You are so right...race horses (or circus elephants, etc) are "asked" to perform for the dumb public?? Bring out the whips and beat them into submission...that's the sad reality.
1
Michael Vick goes to prison and Bob Baffert goes to the winners circle.
One demonized for animal cruelty and one celebrated. One plied his craft
in creepy private rural settings, the other on Disney's ESPN.
Odds are 3-5 nothing will ever change.
One demonized for animal cruelty and one celebrated. One plied his craft
in creepy private rural settings, the other on Disney's ESPN.
Odds are 3-5 nothing will ever change.
3
What a horse! No crowds today, especially on the track
No longer watch the Triple Crown events.
Ruined for me by California Chrome winning the first two races last year, but having a fresh horse, who did not run previously, sprint off with the Belmont prize.
Legal, perhaps, but not fair or sportsmanlike. And then we learn about treatment of horses by some trainers, at some venues.
Bye bye, horses. I just hope you survive.
Ruined for me by California Chrome winning the first two races last year, but having a fresh horse, who did not run previously, sprint off with the Belmont prize.
Legal, perhaps, but not fair or sportsmanlike. And then we learn about treatment of horses by some trainers, at some venues.
Bye bye, horses. I just hope you survive.
2
This article was much too painful to finish reading. That majestic horse must feel tortured when forced into the racetrack crowds where several 'men' are needed to shove the animal into the small starting position. For God's sake, if this isn't animal abuse, what is? "The sport of kings" is allowed to continue because of money-loving humans(?) who have no conscience. It's a horror show based on Greed, totally disgusting.
6
As long as we look at horses and other animals as things, as commodities, to be exploited for our trivial preferences, there is no end to the severe and widespread cruelty and abuse they will endure.
How do we avoid seeing animals as commodities to be exploited for our trivial preferences? We commit to being vegan for life.
How do we avoid seeing animals as commodities to be exploited for our trivial preferences? We commit to being vegan for life.
6
There are people who believe that no animal should be used for any purpose whatsoever. There are those who see a horse as a commodity to be used and discarded as the owner wishes. Then there are those of us in the middle ground who enjoy working and competing with our horses and dogs but who are strong supporters of animal welfare laws and regulations and eager to see people who do not care for their animals or who cheat banned from competition.
Horse racing does not need to be banned. What It does need are nationwide rules and a governing body with teeth to make it as humane as possible for the horses and safe for the jockeys. We should also adopt the same no race day medication rules as the rest of the world. If your horse needs drugs it is not sound enough to race.
As a racing fan I hope that the powers that be in the sport read some of these comments and realize that the world has changed. It's time for racing to clean up its act. I'm going to watch the Preakness as I do every year but if American Pharaoh wins and goes on to the Belmont for a shot at the Triple Crown I'm going to have mixed emotions about it since neither the horse's owner nor his trainer are exactly poster children for animal welfare.
Horse racing does not need to be banned. What It does need are nationwide rules and a governing body with teeth to make it as humane as possible for the horses and safe for the jockeys. We should also adopt the same no race day medication rules as the rest of the world. If your horse needs drugs it is not sound enough to race.
As a racing fan I hope that the powers that be in the sport read some of these comments and realize that the world has changed. It's time for racing to clean up its act. I'm going to watch the Preakness as I do every year but if American Pharaoh wins and goes on to the Belmont for a shot at the Triple Crown I'm going to have mixed emotions about it since neither the horse's owner nor his trainer are exactly poster children for animal welfare.
12
Yeah, but with a sensible attitude like that, you can't be a self-righteous effete coastal reader of the NYT who not only gets to pontificate on animal abuse, but also tell the world you are vegan and do not own a TV.
2
Horse racing can be improved to reduce cruelty and enhance safety and health in our thoroughbreds and humans. Doping and running hurting horses is egregious and can be better monitored and sanctioned. Thoroughbreds are tied to our American heritage and our various horse communities throughout the U.S., in Kentucky, California, Pennsylvania, the East Coast, Ocala, etc., are beautiful. We should cherish them and brag about them internationally. Horses are dependent on the angels of our better natures...which is a shame because as a species we are no great shakes. And so, I believe that thoroughbreds need jobs. I belong to a horse community of middle-aged and young ladies who love the thoroughbred adoption and rescue organizations and we pridefully ride thoroughbreds. So, before you post a trashing comment saying that racing should be abolished and thoroughbreds should be "left alone" to enjoy some "natural" sort of existence, you should consider that thoroughbreds have champion hearts, a desire to please, keen intelligence and desire for work. And you should also consider that cruelty, neglect, and injury would likely increase in a world where thoroughbreds serve no competitive purpose at all. You want to help thoroughbreds and race horses? Don't complain when the New York Times gives us passionate aficionados just a few lines about racing per year. Instead be a regular Jane or Joe who follows the ponies at the track!
