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 »
popsci / CC It seems that people are getting wise to how the horse-racing industry causes horses to suffer and die, and they’re staying away from the tracks in droves. The most recent casualty is Baltimore’s Pimlico Race Course. Pimlico’s owners have gone bankrupt, and it now appears that the state may take possession … Read more »
Most horses kept for breeding are kept in barren stalls like these.vet.uga / CC Full disclosure: I am a sucker for horses. Just watching them run makes me cry. Seriously, it does. That video clip that was shown in Amélie, in which an excited horse leaps over a pasture fence and joins passing Tour … 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 »
It takes a lot to shock the public these days, but the fact that cruel incidents in the horseracing world are finally being taken seriously is just about doing the trick. Before Eight Belles’ tragic death made the public realize that horseracing isn’t all fun and games, drugging and heavy whipping just made up another … Read more »
smh / CC The recent scandals surrounding the horseracing industry sound more like a page out of a seedy novel than practices in what is wrongly identified as a national sport. Recent events have drawn mass attention to the practices of drugging horses to mask pain and unnaturally boost performance and whipping them to compel … Read more »
As arguably tasteless as he may be, Triumph the Insult Dog from the Late Night With Conan O’Brien show made some excellent points in his coverage of the recent Belmont Stakes. As I’ve pointed out before with humor articles and videos, they often sneak in a few insightful points about whatever act or industry they’ve … 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 »
Shortly after Eight Belles’ death, I wrote something of a dissertation in response to some folks who had taken the opportunity to claim that horses love racing because they’re, like, “born to run” or whatever. But here’s a little visual aid for anyone who remains unconvinced. This clip is from the Brooklyn Handicap stakes race … Read more »
After much hype around Big Brown’s quarter hoof split, with the spotlight on the trainer and the owner and everyone else surrounding this “pushed” horse, it seems that he was finally allowed to run what may well have been the first natural race of his life. And the result is he showed how he really … Read more »
It’s kinda like when someone asks you to do a project for them at the office, and you forward it on to a colleague in the hopes that you can get out of doing the work yourself. Except when most people do that, it means that, like, a report doesn’t get written or something. When … 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 to love … Read more »
