Thankfully, Problem of Unwanted Horses Finally Being Addressed

re: Thankfully, Problem of Unwanted Horses Finally Being Addressed

reality check — Wed, 03 Dec 2008 18:37:02 GMT

We have far worse problems to address than what happens to an animal AFTER they are sold. It's a business for heaven's sake and that means there is going to be some people dictating what happens in their end of things. That is the nature of the business world. There is some good but most don't give a rat's rear about what anyone of you thinks. This has been accepted by society for a long time and it's not going to change in the face of where we are at right now.

Every day real people are losing jobs and life savings. Many are being thrown out into the streets. This country has been thrown into the worst position we will ever see by a criminal administration and you want to worry about animals? We as a society have to survive this mees for them to survive in the first place. We can't save the animals without saving our society first. There may come a day soon when horse meat becomes a staple that saves lives. We raise cattle, pigs, turkeys, chickens, etc. and sell them off for slaughter. There is no difference here except that some horses actually lead a better life before they die. Animals are animals and if it's wrong to slaughter one it's wrong to slaughter all unless of course you believe in discrimination. Me i'm a meat eater so don't expect me to cry to end the killing of animals. I'm also not a hypocryte so if you can kill one kind of animal to serve your purpose I won't tell you it's wrong to kill another to serve someone elses.

re: Thankfully, Problem of Unwanted Horses Finally Being Addressed

Curlin — Wed, 03 Dec 2008 00:41:41 GMT

Nice article Jason. By the way, thanks for not getting me shut out at Golden Gate the day after Thanksgiving even though I still didn't hit that exacta. The guy in front of you needed to be a little quicker don't you think.

re: Thankfully, Problem of Unwanted Horses Finally Being Addressed

Muhammad — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 23:45:58 GMT

Theyre just animals folks. Let's solve the murder problem in our inner cities before we concern ourselves with ANIMALS. C'mon folks wake up!

re: Thankfully, Problem of Unwanted Horses Finally Being Addressed

r8cehorseowner — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 21:16:09 GMT

my apologies to bellwether, the comment about lethal having lethal white foals was posted by Sandra, not you.

Sandra, every repsonsible breeder knows to test before lethal white before you breed. It's a shame that how many foals sufferd an agonizing death becasue you coudlnt spend $25 to test your mare?

re: Thankfully, Problem of Unwanted Horses Finally Being Addressed

r8cehorseowner — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 20:36:24 GMT

First of all , great article.

I'm glad this came up as I was just browsing the Fasig-Tipton catalogue for their next mixed sale and two entries hip # 17 & 19 are 22 year old broodmares, one is believed to be in foal, the other wasn't bred.

Anyone care to bet on the desirability of an aged barren broodmare in today's market???

Oh and bellwether, if you've lost foals to lethal white, it's because you were too cheap to pay the $25 for a simple DNA test. SHAME ON YOU!

re: Thankfully, Problem of Unwanted Horses Finally Being Addressed

Householder — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 00:40:08 GMT

I've heard bad things happened to Ferdinand. After remembering this horse in his famous duels with Alysheba I could not go to the track for quite some time.

re: Thankfully, Problem of Unwanted Horses Finally Being Addressed

Christy Christmas — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 20:08:51 GMT

Thoroughbreds are not alone in being hit with overpopulation problems. I've seen it with Arabians & Quarter Horses as well. Here's a thought I had that MIGHT help with one teensy-tiny-bit of the problem; why not take some of the geldings, being the largest % of the unwanted populace, and donate some of them for handicapped riding & 4-H programs? I can also see a place for them as generic workhorses around their farms, which would give them an honorable retirement and be of benefit to both their owners & the environment, simply by using less fuel and still getting needed farm work done? I cannot understand why nobody seems to have bothered to do this before; it just strikes me as at least a part of a sensible solution.

re: Thankfully, Problem of Unwanted Horses Finally Being Addressed

Wanda — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 19:19:06 GMT

I agree that the problem is finally being addressed on a national level however don't think for a minute that people in the business haven't addressed it long before this. There are many caring racetrackers out there that feed and purchase unwanted racehorses everyday. We must all do what we can when we can. Thats all you can do and if you comment on all this and don't do anything shame on you.

re: Thankfully, Problem of Unwanted Horses Finally Being Addressed

Bellwether — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 06:12:03 GMT

GET BUSY!!!...LONG LIVE THE KING!!!

