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CelesteMejia
ProfessorBatty
English113B
10May2016
BehindtheRaceTracks:TheImmoralityofHorseRacinganditsManySecrets
HorseracingisacommonsportthroughouttheUnitedStates,yetnotmanypeopleknow
thathorseracingisconsideredanimalabuse.Horseracingisapopularsportandmanypeople
useitforgamblingpurposes.Theybetmoneyonahorse'sabilitytorunasfastastheycan.Little
dotheyknowthatthesehorsesarebeingforcedtocompetewhichiscruel.Notalotofpeople
knowhowtrainersorjockeysactuallytreattheirhorses.Horsetrainersareknowntobe
physicallyabusivetotheirhorses.Infact,theyareknowntousewhipstomakethehorsesrun
fasterandtopunishthemwhentheydonotobeyorders.Peoplesupporthorseracingbutin
realitynooneshouldsupportsuchasport.Infact,horseracingshouldnotcontinuebeingasport.
Manywillarguethat,horseracingisafunsporttowatchandthatitisnotabusesincethehorses
arejustracing.However,Ibelieveweshouldputanendtohorseracingbecausehorseracingis
abusivesincetrainersareforcingthemtodomanythingsagainsttheirwillwhichisslowly
killingthem.
Trainersareknowntodrugtheirhorsetoenhancetheirspeedwhentheyarecompeting.
Therehavebeenmanycaseswherehorseshavebeentestedandtheyarefoundtohavesteroids
intheirbodies.InM.L.HCampbellsarticleWhenDoesUseBecomeAbuseinEquestrian
Sport?shestatesthat,Insofarastheunderlyingreasonfortryingtoenhancehorsesby
administeringanabolicsteroidsistogainanunfaircompetitiveadvantage(PittsandDavid2007)

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(i.e.tocheat).Theiruseisunethical.Butabovethat,andindependentofethicalconsiderations
aboutcheatinginsport,theuseofanabolicsteroidsisalsounethicalbecauseitconstitutesan
abuseofthewelfareofthehorsesinvolved(Campbell).Inotherwords,Campbellmentions
howtrainersdousesteroidsontheirhorses,whichisunethicalbecausetheyareforcefully
injectedwithouttheirknowledge.Asyoucansee,Trainersdonotcarefortheirhorses.Theyjust
careaboutthemoney,andtheyarewillingtodoanythingtowinevenifitmeansusingsteroids
ontheirhorses.Thefactthattrainersdrugtheirhorsesshowshowinhumanehorseracingis.
Horsetrainersforceandmaketheirhorsesrunandcompeteagainsttheirwill.Whenthey
arebarelyborn,theyarealreadyteachingthemtocompeteandaremakingthemdoalotof
heavytraining.Thehorsehavenosayandnoonewantstospendtheirwholeliferunningand
competingespeciallynothorses.AccordingtoCampbell,thereisadifferencebetweenchoosing
tobeanathleteandparticipateinasportfrombeingforcedunwillinglytobeinasportlike
horsesare(WhendoesuseBecomeAbuse).Likeshementioned,horsesarebeingforcedto
runwheninrealitytheydonothavethecapacitytoberunningeveryday.Howwouldyoufeel
beingforcedtoruneveryday24/7whilebeingwhippedandyelledatconstantlyandthenbeing
lockedinasmallcage?Thus,horsesshouldnotbeseenasobjectsandshouldnotbeforcedto
compete.
Horsesthatcompetearemorepronetohealthdiseasesandhealthproblems.Theyare
knowntogetliverdamageandstomachulcersduetotheconstanthighspeedracing.Theyalso
getfootinfectionsfromconstantlyrunningathighspeeds.AuthorsGerberandYoungmention
intheirarticle
HorsePlayintheCanadianWest:TheEmergenceoftheCalgaryStampedeas
ContestedTerrainthat,
Inadditiontofatalities,racinghorsesfrequentlyfaceligamentand