6
American Pharoah Is THE JEWEL OF THE NILE!!!!
3
Given his Kentucky Derby time versus Secretariat's, American Pharoah would have lost by about 24 lengths. A pretty plodder., nothing more, in an even less distinguished field.
Thanks for mentioning Secretariat. If I want to get choked up, all I have to do is watch the '73 Belmont. A record that will never be broken.
2
I am sorry, American Pharoah.
All horses deserve better than to be fodder for boredom.
All horses deserve better than to be fodder for boredom.
18
Valerie, I'm with you...feel very sorry for all animals abused for "entertainment".
1
Let's review. Baffert has a horse that he knows is fearful of crowds and he puts cotton in this poor creature's ears. A horse's ears are essential to a horse's sense of calm as they are always listening and ever on alert for perceived danger.
So it lessens the noise of the crowd and the horse appears to be more manageable as he's lead to the gate. He's just concentrating more because of the obstruction to his hearing and giving over to and trusting as much as he can the handler to get him through.
I've always believed the more beautiful and "talented" the animal the more destined it is for an unnatural and unhappy life in the hands of it's exploitive humans.
It's time for this sport of Kings (few ,if any known for their sense of humanity) to be seen in the same light as circuses and Seaworld.
And don't forget those poor rodeo horses and bulls and what they're subjected to so that their humans can make a living off them.
So it lessens the noise of the crowd and the horse appears to be more manageable as he's lead to the gate. He's just concentrating more because of the obstruction to his hearing and giving over to and trusting as much as he can the handler to get him through.
I've always believed the more beautiful and "talented" the animal the more destined it is for an unnatural and unhappy life in the hands of it's exploitive humans.
It's time for this sport of Kings (few ,if any known for their sense of humanity) to be seen in the same light as circuses and Seaworld.
And don't forget those poor rodeo horses and bulls and what they're subjected to so that their humans can make a living off them.
13
I completely agree; this is abuse.
2
Agree with every word you wrote...thank you...very sad story...if only.......
1
So stop torturing the animal. Strap a saddle on them and make its owner run around in front of a screaming crowd and let them feel what its like.
Considering the human chaos this horse is averse to, its understandable and probably indicates that the horse has more sense than the people who sponsor these races or the people who go to them to scream their heads off in the hopes of scaring poor animals out of their wits.
If there's finally a valid place for a robot as a replacement for something living, here would be the place to invent and introduce a robotic racehorse that wouldn't feel a thing when forced to participate in this human zoo activity.
Considering the human chaos this horse is averse to, its understandable and probably indicates that the horse has more sense than the people who sponsor these races or the people who go to them to scream their heads off in the hopes of scaring poor animals out of their wits.
If there's finally a valid place for a robot as a replacement for something living, here would be the place to invent and introduce a robotic racehorse that wouldn't feel a thing when forced to participate in this human zoo activity.
20
Perfectly said..."Amen"
1
Good grief, can we leave these poor creatures to themselves in the wild or on a farm or anywhere else besides inside the web of some rube's gambling addiction?
And Catherine Gore, commenter here, has it right: I REALLY wish the Times would stop glorifying horse racing. There's nothing remotely good about it.
And Catherine Gore, commenter here, has it right: I REALLY wish the Times would stop glorifying horse racing. There's nothing remotely good about it.
24
So many people here imagine horses are like helpless little children. All it takes is one wrong move and these helpless little animals can crush you and take away all of your tomorrows in a flash.
1
You don't know a lot about horses, do you?
When it comes to being able to take of themselves, they pretty much are helpless. I have a horse farm and have often remarked that if something were to happen to me, the cats would be fine, the dogs would survive but the horses would all starve to death because they can't fend for themselves when kept in confinement, even pastures, by people.
People, I assure you, are much more likely to deliberately kill, injure, maim or abuse a horse than a horse is to do so to a person. Nine and 3/4 out of 10 times, when a person is injured by a horse, it is because the person was doing something stupid and risky. It is exceedingly rare, EXCEEDINGLY rare, for a horse to deliberately try to hurt a person.
When it comes to being able to take of themselves, they pretty much are helpless. I have a horse farm and have often remarked that if something were to happen to me, the cats would be fine, the dogs would survive but the horses would all starve to death because they can't fend for themselves when kept in confinement, even pastures, by people.
People, I assure you, are much more likely to deliberately kill, injure, maim or abuse a horse than a horse is to do so to a person. Nine and 3/4 out of 10 times, when a person is injured by a horse, it is because the person was doing something stupid and risky. It is exceedingly rare, EXCEEDINGLY rare, for a horse to deliberately try to hurt a person.
23
I think you've read way too much into my comment. Chill out, please. I'm just saying that it's not possible for the entire sport of horse racing to be built around the abuse of horses. People can abuse horses but we're not big enough or strong enough to force them to race if racing doesn't make sense to them.
