Here is my advice:Stop breeding!!!
Moderators: Roguelet, WaveMaster, madelyn, Diane
I am so aware of what happens to them in Canada and esp. the idiots in Mexico get their rocks off in killing them.
I feel these animals deserve to be (the term) HUMANELY euthanized, instead of what actually happens to them. Why MUST they die that way?! There are many many reports of these horses still being alive and aware as they hoist them up by a back leg and slit their throats to die slowly.
Again, there IS enough money in THE INDUSTRY to provide for a peaceful, humane way of doing this! Let them go in a relaxed state, where they are given the relaxation shot, then the other one.
If THE INDUSTRY cannot afford this, and we all know there is money for this, its just being used to line the fat cats pockets, then there needs to be mandatory raising of fees, and percentages taken off every aspect of the horses lives. The registration fee, for example, an extra 25 bucks is NOT going to break anyones bank account if you can afford to bring one into the world. But it sure would add up. The winnings, think about how many horses make over 100K on the track. A percentage of those winnings needs to be taken to put into as the article says, a 'social security' type of fund.
Then when that is done, have a complete different entity other than a racing office/organization, who will have a specified interest in the money, but have one that does not have an interest at all, control the money and dole it out to the gallant animals that have earned it.
And if anyone does not want to pay that, well, perhaps they should not be breeding in the first place. I feel this way for all breeds too, not just the TB's but its the stories that have been heard, such as Ferdinand and Exceller's that has gotten the attention of the people and have turned the majority of the population against the horse racing community.
These horses run their hearts out for people. Surely they deserve a more respected treatment than they are getting here.
I feel these animals deserve to be (the term) HUMANELY euthanized, instead of what actually happens to them. Why MUST they die that way?! There are many many reports of these horses still being alive and aware as they hoist them up by a back leg and slit their throats to die slowly.
Again, there IS enough money in THE INDUSTRY to provide for a peaceful, humane way of doing this! Let them go in a relaxed state, where they are given the relaxation shot, then the other one.
If THE INDUSTRY cannot afford this, and we all know there is money for this, its just being used to line the fat cats pockets, then there needs to be mandatory raising of fees, and percentages taken off every aspect of the horses lives. The registration fee, for example, an extra 25 bucks is NOT going to break anyones bank account if you can afford to bring one into the world. But it sure would add up. The winnings, think about how many horses make over 100K on the track. A percentage of those winnings needs to be taken to put into as the article says, a 'social security' type of fund.
Then when that is done, have a complete different entity other than a racing office/organization, who will have a specified interest in the money, but have one that does not have an interest at all, control the money and dole it out to the gallant animals that have earned it.
And if anyone does not want to pay that, well, perhaps they should not be breeding in the first place. I feel this way for all breeds too, not just the TB's but its the stories that have been heard, such as Ferdinand and Exceller's that has gotten the attention of the people and have turned the majority of the population against the horse racing community.
These horses run their hearts out for people. Surely they deserve a more respected treatment than they are getting here.
We will NEVER see another Ruffian......
Every one seems to have a plan that is to be regulated by some agency and funded by otherr people's money..
This country is going broke because of unfunded mandates and it appears we can't even afford universal health care of people.
I sent a pet minimture goat to a training farm with my filly and the help had a fiesta.. Not a big deal in my mind even though the goat was 100 times more intellegent that any horses i have ever seen..
The good news is they did not eat my filly although they would have saved me a lot of money if they had.
griff
This country is going broke because of unfunded mandates and it appears we can't even afford universal health care of people.
I sent a pet minimture goat to a training farm with my filly and the help had a fiesta.. Not a big deal in my mind even though the goat was 100 times more intellegent that any horses i have ever seen..
The good news is they did not eat my filly although they would have saved me a lot of money if they had.
griff
"We has met the enemy and he is us" [Pogo]
cng wrote:There used to be a poster named Gerry that sounded a lot like erhrdt3 until the reality caught up with the rhetoric.
Sorry, have only used one message board name. Apparently there are some others that have a heart when it comes to this subject. Not to mention the national editorials that are coming out more and more about this ugly problem.
Simple, if ya breed 'em, be responsible. How hard is that to get through one's head? That's what is contributing to the ugliness of this sport, and the breeders don't want that, no, they want it swept under the rug. Oh, this one is not a winner, let's just throw it away like a piece of junk. But, this stallion is still breeding, so bring your mares!!
Why must they be slaughtered as opposed to euthanized? Because some greedy ass sucker wants a last few hundred bucks thats why.
REALITY is, there is a major problem, and the INDUSTRY that created it needs to clean its act up.
