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Animal Defenders of Westchester |
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Home Page We advocate on all animal protection and exploitation issues, including experimentation, factory farming, rodeos, breeders and traveling animal acts. Animal Defenders of Westchester |
Articles Racing from Another Perspective: Experts' Statements about Racing by Jennifer Hack From "Running comes naturally to horses. It is part of their genetic makeup to
flee from what they fear, and for some, it is also a form of play. I don�t
know anyone who doesn�t love to watch a herd of horses running across a
field. However, when economic incentives enter the scene, an entertaining
sport for horses turns into a cruel activity in which the human turns the
horse into a systematically maltreated commodity. "In the U.S., the 'sport' of horse racing sends thousands of horses who
are not fast enough to make the grade to the slaughterhouse. Those who do
make it to the track are raced when they are too young, before the growth
plates in their joints have closed. This causes injuries and lameness rarely
seen in riding horses, especially at such a young age. "Riding horses are started at 3-4 years of age. Race horses, by
comparison, are often started as young as 1.5 years. Riding horses are
brought along slowly and with as little stress to their still maturing
joints as possible, while race horses are forced to run beyond their limits,
stressing their legs and pounding their still developing joints into the
ground. The average riding horse is considered 'old' at 18-20 and
Thoroughbreds can live to 25, while the average race horse lives only 5-7
years. When the riding horse is just entering his prime, the race horse is
ending his career, and possibly his life. "The fate of thousands of racing horses who have finished their career is
one of the major problems of the U.S. equestrian community. There are not
enough homes for them all." Jennifer Hack is Director of Investigations for the United States Equine
Rescue League, supervising the investigation and prosecution of cases of
cruelty to horses. She has been a riding clinician and judge for nine years,
and an equine instructor and trainer for 18 years. As a student, she worked
for a member of the U.S. Olympic Equestrian Team (Lendon Gray). She is an
H-A graduate of the United States Pony Club, the highest rating given for
teaching, training, and stable management. Fair Use Notice: This document may contain
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