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Kourtesan
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Appalling Cruelty
This sickened me.
Why are dangerous sports involving animals still legal? Human athletes and participants know the risks and make the choice. Animals have none. The humans rake in the cash and fame. The animal gets a pat on the head and a meal, the only things besides their biological imperative to mate that really interest them anyway.
I love horses. I kept my own and trained others for years. During which I dealt with track rejects. The stress these animals are subjected too is enormous. You can make a drastic reduction with the proper treatments. But, full recovery takes years. That's the rejects, the non cut-makers. And, people dress in thousands of dollars worth of stylish clothing and pay to go watch it happen. See these beautiful creatures risk their lives for entertainment and human financial gain.
The number of horses that lose their lives due to injuries in "sports" is hideous. Mainstream America only sees headliners like that in the article I linked here. The ones killed in cross-country events, three day events, and steeplechases appalls me. Then, there's the thousands put down after five or six years of endurance racing, reining, rodeo, and polo due to progressive injuries. Show horses? It's terrible. Tendons cut to make tails stand up permanently, sponges shoved into nostrils to make the animal look 'hot' and 'breedy', manes pulled (a nice way to say the hair is yanked out to create a conform length without a blunt cut), heads tied down for hours so they will keep them low in the ring.
I could go on until my fingers bled from typing.
Okay, dog racing. Same crap. Except the handlers can beat them because they don't have to make sure they'll tolerate humans like a race horse must a jockey. Sled dogs left to die at change points because the weather changes and their mushers can't get to them. You know police dogs, K-9 officers protecting the public and human officers don't even get vests? Their handlers or charities have to put up the cash for them.
Now, for the kicker. All these expensive high level animal athletes live under another specter. Assassination for profit. There are professional killers who murder these animals if it becomes more 'profit conscious' to cash out and collect insurance. A favorite with horses is to stand them in water and attach an electric device up their nose where an investigating vet won't find the burn. Coffee grounds rubbed over the area helps mitigate the scorch smell.
The cruelty makes me ill and furious.
KD
Last revised by Kourtesan, 5/4/2008, 7:49 am
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5/4/2008, 6:49 am
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Lesigner Girl
Minerva
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Re: Appalling Cruelty
It's disgusting what people will do to these animals. 
I also find it difficult to believe that they needed to kill that horse because she broke her ankles. So she probably would have never had a chance to win a race after that, but so what? If they put her in a sling until she could stand with splints, etc, couldn't she have lived a nice life in a pasture somewhere after healing? But of course, I'm sure they got more money from insurance by killing her than they could have made by selling her to someone who actually gives a ****.
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5/4/2008, 6:12 pm
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Kourtesan
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Re: Appalling Cruelty
I know about Barbaro. That was a HUGE exception, I assure you. Those people made me have hope. And, I know about broken legs.
The kind of injury that filly suffered usually happens after over-running. Meaning they worked her too hard pre-race.
I just don't understand why they have to be put at risk for sake of 'sport' in the first place.
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5/5/2008, 2:16 pm
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Kourtesan
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Re: Appalling Cruelty
Hoo-yah. What a shame.
Money can't buy everything? Someone with lots of it said that. Pardon my cynical, and I even come from wealth.
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5/5/2008, 2:52 pm
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Kourtesan
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Re: Appalling Cruelty
Yeah, but how long until private research yields means to longer life. Those with the cash could take advantage of it, and not have to worry as soon about what they can or can't take with them.
You know good and well with this country's sick care system, only the wealthy would have first crack. Maybe only them ever.
But, the point being, even human athletes make the choice. Have the choice. Animals don't.
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5/7/2008, 5:29 am
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MaximusDementis
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Re: Appalling Cruelty
I agree that animals should be treated humanely, with respect and should be trained rather than broken. However, you know nothing about horses if you think great racers aren't there because they love it. The bad treatment comes from trying to force an animal into something it is not suited for. Good traininers and great trainers know that you have to work with an animal that has a natural inclination and instinct to do whatever they are taining it for. These are the animals tha tare going to win their events 9 times out of ten. The problem comes with people forcing marginal animals who really ahve no inclination to do what their owners or trainers are forcing them to do.
My wife got many excellent hunter-jumpers at race tracks for bargain prices because they sucked as racers. She would buy them after they had lost a few races and their owners were disgusted and just wanting to get rid of them. She would then take them and train them to dresaage horses, hunter-jumpers, western dressage--whatever the horse was good at, and then sell them after they had won a few ribbons with her or a student riding them. she financed her college education doing that.
People should be educated and taught that forcing horses or any animal into doing something they have no aptitude of inclination for is cruel and stupid. Atheletes in any competition are at risk for injury. Events should be controlled with vet checks etc. Responsible owners and trainers will make sure their horses are healthy, ready and willing to compete.
Animals forced to do something they ain't good at won't win for you. If you want to win, you have to pick an animal with the heart and drive to compete. If you don't believe such animals exist in nature, I ask that you watch any nature show during the courtship rituals where the animals are competing for the attentions of a mate. Horses, dogs all ahve the same drive to compete that we humans do. Its just a matter of channelling that drive into something they are good at. Breeding can do that to a certain extent, but good handling and training does the rest.
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5/7/2008, 12:15 pm
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Kourtesan
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Re: Appalling Cruelty
I understand you can't force 1200 lbs on the hoof. Believe me, I had to fix so many animals after people tried.
I have seen many horses run and jump for their love of it. But, I have never known a horse born with the need to do what they love for money, glory or gain of any kind. That's the human aspect.
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5/7/2008, 12:42 pm
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