I think horse racing shouldn"t be aloud in america?

Question

because they abuse horses using those slap sticks and make them not be able to breath after they abuse horses to win and making them wear heavy gear plus yourself i think it shouldnt be aloud in america any replies

Answer 1

As an ex-harness racing trainer I can tell you that your information is way off base.  We love our horses and horses love to race -- just like people love to race.

The so-called heavy gear is to these huge animals as winter clothing is to us.  I don't think you have any idea how strong horses are.

As in any endeavor, there are bad people who treat their animals poorly, but these are the exceptions -- not the rules, and these people are kicked out of racing if discovered.  Like I said, we love our horses.

I do not know what you mean by slap sticks.  Jockeys whip the saddle number to catch the attention of the horse.  Some of them will whip their horses, and jockeys who abuse horses are subject to fines and suspensions because it is not acceptable.

Answer 2

Ok people dont critsise him for his opinon. You may think differently if  you do then dont make a comment. Do what you learned in kindergarten "Treat others the same way you want to be treated yourself." Most of yall are adults and should get your head out of your but and show kids good not evil!!!

    Im a barrel racer and know a few jockeys. I promise riding crops dont hurt them. Their skin is tough. No, I dont like riding crops either. I dont use them when I run. You state your opinon very well. Horses love to run, especailly those horses. They are breed to run and if they dont run they retire them and get sold to some sweet little girl. I know a few girls who rope and barrel race off of those types of horses, and those are the calmest. You get drop a domb beside them and they wouldn't do anything. If you notice abuse then call the cops and they will take the horse and send it to a special place so someone else can adopt it. I I own a horse that didn't come out of the box fast enough so they said she couldn't be a ropin horse. Now she is a h**l of a barrel horse.

     So I dont agree with stoping it but, i dont agree with some of the abuse.

Answer 3

I wasn't aware they were all abused. My great-uncles NEVER abused their horses. My 2nd gr-uncles NEVER abused a horse in their charge. Neither did my 3rd gr-uncle. And furthermore, the riding "crop" is not a slap stick. The one they used had a "feather-like" end and made a noise which they responded to. Their jockeys never hurt their horses. I know there was no horses ever hurt in all the years I was around them. This is just some opinions of some people. Quality trainers and owners do not abuse their horses. I do not know where you get your information, or where you went to school. I believe it is allowed. Plus the gear they wear cannot weigh very much. If you ever notice..which I doubt you have noticed much.

Answer 4

what is your hobby?

Answer 5

WOW!

That is quite an opinion! I would think it would raise the same sort of reaction if you said that Harley Davidsons should be banned in America.

I would duck if I were you!

Answer 6

First off, its ALLOWED, not ALOUD.. Thus putting you in that category of the uninformed.

Now, to your question, in horse racing all things are equal. Meaning they all carry the same weight. Sorry to bust your bubble, but, horses are made to work. *IE Clydesdales*. Your "Abuse" theory holds no merit. I am not a horse racing fan, becuase its BORING as all get out. They set it up for 3 hours for a 3 minutes race. GO FIGGAH.

Get your facts straight and take out the emotion.

Answer 7

All riding disciplines use crops, bats, etc. They are not sharp, they don't draw blood, and in racing the stewards would discipline a jockey who was using the whip excessively. Also, race horses do not wear "heavy gear." Race horses typically carry about 125 pounds which includes the rider, his boots, pants, and a saddle. Most horses in show rings and backyards carry more than that! In racing they want to carry the least weight possible. I don't know what you mean about them "not being able to breathe" but if a horse cannot breathe he can't run. If you ban racing you had also better think about bannign showjumping, eventing, dressage, cutting, reining, barrel racing, etc...

At any rate, I don't think there is anything inherently cruel about horse racing. The horses are usually very valuable and well cared for. And they love to run or they would not do well.

Answer 8

Okay first of all if you can't spell or use a dictionary go back to school! Next I think you should find another place other than the horse racing section to post your PETA c**p!  The worst thing I hate is to hear c**p about how horse racing should be banned because the horses are abused.  Most of all race horses are better cared for than most people care for their pets.  Apparently you don't know about the round the clock quality care race horses receive on a daily basis 7 days a week.  I've spent the last 5 years working with race horses.  None of the race horses I've ever worked with were abused they were always well taken care of.  I don't care what any one who is a PETA supporter thinks.  I love horse racing and I love my job.  For some of us out there it is not just a way of life it is how we support our families.  If you want to do your PETA rant why not rant about all the horses that get slaughtered every year that is a way bigger issue that needs to come to an end far more than horse racing.  Sorry but you did ask for an opinion.

Answer 9

not allowed? are you kidding me? i have been around horse racing all my life and only once or twice have i seen horses being abused and the people got arrested for it. unless you have done the work for a horse including cleaning their stalls, feeding, giving medicine, giving oats, not to mention excercising them, you have no right to say these animals are abbused they are actually taken really good care of. That slap stick is like you getting a light slap on the butt because these animals are so powerful and strong that all it is is a little motivator. the animals are not abbused not at all and that heavy gear mind you is only 2 pounds look it up the lighter the equipment the faster they run. and also the jockey's only weigh about 120 pounds which is extremely light for how much muscle they have to have. so before you start making your little accusations do your research on how well these animals are treated.

Answer 10

To everyone who disagrees with this.... AMEN.  

C'mon, if you are going to state something so uneducated, your asking for people to attack you.  I'm shocked worse hasn't been said at this point.   You definately need to be looking a little further... I've seen western pleasure horses abused far more often than a horse at the track... think of all the others... show jumping for example.... think about the strain being placed onto all those joints, I could go on and on..... maybe you do need to go join the PETA group....try to ban horseback riding all together 'cause you can not rule out one sport over the other and those backyard riders who get on their horse1 or twice a week (if that)  and go spurring them down the trails... what is worse... an unfit horse in the heat of the summer being asked to run and run 'cause the owner things its fun.. LOL, you are so completely out of line!

