Racehorses are treated well?

Question

I don't want to start an argument here. I want to know some facts of people that DO treat racehorses good. I'm a racing fan, am doing a pro-racing paper, and would like facts on how well the horses are treated..for example..the best hay, grain, medical treatment, anything like that. Thanks!

Answer 1

Yes, race horses are treated very well.  Of course it depends on the trainer... but the majority of the trainers, especially the big names that you see run in the major stakes races, they treat their horses very well.  Racehorses get better vet and farrier attention than any other horse.  Since they live at the track, they have better access to those things.  The trainers are always very careful to make sure the horses are fit and healthy.  The difference between racehorses and normal horses is that if a normal horse steps out of its stall lame, the owner will feel its legs and try to find what's wrong, but probably conclude that the horse will get better and put it back in the stall at least for a couple days before they call the vet.  If a racehorse steps out of the stall lame, the trainer will want to know the reason right away so they'll call the vet right away.  Normal horses probably get their feet trimmed every 2 months or so.  THe most important part of the racehorse is the feet, so they're careful to keep the feet trimmed so they will get done more often than every 2 months.

Racehorses get the top grain... the stuff with the most energy content (since racehorses need a lot of energy to run).  And they get access to as much hay as they want... you've probably seen pictures of the racehorses in their stalls and seen the big bags of hay outside the door that the horse can pick at whenever they're hungry.

For the most part, racehorses are treated really well.

Answer 2

The stock horses in the rodeos are treated better. Plus -they aren't started out as 2 year olds so they have fewer injuries and down time. Race horses get as good as any other 'sport horse' as far as food and medical treatment. Good luck with your fact finding mission. Might be better to compare the race horse to a working ranch horse. Ranch horse might live longer but race horses that are proven on the track live better for a shorter time.

Answer 3

I'm not sure if this is exactly what you're looking for but I found this article on The Bloodhorse:

Kentucky Derby starter Big Truck's connections are donating a portion of the horse’s earnings to the “Running for Re-Run” program.  It's a program designed to place racehorses in good homes once their careers are over.  

The source link for the article is below - you can probably find more facts for your paper on that site.