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2011 Kentucky Derby and Horse Racing Injuries

by on May. 07, 2011, under Animal Cruelty, Animal Events, Animal News, Horses, Hoofs, Goats, Pigs, Farm Animals

The first Saturday of May always heralds the Kentucky Derby. 2011 will be the 137th Derby held at Churchill Downs where celebutants and CEOs mix and mingle with their mint juleps in hand. It sounds like the makings of a glossy magazine cover for Southern Living except it’s anything but for the horses. Like dog racing, horsing racing sucks.

Like greyhounds, horses are exploited by an industry only concerned with the almighty buck. And like greyhound racing, horses go from the good tracks to the bad tracks until they are used up. Horses are slaughtered on a large scale and sent to Europe and Japan for gourmet horse meat.

And if you don’t think that Kentucky Derby winners end up in some foreign slaughterhouse, think again. Ferdinand, the 1986 Kentucky

134th Kentucky Derby - courtesy Getty Images

134th Kentucky Derby - Photo courtesy Getty Images

Derby winner who went on to capture the following year’s Horse of the Year title won eight of 29 starts and earned $3,777,978.00, died in a foreign slaughterhouse in 2002.

Just like greyhound racing, horse racing has its own list of dirty little secrets: drugging horses, fixing races, racing too young, racing too many at once (20 horses is more like a stampede); racing too hard before their ankles are fully developed; racing horses on poor surfaces; and racing when injured.

The NY Times reported that 3,035 thoroughbreds, standard-breds and quarter horses died at racetracks between 2003 and 2008. The newspaper also reported that “of the approximately 15,000 licensed horse trainers, 1,335, or 8.9 percent, have been cited for medication violation.

Who can forget Eight Belles crossing the finish line, breaking both her ankles, and then being euthanized? I cannot. That’s what the Kentucky Derby means to me – horse abuse. Her trainer said, “She went out in glory. She went out a champion to us.” That means nothing to Eight Belles; she went out in senseless agony.

According to weather reports, Kentucky has seen much rain. There’s a 60 to 70 percent chance of rain on Kentucky Derby Day. Is a muddy track safe? I guess the Kentucky Derby will only be cancelled if there’s a tornado. Safety for horses or jockeys doesn’t seem to be a concern.

Horse racing is no better than dog racing but perhaps a better kept secret to its abuse. Greyhounds fall and the sport continues although its popularity is waning as its economic feasibility. It seems that both the horse and dog racing industry extracts every ounce of blood, sweat, and tears out of horses and greyhounds treating them like a commodity rather than the living, beautiful creatures that they are.

Bet on a horse or a greyhound and you’re nothing but a big loser.

Read more
Lush life for horses; don’t bet on it – Christian Science Monitor

Animals as entertainment; drugs, deception, and death – PETA

Fatal morning accident raises questions – ESPN Horse Racing

This entry was posted on Saturday, May 7th, 2011 at 1:45 am and is filed under Animal Cruelty, Animal Events, Animal News, Horses, Hoofs, Goats, Pigs, Farm Animals. Tags for this post: , , , , , , . You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.

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  • Chel Heinzel

    Great article.

  • Frank

    Karyn Zoldan,
    Do you know anything about the Food Chain, The Animal Kingdom,  the way things work in the wild, the fact that humans have been EATING most animals since the beginning of the world.    GOD created this system.    Humans feed on animals,   animals feed on other animals,  sharks feed on other fish,   bears feed on salmon, lions feed on anything that moves, it goes on and on for every organism that exists.
    If you knew anything about anything,  instead of being a complete moron,  you wouldn’t be so worried about horse and dog racing.   Those two animals are better off than just about any other animal in the world.    Humans could kill and eat dogs and horses and there would be nothing wrong with it according to the way life and the world that has been created work.
    So go get a clue and quit writing your nonsense on the internet.    Horses and Greyhounds don’t have it that bad in the grand scheme of things.    You want to see brutality and abuse go watch what happens in The Wild. Go watch a Wildabeast get ripped apart by a crocodile. Go watch a Cheetah run down and kill a deer.    A greyhound itself would hunt, kill and eat small animals like rabbits if it were allowed to in the wild.