1
You're wrong; these horses are trained to run and whipped, you may have noticed, to run.They are running out of fear and abuse, not because they WANT to.
1
Maybe 20 of the 50,000-plus thoroughbreds foaled each year make it to the Derby when they are three.
Contrast that to the more than 100,000 perfectly sound, perfectly sane, young, healthy thoroughbreds shipped to slaughter every year simply because they weren't quite fast enough to earn coin for their connections.
Because, hey, $100 bucks from the meat man is more profitable and easier than taking the effort to place them in second careers.
Contrast that to the more than 100,000 perfectly sound, perfectly sane, young, healthy thoroughbreds shipped to slaughter every year simply because they weren't quite fast enough to earn coin for their connections.
Because, hey, $100 bucks from the meat man is more profitable and easier than taking the effort to place them in second careers.
18
The poor thing is reading this right now and shuddering. He hates attention, leave him alone.
5
I'm waiting for the first paparazzi lawsuit when American Pharoah breaks a camera out of frustration.
6
More horse racing stories, please, and less Tom Brady.
13
I wish the NY Times would stop promoting this barbaric spectacle. The abuse and suffering runs throughout the process of forcing horses to race - from the perverse over-breeding of them, to the PERVASIVE use of drugs to mask their pain, to the endless hours spent locked up in stalls, to the whipping, to the fear they feel for their lives (see the whites of their eyes in photos), to the trip to the slaughterhouse when they no longer "perform."
The business of racing horses reaps financial rewards from horrible cruelty, while being propped up by myths, movies, books and news articles such as this one. It needs to end once and for all.
The business of racing horses reaps financial rewards from horrible cruelty, while being propped up by myths, movies, books and news articles such as this one. It needs to end once and for all.
40
Animal abuse for rich people. Oh, sure, as the promoters of this "sport" invariably claim, horses naturally love to run and race. In fact, given the choice, I'm sure horses would always opt to be injected full of drugs, have a 110 pound human stuck on their back and be whipped by him or her. I grew up around horses. Funny, but I never saw horses doing anything like that in nature. In fact, I rarely saw them run in their fields at all. Go figure.
31
Exactly right...I see them in fields nearby, and feel sad for those who instead are being whipped to run faster-faster-faster.
1
I once owned a horse named Tom, a sorrel with a sweet face as gentle as he could be, but dumb as a plank. Racing he could do without. He would have been good company for Pharoah or any other horse who just likes to mosey around and eat grass.
6
A. Stanton: Horses did not evolve the bodies they have by living a sedentary live in the wild. If an animal's body is good at running very fast, it means that's what their bodies evolved to do. Since their bodies evolved to do that, their brains also must have evolved to give them a sense of reward when they do it well. Otherwise they'd do it poorly and horse racing would be about as exciting as racing guinea pigs.
Nothing in nature is an accident. Animals that don't like to run evolve bodies that can't run. You're not doing a horse any favors by giving it a sedentary life.
Nothing in nature is an accident. Animals that don't like to run evolve bodies that can't run. You're not doing a horse any favors by giving it a sedentary life.
4
Horses are prey animals. Hence, they know how to run!
1
Tom never complained.
2
Glad to see some readers are balking at the cruelty and ridiculousness of this "sport of kings" (Remember Eight Belles?). American Pharoah's tail is short (the local paper called it a "flaw") because ANOTHER HORSE CHEWED IT OFF. Sounds as if this animal has been the victim of poor husbandry for most of its life.
20
This often happens in a herd, especially among youngsters. I had a colt who chewed his own mama's tail off short. She was very laid back and more into grazing than worrying about what her bad boy was doing.
The only way to completely prevent this would be to isolate each horse from others and THAT is what would be totally cruel.
I do confess to not liking that these 3-year-olds, still really just babies, are racing before their bodies are able to handle the stress. Like asking your 6-year-old to play tackle football. But before you protest a horse being raced or working cattle or pulling a carriage, please remember that without these jobs, the horses would not exist. Like cattle, sheep, pigs, horses need to be taken care of. You can't just let these animals roam around loose, fending for themselves, and most of us don't have the resources to support them as moving yard ornaments!
The only way to completely prevent this would be to isolate each horse from others and THAT is what would be totally cruel.
I do confess to not liking that these 3-year-olds, still really just babies, are racing before their bodies are able to handle the stress. Like asking your 6-year-old to play tackle football. But before you protest a horse being raced or working cattle or pulling a carriage, please remember that without these jobs, the horses would not exist. Like cattle, sheep, pigs, horses need to be taken care of. You can't just let these animals roam around loose, fending for themselves, and most of us don't have the resources to support them as moving yard ornaments!