re: Thankfully, Problem of Unwanted Horses Finally Being Addressed

russell maiers — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 00:14:56 GMT

Thanks for addressing this, the time is now to take full responsibility for all involved. As for 2 dead horses for every one thousand starts, some say 3, please do not advocate that this is close to being acceptable. It is a horrible satistic. You could say that every ten days at every track a horse dies, that cannot sound acceptable, does it? I didnt mean to change the subject because unwanted horses should be the focus here. I really appreciate your attention to this problem! It is just that I hear this satitistic said all to often about deaths on the track and it is always said in the way like "thats really good". I respectfully disagree.

re: Thankfully, Problem of Unwanted Horses Finally Being Addressed

Michelle — Sun, 30 Nov 2008 19:58:50 GMT

Thank you Jason for addressing this iaaue. I am a huge fan of racing but the slaughter issue will be the one thing that will make me turn my back on the sport forever. There is no excuse for these horses being sent to slaughter. With the amount of money being earned at the expense of these horses they deserve so much better. I don't like the thought of euthanasia either but that would be much more preferable. Thoroughbred racehorses are not livestock, they are not bred for food. Everyone keep up the good work, donate to rescue groups, contact your representatives, contact the tracks and let them know how you feel. Unfortunately, the NTRA is not listening.

re: Thankfully, Problem of Unwanted Horses Finally Being Addressed

GP — Sat, 29 Nov 2008 20:33:11 GMT

Thank you Jason, for your words. They ring true and need to be repeated over and over.

Thanks also to NEVER KICK YOUR DOG. I will follow-up on each contact to give thanks and offer my support.

re: Thankfully, Problem of Unwanted Horses Finally Being Addressed

Whatever — Sat, 29 Nov 2008 19:43:18 GMT

Its about time!

re: Thankfully, Problem of Unwanted Horses Finally Being Addressed

Questions — Sat, 29 Nov 2008 18:44:56 GMT

Some estimates expect more than 100,000 horses will be abandoned this year. Who will care for them? and can they be saved before they starve to death?

Given the current economic conditions, it is possible there are more than 1,000,000 "surplus" horses in the U.S. How do we deal with them?

What is the capacity of the Rescue and adoption operations? How many new horses can they take each year?

This problem is vast and could ultimately cost the horse industry billions of dollars and thousands of jobs. And the problem is growing exponentially.

All responsible horse owners can do now is tackle it one horse at a time, one rescue at a time.

At it's peak, the slaughter industry took nearly 400,000 horses a year out of the market and provided a base. Slaughter has been eliminated from the U.S. That battle has been won.

The days of considering horses as livestock are gone. Now we have to make the transition from a "livestock" business to a "recreation" business.

It is time to go the federal government and get help. With regulation comes responsibility. Contact your Senators and Congressmen to urge them to fund horse rescue facilities and address the unwanted horse crisis.

The next battle will be to preserve horse industry tax breaks. Rumored moves are underway from some quarters to have horses declassified as livestock. That could spell disaster for our industry.

The new crisis looms large. What do we do next?

re: Thankfully, Problem of Unwanted Horses Finally Being Addressed

MAHR — Fri, 28 Nov 2008 19:58:38 GMT

This was a great article and people need to be aware that there are perfectly good horses at rescues. I work at Mid America Horse Rescue, which is close to St. Louis. We have off the track Thoroughbreds and ones that never made it to the track. Most horses come with something wrong with them, but after care, time off, and rehabilitation they are retrained. These horses are even suitable for children, as our 16 hand gelding Seth was adopted by a 9 year old. For more information, visit www.mahrnfp.org.

re: Thankfully, Problem of Unwanted Horses Finally Being Addressed

DONNA — Fri, 28 Nov 2008 16:17:09 GMT

As an animal lover I firmly beleive that when one takes on ownership of an animal it is that persons responsibility to see to that animals care and needs until the day it dies or if unable to care for animal it must be found a loving caring home.

re: Thankfully, Problem of Unwanted Horses Finally Being Addressed

Sandra — Fri, 28 Nov 2008 14:30:28 GMT

This issue is a reality of the horse industry.Slaughter- the NTRA took a neutral stand because there IS a place for slaughter (for food). The TB industry contributes greatly to this problem. The public cannot use a horse with nuts & bolts and fractures in their legs. Safety is the issue..