    You eliminate dog and horse racing and who is ever going to see or think about either of these animals?    Millions know and come in contact with these animals for one reason,  dog racing and horse racing.
    No one will breed either if their sports are eliminated.

    • JoAnne

      Yes, money is at root of the system.  Now if the industry started the horses later, but the cost…the system – owners – don’t want to pay.
      I have a 21 year old Standardbred – rescued-that got an injury while on  r and r… she’s got a great home from me, cannot but used for riding/driving, but most are Amished out and some are driven to death before put down (shot).  The breeders breed-and dont’ take lifelong responsibility.

    • Karyn Zoldan

      Frank
      Animals in the wild are not being exploited by humans unless you’re an elephant and some Godaddy CEO goes to Africa to shoot an elephant.
      I see other breeds of dogs bred as pets and so would the greyhound. They just wouldn’t be the throwaway breed they are now. And horses would be horses for riding not for drugging and betting.

  • Elizabeth Bobick

    I agree, Karyn.   I make it a policy to not watch the derby.  Horse and greyhounds are beautiful animals that are victims of man’s greed.  They both should be banned.

  • Kate Kaemerle

    What happened to Kentucky Derby winner Ferdinand being slaughtered for pet food is a travesty. So much for being put out to pasture after making your owners millions.
     
     

  • Nick Fulchino

    Ahh! The ole’ greyhound owners abuse the dogs card. How mistaken! Let’s use some common sense. First, why are greyhound/horse owners going to run their animals too hard, make the tracks unsafe, and feed them improperly when, for many, its their only source of income? My dad is in the Greyhound Industry and a former President of the American Greyhound Council. He spends a ton of money to make money. Just a few days ago we went and got food for the puppies on our farm, over $200. So why would people like my Dad waste that $200 by mistreating the dogs? 

    And then theres the fact that dogs were born to run. Originally greyhound racing was reserved for the top of the “social food chain”. In England, it was for royalty to own and bet on the racing greyhounds.  The facts are that this is an amazing, talented, and astonishing breed. There’s a reason greyhounds can run around a track in 30 seconds, they were born to!

    And finally, lets address this “cruelty”.  The National Greyhound Association, the sole registry of purebred, racing greyhounds, shows that 95%, yes 95%, of dogs are returned to the farms for breeding or petted out to adoption agencies. However I believe PETA puts down about ~85% of animals they come in to contact with. Which one cares about animal welfare more? And it is simply UNTRUE and blatantly false that greyhounds race everyday, or sometimes two races in a day. Pick up a book at your local track and look ‘em over. It shows that dogs are REQUIRED to take “days off” in between races. In conclusion, the State of Florida (where my dad races) requires the dogs to be a certain weight in order to race. They must be well-fed and well-kept and thats exactly what MY dad, and the hundreds of others in the industry strive to do.

    • http://tucsoncitizen.com/tucson-tails karyn

      Nick
      Where does the National Greyhound Association show their actual figures? I’ve read interviews where various numbers were qu0ted but not without any backup proof.
      And you say 95 percent. What happens to the other 5 percent?
      Oh, wait. Ursula O’Donnell must be in that other vague unproven percentage. Isn’t she the woman who was arrested for allegedly having 2,000 greyhounds shot in the head?
      “Ursula O’Donnell was charged with felony animal cruelty in November 2002 after allegedly hiring an Alabama man to shoot and bury greyhounds under her care.

      According to documents obtained by the Juice, O’Donnell allegedly sent dogs from as far away as Palm Beach and Orlando to Robert Rhodes, a security guard at the Pensacola dog track, who told police he shot the greyhounds for about $10 each. When Rhodes died before trial, the case was dropped.”
      I know there are some good people involved in greyhound racing but the sport where dogs are exploited for money, live in confinement, fed 4D meat that even the FDA doesn’t condone, females shot up with endless steroids to prevent estrus, break their legs and hocks, suffer heart attacks and paralysis, disappear, and euthanized without rhyme or reason because of loosely written state statues is not without dog racing cruelty.
       

