Does anyone think that PETA is out of line with their indignance with the Kentucky Derby?

Question

They want to outlaw whipping?

What about the young age of horses that get raced?

I do not think they know anything about horses. Not to mention the fragile leg and hoof structure they have at such a YOUNG age!

Why would they blame the jockey when it's usually a different kind of jockey who puts the animal in that kind of situation?

To me, this is an ignorance and political issue on a global scale!

Answer 1

I'm going to start by saying that while I can't stand most of what PETA does and stands for, because they are ignorant hypocrites who resort to eco-terroristic tactics to get their message across, in this instance they are RIGHT about one thing- the sport of racing is in DIRE NEED OF a complete OVERHAUL from the ground up. Eight Belles' death was TOTALLY PREVENTABLE, as are the deaths of tens of THOUSANDS of other young Thoroughbred race horses which die on our nation's tracks every year. The simple truth is that these horses are JUST TOO YOUNG TO BE DOING WHAT THEY ARE BEING ASKED TO DO. A 3 year old horse is equivalent in its development to a 9 year old child. We would never ask anyone's 9 year old son or daughter to run a mile and a quarter over a heavy dirt surface with a 126 pound weight strapped to his or her body- but we have no reservations about demanding that a young horse do this. Eight Belles was NOT a mature mare- she was a young, growing BABY !!! Her bones couldn't take the stress any more, and they shattered beyond repair- and the jockey's use of the whip or the lack of it had nothing to do with this. No, let's put the blame for her breakdown and death where it REALLY LIES- with the system that produced her and demanded that she be in such a tragic situation in the first place.

Consider the situation for a moment. Eight Belles was running on dirt for the first time in her life on Saturday- all her previous races had been on Polytrack. She was also racing against colts for the first time in her life. Then there was the fact that she apparently was very overgrown and tall for her age, with superfine legs and a bone structure that was inherently weak and prone to breakage, and which may have been the product of inbreeding, excessive feeding while she was a baby, overtraining, or possibly a combination of all of these things. Put all of this together, and add in the enormous pressure to win that any Derby horse is under, no matter what its gender, and you have a recipe for disaster. PETA is correct when they say that this situation is all too common in the sport of racing- and indeed, it has gotten way out of control. But no amount of grandstanding or demonstrations on their part is going to force a change- not while there is so much money involved. That's the real driving force behind Saturday's tragedy- M-O-N- E-Y !!!  Eight Belles' owners were and are no different from any of the other owners out there- they viewed her as a commodity, just like every other race horse, instead of the living creature she was.  The only thing they were interested in was how much she could win- her health and well being made little if any difference to them. One does not keep poor performing investments and commodities going or around for very long if one wants to become wealthy. Eight Belles had earned enough money to demonstrate that she was worth keeping around long enough to run in the Derby- she was cross entered in the Oaks last Friday, but was pulled from that race after she drew an outside post position. When it became clear that her post in the Derby would be favorable to her, her owners decided to go ahead with it. Like all the other owners at that track, they wanted the glory and the money, not to mention the prestiege, which comes from having a Derby winner in the barn. Racing is a money game- and personal feelings don't count for much in that business. Neither does horses sacrificing their lives so people can have few minutes of entertainment - and this, more so than anything else, is what has PETA up in arms. I knew this was going to happen when I heard about the filly's breaking down, because this plays right into PETA's beliefs that animals should not be exploited or have to suffer pain for the purpose of entertaining people. In many respects, I agree with that philosophy, at least to a point. This does NOT mean I support PETA's activities in any way, however, nor does it mean that I agree with all of their beliefs. I eat meat too, and I am a lifelong dog and horse owner myself- so clearly, there are some things about them I am opposed to.