We will NEVER see another Ruffian......
erhrdt3 wrote:cng wrote:There used to be a poster named Gerry that sounded a lot like erhrdt3 until the reality caught up with the rhetoric.
Sorry, have only used one message board name. Apparently there are some others that have a heart when it comes to this subject.
Just to clue you in, Gerry was a poster all over various message boards including this one who, although not as strident as you, talked about how slaughter was a terrible thing and that she "rescued" horses from auctions. Then the stories broke about how animal control was rescuing those horses from her.
FWIW, lots of Internet based scandals have started out with posters who said they hate slaughter and somewhere along the way, horses suffered as a result. The racing industry that you despise so much is not alone in this regard. The rescue "industry" or at least components of it have a lot to answer for too. Good intentions are not enough and words can cover a multitude of sins.
Actually, I grew up loving this sport, in a way I still do, esp. since Zenyatta came into it (that's why it was sooo sad to see her retire!) but its just that when you see the amount of money the owners, the big farms, the hot shot famous trainers, and on an on....you would think the problem would be further along in being solved!
We have a very nice farm in Lexington. All of our horses are given any/all vet care, shots, floating, hoof care, etc. etc. etc. that they need. It just so happens that my racing partner feels the same way about animals, and of course, the horses, and they will have forever homes with us, even if the 5 we will have going into training over the next 2 years never win a race. We have a gelding that was a good runner, but he pulled something in his leg, so he will always have a bit of a limp, and he is checked regulary, had physical therapy, the mares when they were running were taken to the center and they were swam in the pool, and that is not cheap to do. But we love them, care for them, and will continue to do so. When it comes time to go to Heaven for them, well, we just can't see having a freakin' bolt shot into their heads and have their necks slashed open and have our friends eaten by some sicko. Yuk!
If you bring 'em into the world, you make sure you take care of them. Simple as that. If you can't do that, then don't breed more horses. That's not to hard to get through one's way of thinkng. It's called being responsible.
We have a very nice farm in Lexington. All of our horses are given any/all vet care, shots, floating, hoof care, etc. etc. etc. that they need. It just so happens that my racing partner feels the same way about animals, and of course, the horses, and they will have forever homes with us, even if the 5 we will have going into training over the next 2 years never win a race. We have a gelding that was a good runner, but he pulled something in his leg, so he will always have a bit of a limp, and he is checked regulary, had physical therapy, the mares when they were running were taken to the center and they were swam in the pool, and that is not cheap to do. But we love them, care for them, and will continue to do so. When it comes time to go to Heaven for them, well, we just can't see having a freakin' bolt shot into their heads and have their necks slashed open and have our friends eaten by some sicko. Yuk!
If you bring 'em into the world, you make sure you take care of them. Simple as that. If you can't do that, then don't breed more horses. That's not to hard to get through one's way of thinkng. It's called being responsible.
We will NEVER see another Ruffian......
I wouldn't ever put anyone in the same file as Gerry (especially erhrdt3).. Gerry had a disease where in her head it was ok to support her CANTER bought-bottom level stallions with mares she got for free or cheap. She also did whatever she could to make a buck and thought it was ok to live off her mothers retirement doing all of this.
I tried to lease a City Zip mare from Gerry years ago and took a big chance taking this mare. After all the hooply I told her to come get the mare. It took her a month to pick her up and I dont even know what happen to her after that. It was before all of it went down with the humane association but I did forward her info to them for identification.
Point being, this is a string about not breeding horses..not overbreeding useless stock you pick up at the North Hampton Fair.
I tried to lease a City Zip mare from Gerry years ago and took a big chance taking this mare. After all the hooply I told her to come get the mare. It took her a month to pick her up and I dont even know what happen to her after that. It was before all of it went down with the humane association but I did forward her info to them for identification.
Point being, this is a string about not breeding horses..not overbreeding useless stock you pick up at the North Hampton Fair.
When you are broke and can't even afford food for yourself, what is wrong with wanting the last few hundred dollars?
If that's the case, one shouldn't own horses or even a dog, for that matter. Owning pets, livestock, children, you name it....is a responsibility. If you can't afford it, don't get it.
As a newcomer to this business, it just shocks me to see such a "I don't care attitude". Everyone needs to do their part and I believe owners, breeders, and trainers should all pitch in to help. Or at least....help their own horses! Horses bring everyone here together, they are the common thread....and I believe everyone should come together to come up with solutions to this terrible problem. Even if it just means changing legislation, then the industry needs to band together to do that.
I don't have a real problem if the horse's carcass is to be used for something else....the problem is how the horse becomes the carcass.
Horses to be sold for human consumption cannot be euthanized....understandable. Then what about gunshot? It seems a whole lot more humane than the other two terrible methods going on today.