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tendoninjuriesrenderingthemincapableofperforming.Further,onceahorsehasfinishedhisor
herracingcareer,heorshefacesanuncertainfuturewhichmayinvolvemultiplesalesand
owners,neglect,orslaughter(Gerber,Young).Asyoucansee,horsesareoftengettinginjured
duetoconsistentlyrunning,andtheydonotgetthepropertreatmentfortheirinjuries.Whena
horseisunabletocompetetheyjustsendthemtoaslaughterhouse.Forinstance,attheslaughter
housethehorsesareleftinhorribleconditionswheretheyarebadlybeatenandstarved.They
thenslaughterthemandusetheirmeatforhumanconsumption.Thefactthattheysendhorses
thatareunabletocompetetoaslaughterhouseshowsthatthehorsetrainersandownersdonot
carefortheirhorses,fortheyjustcareaboutthemoney.
Horseracingcausesatremendousamountofdeathsofhorseseveryyear.Horses
thatcompetehaveashorterlifespanthanhorsesthatdonotcompete.Forexample,manyhorses
dietoanoverdosesfromdrugs.AccordingtoBryanDenham,inhisarticleIntermediaAttribute
AgendaSettingintheNewYorkTimes:TheCaseofAnimalAbuseinU.S.HorseRacingthat,
Onaverage,theTimesreported,24horsesdieeachweekonU.S.racetrackssomebreakdown
duringcompetition,whileotherssustainfatalinjuriesinpracticesessions(Deham).Basically,
manyhorsesthatraceareconstantlydyingeachweekduetoalloftheabuseandcrueltythey
face.Horsesthatracearemorevulnerabletodeathwhichisheartbreakingbecausepeoplekeep
payingmoneytowatchhorsesrace.Peopledonotunderstandthatwhenhorsecompetetoomuch
itisslowlykillingthem.
Manypeoplemayarguethat,horseracingisapopularsportandtheywillcontinueto
supportitforentertainmentreasonsandforgamblingreasons.Inreality,itisimmoralto
continuesupportinghorseracingknowingthattheyareabused.Horsesdiefromcompetingand

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arephysicallyabusedconstantlyanditisjustnotright.ThisiswhathorsetrainerPeterMoody
hadtosaywhenoneofhishorsesdied,ThedeathofMelbourneCupfavouriteAdmireRaktion
Tuesdaycanbecomparedtoanelitemarathonrunnerdyingofheartfailureduringaraceit
happens,butitsrare(BlackCaviartrainerdefendsracingindustry).Moodytriedtodefend
horseracingbysayingthatahorsedyingwhileracingcanbecomparedtoanathletedyingwhile
running.Inreality,thesearetwocompletelydifferentscenarios.Theathletechoicestobean
athleteandtheyareawareofallthephysicalchallengesandinjuriesthatmayoccur.Nooneis
forcingthemtorunorbecomeanathlete.Horsesontheotherhand,areforcedtorunagainst
theirwillandtheyhavenochoice.Sowhenpeoplecompareanathletetoahorsetheyare
completelywrongandignorantbecausehorsedonothaveasayastoiftheywanttocompeteor
notunlikeanathletewould.
Peoplemaythinkthatthehorseownerscarefortheirhorses,buttheydonotcarefor
them.Theyjustseethemasobjects.Onceahorseisunabletocompetetheysendthemawayto
bekilled.Trainersareabusiveandcrueltotheirhorses,becausetheywhipthemwhiletheyare
racingwhichisverypainfultothem.Howcanpeoplesupportsuchasportthatabusesanimals?
Weshouldallstopsupportingandstopattendinghorseracingeventsbecausewearesayingitis
alrighttouseanimalsforsportswheninrealitywearejustkillingthem.Thereisnoneedfor
horsestocontinuesufferingtheirentirelives.Itisunethicaloftrainerstotreattheirhorseswith
notrespectandjustseethemasobjects.Horsesarenotobjectsandshouldnotbeforcedto
competeagainsttheirwill.Horseracingisnotasport.Itisanimalabuse.

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WorksCited
Campbell,M.L.H."WhenDoesUseBecomeAbuseinEquestrianSport?."
EquineVeterinary
Education
,25.10(2013):489492.
Denham,Bryan."IntermediaAttributeAgendaSettingintheNewYorkTimes:TheCaseof
AnimalAbuseinU.S.HorseRacing."
Journalism&MassCommunicationQuarterly
,
91.1(2014):1737.
Gerber,Brittany,andKevinYoung."HorsePlayintheCanadianWest:TheEmergenceofthe
CalgaryStampedeasContestedTerrain."
Society&Animals
,21.6(2013):523545.
Silk,Gigi.BlackCaviartrainerdefendsracingindustry.
TheNewDaily.
5Nov2014.Web.