9
There is nothing inherently wrong with horses racing. Indeed, like any performance athlete, most horses enjoy the thrill of racing and have a drive to compete and win. What is wrong is the abuse of these glorious athletes by SOME owners, trainers, and riders who use use stimulants to give a horse an "edge", drugs to mask a horse's injuries and pain, questionable training practices or race the horse too often and too hard for its well being. These are the same issues present in professional athletic events for humans as well. The answer isn't to eliminate horse racing, but to have strong, consistent oversight by an objective, independent authority and consist advanced drug testing.
49
Yes, but the humans chose to participate in their athletic events. The horses did not.
23
How do you know they enjoy it? Any use of these animals for our own entertainment is abuse, in my opinion.
20
Ellen: Do you know how much a horse weighs? It weighs enough so that you're not going to get those animals to run races merely by abusing them into it. They are fully capable of abusing humans right back! And the weight ratio is such that the relationship has got to be one of mutual respect.
4
It's time for the American public to realize the cruelty and abuse that is marketed as horse racing. A friend of mine, who is an equine vet, was so appalled that she refuses to work at race tracks.
This is just animal cruelty and The New York Times should NOT be promoting it.
This is just animal cruelty and The New York Times should NOT be promoting it.
53
I volunteered at a horse rescue. Many of the horses we rescued were discarded racehorses from the racetrack. (Even more vulnerable to abuse are the more expendable exercice ponies whose mission in life is to keep the thoroughbreds calm - look for them at the Preakness' "walkover" if you watch) Once we were called by a kind soul at a local track to let us know a thoroughbred had fallen and couldn't get up. I recall the drugs that had been used to keep him from feeling pain had stopped being effective. He was going to be destroyed. We intervened and purchased this beautiful boy for more than the slaughter house had offered. We brought him home to the ranch, rehabilitated him and now he's been adopted by a loving home. One small victory.
Personally, I HATE the racetrack and the racing culture.
Personally, I HATE the racetrack and the racing culture.
9
You're an angel to have acted on behalf of that horse...truly a loving heart and I so admire you...
Having spent time in the vet world I came to understand most of the track vets were very different from the companion animal vets. Very different.
Sadly, no one really cares or understands that horses fear for their lives in such situations. We expect so much from these kind and gentle creatures. Then, when they lose their value, they are discarded.
47
I wish the NYT would stop romanticizing horse racing. These horses aren't Olympians participating in a race of their own volition, but rather owned commodities who are often brutalized, drugged and grotesquely injured. Then turned into dog food or horse meat once they fail to win races. You are a journalistic newspaper not a propaganda machine for the horse racing industry. Do you, editors, writers, individuals involved in making this story--given that the brutality of horse-racing is well documented--have no conscience?
44
When will this cruel obsession of horse racing end? Why does the New York Times write about it?
38
Horse racing industry employs 500 thousand people. I guess they should all file for unemployment and you will pay for it.
7
It is a sport of the wealthy. Therefore it will never end.
16
I guess they could all be retrained to do something useful and humane.
6
After watching Barbaro break down in the Preakness, I was put off horse racing. Not that it was a passion of mine to begin with. Now, when I read about a horse like American Pharaoh, I find myself holding my breath hoping he will be OK. (I hope it for all the rest of them, too. In vain.)
23
It's PharOAh. The name isn't spelled like the former president of
Egypt, chronicled in the King James Bible. You've spelled that one
right. But the horse, with an Egyptian-American owner who definitely
knows the difference, let an early spelling mistake go.
Egypt, chronicled in the King James Bible. You've spelled that one
right. But the horse, with an Egyptian-American owner who definitely
knows the difference, let an early spelling mistake go.
2
Silly point but it is not "the former president of Egypt" Pharaoh was the title of the rulers of Egypt thousands of years ago. BTW what does the King James Bible have to do with anything here?
Well if they kept the misspelling then I hope they pronounce it the way it is spelled: Pha-rOw- ahhh.
Well if they kept the misspelling then I hope they pronounce it the way it is spelled: Pha-rOw- ahhh.
1
Just as moderate anxiety can be a boost to human performance, I wonder if this anxiety comprises part of Pharoah's success. Perhaps adrenaline or other natural stimulants are higher in him as a result.
2
Although I have only seen photographs in the NYTimes of American Pharoah, he is one of the most handsome horses I have ever laid eyes on! I used to ride a lot and my father was an exercise jockey outside Baltimore as a very young man. This horse is stunning. It would be so exciting to have a triple crown winner this year. We are due!
24
I'm with you, Tao of Jane. He is gorgeous
3
One of the handsomest and not to be abused, thank you.
1
Rude man, you're exactly right! Tao of Jane, I can't disagree more.
He is that handsome! He has to avoid the crowds lest someone.....
2
Asked? Really? Did not know the performance was consensual from
the horse's standpoint. It's why I read the Times.