Poor treatment of a horse is not a win or a place

Australia has one of the biggest markets when it comes to horse racing. You can either be a casual punter, it could be your job to pick winners, or to train them, or even ride them. You may have ownership or shares in a horse. Sure it's expensive, but it's a hobby for many people. But what is overlooked often is how the horses themselves are treated. No one asks what the horses life is like, they just want to make money. How desperate are you to make a horse win? So much to the point that you'll race it when it is just two years old? It's not even fully developed so it's definitely running the risk of serious injury, but sure it happens anyway. The Golden Slipper is perhaps the most glamourous two year old race in Australia with prizemoney up to 3.5 million dollars. The people who win must think it's definitely worth it, but is it really? As a horse who is training constantly for big races, there is a strict routine in place. Mainly involving staying in a stable all day, being worked too hard for the short amount of time they are not stabled, and being fed lots of unnatural supplements and feeds. They should be out in the open, not going stir crazy. They should be grazing, not getting stomach ulcers from the various grains. (Animals Australia)

The main question here and what the majority don't even know the answer to, is what happens to the horses after they have finished their racing careers, what happens to the ones who never make a career out of it and don't win or be successful to the liking of the trainers, owners etc. ? One possibility is they could be cast to compete in steeplechase racing, which is racing with jumps incorporated, sure this looks fun and different to the hard intense gallops, but in fact these races are infact taking more toll on the body of these horses who more often than not are already broken down. This in turn could create more injuries and fatalities because of the debilitating injuries that may occur. If a bone is already shattered to the point of no repair, quite often the horse is euthanised right there on the spot. Today was actually the 153rd running of the Melbourne Cup, the most well known and prestigious race that stops the nation on the 1st Tuesday of November every year. As I was watching, one horse pulled up short shortly after the race had begun, but the announcer didn't even say anything. I found out later that Verema was put down on the spot as the injuries were too severe. It's just sad that this happens at all.

As I began researching this a few days ago, I found out something quite shocking. I was completely unaware of abbatoirs and horses having any sort of connection. I realise now that's not the smartest thing, but i'd honestly just never thought about horses like that, as opposed to the cows and other animals that we eat. More often than not, they are used for various pet meats, but I had no idea how prominent it was. 25000 horses per year are slaughtered. (Animals Australia). It's honestly awful how badly treated some horses can be but there are some small bright spots within all of the negative. We've had racehorses staying at our place for some time being raised since they were foals, one had a foot injury and we were told she could never race, but instead of some horrible result, she still lives in the paddock and is well looked after and has company with other horses. It's not all bad. But it could be much, much better.

References:

(2013). Horse Racing, the glitz, the glamour, the grim reality.. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.animalsaustralia.org/issues/horse_racing.php. [Last Accessed 4th November 2013].

Race Horse Abuse. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.animal-rights-action.com/horse-abuse.html. [Last Accessed 5th November 2013].

Mobbs, A (2013). International Stayer Verema euthanised after breaking down in Melbourne Cup. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.foxsports.com.au/other-sports/horse-racing/international-stayer-verema-euthanised-after-breaking-down-in-melbourne-cup/story-e6frf41l-1226753640337. [Last Accessed 5th November 2013].

Torres, C and Chen, P (2012). There are no winners: Horse racing is unethical. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.abc.net.au/unleashed/4086304.html. [Last Accessed 5th November 2013

Howden, S (2013). Horse Meat Trade quietly thrives despite "nasty" image. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.smh.com.au/nsw/horse-meat-trade-quietly-thrives-despite-nasty-image-20130222-2ewom.html. [Last Accessed 4th November 2013].