There is too much money at stake within the industry (owners, trainers,
racing organizations, vets, etc.), with the local and state governments, with
the media, and even the betting public to really expect reform in the racing
industry. Horses are just a commodity to make the most bucks off of.
Get them out as early as possible, run them hard, run them compromised, the
fittest will survive, and there is an expected loss of crippled and dead
horses along the way. The most important thing is to make as much money as
possible with no regard to the animal.
Trainers can run compromised horses on drugs. Trainers get
caught and have multiple positives drug tests and just pay their
fines. They consider this part of doing business. At least 1/2 of
the Kentucky Derby trainers last year had multiple drug violations and were
still training and racing horses according to HBO Real Sports. Everyone
looks the other way when it comes to what is best for the horse.
The media takes a tragedy like Barbaro and turns it into a soap opera
making the race industry and the owners heroes for trying to save this
horse. How many times must we watch a televised horse race and watch
horses die and be told it is a tragic accident. Think of the money they
make on stories like this. Yet this same media refuses to look into
WHY these tragedies occur on a regular basis.
I am amazed that PETA has not waged a full on war against the race
industry. Maybe there is just too much money and power involved in the
race industry that protects them from animal rights groups and public
outcry. Maybe treating horses this way is just too deeply imbedded in our
culture that we are unable to view this abuse in the same way we view dog
fighting and cock fighting. Other than the horse meat/food industry,
I think horse racing comes in a close second on viewing the animal as a
commodity strictly to make money with little regard for the animal's well being
while going through the process.
