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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 Dr. Tim O’Brien From "I have been investigating animal welfare issues for ten
years, and during the last six years I have published a number of reports on
the welfare of racehorses. It is my opinion, based on scientific data
published by research groups throughout the world, that horse racing and
animal suffering are inextricably linked. Horses, which are often raced when
less than two years old, endure massively high incidences of stomach
ulceration, lung hemorrhaging (even during low-intensity exercise) and bone
weakness (sometimes weakening by over forty percent during the course of a
race). "Racehorses are whipped up to 30 times during one race, according to a
survey conducted by the non-profit organization Animal Aid. The survey
showed that the whip was used even on young horses, during their first race.
Horses in a state of total exhaustion and already out of contention were
also beaten. The whip was used on the neck and shoulders, as well as the
hind quarters. Horses were observed being whipped 20, even 30 times during a
race. "The Jockey Club is responsible for regulating and enforcing the Rules of
Racing, but the rules are lacking in clarity and very poorly enforced by
Race Stewards. None of the violations observed during the survey period drew
a sanction for the offending riders. "Every year, around 300 racehorses die on British race tracks as a result
of fatal falls or serious injuries, most often breaks to the legs, backs, or
shoulders; heart attacks; or a drop in performance that makes them
commercially non-viable. In addition to the hundreds raced to death,
thousands more are killed or abandoned to neglectful or abusive situations
every year because they can no longer run fast enough to be profitable. "Around 5,000 leave racing every year, the same number who enter it. Very
few enjoy a decent retirement. Some are shot within weeks of their
money-earning days coming to an end. A small number become breeders. Many
are slaughtered, their bodies sold to countries like France, where people
eat horse meat, or they end up as pet food. Others are exported, or sold
from owner to owner in a downward spiral of abuse and neglect. In the U.S.,
according to an Associated Press article, as many as 7,100 registered
thoroughbreds went to slaughter in 1998, the equivalent of 22 percent of the
1998 U.S. thoroughbred foal crop. "Because of their personal histories and temperament, only a very few
retired racehorses make good 'pets'. All retired race horses are very
high-maintenance, expensive to maintain, and long-lived. The specter of
having to spend many thousands of dollars on them over several decades
predisposes them to being abandoned. "Some have been discovered weak, emaciated, and forgotten. Even champion
prize winners, once their racing days are over, have been found in appalling
conditions. The 1984 UK Grand National winner Hallo Dandy was found in a
field, thin, tired, with scars on his back and his ribs poking through. "And with (according to UK gambling charity GamCare) around 60,000 people
in the UK addicted to gambling on horse races to an extent that compromises
their own well-being and that of their families, horse racing is clearly
responsible for considerable human as well as animal suffering. "Horse racing is bad for animals and bad for people. It has no place in
an enlightened society." Dr. Tim O’Brien is an independent animal welfare researcher. Since being
awarded his PhD in biological sciences, Dr. O’Brien has been Head of
Research at Compassion in World Farming, and a Director of The Genetics
Forum. He has advised UK government select committees on dairy farming, and
on the use of antibiotics in farming. He has authored reports into factory
farming and human health, farm animal genetic engineering, and the links
between intensive livestock farming, poverty and the environment, as well as
researching the welfare of racehorses. Fair Use Notice: This document may contain
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