Horse abuse in America

[Freedom]

Hi Vela -

I did mention the MSPCA newsletters. I still have nightmares, all these years later, of the horse / pony (not sure which after all these years) they rescued with the hoofs over grown, all curled up, and not able to stand. They had to cut the hooves back in steps, so it took some time. They DID post a photo a while later, showing the animal finally able to stand. Thank goodness. That photo doesn't stick in my memory, however.

I think that, like many areas of abuse, people focus on what they know. Dogs and cats are more common as pets, so more people learn about those. I'm sure abuses happen in the reptile world too, but folks aren't as aware as they can't relate to ownership in that area. Same for abuses with wild animals; poachers and such. It has taken years with stellar spokes people like Jane Goodall, and Elsa the Lioness's people (I forget the name) to bring that to awareness. I think it is because most people don't have any contact to know what is happening.

So I guess I do agree with you, horses DO suffer abuses, in horse ownership which is not racing related, and it is not well known. Just because 97% of people never hear of it, doesn't mean it does not exist.

Perhaps too, it is that fewer people can help in ways other than monetarily. Look at PT, how many people foster dogs and cats, help with transport. It is not the same for horses. My heart may be in the right place, but I don't have the extra funds and although I may have time, I can't do much, not being familiar with horses. Not owning enough space, not having a trailer. I'm not sure, but I think this may be a part of the problem.

In a perfect world, NONE of God's creatures would suffer abuse from humans.

[Vela]

I agree with you Freedom. I don't like to see it in any way for any animals. Honestly, my whole point was to show something to people who may just not really know or understand that it exists.

Horses are very difficult to rescue, and much more expensive than dogs or cats to do so. There just are so few shelters and rescues around because it is so much more difficult, being how large they are, etc, and the specialized things they need. It's much easier to take in a dog or cat financially and space wise.

I had to watch several videos to find some I thought might help show what really happens every day, not just in a big race on TV, and that was hard for me to do. It was more just to make people aware of what happens.

Thank you for being willing to look and see the bigger picture, that was what I was trying to do. If people don't know it happens to the extent that it does, how can anyone help change it? It's not just about racing horses, it's much more. It's just a subject that isn't often talked about.

[RICHARD]

For some reason I want to say that a woman by the last name of Adamson had something to do with Elsa the Lion.

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HBO has done a few documentaries on racing. I saw one about the jockeys-those guys are really effed up once they finish their careers. They don't have insurance and the purses go to the owners-not the riders.

HBO did a segment, this past week, about what happens to some horses that 'don't race'. When they take on a topic, they pretty much try to cover the issue -sometimes it's an insult to the viewer. A woman who worked at a ranch was interviewed about where the horses went that were no longer wanted.

I didn't see the whole thing, but I was really bothered by the woman and her 'angst'.

She complained about having to watch the horses loaded onto trailers, one clip was of a horse being whipped to move him along. She also stated that sometimes she was asked to get the horse that was to be taken.

She reminded me of a 'Cat Woman'- The gal who 'saves' cats until she has a home filled with felines that are being abused with what she believes are her good intentions- all because she cannot care for them properly.

MY thought was, "LEAVE!" I was really turned off by her "I love my job" attitude...She loves her job, but she stays even though her charges are routinely sent to be 'farmed'?


There are the extremes in every kind of animal abuse and loving the pet.
But, sometimes too much care, is abuse.

I didn't see the whole segment of the program because I lost interest-I saw that this was going to be the "DARK SIDE" docu piece that comes out after a hot button issue surfaces.

Just like the Mikey Vick/dog fighting pieces that were all the rage for the sports programs-until some other fancy happens to get caught!

[moosmom]

I don't believe that horses were put on this earth to be whipped into running faster. That's what horse racing is. It's abuse, plain and simple.

[Vela]

I don't believe that horses were put on this earth to be whipped into running faster. That's what horse racing is. It's abuse, plain and simple.

Oddly enough, Big Brown won the Preakness last Saturday by over 5 lengths and he was not touched with the whip even ONE time. I guess maybe you'll try to tell me he telepathically knew the jockey would hit him if he didn't run faster??? Just to keep it real, he was actually being pulled up into a slow gallop as he won because he kept wanting to go faster, all without the touch of a spur, whip, or so much as a hand slap. He didn't look afraid, injured, or in any other way abused.

While you are perfectly entitled to your opinion on racing, and I am not trying to change it, you completely ignored the remainder of the information presented, which was the entire point of the original post. The racing aspect was merely a springboard to present the remainder of the information.

[IRescue452]

I still think your reasoning is comparable to saying dog fighting isn't so bad because there are a lot of dogs in worse conditions and the winning dogs are treated very well.

[pitc9]

I still think your reasoning is comparable to saying dog fighting isn't so bad because there are a lot of dogs in worse conditions and the winning dogs are treated very well.

applause