THE WASHINGTON POST – OPINION
DOES A SPORT THAT GAMBLES WITH THE LIVES OF HORSES REALLY BELONG IN OUR WORLD?
JANUARY 25, 2020 – By Editorial Board
THE DEATHS of nearly two dozen horses last year at Santa Anita Park in California caused the famed racetrack to close for three weeks as it tried to assess the situation.
It reopened with changes that included a new track drainage system, strict medication rules, enhanced training protocols and more veterinarians to oversee the horses.
Despite the changes, there were six deaths of horses racing or training during the fall meeting leading up to the renowned Breeders’ Cup races.
During the final race of that two-day event, a 4-year-old gelding broke its leg and had to be euthanized. Since the start of the new season in December, there have been five more deaths, including three in as many days over the Martin Luther King Jr. weekend.
It’s good that public outcry has forced government and the industry to finally start paying attention to the treatment of these beautiful animals.
But the question is whether the proposed reforms go far enough.
We have our doubts and think animal rights activists make a powerful case that the fundamental problem is with horse racing itself.
“The killing is built into the system” is the blunt assessment of Patrick Battuello, founder and president of Horseracing Wrongs, who has spent the past five years tracking public data on racehorse deaths at the 100 racetracks in 35 states.
He has confirmed 1,000 deaths annually but says the actual number is much higher.
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CANADA SLAUGHTERS HORSES FOR HUMAN CONSUMPTION
It may be hard for some to believe that tens of thousands of horses, including pets, are routinely slaughtered in Canada, for human consumption.
Some of the meat is consumed in Canada and much of it is shipped to the European Union and other markets, including Japan.
The barbaric slaughter of horses is currently not legal in the United States, BUT horses, including pets and ex-racehorses, from the United States are shipped to Canada and to Mexico to be slaughtered.
In addition Canada allows for the transportation of live horses to Japan, to be slaughtered for human consumption, and unfortunately the transportation of horses destined for slaughter within Canada, and by air, is far from humane.
JESSICA SCOTT REID
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