I collected some more logic and reason-filled comments from that blog posted at the Peta website because they were entertaining. Here is a smattering of the highlights:
A long time ago when one of my co-workers was betting on the Derby, I told him what I thought and he stupidly said that horses were made to run. Ignornant people.
i was in tears and will never watch this “sport” again. the anorexic/bulemic jockey’s should feel hard fines that will hit their pockets since they clearly don’t care about whipping these intelligent animals.
How many more horses have to die at the Kentucky Derby before this barbaric spectacle is banised from our culture? We all heard the horror story about the race yesterday. Stop supporting this event. Look at the sponsors who have invested financial support to the derby. Don’t buy thier products! Write to the Govenor of Kentucky to include KY Senators. Boycott Kentucky. Tourism dollars are big business. They will get the message when it hits their bottom line. We can make a difference so that Eight Belles did not die in vain.
How many horses have died in the Kentucky Derby? ONE. Last weekend.
All these poor thoroughbreds are bred for speed hence the weak bones, plus they are raced as 2year olds when far from fully developed in the skeletal regions.
The horses are all three years old, going on four.
I would be very surprised if Gabriel Saez is suspended, more likely he will be treated as a hero who went through a traumatic time. I hope that one day, somebody takes a horsewhip to him,and beats him to within an inch of his life. I only wish it could be me.
How awful!!! I am so sad about this!! I want this greedy, despicable jockey brought up on charges!! Scum of the earth!!
This is a cruel sport and everyone responsible for Eight Belle’s death yesterday should be punished. That horse pushed herself beyond her limits because she was being beaten by that brute. She gave her life in fear.
Why euthanize a horse who, some of us would adopt in a heartbeat? I don’t understand it.
think its real bullshit that they did that. Ok yeah she must of been suffering but it would of healed. Instead of killing her, just let her stay at the farm and never race again.
Again, she would have had a 50% chance to live with one broken leg. The chances substantially decrease with two legs. Adoption and letting her “stay at the farm” are fairy tale solutions.
Real men won’t have anything to do with it.
Below are a couple posts that I liked:
Dear PETA:
I believe that PETA goals, in general, are noble. I also believe that steps can be taken to make horse racing safer. However:
When PETA makes claims like this: “it’s a dirty business and no better than dogfighting” – you do a disservice to your cause.
The goal, in dogfighting is violence – that is the point of it. No one, and I mean no one, who loves horse racing wants to see any harm to a horse. At worst (and even this is debatable), there are some who are indifferent to animal suffering. Having been at a track when a horse broke down and was euthanized, I can say that the pall that falls over the crown, en masse, belies a very different attitude.
And, I can assure you, the tears that were shed by Eight Belles connections were not crocodile tears – and not only because of the money involved. Perhaps it suits your political interests to paint horsemen like Larry Jones as a monster, but that is sheer slander. Please, be above the fray.
Finally, while there are too many breakdowns, these amount to (thankfully) precious few deaths when considered next the total numbers of horses bred the US every year (though there are perhaps too many of those as well). Clearly, for the vast majority of horses, their bones can take it. Synthetic tracks may offer a better solution, but there have been breakdowns on these as well. And the horse I saw breakdown? . . . happened on the turf.
I work in the racehorse industry. I am a groom. My job is to do everything I can to make the horses happy. I feed, water, clean, keep there stalls spotless, brush – and do everything they might need to be as happy as possible. This is a very tough job with long hours, I get up a 4:30 every morning and don’t get to bed until 10 that night. 7 days a week. I sleep in a tack room no bigger than 7 by 7 feet.The wages are very low, 400 dollars a week. Many people would never do such a job, but I do it out of my love for animals. I’m not the only one, there are many hard working grooms dedicating there life to horse racing for low wages and hard working conditions. When you call it a dirty business only associated with weathly owners you are insulting me and basically spitting in my face. The rage I feel toward your organization cannot be put into words. I would invite you do follow me around for one day to see the hard labor I do to make sure these horses are happy before you write such harsh words about the racing industry.
Kentucky and the Kentucky Derby has done more for horses than this ridiculous organization has ever done.
[...] blog but I don’t want to give those asshats any traffic so instead read some of the snippets via a blog I just found called “Curveballs For Jesus” (this blog is pretty damned good [...]
PETA needs to get a life!!! These horses LOVE what they do!! You could NOT make winners of them if they didn’t!! This mare, as the majority of Thoroughbred race horses, received nothing but the best of care. She was LOVED and cherished. She died what she loved doing. She was a great mare but what made her great were her abilities and her heart. PETA is doing NOTHING BUT EXPLOITING her death in an effort to gain profits off of it. Animal Rights Extremists (And note I say *EXTREMISTS* and Not activists (for that is what they are) are the most uneducated and ignorant people on the face of the planet. They don’t want horses raced, they don’t want you to wear fur, they don’t want animals slaughtered for food… (Hey, PETA IDIOTS… do you think meat is “born” in those cute little styrofoam containers that it comes in from the grocery store? You PETA people are all MORONS and need to be educated. Given the choice of the short but great life she lead or being a nothing, stable horse that lived to be 20+, I’d wager Eight Belles would choose the life she had. She was a star, a super-hero and I commend her trainer and jockey for the way they have handled this situation. PETA….. get a life!!!!!
