Is Horse Racing Any Different Than Dogfighting?

I think there is a huge difference in horses racing and dogs fighting to the death.

 

How many horses die in horse racing compared to how many dogs die in dog fighting?

 

The intent of dog fighting is that they get hurt and die. Horse racing doesnt even come close. This is obvious and really shouldnt have to be explained. But since PETA is on their high horse about the kentucky Derby and the horse that broke two legs this is now a public issue. Nutballs every one of them.

 

So, two high-profile deaths make it dogfighting?

A college basketball player collapsed and died the other day, playing ball.

Does that make basketball equal to dogfighting?


Makes it all sound silly, eh?

 

Yes, it does.

 

While I don't believe horse racing is equal to dog fighting, I am not a fan of horse racing. It is clearly not something that should be supported by animal lovers. The latest incident at the Kentucky Derby should prove the point.

 

There is a big difference between horse racing and basketball. Basketball players choose to play the game. They understand the risks and they were willing to take the chance. In horse racing, the horse has no choice. The horse is put into the sport regardless of whether or not it is (a) healthy or (b) painful for the horse. I am not against racing, but people can race cars, boats, bikes, and in running. There is no need to force animals to do our racing for us.

 

I’ve never kept up with horse racing, but on ESPN.com they had an interview with a horse racing analyst who said that here in the US horse trainers inject medication into horses that can numb pain that any horse maybe experiencing before a race and that IF Eight Belles was experiencing any pain, or medical problems, the horse didn’t know about it until it was too late.

The analyst said that anywhere else in the world, medicating a horse prior to a race is illegal.

InXC
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Dog fighting is for the purpose of violence, torture and death. You have to beat them and torture them to train them to fight in the ring. This is not true of horse racing, and never has been. The intent is not violence, torture and death. How often does a horse die from racing, looking at the long and extenive history of horse racing, I think very few have.

Pit bulls were bred to fight, trained by extreme cruilty.

 

Isnt it illegal here?

 

No, they're not even remotely similar.

By the way, if I had gone ahead and bet the trifecta I planned on betting, and not chickened out, I would have won $37,000.

So always go with your first instinct.

PS, most jockeys and trainers are Mexicans, so it would actually be poor Mexicans and not rich white people.

 

That’s what the ESPN guy was saying…any horse that has a suspect injury can be proven “sound” to race if it’s injected with painkillers…the point of the ESPN analysis was that the jockey couldn’t see the signs of problems in his horse until it was too late.

Another problem the ESPN guy said was that when trainers pump a race horse with medication to out perform a “genetically” medical problem the horse at the end of his short career will pass-on this problem to another generation…the problem was hid to begin with.

InXC
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I wish all of the tracks would switch to the synthetic surfaces as it has cut down on the number of injuries where it has been installed.