Animal rights groups in California used the latest high profile horse death at Santa Anita racetrack to renew their calls for an end to horseracing.
They demonstrated at last weekend’s Breeders’ Cup Classic at the iconic Southern California racetrack.
A four-year old horse injured a hind leg when entering the final turn of the $6 million race, which was televised nationally. He was later euthanized. The horse’s death brought to 37 the number that have died at Santa Anita since last December, with three happening within a span of nine days.
In April the Los Angeles District Attorney’s office announced an investigation of that 23 deaths that had occurred at that point. So far, no announcement has been made. The demonstrators indicated their frustration by demonstrating in front of the DA’s office on the Thursday before the Breeders’ Cup Race.
Kitty Block, CEO of the Humane Society of the United States, issued a statement saying, “The decision to hold the Breeders’ Cup at Santa Anita before the results of investigations into the spate of recent deaths was ill advised.” She called for a suspension of racing at Santa Anita until the DA’s investigation is completed and its results released.
PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) took it a step further and called for a national suspension on horse racing.
A video of the race showed the jockey using the whip to urge the horse on. Animal rights groups have called for banning the whip.
The California Horse Racing Board is studying limiting the whip’s use.
Others, like supporters of the Horse Racing Integrity Act urge Congress to pass the bill that would cut back on the use of drugs on racehorses.
But Donna Brothers, in a post entitled “PETA Is A Bully” outlines why horseracing is inherently dangerous to horses, but the ultimate care is given to them. In an essay on her website, she calls PETA to task for some very extreme views.
“PETA is against people interacting with animals. Sound extreme? I didn’t make this up; it’s in their Statement on Companion Animals! PETA believes that harboring a domesticated animal of any kind (most of which are unable to survive in the wild) is a cruel form of animal slavery. This is extreme, and yet PETA takes it one step further: PETA believes that domesticated animals are better, not simply set free.”
She reports important PETA initiatives that have actually done more harm to animals than good. She examines the entirety of the racing industry and research shows that it’s not nearly as bad as PETA suggests.
“It turns out that it is actually safer to race our horses than it is to drive our children on the roads,” she says, ”But if we leave the story-telling of this subject to extremist groups such as PETA and sensationalist media sources seeking to exploit anyone’s suffering, anyone’s loss, any negative tidbit that can be found in order to increase their ratings, views, clicks and hits, then those who know very little about horse racing would be led to believe the loudest voice: extremist organizations like PETA and known, sensationalist news outlets that in the end, are also deeply profiting from this gambit.”
