Belmont Hits 'Rock Bottom'

As a vegan who has worked in the racing industry for many years I have to say that much of the "information" provided in these comments is severely offbase. First of all a crop is nothing more than an extension of the arm an attempt to duplicate the actions of horses within a running herd... when one horse will literally bite another on the rump or shoulder to encourage movement. Skin is not broken bruises are not left. "Why the whip"? Because these horses are 1200 pound animals who are running in a "herd" and can become distracted by the noise and commotion of the grandstand... just as a nearby horse in a herd would "correct" and "guide" the offbase horse a crop is a way to emulate that behavior. Secondly thoroughbreds are a prime example of a horse genetically inclined to RUN. Thoroughbreds will actually race one another when turned out in their fieldspaddocks. The fact is they ALLOW us to ride them and they use their own inclination to run in order to compete and win. Third these horses weigh upwards of 10001200 pounds. A jockey weighs approximately 120 max and is not the image of health... low weights eating disorders overexercising and the like mean that most would not have the physical capability of "beating" a horse to the extent you are claiming. Even so most racing jurisdictions have strict rules on how many times a jockey can use the crop during a race imposing fines and suspensions to those who do not conform. While yes the transport of horses to slaughter is still a major problem in the U.S. the majority of horses who wind up at the slaughterhouses of Canada and Mexico are actually American Quarter Horses and Grade horses... essentially horses who were at one time riding mounts or family pets. Unscrupulous owners and handlers are the problem here not so much the industry. The industry itself has fought AGAINST equine slaughter unlike the AQHA who holds a favorable opinion of slaughter... even banning those owners and trainers for life who knowingly sell a horse to slaughter. The problem here is not the industry. There is a problem with bad owners of any animal breed... just look at dogs cats and farmed animals... that is not to say however that any person who owns trains works with or raises these animals is by association a bad person. Bad people will be around for all of eternity... the effort that needs to be made is to encourage the good and punish those who do not treat their animals with the respect they deserve.

Amazing that this seemingly uphill battle has achieved some ground. There just doesn't seem to be any end to the creative ways human beings can torture and abuse animals of all sorts. I watched the Belmont but this time couldn't think of much more than what was or would be going on backstage to those amazing horses. And in what foreign cannery their bodies would ultimately end up. As the commercial says "that's just all kinds of wrong".

You should see what our local racetrack has to do to attract customers. They advertise live bands performing in between and after the races give away everything from coffee mugs to horse blankets at the gate and have kids games in the parking lot so parents don't have to use betting money to pay a baby sitter. I pray California bans horse racing.

Thank goodness finally someone speaking my mind. How can it be legal to beat horses around a race track for fun?That somehow seems to belong to medieval times. If the horses enjoy it as much as the proponents for the sport including jockeys always say why the whip?