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 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 EVRP. 4 Apr Burba, Daniel. "The Dilemma of Bucked Shins in the Racehorse." LSU School of Veterinary Medicine 5 Apr 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 Eng, Richard. "RICHARD ENG: Milkshakes are sour subject in horse racing." reviewjournal.com. 1 Apr Las Vegas Review Journal. 1 Apr Fabiola, Groshan. "Gastric Ulcer in Racehorses." Apr "Horse Racing — the Horror Behind the Glamour." Chai Online: Concern For Helping Animals In Israel. 26 Mar Jonsson, Patrik. "Horse racing moves to reform, but faces many skeptics." Christian Science Monitor (17 Oct. 2008): 2-2. MasterFILE Premier. EBSCO. Mary and Jeff Bell Library, Corpus Christi, Tx. 7 Apr

McClain, Shannon. "Teaching others about the cruelty of horseracing." freewebs.com PARC: People Against Racehorse Cruelty. 30 Mar Palmer, Kristina. "The Horse Racing Industry." 22 Apr Apr Rees, Jennie, and Hall, Gregory. "Breeding, betting and dirt at issue in horse racing reform." USA Today 11 May Apr Schoffner, Denny. Personal interview. 6 Apr Smith, RaeLeann. "Horse Racing: Stop It (or At Least Reform It)." Encyclopedia Britannica Advocacy For Animals Encyclopedia Britannica, Inc.. 1 Apr "The History of Horse Racing." 7 Apr "The Horseracing Industry: Drugs, Deception and Death." PETA Media Center. PETA. 1 Apr Tyler, Andrew. "RIDING FOR A FALL - The genetic time bomb at the heart of racing."Animal Aid. Mar Animal Aid. 7 Apr 2009

=x_7iUwxix8Y =TCx78Fh30NA Here are two graphic videos from that are prime examples of the shocking injuries that the horses can sustain while racing.