I want an honest answer from the horse racing fans...?

Question

Ok, so I have been reading a lot, everywhere. It seems like the only arguments fans of racing have is "horses love racing." They haven't said it, but horses also make money.

So, considering that those are two pros for horse racing, what are the others? I'm just confused because I haven't, heard a valid argument from that side that makes horse racing, considering the fact that hundreds of horses die each year because of the sport, a sport to continue?

I'm asking you not to think much about the money side of it, because, from what I hear, for those of you who love horses, it's not a huge determining factor.

I can't really accept the fact that some think horses love racing is a good argument, either, because even if my cat loved jumping out of my 18 story window, into a fluffy sheet, I still wouldn't let him do it (for, hopefully, obvious reasons).

Regardless of my opinion, I would REALLY love to know why you love horse racing, and why it's morally/ethically ok to you.

Answer 1

I would love to know the answer to this also. They have no arguement. It is insane

Meggy Joe-A horse running in a pasture is MUCH different than a horse being whipped over and over to run. They have NO CHOICE. They must run or be hit. Regardless of how much the Jockey weighs or how big he is- a hit is a hit and over and over is going to hurt. Are you now telling me the horse does not feel it? Geesh It is abuse of these wonderful animals for the sake of money. Another loss of a wonderful animal due to people. Terrible

Answer 2

Have you ever been around horses?

Have you ever looked out to your pasture and watched your horses running around just for the h**l of it?  If a horse doesn't want to run, it won't.  These horses are doing what they are bred for, most of them love it.  If a thoroughbreds heart isn't in the race, they won't run.

There are pro's and con's in all sports involving animals.  Unfortunately a tragic accident occured.  It's horrible, but nothing you or I did could have prevented it.

Answer 3

Horse racing is the sport of Kings.  Those animals eat better and get treated better than you or I.  Go to a horse race sometime, there is nothing more beautiful on earth than one of those great athletes in full gallop.  Injuries happen in sport, there was nothing to be done, Eight Belles would have never walked again and been in great pain the whole time.

Answer 4

Well, first I don't think you have any business demanding an "honest answer" from horse racing fans but I'll answer your question anyway.

I love horse racing because watching a great racehorse at work is breathtaking.  I prefer it to human sports because of all the problems with human athletes.  Think about OJ Simpson and all the other criminals, liars, wife beaters, and arrogant jerks that our children see as heroes because of their sports prowess.  I've never seen a racehorse get arrested or brag about his/her great skill.

There are certainly problems in the racing industry but I feel no moral or ethical dilemma about loving the sport because I do what I can personally to make it better.  I donate supplies every month to a racehorse adoption program.  I donate money to the Barbaro Memorial Fund.  We adopted a retired racehorse ourselves and he lived to the ripe old age of 32.

Answer 5

research Ferdinand, another derby winner.

Answer 6

Racing isn't about "run or be hit"!  I don't know if those of you who think that have been around horses, but, even a whip won't get them to do something that they won't.  

Where does your argument leave you when I tell you that there are racehorses whose jockeys ride without even carrying a whip?

Answer 7

I guess I've never explained it this way because I would have thought this was obvious, but I can see how some people might miss it...

The reason we love racing is the glory of the sport.  I love racing for the same reason that I love riding...  For the short time that the race lasts or that I'm jumping my course at a horse show or even riding around in a field, the horse and the rider become one... we work together perfectly... we work to make something beautiful.  It's not only racing... it's morning workouts at the track too, maybe even more than racing.  The horse and rider out alone on the track together and all you can hear are the 4 hoof beats pounding on the ground.  It doesn't matter to me whether I'm on the horse or just watching them methodically ride by... it's just a wonderful feeling that I get when I feel the rhythm of the horse...  I can't really describe it... it's just like the horse and rider are working together with one mind in perfect harmony.

That's why we make the argument that horses love racing.  Because when we ride, we know that the horse becomes part of us and the horse feels the same as we do.  When I ride my horse, she knows everything that I'm going to ask her to do, before I even move to ask her.  When she gets in stride for her canter and she turns toward the first jump and she starts making that sort of snorting noise with every stride, then she starts lengthening her stride to take me up and over the jump... It's like we're soaring together... and she wants to take me to the jump just as much as I want her to go to the jump.  I know I'm not explaining this very well for a person who has never ridden horses to understand, but it's just a feeling that's really hard to put into words.

How that transfers over to horse racing is because I feel the same way about my horse as I do about every horse I see racing.  I know that connection that I get with my horse and I can see that between horse and rider in every race.  What I mean when I say horses love racing is not just that they love running wild, but they love teaming up with the rider and they love the game of trying to beat all the other horses too.

