HBO canceled its troubled horse-racing series Luck amid PETA’s protests over horse deaths on the set, and the bad luck continues for the show’s creators. Now HBO and the show’s producer, Stewart Productions, have been hit with a lawsuit charging that they willfully allowed horses to be abused and attempted to cover it up. Paolo … Read more »
In a huge victory for horses—one that’s sure to get even bigger as its effects are felt throughout the racing industry—the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission has approved a plan to phase out the use of the race-day medication furosemide, also known as Lasix and Salix, in races in the bluegrass state, following pressure from PETA, … Read more »
Folks watching The Belmont Stakes this weekend got a shocking reality check after the race, in the winner’s circle as the trophy was being presented when a PETA representative whipped out a sign demanding a ban on dopers in horseracing. Readers of The PETA Files already know that Doug O’Neill, the trainer of Kentucky Derby … Read more »
We knew that the producers and directors of the stage production of War Horse at New York’s Lincoln Center put on a stellar show about the strong bond between horses and humans, but now we know that they care for real horses, too. When PETA learned that the equine puppet hero, Joey, was scheduled to … Read more »
Update: PETA has learned that the New York State Racing and Wagering Board has just announced a plan that it had previously formulated similar to what PETA proposed this morning, which will help ensure the safety of horses during the Belmont Stakes. PETA congratulates Gov. Andrew Cuomo and the board for taking these precautions. We … Read more »
On the heels of trainer Doug O’Neill‘s win at the Kentucky Derby with I’ll Have Another, The New York Times reported that in the past 14 years, O’Neill has had nearly that many violations for giving horses illegal performance-enhancing drugs. That O’Neill could be forcing horses to run when they shouldn’t may account for the … Read more »
Just a month after HBO canceled Luck amid protests over the deaths of three horses, a whistleblower has released to PETA startling documents alleging abuse far beyond what anybody had guessed—and much worse than HBO or producers David Milch and Michael Mann ever admitted. See the full story in The Washington Post. Among the information … Read more »
Through her work on The Biggest Loser, Jillian Michaels is accustomed to saving lives. But for one horse, her help arrived just hours before he would have been sent on a journey to become hamburger. From the Winner’s Circle to the Kill Pen During a PETA investigation of horse slaughter, in which horses are taken … Read more »
“Death and Disarray at America’s Racetracks”—this New York Times headline says it all. And the findings of the newspaper’s lengthy investigation into thoroughbred and quarter horse racing confirm what racing insiders have been telling us about their industry since Eight Belles died at the 2008 Kentucky Derby: Racing is a chemical-dependent industry in which too … Read more »
UPDATE: Horses and people who care about them can rest a little easier tonight. HBO has announced that it is canceling Luck and ceasing all production on the series! Even before filming on Luck started, PETA contacted David Milch, Michael Mann, and others associated with the production to suggest ways to protect horses, including the … Read more »
Remember those stomach-churning scenes from PETA’s undercover investigation at a horse slaughterhouse? Horses, discarded by the racing industry, were slaughtered and hacked into pieces. On the heels of that horrific case, we went to the one organization that deals with every thoroughbred breeder in this country—The Jockey Club, which handles all foal registrations—and asked why … Read more »
For two horses on the new HBO series Luck—which is set in and around the horse-racing industry—it was only bad luck. While filming the show’s pilot, a horse suffered a severe fracture after falling during a race sequence and was euthanized. Another horse was killed while filming a later episode. Two horses died for a … Read more »
At PETA’s urging, a major thoroughbred auction company has made a crucial change at this month’s sales event that could reduce the risk of injury to horses forced to participate in “under tack shows“—dangerous sprints that thoroughbreds are forced to run just to impress potential buyers. A PETA undercover investigation documented that 2-year-old horses—whose bones … Read more »
Remember Coming Home, the sweet little thoroughbred who, discarded by the racing industry, wound up in the hands of a kill buyer? She was on her way to a slaughterhouse in Canada when PETA, working undercover at an auction house where hundreds of horses are sold every week, stepped in. Today, she lives on a … Read more »
Rick Dutrow and Big Brown, one of Rick’s many horses who suffered becausehe was forced to race Great news—notorious thoroughbred trainer Rick Dutrow Jr. won’t be drugging, overworking, or breaking more horses anytime soon—at least not in the great state of New York. The New York State Racing & Wagering Board has kicked Dutrow to … Read more »
