You probably saw it. How do you feel about it? Can you even stand to look at the video, knowing she was five lengths, four lengths, two lengths from death? A beautiful young race mare running her heart out for her owners, coming in second against a magnificently strong male contender and dying for it. It happened to Ruffian, but that wasn't enough. It happened to Barbaro, although he was a male, he died for the "sport". It happens at race tracks all over the country, young horses pushed past their limit, too young for their bodies to carry the burden of speed, and snapping bones, bursting arteries, and becoming young cripples or slaughter house prospects. Yeah, the slaughter house. Do some research and find out how many top race horses, Kentucky Derby Winners, wound up falling through the cracks and landing in slaughter houses.
Maybe I should call this post "Why I don't Watch The Kentucky Derby". Horse lovers have known since horse racing became big business, that it's cruel to saddle "break" and start training a yearling horse for the races. That it's only done so that the multimillionaire investors can get quick returns on their money. They pay huge amounts for these race horses, and insure them to the max, then send them off to the trainers to push them into performing way too young. I won't go into a rant, you've heard it all before. These horses can be allowed to mature and then raced, it just takes about two more years. So take this away with you, if you are a big race horse fan, or you've partied and watched the Derby, Eight Belles died for you, too.
1 comment:
Hi Judy,
My name is Amanda, and I live in southern MA. I just wanted to let you know how much I adore Horseplay! I'm always on the lookout for new horse fiction, and I was so excited when I saw your book in front of Barnes and Noble the day I got it (over two years ago by now, I think). I've probably read it eight or nine times, maybe more. You are a gifted writer with a flair for humor!
Now, onto your Derby discussion...I am an avid Triple Crown fan. I drool happily over the gorgeous Thoroughbreds every year - I'm most certainly not in it for betting. The raw power that seeps from these horses is incredible...but I would happily give it all up if they decided to ban horse racing. I hate the fact that they break these horses as babies and then run them into the ground. I cried when I watched the Eight Belles story unfold right before our eyes.
I love the horses that run. I don't love the sport. I wish people would quit being so damn greedy! Maybe it's naive of me to think so (and at seventeen, I suppose I should be entitled to a little innocence...but not much, in this day and age!), but if we could just get people to see that they are seriously harming these animals by putting that much pressure on them at such a young age...maybe they'd stop being so bloody pigheaded!
Okay, I've rambled ridiculously for awhile, but I believe it is bedtime (school tomorrow...I only have seven days left of my high school career! EEK!).
Once again, your books are AWESOME and THANK YOU for writing them!!!
Amanda :D
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