Horses are truly our heroes.  Some kids grow up idolizing football players or movie stars... but I grew up with horses as my favorite athletes.  There's a beauty in every horse to cross the wire that you don't see in baseball or football or any other sport.

And we really do treat our heroes like royalty in the sport of horse racing.  I've been to the backside of Churchill Downs and I've seen how the horses live.  I've been to a couple racing barns in Kentucky and seen some of the facilities...  I know people who don't live in conditions as nice as these horses do.  If you saw the Derby coverage yesterday afternoon on ESPN, then you saw how they escorted Curlin like he was a king across the track to the paddock where they literally rolled out the red carpet for him to prance into the paddock for his moment of recognition.

It's the beauty and the glory of the whole sport.  Sure there's a lot of money involved and the naysayers will always say that we like racing only because of the money not because of the horses or any other reason.  The truth is, I watch horse racing almost every day, but in my lifetime I have placed only a single bet and won a spectacular $2.  For me, it's the tradition and romance of the sport.  There's something about going to a 150 year old race track and seeing horses run across the same surface that Secretariat and Seattle Slew ran on before.

What you and a lot of other people are feeling right now is the same thing Bill Nack felt in 1975 after Ruffian died.  If you're interested, I highly suggest you see the ABC/ESPN production of Ruffian that was shown on Belmont day last year... or read Bill Nack's book "Ruffian: A Racetrack Romance."  Bill Nack is a man who grew up idolizing the horses.  His childhood hero was the 1955 Kentucky Derby winner, Swaps.  He carried a picture of Swaps in his wallet.  He became a reporter for Newsweek and he covered horse racing full time.  He absolutely loved the sport.  The man could tell you every Kentucky Derby winner's name and what year they won the Derby.  He wrote a book about Secretariat.  Then he followed Ruffian's career from the start.  Then when Ruffian broke down in 1975 and was euthanized that evening, the sport lost its magic for him... he could never cover horse racing full time again.

I think everyone tunes in for the Derby every year for the magic and the glory of it.  The casual viewers, the families watching at home, aren't betting any money on it.  They watch because they understand it's a significant event.  But then when we lose one of the horses the reality hits hard with people.  Racing is dangerous.  Any sport with horses is dangerous for both horse and rider.  The major horse show in Kentucky, the Rolex, always has some serious horse injuries... Actually I'm pretty sure that more horses were injured at Rolex this year than at Churchill for Derby weekend.

Of course, no one wants to see the horses get injured.  And it's no excuse to say that it's just part of the sport.  The thing is, I don't know of a solution to prevent the injuries.  The only way to prevent injuries completely is to stop racing and every horse activity... but (1) no one is going to stop the horse racing industry whether I watch it or not and (2) I'm not ready to give up riding my horse.  Horses would get hurt if they were running wild too... and they wouldn't get the kind of vet care that we give them.  

The racing industry has tried to make things safer for the horses.  There's a lot of talk on here lately about how we drug all the horses and force them to run through injuries... that's just not true... horses get drug tested after every race and the permitted drug levels are very low doses of things like lasix and bute (the horse equivalent of aspirin).  The treatment of the horses has improved greatly over the years... horses with a sprained ankle used to be shot immediately while now we do our best to help them with the top of the line vet care and if they have no chance of survival we humanely euthanize them rather than traumatically shooting them.  We're promoting synthetic tracks to make the surfaces safer for our horses to run on.  We are trying to make advancements.  We are trying to eliminate injuries from the sport as much as possible.  We are trying to take the bad out of the sport... but there's too much that's good about horse racing to end it completely.

Answer 8

I COULDNT AGREE MORE WITH YOU. I AM 100% AGAINST HORSE RACING.... I KNOW THE ANIMALS MIGHT GET TRETED WELL BUT IF THEY WERE REALLY LOVED THEIR ONWERS WOULD NOT RISK THEIR LIKES JUST FOR MONEY......... THE ONLY THINK ABOUT THE CASH NOT ABOUT THE HORSE.

Answer 9

You also have forgotten that horse racing fans seem to think that deaths happen in all other sports too. That's what I've seen posted. "Injuries happen in all sports" When a horse gets injured in racing there's a good chance he/she won't survive. That's a huge difference but just my opinion.

Answer 10

II will give you an honest answer from the point of view of someone who is both a racing fan and an animal rights advocate with a degree in Philosphy and Ethics. I strongely believe that while it is ethical for people to earn a living from horses, there is a limit to what we can subject an animal to for the sake of our entertainment and profit. The argument that horses naturally love to race is indeed a valid one. What is unethical is when horses are forced beyond their natural abilities by the use of steroids an other drugs and whips or are made to race on hard dirt surfaces. This does NOT have to be part of the sport. In Europe and the rest of the world all drugs are strictly banned and there are severe restrictions to the use of the whip. In addition, almost all racing there is on the natural grass surface that horses evolved to run on.