As for the jockey, he did as he was told and rode the race he was instructed to ride. I find no fault with him, or with the filly's trainer, who was obviously VERY broken up about what happened on Saturday. It takes a lot for a grown man in his 50's to break down and sob on camera, like he was doing on Saturday night- I saw the news clips of the interviews he gave. It's my understanding that he apparently cried for hours afterwards, and he kept going out to the area near where the filly fell. Outlawing whipping during races would not have stopped a tragedy like this- and PETA's people will come to realize this eventually.  I would also hope that perhaps some good will finally come out of this- that maybe some thought will finally be given to the real causes of these tragedies. I blame the system which produced the filly- not the filly herself, or any of her connections, except maybe her owners who were only in it for the money and could have cared less about her welfare.

Enough said.

Answer 2

While there are no absolute statistics to turn to, approximately 1.4 horses out of every 1000 starts are fatally injured. Approximately 26 jockeys out of 1000 starts are injured, though not fatally. There  are more than 120 racetracks in the US, with approximately 6 horses breaking down annually at each track.

     I am sick and tired of listening to PETA  (an organization that euthanizes more than half the animals it takes on for "adoption" annually) and various individuals attack horse racing. I read a letter today in the NY Times saying that 2 deaths in 3 years was too many. I can only assume that he meant Barbaro and Eight Belles. The amount of ignorance and misinformation that goes into these attacks is appalling. I read another letter in which a woman said that Barbaro's tragic breakdown at the "Belmont in 2007" had broken her heart. She claimed to be a life long racing fan but obviously had NO CLUE what she was talking about.

     I am so sick of people who think horses are pretty and sweet and can't stand to see anyone being mean to them. These aren't unicorns, as much as some people might like to believe that. As for the whipping, growing up riding horses, I gotta tell you, I never ONCE saw one hit with a whip. The crack of the whip surprises them plenty without it ever touching them. And that big scary whip the jockeys are waving around during the race? It's a crop, not a whip. It's like rapping someone's knuckles with a ruler. These are huge animals and, believe me, smacking their butts a little is not going to make their ankles shatter.

     Anyone who knows horses knows that, all too often, the problem is not getting them to run fast, it's restraining them from running too fast. On a race track the jockey is largely responsible for keeping the horse steady, preventing it from running too wide, carreening into other horses, or hitting the fence. How many of us have seen a horse throw his jockey and go right along with the race, running too fast and too wide? I saw a rider-less horse hold the lead until the turn when he fell back to 5th in a field of 8 last year. The horse and jockey were both (thankfully) unhurt, but it reminds you why the jockey is there - not to beat the horse so  it will run, but to guide it. Blaming the Saez for Eight Belles' breakdown seems unfair and absurd.

    PETA is just seeking publicity.

     As a racing fan I have been faced many times with people who consider it to be animal cruelty. I always ask if they are a vegetarian. If they say "no" then I suggest they learn a little about how those chicken tenders got to their dinner plate before they start attacking a sport they know nothing about.

Answer 3

They are making press releases that will get people to make donations.

That is ALL that Peta is about..

Look at their website's annual report:

http://www.peta.org/feat/annualreview/nu...

Can you see ANYTHING that they actually DID this year, other than raise money?

They spayed/neutered 300 pit bulls, and 440 feral cats at a discount.

That is out of $31.4 million in revenues..Pretty expensive spay..huh?

Answer 4

PETA is out of line, PERIOD. They're a bunch of crazy zealots. Telling me that keeping animals as pets is cruel ?  My doggies are the most spoiled animals on the face of the earth.

They obviously know nothing about horse racing. Thoroughbreds have been around for hundreds of years. They are born to run, and the best of them can't get enough of it, and will fight to the bloody end for their rider. The horses you see at the KY Derby get the best care in the world. To see owners and trainers sob like crazy when something like this happens, tells you  how much they love these horses.

Answer 5

why do they single out TB racing as the evil?

if they were serious they would also target harness racing, dog racing and any other form of racing animals,

this is just a political stunt to raise revenue!!!

Answer 6

There are other nation's that have regulations that are stricter rules on using the whip than here, that is a fact. While PETA does jump on issues when they become front-page news, the organization has been pretty consistent in its comments on Thoroughbred industry.

