saying "faster, faster, faster." Spectators would enjoy watching me pant and strain as I slipped and strained on the snow and ice. Plus, I could use the exercise.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Deleted member 3018
Races of any animals are cruel use, and misuse, of the animals involved. But there will be more sympathy from the general public for dogs, as dogs are generally cared for by people who have them to care for, among those of the general public. Horses generally are never pets being cared for as pets, and there won't be as much sympathy for them from the general public, which is that speciesist. But use of animals in anything generally is involving cruel use of them.
 
Races of any animals are cruel use, and misuse, of the animals involved. But there will be more sympathy from the general public for dogs, as dogs are generally cared for by people who have them to care for, among those of the general public. Horses generally are never pets being cared for as pets, and there won't be as much sympathy for them from the general public, which is that speciesist. But use of animals in anything generally is involving cruel use of them.
Yeah, that's strange... Horses are bread to be used... But if you work with horses, and see how beautiful souls they are, you really grow to love and respect them.
But people who patricipate in horse racing cruelty are blinded by greed. It's mind boggling. How can they be physically so close to horses, and yet mentally so far?
 
I was part serious and part silly. There are so many ways you can read what I said.

I recalled how the iditarod is a lengthy, difficult, and frequently cruel dog race. Then I thought if I pulled a little kid on a sled, he or she would have a great time. I imagined myself racing against another guy pulling another kid. I can imagine the kids saying "faster, faster, faster." Spectators would enjoy watching me pant and strain as I slipped and strained on the snow and ice. Plus, I could use the exercise.
Okay, thank you. Now I understand what you meant.
That'd be intereresting. Here in Finland, we have eukonkanto racing, which means that husbands carry their wives in a competitive setting.
 
I have horses, myself - and I absolutely feel track racing must be banned. First of all, those horses they race are BABIES. Their skeletons aren't even mature enough for regular riding, much less racing. A horse should not be ridden at all until at least the age of 3 and many people say 6. There are many people who rescue off-track thoroughbreds but many end up slaughtered. Plus there are the ones who die at the actual races.

There are two types of horse "racing," however, that I feel are very good for both horses and humans. Competitive trail riding is a sport that teaches and rewards people for taking excellent care of their animals. In a competitive trail ride, which is 25-50 miles, you win by having the horse that finishes within the allotted time (can not go too fast or too slow) in such excellent condition that he immediately could go on to complete again with no problem. The vet checks out all the horses before the race starts and nobody is allowed to ride a horse that isn't in excellent condition. Every 10 miles or so is a vet check. The vet checks the heart rate, checks for any signs of soreness, etc. If your horse is the least bit sore or their heart rate is too high you get pulled. They also examine the horse's hooves to make sure you're properly caring for the hooves, look at if the horse is exactly the right weight, makes sure the horse does not have bug bites..... the winner is the person who finishes with the happiest, healthiest horse.

In American endurance racing, you still have all the vet checks and you still get pulled if your horse isn't perfectly comfortable and doing well - but there isn't a higher limit on speed and the races are longer (100 miles). There are usually two winners - the one who finishes first (with the horse in great condition) and the one who finishes with the most healthy horse. If you're interested, pull up a youtube video of the horses coming across the finish line at Tevis - the most famous endurance ride in the US. You'll be amazed to see how peppy they are after that long ride. Horses are fantastic animals. If I could be reincarnated as anything I want - I'd be reincarnated as an endurance racing horse.

Imagine if you took perfect care of your body and got all the exercise you needed, and your muscles were perfectly toned and you were exactly the right weight, got all the perfect foods, and you were in such good shape that you felt truly exhilarated when you ran. You could have a runners high 3-4 times per week. Also, you got regular massages and skin treatments. That's the shape these horses are in.

I don't race. I have 3 horses - two 20-year-old geldings and a 7-year-old mare. I adopted them. My horses LOVE to go on trail rides. They absolutely adore it, as much as my dogs love to be walked. They get excited to jump in the trailer and go! My horses are pampered and get excellent veterinary care. They get their hooves trimmed regularly. They get brushed and fly sprayed. They love watermelon and carrots and they're never locked in a barn. They have a shelter they can go in when they want, but they choose to spend 99.999% of their time outside of the shelter. I've considered doing some competitive trail riding with them and would love to if we ever get the chance, but my work schedule gets in the way of it.

