Is it Really Just Horse Racing? | Teen Ink

Is it Really Just Horse Racing?

March 24, 2013
By Anonymous

Imagine. You walk through the stables to hear a strong cry, then silence. You know right away that a racing horse is gone, forever. Yet, farm horses live much longer, fuller lives, as do domestics. Why are racing ones any different? It’s a whole other story, which happens to be quite alarming and tragic. I bet you didn’t know that there is much more to horse racing than horses breezing by on your television screen. Much more is happening. The public just does not wish to make it all known. Brutality is going in. To the maximum. Society needs to immediately put an end to serious, abusive horse racing because too many violent injuries occur, the horses who don’t make the cut, or the ones retired are killed, and also since people often drug the animals for a better performance, and sometimes abuse them.

One day. One race. One tragedy. The thing that happens to dramatically end the life of an innocent horse. It is absolutely unfair how we, human beings, take advantage of these poor animals, just for their own entertainment. About 25 horses are brought to their grave every week just from racing. What people don’t know, is that these animals are being harshly whipped, spanked, and battered down. (The New York Times, Horse Racing) To add on,what happens is, most of the time, the horses start training at a very early age, which is horrible for their own health. They are much too young to take on this enduring task, since their bones have not yet fully reached their total growth. (“Horse Racing- the Horror Behind the Glamour”, published by CHAI) First of all, this makes the animals more prone to hurting themselves, and also, the wounds are most likely to be a whole lot more consequential. A recent study showed that “800 Thoroughbreds die from racing-related injuries every year in North America.” (CHAI, article) That is quite a lot of unnecessary deaths, and needs a change right away. How can anyone just stand by and let this happen?

It’s such a shame and a pure monstrosity. We wonder, why? Why are hundreds of horses produced, just for a few to stay alive? The world that we live in is completely messed up in situation. Horses are alive, and have feelings, as well as humans. But for some odd reason, people feel the need to dominate. And in this case, they are abusing and dominating horses, that have done nothing wrong at all. In the CHAI article, this incredible and horrendous fact has been revealed: “A local Macau newspaper published photos of healthy horses (some as young as 4 years old) who were no longer fast enough to win races, being lined up and shot, their bodies dumped at a local landfill.” Shooting is much cheaper than properly putting to sleep (euthanizing) if truly required. This is one of the major sections of the horse racing debate that plays a role in what to do when it comes to to choosing the sport, or the humanity.

When anyone hears the words, “horse race”, they usually associate them with glamour and wealth. People say that horse racing is a sport, just like all the others, so why do others keep questioning this friendly game? Of course folks may love the excitement that builds up inside of them when the galloping thumps run right into the finish line, but they are being extremely selfish. If only they knew the truth. You see, those people are the ones that just want to be pleased, and wouldn’t care at all about the suffering that goes on behind
the scenes. Where it all goes down.

“Shoot, shoot, bang!” Dozens of horses are dead. They are all standing in one, alarmed looking line, watching and waiting. They will be next to go. Their bodies dumped into a landfill as if they were garbage, just being poured out. Oh, and all at the ages of between one and a half through four year olds. (CHAI, article) Practically babies. They are supposed to just fit right in with people’s unwanted things. Horses should not fit anywhere in that category. Think about it... horses are animals. Dogs are animals. You wouldn’t shoot your own puppy if he was sick because it was less expensive, would you? When you honestly look at what is being done, you should come to, and experience a wave of reality. If you don’t, then you are acting unbelievably cruel. You can go next on line, if you don’t care about these unfortunate animals.

Remember: we need to be the voices of the horses. They cannot speak for themselves. That is why we are here; to help. How can we let them be injured just for amusement, thrown around, and mistreated, in severe ways? We are better than that. It is time to prove that, now.The lives of harmless horses are in the palms of our hands. What happens in the outcome is entirely up to you. Send an email over to the Meadowlands Racetrack, right here in New Jersey (media@newmracing.com), if you feel pity on these animals. I assure you, your consideration will make a difference.


The author's comments:
I've always had a soft spot for animals, especially ones that I feel people take advantage of. Horse racing seemed the perfect topic for me to write about for this assignment, and I have found that I've also learned some interesting things along the way...

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