textually / CC In a landmark move, the jockeys at the Penn National Race Course voted last week to refuse to ride in any races in which horses owned by Michael Gill would be running. Jockeys only get paid when they win, place, or show in races, so giving up a job is a … Read more »
smh / CC Sure, some men joke about how to score with women, but the horse-racing industry’s use of stallions to impregnate tens of thousands of mares—in the quest for one big winner—is no laughing matter. The good news is that thoroughbred breeding stats for 2009 show a decline in the number of horses who … Read more »
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 »
I don’t know much Italian, besides this, but even I can figure out that “Vadis al Maximo” means “something something maximum.” After reading about the historical society’s push to revive chariot races at the crumbling Circus Maximus in Rome, I’m thinking that the translation is “Horse Abuses Maximum.” wiki.ed.ac.uk / CC Fortunately for … Read more »
I thought that getting Tom Cruise to squirm uncomfortably during the premiere of The Jay Leno Show would be the program’s most misguided attempt at “fun.” Wrong. Apparently, Jay Leno’s stint as a teenage employee under the Golden Arches got execs at NBC and McDonald’s thinking that the talk show host should feature a month-long … Read more »
commons.wikimedia / CC Apparently he wasn’t content with going all “crocodile hunter” on an anaconda, as he did during the last off-season. Now Texas Rangers infielder Omar Vizquel has expressed the desire to take up bullfighting in his home country of Venezuela during this year’s off-season. He has also said that he hopes to attend … 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 »
It’s a hazy day here on the Right Coast. As I watch leaves fall and steam rise from my soy mocha, the mood is set for a lazy (yet highly skilled) meander through gossip rags for fun stuff. Here are my faves: Warning! Seals can literally cute you to death. Kiddies catch E. coli from … Read more »
horsetalk.co.nz / CC 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 … Read more »
Our recent undercover investigation, which revealed exactly what happens to horses abandoned by the coldhearted racing industry, has been picked up by a variety of news outlets, but we were particularly glad to see this piece featured on ESPN’s Outside the Lines: Maybe now more sports fans will recognize that horse racing is … Read more »
nostalgiaah / CC The Queen of England has gone and found herself at the center of a “doping scandal.” More precisely, it is Moonlit Path, her horse, who is at the center of the dispute. Trainer Nicky Henderson has been charged with allowing the 6-year-old horse to be injected with tranexamic acid—a substance that … Read more »
The deaths of three horses in two days of jumps racing at the Warrnambool Carnival in Victoria, Australia, has shocked so many Australians that jumps racing has been suspended indefinitely and may be banned in Victoria (it’s already banned in all states and territories in Oz except Victoria and South Australia). Supporters of Australian jumps … Read more »
How anyone can still tune in to watch horse racing, especially after Eight Belles broke both her ankles and was euthanized at last year’s Kentucky Derby? Well, some mint julep–sipping, tacky hat–wearing folks still do—and for them, this past week was another showcase of horse horrors. Monday: Raspberry Kiss and Dr. Rap, two young Derby … 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 »