Strict Regulation of the slaughter industry is the answer.Humane hauling-sale & slaughter is the answer. Vet certifications at tracks need to be part of the cost of slaughter. There is a place for slaughter. I am, a horseman and I know that this is an unsavory issue. In Ohio people are turning their horses out on public land to fend for themselves.I have had babies born with lethal white deaths and that is reality. I love the horse more than anything however, reality is just that.

re: Thankfully, Problem of Unwanted Horses Finally Being Addressed

Bellwether — Fri, 28 Nov 2008 06:22:17 GMT

WE ARE OWNERS THAT DO & KNOW PLENTY OF OTHERS(OWNERS) THAT DO TOO...WE ALL SHARE ONE THING, COMMOND DECENCY FOR ANYTHING THAT BREATHS!!!...MAGIC OR WHAT!!!Long Live The Bell!!!

re: Thankfully, Problem of Unwanted Horses Finally Being Addressed

KatintheHat — Fri, 28 Nov 2008 05:51:15 GMT

mdfanofracing - there is a 501C group called CANTER that has groups all over the US dedicated to finding homes for off the track thoroughbreds. They have a Mid Atlantic group that services your area. If you type CANTER and thoroughbred into Google you will pull them up. You will see the different groups (mid Atlantic) listed. They have a lot of horses. Good luck and thank you for giving a horse a second chance and a home.

re: Thankfully, Problem of Unwanted Horses Finally Being Addressed

NEVERKICKYOURDOG — Thu, 27 Nov 2008 20:20:55 GMT

GREAT ARTICLE...ANYONE CONCERNED SHOULD THANK SOME OF THOSE ON THE FRONT LINE OF THIS ISSUE:

-MADELINE PICKENS

DEL MAR CC 858-759-5500

(leave a message w/ her sister)

-JAY HOVDEY DAILY RACING FORM

JHOVDEY@DRF.COM

-SUFFOLK DOWNS...CHIP TUTTLE

617-567-3900

-ILLINOIS REP. ROBERT MOLARO

773-229-0400

AFTER THANKING THEM, ASK WHAT WE CAN DO.

re: Thankfully, Problem of Unwanted Horses Finally Being Addressed

Dena Lentz — Thu, 27 Nov 2008 15:42:11 GMT

Thank you for reminding everyone that as humans we are to be responsible for our actions.

re: Thankfully, Problem of Unwanted Horses Finally Being Addressed

Alex — Thu, 27 Nov 2008 14:02:37 GMT

Great article with plenty of useful and valid points. It's a subject that should not be relegated to the back-burner.

Happy Thanksgiving everybody!

re: Thankfully, Problem of Unwanted Horses Finally Being Addressed

mdfanofracing — Thu, 27 Nov 2008 13:38:23 GMT

I recently purchased a 14 acre farm in western maryland and would love to give a good loving home, with a new career as a sport horse to an off track thoroughbred. I just dont know where to look. I thought about going to the Mid Atlantic sale in Timonium in a couple weeks and buy a nice yearling there. However, considering the epidemic of unwanted horses out there, I am strongly considering an older horse, provided i can find one that suits my needs and ability. I want something i can use for trails, maybe some under saddle shows. Any information anyone has about available horses in the Md, Va, Pa or De Please let me know. Im not in the habit of giving out my email address in blogs since i use this email address for my business, but im going to trust in the fact that any contact would be in order to give information that will help one of these horses, so here it is DEarnhardtRLZ3@aol.com (im not just a fan of horse racing)

re: Thankfully, Problem of Unwanted Horses Finally Being Addressed

Bellwether — Thu, 27 Nov 2008 07:26:56 GMT

ps...we knew all this before we got in the game...call it MAGIC or whatever...Long Live The King!!!

re: Thankfully, Problem of Unwanted Horses Finally Being Addressed

Bellwether — Thu, 27 Nov 2008 04:31:51 GMT

Right on Ralph...USE THEM IN THE PRISONS ACROSS AMERCIA TO HELP REHAB OUR INMATES...MALE & FEMALE PRISONS...AS HORSES GIVE HUMANS A SENSE OF WORTH!!!...we will find them safe HAVENS in AMERCIA cause we love them soooo much!!!...Long Live The HORSE!!!