What’s more important to the racing industry: horses or money? If you thought horses, we’ve found two recent news stories that will change your mind. Consider this: Thanks to a lawsuit involving the co-owners of former Kentucky Derby favorite I Want Revenge, it’s become even clearer how often horses used in the racing industry … Read more »
Here is a story that answers the question, “What’s wrong with supporting ‘free-range’ farms?” PETA caseworkers recently worked on a case in New Mexico involving a mother cow who suffered for days after she became stuck in the mud around a watering hole. The cow was part of a small cattle herd living on … Read more »
Most of you probably remember the tragedy at the 2008 Kentucky Derby, in which a young filly, Eight Belles, was whipped mercilessly in the final stretch, only to break both her front ankles after she crossed the finish line. At that time, we called for the racing industry to eliminate, at a minimum, some of … Read more »
In PETA’s new ad, Joel Gibb of Canadian indie band The Hidden Cameras announced that “Canada’s Club Scene Sucks.” and he’s not talking about JELL-O shots. Today, Joel and the band teamed up with PETA for a public unveiling of the ad in front of Queen’s Park in Toronto. The Hidden Cameras performed … Read more »
tottman / CC Bodies may not be buried at Churchill Downs, but with so many horses having drawn their last breath there after having been run to death, it might as well be a cemetery. And for two days it will be, because PETA has erected 265 headstones outside the racetrack this week. Why 265, … Read more »
We were pretty disappointed when we heard that Mattel was planning to release a “Kentucky Derby Barbie.” Barbie has a long history as an animal defender (she’s been fur-free for years)—why would she get all, ahem, “dolled” up for an event that centers around animal abuse? Then it occurred to us that Barbie could very … Read more »
If you aim a wind-up toy at a brick wall, logic would tell you that the toy is going to continue slamming into the wall unless the wall is removed, right? Well, as long as the horse-racing industry exists, tragedy is going to follow. Case in point: Two more horses at the Aqueduct Race Track … Read more »
turner / CC It’s official: Just weeks before he was to race in the Breeders’ Cup, Big Brown has officially been retired from horse racing because of a serious foot injury. The 3-year-old horse, who earlier this year won the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness and who outran Eight Belles before she collapsed and had … Read more »
textually / CC As if we didn’t already have enough reasons to protest the horseracing industry, the Associated Press reports that nearly 20 racehorses crammed inside a double-decker trailer meant for moving cattle sustained numerous injuries following the four-day transport from the U.S. to Puerto Rico. Apparently, it didn’t occur to the people handling these … Read more »
On behalf of thoroughbreds everywhere, a congressional hearing was held today to discuss horseracing—just weeks after PETA and tens of thousands of our members and supporters called for it. You can get a pretty cool play-by-play of the meeting here, but basically, the primary message was that the drugs are the problem—not just steroids but … Read more »
Well hello there, ladies and gents! Awww! Aren’t you sweet tryin’ to give your love something special? Well, if you’ve been stressed about how to get the attention of the cute veg girl at your job or just need some fresh ideas for the hot vegan you’ve already scored, look no further! From ritzy getaways … Read more »
Sounds like some sketchy-ass cult from a second-rate slasher flick, and, honestly, this recent segment on HBO about these shadowy figures in the horse racing industry kinda reinforces that impression. My favorite part in the video is the dude at the beginning of the second segment who’s all, “Yeah, I sold my horse to The … Read more »
Following the dust stirred up by PETA and the national outrage about the very public death of Eight Belles from two snapped ankle bones, our appeals to the horseracing industry to make far-reaching changes in its practices have begun to have a noticeable effect. An article in The Wall Street Journal today quoted Alex Waldrop, … Read more »
Following the shocking death of the horse that Senator Hillary Clinton publicly bet on in the Kentucky Derby, PETA has asked her to denounce this dirty “sport.” In a letter to the Senator today, PETA’s president pointed out that Eight Belles was fiercely whipped in the final stretch just before the bone in her ankles … Read more »