The Horrible Truth About the Horse Racing Industry

 

Everyone knows about the Horse Racing Industries. Either the Flat Racing which is just racing on the race track, or Jump Racing which is racing and jumping over hedges and really high jumps. Jump racing is actually a lot worse than flat racing and a lot more dangerous for the rider and horse. But flat racing is still really bad too.. we'll get into that soon.

Some people enjoy watching those huge Thoroughbreds gallop as fast as they possibly can without collapsing on the ground. And those jockeys, holding on, and gripping the reins as tight as they can; all they are doing to get the horse to move is whipping it with a crop. Those horses literally move because of fear; they fear the crop (whip); that if they don't go fast enough... that crop is going to go up in the air and then slam down hard on their rump to force them to move quicker. 

Thoroughbreds were bred for racing, but the way they are treated is just not fair, especially since they are the ones actually running, not the jockeys. And it's even been known that some racehorses are pushed too much, and die from exhaustion! How cruel is that! 

Horse racing is all about winning and bidding on whose going to win, and it's simply not fair to the horses. And have you seen those creatures' eyes... most of them look petrified! You see fear in their eyes, and they are always tense and alert. Their nostrils are flared and their eyes are wide in confusion and unease and horror. 

And have you noticed the way jockeys yank on the reins and keep the reins really short! No wonder most ottb's are head shy! 

And then after one of the racehorse's has won the race, then what? Yes the jockey receives a lot of money and becomes rich... but have you ever considered the ones actually winning that race! The horse? As cruel as this sounds, most race horses that have won all their races for their life are then retired and sent off somewhere where there life is literally ended, because in the first place, their rider/owner (the jockey) only raced this horse so that he/she could win all the money. 

Most jockeys don't even care about the an "unwanted" OTTB (Off Track Thoroughbred; retired) and that's why they allow their horse's to usually go to kill pens or slaughterhouses once they are retired. Or they send them off to some mean person who has no love at all for horses. 

Did you know: Thousands of racehorses that are considered "useless," as they aren't winning races and/or they can't go fast enough to win, are slaughtered every year!

Racehorses that 'win,' usually 'lose.' As in, after a race horse has won it's share of races and their owner earned all those millions of dollars, most of the time, those horses are just sold to slaughter houses

Fortunately, at least a few retired Thoroughbreds are brought by nice people who actually care for them and give them love and a good future... all of the other ex-racehorses don't even get a chance at a bright future after they've retired. 

Now please don't think that happens to all retired racehorses. Some are rehomed to Equestrian Centers to be "re-trained" so that they will be used for just pleasure riding/trail riding etc. And some are sold for cheap, marked as "OTTB" etc to some really nice horse owner who wants to give this retired racehorse a great future! And I think that's really good that at least some of these hard-working, some abused, creatures get a chance to live a bright and happy future. 

Here are some things that the jockeys (or trainers) do to the horse they are racing that I think everyone needs to know about: 

Number one. Have you ever wondered why a lot of racehorses have "blinkers" on their face mask that go half around their eyes? Here's what I'm talking about; 

Blinkers are used to cut off a horse's side vision so that he can only see in front of him; they do this so that the racehorse will focus on racing and moving forward. 

Number two. Some Thoroughbreds that are only the age of 2 years (and over) are put into races! At such a young age when they aren't even fully matured yet. 

Number three. Did you know that there is a rubber strip that goes over the top of each racehorses' tongue, and tied down below the chin? This is to keep their tongue in place so that it doesn't go over the bit in their mouth; if their tongue goes over the bit, the horse is very difficult to control. This is called a "tongue-tie." As awful as these pictures look, I believe people need to see what most of the Horse Racing Industries are doing to their racehorses; and I definitely do not agree with this at all. 

Number four. At almost every race track, a lot of jockeys use a device on their horse that's called a 'jigger.' These jiggers are used to shock the horse during a race to get them to bolt. Jiggers refer to illegal, battery-powered shock devices! I mean, that's literally abuse! Do you know why they are illegal, because of the amount of pain they inflict on the horse when shocked! 

Here's the main truth about horse racing industries; they usually treat the horses just like big working machines and don't care about them. Lastly, horse racing is all biding and winning- nothing else. That's why in the first place, the horse racing industry came out! And as you can see, for what I've shared, most of these racing places do not treat their horses well, and a lot of the horses end up getting abused at least a once during their racing career. Not only are racehorses treated with cruelty, but also harness racing horses too. So what racing is all about for the horses is just abuse and death. 

Most of these racehorses live brutal, tortured, terrifying and completely thankless lives. 

Look at this quote- it's true:

Do you know how many racehorses have dropped dead on the racecourse? A lot! In fact, hundreds of race horses die at the track every year! Most of those, drop dead during a race! 

Number five. Drugs.

Many racehorses become addicted to drugs when their trainers and even veterinarians give them drugs to keep them on the race track when they shouldn't be racing. Most of these drugs are illegal. 

A lot of these drugs are used to mask the horse's pain, thus they run faster on the track. 

Horse racing literally kills horses, because the jockeys push their horses too much and hurt them so much with fear and pain until the horse just has no more energy at all and just drops dead in the middle of a race. How cruel is that! 

Racing is not for the love of the sport, it's for the love of money. 

Whether it's Flat Racing or Jump Racing, the thoroughbreds get abused at least once in their lives, and many die during races. Jump Racing although is more deadly than flat racing. Many racehorses doing jump racing, get killed while they attempt to go over a jump and don't make it, or fall to the ground as they land from exhaustion and/or pain.

But both styles of racing are incredible cruel and horrid, and I definitely agree that any sort of horse racing should be banned. 

There is so much more I could say about horse racing, but I hope that just at least these five things trainers and/or jockeys do to the race horses are enough to convince you that the horse racing industry is a cruel sport and that the horse's get abused and live horrible lives, locked up in stalls every time they're not racing. If what I've said doesn't convince you, I don't know what will. 

If your horse is suspected with a health issue, consult your vet straight away.  

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