This is in response to the previous post from Shawna Bloom.
There is alot more to Horse racing than being a Super Star Horse or winning the race….sounds like to me that you are NOT a highly EDUCATED PERSON.
Just because someone is an animal activist does not mean they are un educated! For that matter they are probably more educated than the average person who could care a less about animal cruelity, BECAUSE they educate them selves in something they truely believe in. The welfare of the “voiceless” animals!
A horses normal living situation is NOT running themselves to death…..or being shot up with all kinds of crap, or having their hooves shaved so close to the bone that its inevitable they will endure some kind of injury!
Thats not a NORMAL way for a horse to live! It is Very ABNORMAL!!
And for that matter anyone who says to a vegatarian, your quote;
” you don’t want animals slaughtered for food… (Hey, PETA IDIOTS… do you think meat is “born” in those cute little styrofoam containers that it comes in from the grocery store?”
NO WE DONT THINK THAT……IDIOT!!! WE DONT EAT YOUR SLAUGHTERED MEAT!!
Maybe you need to do a little self educating about PETA, and for the record PETA is not a money monger like everyone else, what they do and the money they recieve all goes to helping animals!
Maybe you should try getting a pet…..I think a RAT would be a good start for you.
This is a comment to Laurie A. That is not what horse racing is all about either. I have owned a thoroughbred off the race track and these animals really do love to run. He was an awesome horse but when given the chance he would run as much as he could. You need to realize that when any horse runs at any given point there’s 1200 lbs on one leg. Be it in racing or just in pleasure riding a horse can step wrong and break its ankle. I’ve had a horse in a paddock injure himself just because he got excited over another horse. Yes I understand that their not fully developed until the age of 4 sometimes 5 years old but given that certain situation can cause any injury to a horse’s leg no matter what age they are. I think that putting Eight Belles down was the best thing to do. Look at what all Barbaro had to endure for 8 months with one broken ankle and he still had to be put down. Horses dont have bones that mend as fast or as well as ours do. Even under the best of care, many horses do not seem to overcome a break that severe due to other complications such as laminitis. Texas A&M is one of the top treatment facilities in the country and their sucess rate on it isn’t very high either. Unless you are familiar with horses in general and have experience handling and being around horses please do not make any comments. Its tragic what happened to Eight Belles and sad but this could have happened in any sport or even on any trail just for pleasure.
Jen……
What’s not what horse racing is about?
Please tell me?
The only comments I made about “horse racing” was that in a “normal” setting or in the wild, a horse DOES NOT RUN ITSELF TO DEATH, like the race Thoroughbreds of today will do!
I realize a horse can injure itself in alot of ways, and I know that they cannot heal like we do, they live most of their life on their legs, but tell me how many horses have you known that broke both front legs running on a trail?
THAT IS NOT NORMAL, and it doesnt take a rocket engineer to figure it out either.
I am famiiar with horses in general, and have had years of experience handling and taking care of them.
My comment to Shawna was in reply to her idiotic rambling about animal rights people!
Yes, Jen I understand why Eight Belles had to be put down, but WHY is a two year old Philly allowed to run in the Kentucky Derby anyways? It is a known fact that a horse is not fully grown until at least 4. She was a beautiful horse, fast and determined to please…..and thats what she did…..it cost her her life, but she died pleasing the people she dearly loved.
As a horse lover and owner yourself, how can you justfy it?
The Kentucky Derby is ALL ABOUT MONEY, so one dies, no big deal, another one will replace her right!?
In response to Laurie A’s idiotic postings, please stop being a typical, ignorant representative of PETA. You obviously know nothing of horses at all, much less horse racing, and yet you’re acting as if you are the end all to everything dealing with horses.
For one thing, Laurie, there was no four year old Philly running in the Derby. There was, however, a three year old filly running in the Derby. I’m sure there have been instances where a horse may have broken two legs while trail riding. But be honest with yourself. When do you think something like that would make the news world wide?
Horses have been known to break legs doing the most mundane things. Racing each other in a pasture and mis-stepping, or maybe even stepping in a hole or depression in the ground.
You cannot seem to get beyond someone bringing up the fact that PETA is sticking their collective noses where they do not belong. They stopped being the “voice of the animals” a long, long time ago. Right about when their power corrupted them.
If you want to speak about an agency being all about money, and with money comes power, then look no further than PETA.
In horse racing, it isn’t all about the money. For the majority of horsefolk, it’s all about the horses, the joy they have in the very ability to run, and that is the joy that they bring us. What do you want horses to do, Laurie? Mosey around in a paddock all day, grazing on grass, and never running? Sorry, but that’s not what the horse is all about.
I dare you to even consider to go and ask her trainer, her owners, her groom if it’s no big deal that she’s dead. That the horse they nurtured, cared for, and cried over is, in your words, no big deal. I can imagine the choice words they would have for you.
So please, Laurie, consider buying stock in something called “tact” and respect those still in sorrow over the death of someone very close to them. You inconsiderate animal EXTREMIST. Because in bashing the people who care about horse racing, and the horses themselves, you insult the horses who race and you show yourself for the dirtbag you are.
SHAME ON YOU, Laurie A. YOU are the one who is not normal.