After Video Shows Downed Racehorse Whipped, PETA Calls For Criminal Investigation

Published by PETA.

Breaking: Graphic video footage obtained by PETA shows Ohio racing licensee Brevin Lupton apparently participating in abuse that involved kicking and whipping a horse who had collapsed on an Ohio track. In response, PETA urged the Ohio State Racing Commission (OSRC) and the United States Trotting Association (USTA) to revoke Lupton’s license and membership, respectively. We’ve also asked law enforcement to investigate and, if appropriate, to file cruelty-to-animals charges.

The distressing video shows the horse rearing and collapsing.

One man kicks the horse in the back, and then another whips him. The horse briefly manages to rise, only to collapse again and repeatedly struggle to regain his footing.

The OSRC has suspended Brevin Lupton for one year and fined him $1,000 for “engaging in an act of cruelty against a horse”, and the USTA declared him ineligible for licensing or membership, per its bylaws.

“Anyone who violently assaults a horse should be permanently banned from racing. This horse was clearly in distress, and PETA is calling for a criminal investigation.”

—PETA Senior Vice President Kathy Guillermo

screenshots of equestrian Brevin Lupton taken from a video apparently showing the abuse of a downed horse on an Ohio race track

PETA Has a Hotline for Reporting Cruelty to Horses Used for Racing

If you work at a racetrack, a horse training or breeding facility, a veterinary office, or any other business affiliated with or adjacent to the horse racing industry—whether you’re a vet technician, a groom, an exercise rider, a hot walker, or a timer in morning training—you may see or have seen something that needs to be reported.

By reporting your concerns to PETA, you’ll allow us to expose cruelty and file the appropriate complaints so that racing-industry oversight bodies—and possibly law-enforcement agencies—can investigate and take action against those responsible. Your confidentiality is important to us.

Get PETA Updates

Stay up to date on the latest vegan trends and get breaking animal rights news delivered straight to your inbox!

By submitting this form, you’re acknowledging that you have read and agree to our privacy policy and agree to receive e-mails from us.

 Ingrid E. Newkirk

“Almost all of us grew up eating meat, wearing leather, and going to circuses and zoos. We never considered the impact of these actions on the animals involved. For whatever reason, you are now asking the question: Why should animals have rights?” READ MORE

— Ingrid E. Newkirk, PETA President and co-author of Animalkind

Close

Monkeys don’t belong in laboratory cages.

By submitting this form, you’re acknowledging that you have read and agree to our privacy policy and agree to receive e-mails from us.

Close

Monkeys don’t belong in laboratory cages.

By submitting this form, you’re acknowledging that you have read and agree to our privacy policy and agree to receive e-mails from us.