Track racing is horrible, cruel exploitation of babies and most definitely should be illegal and punishable by imprisonment. So many horses are bred for racing and if they don't make the cut, they're sold to be slaughtered. Even if they make the cut, once they're done racing, they're usually sold (unless they're a champion, of course - then they're bred). I'm against breeding horses. There are too many horses that are unwanted and neglected. It's impossible for all of the off-track thoroughbreds to be adopted into loving homes. Also people breed horses for shows - and many of those horses don't make the cut, either and the same thing happens to them.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Deleted member 3018
Horses used by humans (for personal riding, track racing or even trail racing) are all subjected to some nastiness in the form of "Breaking". A horse needs a human and their backs as much as I need a railroad spike driven in my skull. I know that Mom2vegan has their heart in the right place, but I cannot condone any horse breeding for human purposes. Nature designed them to be alone with their horse relatives in nature, not as a seat for a biped. They only act nice to humans because they were forced to be docile by humans, this is not freedom.
Anyways, my 2 centavos.
 
@Mom2vegan
Thank you so much for the info, I really appreciate our post, even if we do not see eye to eye in some aspects.

Also, you are fairly new, so WELCOME to the Forum! Lovely to have you here, I hope you stay. :)

The trail riding and the American endurance racing doesn't sound that bad. But I just wonder if the horses get to live on a pasture, or if they are kept in stalls most of the time?
If I have understood correctly, in the competitive horse world, the horses are often kept in stalls so that they won't get dirty, and sometimes even their whiskers are cut, but I don't really know, and I don't want to fight. I'm just curious about this.
Maybe this is more common in the Show horse world?
I wasn't aware that this kind of racing even exists.

I'm all for keeping horses, especially adopted ones... But after watching the documentary The Path of The Horse, I don't really like the idea of riding horses, and especially competitive riding, because when people are so invested in winning, they sometimes start to see their horses as machines instead of living beings.
Not that you'd be one of those people, but it seems to be fairly common.

"Track racing is horrible, cruel exploitation of babies and most definitely should be illegal and punishable by imprisonment."
Couldn't agree with you more!

I really love it how well you take care of your horses, and the fact that they aren't locked up.


Here is the documentary:

And this kind of horse keeping I really adore, and wish that I could someday practice:

@SapphireLightning
Exactly what I'm thinking, but I'm worried that there are going to be heated emotions and people are going to start quarreling about this subject.
 
No worries, I just needed to drop my 2 cents.
Thank you. :)
...And it takes two to fight, so I'm not blaming just you, if something happens. :)

We all have a right to say our opinions, but sometimes there is going to be a bad reaction, when people can't undestand each others, and get hurt emotions.
 
  • Like
Reactions: SapphireLightning
@Mom2vegan
Thank you so much for the info, I really appreciate our post, even if we do not see eye to eye in some aspects.

Also, you are fairly new, so WELCOME to the Forum! Lovely to have you here, I hope you stay. :)

The trail riding and the American endurance racing doesn't sound that bad. But I just wonder if the horses get to live on a pasture, or if they are kept in stalls most of the time?
If I have understood correctly, in the competitive horse world, the horses are often kept in stalls so that they won't get dirty, and sometimes even their whiskers are cut, but I don't really know, and I don't want to fight. I'm just curious about this.
Maybe this is more common in the Show horse world?
I wasn't aware that this kind of racing even exists.

I'm all for keeping horses, especially adopted ones... But after watching the documentary The Path of The Horse, I don't really like the idea of riding horses, and especially competitive riding, because when people are so invested in winning, they sometimes start to see their horses as machines instead of living beings.
Not that you'd be one of those people, but it seems to be fairly common.

"Track racing is horrible, cruel exploitation of babies and most definitely should be illegal and punishable by imprisonment."
Couldn't agree with you more!

I really love it how well you take care of your horses, and the fact that they aren't locked up.


Here is the documentary:

And this kind of horse keeping I really adore, and wish that I could someday practice:

@SapphireLightning
Exactly what I'm thinking, but I'm worried that there are going to be heated emotions and people are going to start quarreling about this subject.

In the horse show world, horses are kept in stalls and I agree - stalls are not a good thing at all. In the horse show it's all about the horse being pretty - wouldn't want the horse to be outside rolling around and getting dirty, would they? No - they give them baths and wrap them in leg wraps and blankets and make them very pretty, keep them in stalls most of the time, and turn them out for exercise twice per day, feed them hay. I've been to the homes of some people who show horses and I have to say that their horses do not seem unhappy whatsoever - but these were people who only had 2-3 horses. There are people who have many more horses and nobody can convince me that those horses get enough attention to have good lives. Plus - the horses are deliberately bred for showing, and I think we all agree that breeding horses is a horrible thing.

With the competitive trail riding it's different. I haven't met any real endurance racers, so I can't speak for them. But - at the meetings introducing people to competitive trail riding I've learned a lot about CTR and also met several people who do CTR. They are all about the horses being happy and healthy - and pretty is not necessary at all. They are truly champions for the horses and do so much to promote the health and wellbeing of horses. So - of course they have to have healthy coats and be in good shape, and that makes them beautiful, but they don't have their ear hair clipped and their feet clipped and it's OK if their coats aren't perfectly clean. They don't wear fake tails. So - they don't have to be kept indoors to be kept clean. Horses allowed to be on pasture 24/7 are much healthier and also much, much easier to take care of. For the most part CTR people have their horses on pasture all the time. At least the ones I've met. Also these horses do not have to have any specific conformation or be any particular breed - which encourages the use of "grade" horses. Grade horses are often from accidental breedings or backyard breeders and are often found at kill sales. Many many people go to kill sales and rescue the horses and bring them home.