And it's getting to the point where such groups gain more credibility on the track of public opinion due to the shrug of shoulders and "it's racing" answer to nearly every controversial issue from industry leaders when it to so many health questions on the equine athlete.

This industry is in crisis and becomes more marginalized every day....and - trust me - the federal government will step in on any number of safety issues....that clock is ticking down to this reality.

Answer 7

No. I think its great what theyre doing...

Answer 8

PETA is totally out of line on this one. They (Peta) are now making allegations that the horse Eight Belles was injured prior to the race, and that the jockey knowingly rode an injured horse in The Derby. How could they know that without access to the owner's records on the horse? If I was the owner, and Peta was making these allegations, I'd file suit against Peta for defamation.  PETA needs to butt out.

Answer 9

PETA is definitely out of line on this one. There is no way the jockey had any clue this was going to happen. The more PETA makes idiots of themselves by behaving this way, the more they hinder the very cause they espouse.

Answer 10

I make sure I donate money to the humane society as often as possible but PETA is so far extreme it is impossible to have an intelligent conversation with them

Answer 11

This is all a publicity act to get to more money

PETA is just a bunch of hypocrites looking to get attention. These are the same people who rescue dogs from shelters and then kill them. PETA are always out of line, they compare the kennel club (KC) with the KKK! They call themselves "a animal rights group" but believe me they do not give a ? about animals.

Answer 12

PETA is another group that consists of liberal leftist extremists..... They splash "red paint" symbolizing blood on people that wear leather or fur clothing..... They hold "die-ins" and practice civil disobedience when protesting stuff like "dead cockroaches", "circus animal behavior" or "bird habitats" are threatened.....

I feel sorry for the horse, but considering they cannot be easily "repaired" or fitted with prostetics like humans when broken limbs occur, freak accidents such as this and the one that occurred to Barbero are unfortunate, but PETA always has to point fingers and blame others when accidents do happen and the trainers/jockeys don't hurt their animals on purpose.

The world would be a better place if PETA and Greenpeace just concentrates on preserving the wildlife of the world and not wasting their time on issues that don't have to do with animal abuse.

Answer 13

I think PETA stand for a good cause, but they seriously overstep their boundaries sometimes.  Human beings have been carnivores since god created us.  We use animals in ways to better our lives.  PETA needs to get over themselves and focus on animal problems that really matter, such as abuse of pets and Cutting down rainforests.  If they spent as much effort on Rainforest animals as they do on petty things like whipping a horse during a race, we would probably have a cure for cancer and AIDS from a plant we would have found while saving animal lives in the forest.

Answer 14

PETA is almost always out of line

Answer 15

A case in N.C. Jury found the defendants (PETA)  guilty.

PETA-Kills-Animals defendant Adria Hinkle now admits that tossing animal bodies into a North Carolina dumpster was "a mistake." But she testified today that she had used the same dumpster "a couple" of times before. Meanwhile, Hinkle's lawyer introduced a mystery woman today, and there may be some perjury afoot. And Judge Cy Grant has re-organized the criminal charges-turning twenty-one felony Cruelty To Animals counts into eight misdemeanors, dismissing some charges against Adria Hinkle's co-defendant, and reducing seven Litttering charges into just one. Closing arguments are tomorrow morning, and then this whole embarassing mess goes to the jury.

This is just some of the case. Read the rest at this source below.

Answer 16

It's funny to me that an organization like PETA gets so much scrutiny, when their sole purpose is to make sure animals are treated humanely.  If you want PETA to back of, give them evidence it's not an inhumane sport.  So far, there's not much evidence to the contrary.

PETA is seeking change, not publicity.

Answer 17

Well it didn't happen when she was being whipped, so PETA is just stupid - but that shouldn't be shocking news.

I suppose they are also mad they didn't dump the carcass in the back of the local Piggly Wiggly.