      • Nick Fulchino

        Karyn,
        NGA shows the figures through registered dogs compared w/ dogs that are found as stud dogs or brood bitches and that is then compared w/ dogs petted out. The other 5% is comprised largely of dogs who die in infancy. Believe it or not Greyhound mothers aren’t all that different than other breeds. After turning ten days old the greyhound must be registered w/ the NGA, but still lives in the pen w/ his(or her) mother (obviously…) however, like other breeds, moms sometimes sit or lay on the pups causing them to die. Sad, yes. Greyhound racing related-no. And if you don’t believe me you can compare registered dogs w/ dogs that reach the race track.

        And now we get to Grey2k’s favorite example: Ursula O’Donnell. As you mentioned yourself the case was dismissed for lack of evidence. How is the National Greyhound Association supposed to bar someone from the industry and remove their rights to touch racing greyhounds when they have no legal grounds. I’m sure most everyone had their personal feelings on that case, but legally what was the NGA to do? What legal grounds did they have? The NGA cannot replace a trial by jury, they only act when there is a judgement/conviction against the person.

        Some good people involved in the greyhound industry? Try most. There are bad people in every profession. Do we ban financial management because corporate CFO’s embezzle money? Do we ban doctors’ offices because some doctors abuse their profession? No. And we certainly don’t end law enforcement because some police officers are crooked. Secondly, how can dogs be “exploited” when they were BORN to run! And do the dogs really live in confinement?  Technically speaking, yes. However there are regulation sizes and at every farm and racing kennel I’ve been at (which is a great deal) the crates for brood bitches/racing dogs are large enough for two dogs to stand up, turn around, and lay down comfortably. And the other pens can usually house 6 to 8 dogs comfortably. Also, racing dogs are tested for steroids. And are you trying to tell me a dog can’t break his leg running in a backyard just as easily as on a track? Greyhound racing does not cause any extra chance of a heart attack or paralysis, that I’ve seen, in my hours of reading on the sport — and I read both sides of the arguments. 

        And I encourage you to look up the statistics on euthanized dogs in Pinellas County compared to race tracks in Florida. More dogs are put down in that county in a week than racing greyhounds put down in a year.

        Also, greyhounds are well-fed and it is Florida regulation to make sure dogs stay in a particular weight (I believe about 70 lbs.) in order for them to race.

        • Anita

          Well, Nick, you are barking up the wrong tree.

          The greyhound racing industry’s dirty secrets are not secrets any more.  The public knows how cruelly the greyhounds are treated.  Most people know someone or  know of  someone who has adopted a greyhound that was discarded by the industry.  Before you jump all over the word discarded, that is exactly what happens to greyhounds who can’t or don’t win $$ any more.  Turned over to adoption groups if they’re lucky, and the groups pay for whatever medical and other rehab the dogs need.  And the really unlucky greyhounds . . turned over to nameless individuals – - – - ask your grandfather to explain “kill trucks” to you, Nick.

          For 15 years I’ve seen the condition of greyhounds coming off tracks to come to adoption, and that includes Florida greyhounds.  Won’t stop rescuing them until racing is over.   We’re not the ones that discard them.

          An example of the difference  in your thinking and my thinking is:  you actually tried to convince me that your grandfather spending a big $200 on food for puppies is a great thing.  Is that news?  You mean, that’s not a normal occurrence?  Why is that something to even bring up?

          Born to race to earn money for humans, no.  Born to run, yes, like they do in my back yard.  There’s the difference that people outside the racing industry understand completely.

          You are spouting your NGA rhetoric, old rhetoric I might add, and it doesn’t fly any more.

           

          • Nick Fulchino

            Anita, you’re a typical Grey2k rumor-spreader. Just like others in Grey2k you ignore the facts, the most blatant is my father is in the industry. But it is easy to fall in to rumors, but rumors are just that…rumors. And I will jump over the word discard, because they’re not “discarded” the well-being of the dogs mean something.

            Let’s not forget it was Grey2k that promised (and lied) to Massachusetts  voters that if racing was banned they’d pet out the dogs. It is on record from the MA State Gov’t that Grey2k didn’t help one dog. All they managed to do was cost MA jobs in an already failing economy. (and the greyhound owners are the ones who discard the dogs…) They claim to be for the “welfare of greyhounds”. I politely ask how? Grey2k is nothing more than a Political Action Committee aimed at twisting facts, spreading half-truths, ignoring common sense, and costing the United States economy thousands of jobs. If Grey2k was for Animal Welfare why didn’t they help the Massachusetts dogs? Grey2k won in Massachusetts and deserted the state, just like a typical politician they lived up to none of their promises.