My sister and I are considering going on the Camino - it's a very long hiking trail in Europe. The recommendation for people hiking the trail is that we not carry more than 10% of our body weight on our backs. So our backpacks will be like 12 lbs. You barely even notice 12 lbs, especially if you're in good shape - which the hikers should be, before going on the hike (it's about 500 miles but my sister and I are only doing like 100-120 miles of it).

As far as "breaking" horses - good people don't "break" horses. They "start" them. There's no cowboy getting on and riding a fearful horse through lots of bucking. No drama - slow, gentle introductions and horses learning to trust humans. I'm not saying there aren't still people out there who "break" horses, but those people generally don't participate in sports that are all about horse health and good treatment of horses.

There are good horse people out here - lots of them.

A horse weighs 800-1200 lbs, plus they have all four feet on the ground rather than walking on 2 legs. A lightweight rider on a horse is no less comfortable than a 12 lb backpack on a human.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Deleted member 3018
@Mom2vegan
I checked some pictures of competitive trail riding, and what I noticed was that often they seem to be using bits. What is your take on that? I mean, even if the rider has "soft hands", the horse still has a pain causing device in its mouth, desinged to control the horse with fear and pain, doesn't that make you uneasy?
I'm sure that you would never cause pain to your horses deliberately, but can't that happen accidentally, when using bits?
I'm not trying to guild trip you, I'm honestly dumbfounded, and would like to know what YOU think.

I don't know much about the physique of horses backs, but I'll take your word for it that a lightweight human can ride a horse every now and then without causing severe damage, but I still don't like that...

You seem to know so much about horses, you have been in the horse world for a long time, I presume?
Thank you for sharing your knowledge.
I really enjoy reading your opinions, and experiences...and I do agree with a lot of that what you said, like with the breeding, how people should rescue horses from the kill sales, the gentle build of trust between human and horse, and that there are good horse people out there. These atrocities, like track racing, gives horse people a bad rep, but that, thankfully isn't the whole truth of the horse world. Horse world, and the people inside of it, is a vide spectrum.

I love it how the CTR horses can roam on the pasture, and are kept good care of. I bet they have much better lifes than many other horses, like for example, track racing-, back riding-, and show horses.
It's good to know that some humans actually care about their horses, and let them be as free as possible.
 
  • Like
Reactions: SapphireLightning
@Mom2vegan
I checked some pictures of competitive trail riding, and what I noticed was that often they seem to be using bits. What is your take on that? I mean, even if the rider has "soft hands", the horse still has a pain causing device in its mouth, desinged to control the horse with fear and pain, doesn't that make you uneasy?
I'm sure that you would never cause pain to your horses deliberately, but can't that happen accidentally, when using bits?
I'm not trying to guild trip you, I'm honestly dumbfounded, and would like to know what YOU think.

I don't know much about the physique of horses backs, but I'll take your word for it that a lightweight human can ride a horse every now and then without causing severe damage, but I still don't like that...

You seem to know so much about horses, you have been in the horse world for a long time, I presume?
Thank you for sharing your knowledge.
I really enjoy reading your opinions, and experiences...and I do agree with a lot of that what you said, like with the breeding, how people should rescue horses from the kill sales, the gentle build of trust between human and horse, and that there are good horse people out there. These atrocities, like track racing, gives horse people a bad rep, but that, thankfully isn't the whole truth of the horse world. Horse world, and the people inside of it, is a vide spectrum.

I love it how the CTR horses can roam on the pasture, and are kept good care of. I bet they have much better lifes than many other horses, like for example, track racing-, back riding-, and show horses.
It's good to know that some humans actually care about their horses, and let them be as free as possible.

