Thursday, January 27, 2011

Horse Racing - Sport of Kings or Tyrants?

I attended the first of the Penticton Museum’s Brown Bag lecture series on Jan 18 th and would like to extend a thank you to the Museum and to Cass Robinson who spoke about the race horse industry in British Columbia. Cass gave a very impartial look inside the world of horse racing, revealing things even I did not know about. While Cass obviously loves horses she spoke very candidly about the flaws of the race horse world to not only the horses but to the men and women who ride these horses to the finish line. Most people are totally unaware of the way Jockey’s are treated in the outdated weight restrictions  they face in order to qualify to enter a race. The weight assigned for the Kentucky Derby is 126 pounds total which includes the jockey ‘s body weight, his clothing and the horses saddle and tack! No wonder they wear silks! To meet these unbeilivably low weight rules, the average jockey weighs between 108 and 118 pounds. Here is a quote from a website called Jockeys Room
Photo courtesy of www.RaceHorseTrainers.co.ukTo stay light means one has to keep the calories down. Often jockeys eat no more than a piece of toast and a few cups of tea throughout the day. It is common for jockeys to indulge in vomiting to control their weight .
In a recent HBO film titled JOCKEY , retired jockey Randy Romero, who is awaiting liver and kidney transplants due to damage from bulimia, comes clean about the dangerous weight-control methods jockeys engage in. The film shows the square toilet bowls installed at some famous racetracks, toilets designed specifically for jockeys to use for vomiting.
Cass also talked about the drugs that race horses are given, sometimes to make them run faster and sometimes to make them run slower.  Add to this a device called a “bug, machine, joint or jigger “ which is illegal but is used to shock the horse to force them to run faster and one gets to get a very clear picture of what goes on behind the scenes on a race track.
Cass also talked about how horses are raced before their knees are fully developed and the low percentage of 2 year olds that make it to be a three year old racer due to physical breakdown caused by the stress on the horses joints.
What Cass did not speak about was where the race horses go after their racing careers are over. Most go to slaughter even the ones that have earned their owners big money. It is estimated that thoroughbreds and quarter horses make up the bulk of the 125,000 horses that were slaughtered in Canada in2010. This does not include the horses that were sent to Mexico for slaughter.
 Unfortunately when you watch a sporting event like the Kentucky Derby, bet on a race, or visit a local track, these are the industry practices you support.
Below is a hand out that I distributed at the talk to anyone who was interested. Only one person refused to take the handout. Most people are so unaware of the truth behind this incredibly cruel and ruthless industry.
THE TRUTH ABOUT THE RACE HORSE INDUSTRY
What is the average weight of a jockey?
Weight depends on horse and length of race. However for top end races the weight the horse CARRIES is allowed to be between 115 and 121 lbs! That includes tack and clothing! No wonder the Jockey’s wear silk!
Almost all jockeys practice vomiting and laxatives to maintain race day weight.
Is it true that race horses end up at slaughter?
If history is any guide, though, some Derby bluebloods will end up one day far away from the bright lights, in the cold, cruel surroundings of a slaughterhouse.
Take Ferdinand. The striking, well-bred son of Canadian-bred Nijinsky II won the Kentucky Derby in 1986 and his future seemed secure. He died in a slaughterhouse in Japan 16 years later, reportedly no longer attractive to breeders as a stallion.
Exceller, the only horse ever to beat two Triple Crown winners – Seattle Slew and Affirmed in the 1978 Jockey Club Gold Cup – died in a Swedish slaughterhouse in 1997.
Phantom on Tour, sixth in the '97 Kentucky Derby, might have met a similar fate if rescue groups hadn't have stepped in.
It is estimated that 125 THOUSAND horses were slaughtered in Canada in 2010! Most of these were from the Throughbred industry and the Quarter Horse industry. This does not include the horses that were sent to Mexico to be slaughtered.
Using drugs banned from the human food chain is routine in the race horse industry, and therefore race horses should be banned from the slaughter  industry.
What is a Nurse Mare Farm?
Nurse mare farms breed mares to random studs for the purpose of bringing the mares into lactation. The pregnancies they carry are unwanted, the milk is the name of the game.
Once foaled, these mares are then leased out to other farms to nurse foals other than their own (usually high dollar show or race horses). Their own foals are pulled away from them anywhere between 1 day and 1 week of age. Their foals are then discarded due to the level of care they require and the costs associated to raise the orphan foals.









The following is a list of Nurse Mare Farms in Canada that are listed on the internet. This does not mean that there are not more in Canada, they are just not on the internet.
Canada
AA Arabians
Sheila Clarkson
rr#4 orangeville ont l9w 2z1
519/941-4387
sheila@inetsonic.com
Carson Farms
R.R.#3 Listowel,
Ontario, Canada N4W 3G8.
519/291-2049; fax 519/291-5065
sales@davidcarson.on.ca www.davidcarson.on.ca
 Carson Farms prides themselves on their own breeding program for their Clydesdales. However, in recent years they have found a need to supply nurse mares to help in raising foals who are either orphaned or rejected by their dams. Carson Farms have on hand 20-30 broodmares who are due to foal in the early part of 2005 and can be used as nurse mares for standardbreds, thoroughbreds or simply for your own special horse. Carson Farms have a lease agreement to provide a mare in milk and give assistance or advice as needed under reasonable circumstances. The mare will be leased to raise a healthy foal until September / October and then will be returned to Carson Farms.

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