Answer 11

Not aloud? You think the horses should be quiet??  Anyway, horse racing is a tradition in many nations, from Europe to the Middle East to America- there's nothing inherently abusive about it, but I agree having regulatory agencies policing the sport so horses and jockeys aren't injured is a good thing.

Don't forget- horses LOVE to run!!!  They love to race!!  And hamsters love that wheel!!

The only reason we aren't all using horses and oxen to ride around and pull wagons today, like societies all over the world did for over a thousand years, is because the automobile was invented.  So we go from cleaning up horse p**p in the roads to carbon dioxide in the air.

Answer 12

I think you meant to post this at the PETA site!

Answer 13

A moronic question that deserves nothing but a moronic answer.

Go and race trees instead then.

Answer 14

s***w you and the horse you rode in on.

Answer 15

Im a jockey here in Australia,and guess what?Its my job to go out there and hit them with those slapping sticks,what we call them whips,and the horses dont wear heavy gear we do,to make the weight.Horse racing has been around since you were born,and will be going around for the next 100 years.

You will not get rid of the King Of Sports.

Answer 16

I agree. I dont think they should be banned thoough. They should be watched by police vigorously so you are assured of no mistreats of the animal of any kind.

Answer 17

I am a racing fan, and a long time student of the sport's history, and I think you are way off base !!! Horse racing is no more cruel than any other sport or activity involving animals. The whips are not cruel- they are normally made of leather, and it is the sound that drives the horse forward, not pain. As for the so called"heavy" gear, most racehorses usually only carry about 126 pounds total, and that includes the weight of a rider and his/her gear. The average racing saddle only weighs about 5 pounds, some weigh less than that, and the bridles and other equipment are made from lightweight nylon or canvas. The not being able to breathe part is something I admit I don't understand- unless you are talking about horses who suffer from EIPH, or are bleeders. EIPH is easily controlled with medication and proper care- and a horse who has this usually will get this prior to and after races.

With this being said, I will say that I think that racing needs to be IMPROVED and made safer for everyone, NOT banned outright. Many tracks are switching to a Polytrack surface so as to help reduce the risk of accidents and breakdowns like the ones we all saw with Barbaro and Pine Island last year. There is also research being done into methods of conditioning and training that will help protect horses against conditions like EIPH. Lastly, one of the biggest and best things that has come about as the result of Barbaro's death is that public awareness of the disease called laminitis ( which is what ultimately killed the colt) has never been higher. Millions of dollars in research money have now been raised, and there are vet schools and animal welfare organizations across the country which are using this money to develop new and better treatments for the disease, and one day, perhaps, they will find a cure.  

Racing should very definitely be ALLOWED here in the US. There are millions of hardworking, dedicated people who make their livelyhoods from this industry and sport- and the states where racing exists benefit enormously from the sport as well. Some of those states, like Kentucky, have education systems which are at least partially funded by the revenues from the tracks. To ban racing would mean the end of such funding, at a time when America's education systems are in serious trouble as it is. Horse racing provides jobs, and there are many other businesses which benefit from it as well, such as the farmers who grow the grain which the horses eat, the people who manufacture and sell the racing equipment and horseshoes, to the vets who care for the animals both on and off the track. Even the yearling and 2 year old sales are important, because they provide a return on the investments the farms and breeders of the horses make.  Horse racing is also exciting to watch- and yes, it is a sport that has centuries of tradition and culture behind it. Most historians believe that it began in England, but it's really much older than that- no one really knows for sure WHEN the world's first races were held or where.  It's known, for example, that the ancient Olympics featured racing as one of the sports, as well as things like jumping contests ( the prelude to our modern sport of show jumping) and the Militare, which was the precursor to the modern 3 Day Events of today's era. One thing is certain, however- horseracing has been around since long before your time, and it will be around long after you are in your grave, so get used to it and learn to live with it. That's my take on this...

Answer 18

They aren't actually hitting the horse. It is the twitching sound the horse responds to. If they do ever hit the horse they can be disqualified. The weight is not much and the riders aren't actually sitting when racing. Thoroughbred horses are born to run, it is in their genes. They make worse pets.

Answer 19

I like Rags to Riches answer. Yes,  horse racing SHOULD be allowed. Thoroughbred's love to run. They use whips to make them go a little bit faster. The jockeys tap them slightly on the rump to make them run. And horses do breathe after they run. If they couldn't breathe they would die. The gear that they wear is very light weight. The only thing that might be a little heavy is the weights (handicap).Horse racing is a traditional sport that was started by kings in the early 1700s. They haven't outlawed it yet.  Ever since there has been horses that have changed America's outlook on thoroughbred horse racing like the famous horses, Man O War, Secretariat, Ruffian and Barbaro. Barbaro's injury made some people think "Why don't they stop horse racing?". But then there's the superhorse Secretariat who made A LOT of people think "Wow horse racing is amazing!". I am an avid horse racing fan and I think horse racing SHOULD be allowed everywhere, not just the USA.  And horses that race are not abused.

Answer 20

Wow what a question.  well from my years as a trainer and a track rider the horses are never abused they are treated very well, right through to there fitness they are brought through to be at there best on race day with minimal upset.  On race day the jockeys are allowed only to use there crop a maximum amount of tmes which is counted by the stipenary stewards.  The gear they have on them is light very lightweigt with the saddle weighing only 2 to 3 kgs if and the jockeys weighing in very light at 48 to 60 kg's please I hope this helps I am in New Zealand where racing rules may differ but there are very strict rules that do not allow cruelty.  I am now showing ex gallopers in the ring they are loved. :)