If you were to bring your old dog in to your vet to end his suffering, would you be a bit upset if they stabbed it w/ knives or bashed it in the head repeatedly? Not only would you be upset, someone would be charged with animal cruelty.
Why can't their be anti-cruelty laws applied to this whole process with horses? It's cruel. I can't imagine anyone can watch the slaughter videos and call the process humane. It's not.
Just my two cents.
dkras wrote:When you are broke and can't even afford food for yourself, what is wrong with wanting the last few hundred dollars?
If that's the case, one shouldn't own horses or even a dog, for that matter. Owning pets, livestock, children, you name it....is a responsibility. If you can't afford it, don't get it.
And of course circumstances such health, family and employment always stay exactly the same for everyone and that always allows for the expense of a horse or horses.
[Yeah I'm being sarcastic]
First a big thanks to Crystal! I gotta email you, my computer was messed up so I did not want to chance you not getting it.....
Sys...can you elaborate on the last post?? I had to read it twice.
I agree, if you can't afford them, then don't have them, don't make more of them. Simple. Don't abuse them, don't make your last buck off your old friend and sell the carcass to a killer!! Give them the dignity the deserve, that's all.
Let me state once again, I am NOT someone named Gerry. Althought my name rhymes with it, I am a completely different person. Thank you.
Thanks, D!
Sys...can you elaborate on the last post?? I had to read it twice.
I agree, if you can't afford them, then don't have them, don't make more of them. Simple. Don't abuse them, don't make your last buck off your old friend and sell the carcass to a killer!! Give them the dignity the deserve, that's all.
Let me state once again, I am NOT someone named Gerry. Althought my name rhymes with it, I am a completely different person. Thank you.
Thanks, D!
We will NEVER see another Ruffian......
I think what Sy was getting at was what I touched on in another post. One day someone may have everything in order and can afford such luxeries, and the next day a death in the family-job loss-car crash-business crash-etc and things change.
but I think a back up plan should always be in order..or retirement plan.
but I think a back up plan should always be in order..or retirement plan.
And of course circumstances such health, family and employment always stay exactly the same for everyone and that always allows for the expense of a horse or horses.
Which is why there are choices such as finding your horse a new home (even if you have to give it away to a GOOD home), giving it to a reputable rescue, or euthanasia, worse case scenario.
There are good groups working with trainers at some tracks to list and place horses such as Leighton Farm: http://www.leightonfarm.com/ or http://www.goodhorse.org/
And to imply that only people in dires straights are letting their horses go to auction is simply wrong. Some top breeders, farms, trainers, and owners (with plenty of money, who could and should do better by their horses) send their used-up horses to auction too.
It's easy to make excuses. What is much harder is taking responsibility for your own as much as possible and then also helping to solve this glaring problem in the industry.
I keep reading about dwindling interest in racing, low handles, not being able to recruit new and young people and new potential owners into this business. This is part of the reason why! There is such a negative perception about racing as far about corruption, greed, cheating (drugs), and then of course horses breaking down on the track. And then of course there is the dirty little secret truth that many former fine and noble horses get shipped off to slaughter as soon as their owners are done making money with them. Look at Ferdinand....that experience opened the eyes of many that had no idea that horses even go to slaughter.....
We need solutions-not excuses!! IMHO
Nice post drkas. Sums up my sentiments too. I don't have kids because thank god I had friends who just couldn't wait to start their happy families and now when I say in a matter of 24 hours I will be in Vegas or the Bahamas because I can, all I see is contempt on their faces. But fact is if I want a kid there's plenty others didn't want the responsibility of taking care of, same goes for a pet. I am having my first and god willing only home bred foal soon and I am already envisioning 20 years into the future about where I am going to be with it and the others I have because that's how I was raised. I was taught to be responsible for every action I took. Does that mean I never made the wrong choice, no but I can tell you I consider outcomes in all varieties a lot more than most.
I have said before if I gotta be 90 swinging around on a stripper pole to pay for my horses/dogs/cats/self I will, hips willing (might be some drag but oh well lol ). Point is I see a society that takes the easy way out as often as they can. When it became that way I don't know, but I can only be responsible for me myself and I.
And yes I bolded it purposefully because sometimes I feel the definition has been lost and it has no meaning any more.
I have said before if I gotta be 90 swinging around on a stripper pole to pay for my horses/dogs/cats/self I will, hips willing (might be some drag but oh well lol ). Point is I see a society that takes the easy way out as often as they can. When it became that way I don't know, but I can only be responsible for me myself and I.
And yes I bolded it purposefully because sometimes I feel the definition has been lost and it has no meaning any more.
trying to come up with something brillant..... this may take a while. 