As I lay awake last night, I browsed the Internet and found some articles that made me so angry and frustrated that I could scream. Various journalists have written scathing reviews about horse racing, saying that it is an absolutely cruel act. We are informed in this article that Eight Belle's breakdown was mentioned in a one sentence footnote in the horse racing world (after all, racing fans are cold hearted jerks, right?), and was obviously of no importance. Perhaps this reporter should check the Daily Racing Form, The Thoroughbred Times and Bloodhorse Magazine- all of whom devoted more coverage to Eight Belles than they did to Big Brown. The same is true for my local newspaper. PETA, misguided as always, has thrown their two cents in, calling for the suspension of Eight Belle's jockey because he felt her legs break and then 'beat her mercilessly' to ensure a win, all for the greed of the second place prize money. PETA activists responded to this article with tales of horse woe- my personal favorite was the tale of the mare who's hooves FELL OFF, so the mean owner bolted her feet back to her legs and chained her on her side in a stall for months so that they foal she was carrying would survive and they could make lots of money off of it. WHAT??? COME ON!!
I mean, where do I even start here? Do any of these people bother to research their facts? Have they ever seen a horse before? First of all, it is not possible for a horse to survive for months on their side. Pneumonia and colic would set in within a day or two, not to mention the infection that would occur from her severed feet! The foal would be in distress from the amount of medications necessary to combat these things, and the mare would abort. All that nonsense aside, these mares are insured for thousands to millions of dollars, and the foals they are carrying can be insured once a 64 day pregnancy is confirmed. So greed would not fuel such an act. And, oh yeah- it is not possible!!!!
Secondly, I would love to see a member of PETA break two legs and continue to run down the stretch and then slow down for a further quarter mile before an sign of distress was noted. Can't be done right? Well, a horse can't do it either- even if they continued to try to run as their instinct tells them to do, the break would be obvious. Their attack on Gabriel Saez, Larry Jones and the other connections of Eight Belles is rubbing salt into open and painful wounds. Perhaps PETA and the other critics did not see the photos of her farrier weeping out on the Derby track, or got to hear her owner and jockey decline interviews because it was just too painful. The negative attention they are drawing to an already painful time for every horse racing fan does nothing but taint the memory of this beautiful athlete, Eight Belles.
I also need to point out that the $400, 000 dollar prize money would not have been worth pushing a filly of Eight Belles caliber to a break down. If she had raced through the end of the year, I am sure her earnings would have exceeded one million dollars. By Unbridled's Song, out of Away, a mare who's female family traces back to La Troienne, it is likely that Eight Belle's first foal would have brought much more than $400,000. Considering how many foals she could have produced, I somehow can not image someone giving up such a prospect for one measly second place prize money.
I encourage everyone to read this article in today's Herald-Leader, where Dr. Larry Bramlage (a very highly-respected veterinarian in his field) addresses the concerns of PETA, namely on the issue of whipping, and how it is used as a guiding tool. He states that if the horses were being "viciously" whipped as has been suggested, they would be bleeding and be covered in welts. Even an eight year old learning to ride a pony carries a riding crop- a tap on the side is a signal to the horse. I would like to add that anyone paying attention would note that the whip is used as a signaling device- often, the whip does not even touch the horse, the jockey is waving it in front of their eyes, a "let's go!" signal, if you will. When a horse is running toward the rail, one tap of the whip is enough to catch their attention, to remind him that they are headed in the wrong direction. I have seen many horses saved from injury because they were signaled to correct their course.
And to everyone who claims horses will not die if they are never pushed... well, firstly, she was not being 'pushed' at the time of her injury. Secondly, anyone who has ever worked with a horse will tell you that they will run full throttle through a fence, find every hole they can step in and kick any stall door hard enough to cause serious injury. They will colic during a thunderstorm, cut their side on the one loose fence board in a 20 acre pasture and kick each other right in the head. They are accident prone animals- anyone who loves them knows that freak accidents happen. And like a mother with her child, you protect your horse, you take every precaution but in the end you have to let them do what they love. And thoroughbreds love to compete-it is in their nature. As one intelligent person responded to PETA, after a racing career many of these horses go on to be well-loved pets, three day eventers and other types of competitors.
On a personal note, I have spent a lot of quality time with horses, and a lot of time who's people's lives depend on them. The veterinarian who works 16 hours days, only to be called out of bed two hours later to help a mare who has breached her foal. The trainers at the barn at 3:30am, never getting home before six or seven at night. The farm managers, who know ever horse on their farm and the generations that proceeded them. How dare you call these people cruel? These people who have a symbiotic relationship with the horse, at work hours before most people hit the snooze button for the first time, and still at work when most people are relaxing after dinner. They care for the horses, and the horses give them all they have in return. I challenge these PETA members, these "animal lovers" to talk to me about one time they have sat with a dying horse (or any animal), talking gently to her as she draws shuttering breaths, praying to God that the vet will arrive to end her pain. Wishing that you could turn away from such a site, but knowing that you can't because the love you feel for this animal tells you that you can't let her die alone, with no kind words, no soothing touch to calm her. Each of those experiences takes a piece of you, and you will never be the same, you will never forget that horse, you will smell her in the air and see her in the shadows, and in the end you are a better person for it. I have been in that very position, and I know most people who have worked on racetracks, farms and vet clinics have had the same experience. How dare you, how dare anyone call that cruel? On the flip side, when a horse accomplishes something so beautiful and amazing that you feel like you have glimpsed heaven and beyond, the joy and awe is unfathomable. And when the reporters compliment the training, the ride, the response is nearly always, "He is an amazing horse- he showed us the way, we're just along for the ride."
I am not telling everyone to be a racing fan- everyone is entitled to their own opinion of a sport. But to make a full scale attack on an entire industry based on zero knowledge or understanding, accusing them of being cold-hearted and evil, then going after heartbroken individuals...
Seems cruel, doesn't it?