The breeding industry has it's share of the blame by heavily breeding to unsound horses who have won a few big races before breaking down. The gens for unsoundness are then passed down to future generations.

There is hope here with the advent of synthetic surfaces, which are designed to most resemble natural grass and they have already saved hundreds of lives on the tracks where they have been installed. Public outcry has resulted inlimitations on steroid use, as well.

Banning racing altogether is neither practical nor humane since it would cause widespread abandonment and death of the thousands of racehorses.

In any case I am firmly against steeplechases since these kill more horses than all the flat races and horses are NOT natural jumpers. The Grand National kills about a horse every year it’s run. Have you noticed that when a horse loses their rider in a flat race they will continue to race the field? When they lose their rider in a steeplechase they run with the filed until the next hurdle and then avoid it. Smart animals.

The European experience has shown that racing can be carried out humanely and the only practical and humane thing to do here is to be an activist for humane racing here like calling for a ban on all drugs and whips. I love the sport because I love to see the beauty and wonder of these noble athletes doing what they love and can do better than anyone else. Hope this answer helps you make your own decision.

Answer 11

Yeah but the only reason they get treated better than what we might be treated is because if they win they make their owners big bucks. I dont like horse racing because its said to shorten the life span of the horse, theres always that possiblity of what happened to eight belles and barbaro, they get pains just like a track runner. Its extremely dangerous, and what for? money? No horse should be put through any of that for money. Although they MIGHT enjoy racing, for the adrenalin rush or whatever, but cant they get the same thing racing their barn mates in the pasture?

Answer 12

Yes, bad things did happen to Ferdinand. I don't think that any of us that love horse racing are saying that abuse and tragic things don't happen. Of course they do, tragic things happen in every aspect of life. So, I think it's abuse and cruel to keep horses as pets. They should be out roaming free. How do you know they like to live in a stall and get turned out for the day? Did they tell you that. I think they should be free, out there dieing a long slow death from starvation. That's what would happen. WHATEVER!!! By the way for the idiots out there I am being sarcastic. So lets save the wild horse from the cruel and abusive deaths they face everyday!!!

Answer 13

Without horse racing, the thoroughbred breed could be extinct. Its what they are built for, and because of it, it has kept them alive.

And really, its not necesarily cruelty. They are treated FAR better then you and me, and have a very healthy life. When a racehorse dies, it is a complete accident, and people do all they can to save them.

In horse racing, you aren't scaring the horse into running. If the horse doesn't WANT to run, it wouldn't. It runs with its own free will, the whip is a way of encouragement.

Yes, their is a risk in racing. But there is a risk in doing a simple trail ride. I don't really see anything wrong with the sport. Deaths like Eight Belles ARE terrible, but it is just a part of horse racing- an accident that only SOMETIMES happens. The same thing that happened to Eight Belles could happen to someone merely galloping through a field.

Since I have state my reasons, I would like to hear your reasons for NOT liking horse racing. As long as you respect my opinion, i will respect yours.

EDIT- the horse whip doesn't hurt the horse, it just encourages them. You could easily take the whip and whip your leg as hard as you do your horse. I have done it before. They DO feel it, but it doesn't hurt.

Answer 14

I watched my first horse race on the first Saturday in May, 1973 - Secretariat's win in the Kentucky Derby.  He was a magnificent animal and I've loved horse racing ever since that day.

Watch Secretariat run in any of the Triple Crown races on youtube and you will see a horse that loved to race.  Not just run, but race against other horses.  



Please tell us why you think you're so morally and ethically superior when you've spent the better part of a day sitting in judgment of people who you know virtually nothing about, all because they enjoy horse racing.

Answer 15

Txgirl - this is a mistake I cannot let go without correction.

Do you really think that a 100 pound jockey has any kind of control over a 1100 pound horse? Do you think a thwap of the whip would be enough to keep a huge raging animal in line? The jockeys guide the horses but they don't (and can't) make them race. Horses that need to be gelded are a good example of this: They don't take anything from the jockeys and buck them right off. The horses race by their own will, letting the jockeys steer them.

Also - horse owners try to keep their horses in the best condition possible. Yes, it's because of money, but not on track - horses are far more valuable if they go to stud. Even not so great stud horses are preserved for this reason (great horses have come from claimers - it happens more than you would think).

Wait, since when do cats love doing something that is 100% fatal to them? I've never seen one like that. Bad comparison.