            Moving in to Florida, you’re terribly misguided. Born to run? We agree on that, however running around a track is the same as running around a backyard. The dogs don’t run a race everyday, they’re not worked to death, they’re not killed for no reason (or at all, unless for a serious break). 

            And the “NGA rhetoric” is not “old” it is the facts. Just like Grey2k, Anita, you fail to recognize the truth yes, it’s a scary concept I know but if we can look at the facts instead of the rumors we can all see that Greyhound Racing is not a cruel sport. And what “doesn’t fly anymore” is Grey2k’s blatant disregard for common sense, for the facts, and for animal welfare. The NGA does more for animal welfare in a year than Grey2k will do in it’s entire existence. Plain and simple.

            • http://tucsoncitizen.com/tucson-tails karyn

              Nick
              You said: “Moving in to Florida, you’re terribly misguided. Born to run? We agree on that, however running around a track is the same as running around a backyard. The dogs don’t run a race everyday, they’re not worked to death, they’re not killed for no reason (or at all, unless for a serious break). ”
              Herein lies the difference between you and me and I don’t care who your father is.
              Running around a track is not anything like running around a backyard. After my dog runs around the backyard, he lays down on his big soft bed and sleeps until he feels like getting up.
              Because he raced 150 times and probably suffered some injuries, he can only run for 15 to 20 seconds or less or otherwise he starts to limp.  I don’t feed him 4D meat. He gets premium dog food that costs $53/bag for 28 pounds plus some wet food or cooked chicken or a scrambled egg with breakfast. He doesn’t have ticks or fleas.  And if you did a blood draw on him, there would be no cocaine in his system. What is it with Florida dogs and cocaine?
              You also said: “they’re not killed for no reason or at all, unless for a serious break.”
              I don’t believe a sport should exist where dogs break their legs and die because of it. Football players break their legs but nobody euthanizes them.
               

              • Anita

                Nick, you are throwing around NGA speak.

                A.  Ignore and deflect. 
                I posted about being in adoption and seeing the condition of the dogs coming off tracks. Broken bones, tick-borne diseases, intestinal parasites, bad teeth, none of which get treated by the owners/kennel operators.  Their care falls to me and to others in adoption who take these discarded greyhounds.  You can try to ignore it or try to deflect attention away from it, but it’s the reality, not rumor.

                B.  Blame Grey2K 
                Grey2K wasn’t mentioned in this article or comments, except by you.  It seems a little paranoid.  If you want to argue with them, go argue with them.   

                I understand you’re listening to your father.  If you want to repeat what your Dad tells you, fine, do that.  It’s not effective.  

                • Nick Fulchino

                  Anita -
                  A) I’m not repeating what my father says, he doesn’t know I’m on this site but that’s not really a big issue.

                  B) I did bring Grey2K in to the conversation. Why? Because their the most known anti-Greyhound Racing PAC out there today and most of the arguments made are similar to them. 

                  C) You say, “I posted about being in adoption and seeing the condition of the dogs coming off tracks. Broken bones, tick-borne diseases, intestinal parasites, bad teeth, none of which get treated by the owners/kennel operators.” This is extremely misguided. Broken bones, tick-borne diseases, and the other problems you mentioned are taken care of by the kennel owners/operators if such a situation arises. I’ve been to adoption agencies in Canada, Vermont, and various other states – I’ve never seen such rumors. And it isn’t reality as you like to say, the truth is you’re horribly misguided. 

                  D) Allow me to repeat a previous comment, “And the “NGA rhetoric” is not “old” it is the facts. Just like Grey2k, Anita, you fail to recognize the truth yes, it’s a scary concept I know but if we can look at the facts instead of the rumors we can all see that Greyhound Racing is not a cruel sport.”