There are many different types of bits and it's more the hand of the rider than the type of bit that matters - they're really there just to signal the horse and are not meant to cause discomfort. If you spend any time at all around good horse people you'll constantly hear them saying "stay out of his mouth" any time they see somebody putting pressure on a bit. And it's not that a little pressure on a bit causes pain - they're pretty big around. You can put one in your mouth and see for yourself what they feel like. It's just pressure. Not to say there aren't cruel bits - but good horse people do not use them. We ride with our reins hanging loose at all times except when we're signaling the horse and then it's a light pressure. Just enough pressure that the horse can feel the signal - and often that's not even necessary because you signal with gently pressure on your lower legs first. I'm not saying even the best riders never have to put some hard pressure on a bit for an "emergency stop" - but it's rare and very brief and like I said not really painful. It's necessary sometimes as part of training, but that very brief discomfort is worth it because if you want a horse to have the best possible chance of not ending up in a kill pen, the best thing you can do for that horse is make sure it's trained and somebody will want it. Every horse is at risk of going to a kill pen eventually - there are no guarantees about any horses. You can love your horses and coddle them and keep them in a pasture and never ride them, with all the best intentions, but then if you die or if you become disabled or lose your property or something, if those horses aren't rideable nobody will want them. Then they end up being given away for free to somebody who may seem alright but I can't tell you how many horse people have found out later that the "good person" they gave their horse to with the promise that it would be taken care of, couldn't ride it and then sold it. I've met so many people new to horses who have bought horses that they thought they could ride, not taking the necessary lessons or understanding how well a horse and rider have to be trained. Then they get bucked off or the horse takes off or knocks them off under a tree limb and then they call the HORSE crazy, and sell it to anybody who will take it.

I've only really been deeply into horses for 7 years. I was obsessed with them as a child but didn't have the money until I got older. I've seen all sorts of things since I got into horses - good people and bad people. The person I bought my mare from 7 years ago was one of the bad ones. I mean - nobody's all good or all bad, but I wouldn't want to be one of her horses. She had THIRTY horses! Way too many horses for her 40 acres. We had a big pasture between us - about 10 acres of it was mine and 10 or so belonged to another neighbor. I and the other neighbor allowed the horse dealer to turn her horses out in our pasture because we weren't using it and the horses needed it, and the horses were beautiful. I went out to pet and feed the horses often and that's when I met my baby, Omen. She was still nursing. I'd brush and feed her mother and Omen would be on the other side, nursing. She'd stick her nose under her mother to sniff me and pretty soon she was coming around to play with me. So I bought her but kept her with the dealer for a while, paying board while she was still nursing, so I could learn what I could and also observe what was going on there. She was kept in a stall :(. I do understand why the dealer felt the need to keep her in a stall - foals do get very easily injured and there were wolves and bears etc. but the conditions were not good. The stall was too small and I cleaned it every day and took her out for exercise, spent hours brushing her. When she was old enough, I brought her to a trainer and got her away from where she was born. At the trainers she had 24/7 access to the pasture and also a nice warm stall she could come and go from as she pleased. The trainer was a show person but a good show person - she only had 2 horses of her own. She taught me a lot about caring properly for horses. Omen and a mare were in one paddock connected to a very large stall and a young gelding was in the stall/paddock next to them. The trainer cleaned the stalls daily and put in clean bedding, and they had free feed hay and grass to eat, as well as grain. Omen learned to open her stall door, then open the gelding's stall door to go in with him. She loooooved him.

When Omen was 4, we moved back home to Kansas to be near my family. My husband and I live in a "tiny home" (it's actually an RV but "tiny home" sounds better) next to my dad, who has 10 acres. I bought two older geldings who'd done a lot of trail riding. We mostly ride the geldings. Omen is hormonal and has PMS most of the time. The three horses have about 9 of the acres, half of which is heavily wooded and has a pond. The other half has a walk-in barn and pasture.

There is so very much animal cruelty and exploitation in this world and we have to do what we can to stop it. We also have to see the good that has come about and be grateful for that - and feel proud that we've contributed to it. It was only 20 years ago that it was the norm to cruelly break a horse. Look how far we have come! The Horse Whisperer (Monty Roberts) did so much for the wellbeing of all horses by teaching the world what he'd learned. People who "break" horses are truly shunned now. It's really not accepted at all - except in certain circles. The track racing circles.....competitive shows...... Also, we've got away from shoeing horses. Not that shoeing, done right, is cruel in any way but it's much kinder to buy boots for our horses and take them off when they're in the pasture. Most people don't shoe anymore and often those who do shoe only put the shoes on if they're taking the horses on a long ride in a rocky place..

People are truly changing the way they treat animals. I know everybody is impatient to see the changes come faster and it's horrible to see everything that's still happening but humanity is becoming better.

Any time somebody is making money off of animals, there's going to be abuse. The people abusing the animals might deny it to themselves and find all kinds of ways to rationalize it and say it's not abuse, but it's impossible to make any money off of any animal without abusing them or somehow contributing to their abuse. I could go on and on. I'm sorry for rambling. It's not like I'm anywhere near perfect. I'm almost 50 and just now getting to the point where I honestly think I can stop consuming animal products, even though I have seen how animals are treated. I'm improving, though......and very grateful to have other people to talk to about these things.

I think it's real important for us do what we can to defend animals - get things outlawed - but to not throw the babies out with the bath water while we're doing it. Push for the end of track racing and the type of endurance racing where there aren't vets and wellness checks - but support and love the people who are really, hands-on, doing the things necessary to better the horses' lives.