                  * * *

                  Karyn-
                  A) You said, “Running around a track is not anything like running around a backyard. After my dog runs around the backyard, he lays down on his big soft bed and sleeps until he feels like getting up.” Are you under the impression a dog in a racetrack doesn’t have adequate sleeping conditions? They have paper or carpet beds in a roomy crate. A greyhound can sleep as long as they want, only woken up to eat, be turned out, school, or race.

                  B) THE OVERWHELMING MAJORITY of greyhounds do not have cocaine in their system. Allow me to make a point with you. There was a case in Florida (Orange Park?) where (less than 10?) greyhounds were found with minimal amounts of cocaine. There have been scattered reports throughout the years, but nothing coming close to a majority of dogs. Now, here’s my point — there are rotten apples in every profession, Karyn, in journalism, medicine, law, education, finance, etc. but we’re not eliminating those professions for their minor misconducts. If you want to eliminate dog racing, I’ll fight to end doctor’s offices because there’s a chance of medical malpractice. I’ll find to end lawyers for every case of prosecution misconduct. See how frivolous that is? That is how I, and a sizable amount of people, view your argument.

                  • Anita

                    Great, Nick, you continue to visit your adoption groups.  And our group will continue to take in injured and sick greyhounds who have not been treated by kennel operators/owners.   Unrepaired hock injury last month, two hounds with lotsa ticks this month.

                    Keep wasting your time trying to justify a dying, cruel sport.  And, again, if you have an issue with Grey2K talk to them.  

                    I’m busy with the greyhounds that the kennel operators/owners have discarded.
                       

                    • Nick Fulchino

                      Anita, you and I won’t agree because you believe in propaganda and I believe in evidence.  

                      As for your adoption group you continue to fabricate the facts and mislead those in the middle. The people who really care about the dogs, like me, like adoption people such as Linda Jensen and Teddy Palmer, and the NGA will continue to (in your terms) waste our time explaining the facts.

  • Christy Lee

    Great article, Karyn!  The Jockey Club has a proposal now suggesting the there be a $360 registration fee for every thoroughbred foal and foal transfer to go to a retirement / sanctuary fund for them.  Maybe some of these owners who shell out $150,000 for a stud fee wouldn’t mind paying that tiny amount?  Especially the breeding farms who throw thousands of foals a year….You wouldn’t mind seeing that happen, would you Frank?  Someone had to step up and buy Unbridled’s granddaughter from a kill buyer recently at an auction.
    The slaughter of these beautiful animals is an absolute abomination, and so far the only moron I seem to see posting here is named “Frank” IMHO.  I guess he also doesn’t mind the fact that the meat from horses is laced with “bute” and many other chemicals that cause very serious long term health risks for whoever is stupid enough to eat it.  Disgusting.

    • Frank

      If you wanna see real abuse take a trip to a slaughterhouse that processes cows, pigs, chickens, turkeys, etc sometime.
      It’s very easy to eat that meat when all you have to do is go to the supermarket and buy it.   But if you had to actually kill and cut up the animal yourself it might not be that easy.  And you also might not be so concerned about greyhounds and horses who aren’t really being abused at all.    You might gain a little perspective on this topic of “animal abuse”
      By the way Karyn Zoldan, do you eat meat?    If you do,  you are a hypocryte.

  • Anita

    Nick, it seems you learned and repeated that your father paid $200 for food for puppies.  And now you are repeating Linda Jensen’s and Teddy Palmer’s views. 
     
    As I first said to you, you are barking up the wrong tree by quoting racing people, including racing industry backed adoption groups.  Quite different than adoption groups that receive no backing from GPA or NGA.
     
    It also sounds like you yourself are not in the dog racing business.  Are you going to be following in your father’s footsteps? 
     
    If so, here’s a plan. 
     
    - Keep track of every one of your dogs, for their entire lives, on a website for everyone to see. 
     
    - After each dog is finished racing, either injured or slow, or old, you keep that dog, keep all of your dogs because, after all, breeders/owners love them so much. 
     
    - You pay for their care for the rest of their lives. 
     
    - You love, love, love them and care for them without discarding them to an adoption group. 
     
    - Keep the dogs that don’t train well enough to race.  Care for them for their entire lives.
     
    - There’s your perfect way for you to keep track of every one of your greyhounds, from birth through their entire lives.
     
    When you’ve done all of that, then you’ll have a voice.

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