Farriers and Racing Barns

[HipNo34]

Doubtless many of you have seen the reporting on Creative Plans and the situation at Turf Paradise (https://paulickreport.com/news/the-biz/morally-wrong-sad-journey-of-creative-plan-raises-concerns-about-horse-welfare-at-turf-paradise/).

One of the questions I keep circling back to is about the farrier – here’s somebody (or somebodies) who would’ve had hands on this horse’s legs. Even in passing, even just to tack a shoe on, surely a farrier would have noticed something. Or am I just spoiled by the farriers I’ve known?

According to some reports, the horse was “clicking” when jogged. I believe heat was detected, too. And yes, I understand that in the broad sense, heat or inflammation doesn’t mean much of anything but, I keep circling back to those awful photos of his legs and I can’t help but notice he’d clearly had his feet done in the not too distant past.

What’s the deal with farriers at the track? What kind of relationships do they have with racing barns?

As another individual who has hands on these animals – and a hand in their physical well-being – should/do farriers have any ethical responsibilities, if they observe things in a horse’s condition that put it (and rider and other horses and riders) at risk?

Thanks,

[LaurieB]

Everyone who saw or had their hands on that horse had an ethical responsibility to do something. It’s hard to understand how he could have been failed in so many ways by so many people.

[bingbingbing]

OMG, that poor horse. The photo of him at the auction in a western saddle with his fetlock dropped, and the pic and xrays of his legs. What a disgrace. That was a very hard article to read. RIP Creative Plan…so many people failed you.

[NaturallyHappy]

This article made me cry.

[punchy]

I’ve known security guards who have reported horse welfare issues to management and they get told to mind their own business or they’ll be fired. I reported witnessed horse beatings to the stewards and was dismissed because they ‘only had my word for it.’ I told them to walk around the backside and see for themselves, but they did not and, in fact, had fired a steward for routinely walking around the backside, observing. When I saw horses who couldn’t walk or even stand—who was I supposed to complain to? Management doesn’t care. The vets can’t do anything unless the owner tells them to. Racing people hate PETA and the humane society isn’t invited to the backside to check on horses. That’s why this kind of stuff happens and will keep on happening.

[HipNo34]

That’s kind of what I was thinking, that maybe there was a mind-your-own-business thing at play. It’s extremely frustrating because these folks can mind their own right out of having a sport and industry to work in.

If not out of kindness, compassion, and basic decency (nevermind love for the horse), you’d think management/anyone in a position to enforce welfare issues would do it just to keep the ship afloat. Nobody thinks the sport will go the way of greyhound racing but I wouldn’t make that bet, the way things are going.

[Willesdon]

Those are the worst legs on a horse I have ever seen. I’m into my sixth decade of my infatuation with horses. I’ve been all over the world and ridden in countless countries. I love racing and have since a child. If that is the standard of horsemanship found on American tracks then American horse racing deserves to die - and I never thought I would write that. Shame, shame on absolutely everyone involved.

[Texarkana]

@Willesdon

Those are the worst legs on a horse I have ever seen. I’m into my sixth decade of my infatuation with horses. I’ve been all over the world and ridden in countless countries. I love racing and have since a child. If that is the standard of horsemanship found on American tracks then American horse racing deserves to die - and I never thought I would write that. Shame, shame on absolutely everyone involved.

That is not the standard of horsemanship and no one is defending it.

Elaborating on what @punchy and @HipNo34 said, mind-your-own-business is prevalent to a fault in racing. People talk, but not in the same manner as they do in other disciplines. It’s a hard culture to break, but people have been speaking up and speaking out more these days than in the past. It’s still an uphill battle.

[HipNo34]

Do you think racing is any closer to any kind of unified governance?

[skydy]

It’s working it’s way through the court system. Hopefully they’ll pull themselves together. I’m concerned that too many people in the racing business don’t understand the urgency of getting their ducks in a row.

Judge Hears Arguments on HISA's Constitutionality

[HipNo34]

I actually forgot all about HISA. That’s how slow-moving, bad it is. The thrill of potential progress. The agony of cats refusing to be herded.

I am no fan of PETA but racing not keeping its own house is how they worm their way in. I could just scream.

[Texarkana]

I was reading in the state horseman’s association newsletter this month that nearly every jurisdiction is against the anti-doping program part of HISA. While the newsletter didn’t outright say this, it implied the lawsuits challenging it may be successful. Regardless of whether that happens or not, the medication controls portion are already delayed and are likely be delayed even further.

[HipNo34]

I should go and read up because I realize I don’t know the specifics of what was proposed/what’s being objected to when I ask (but am going to ask anyway), do they feel like there’s a lack of nuance and a broad brush being used with the medication controls? Or is just the fiefdom thing?

[Texarkana]

@HipNo34 I think it’s primarily the lasix regulation that has people pushing back. But I also haven’t read everything in detail, so I’m not sure what other medication changes arise. I know MTHA made it sound like most of the things HISA will enforce are standard practice in MD already.

[skydy]

USADA pulled out of the enforcement aspect of HISA because of the resistance to the proposed med regulations and testing. Without those HISA will be toothless.

[HipNo34]

pulls own hair

Now wondering about the conversation going forward after the Derby DQ.

[Mara]

It’s so disheartening to read the social media comments that follow any news on HISA, or on any other aspect of horse welfare in racing.

Anyone posting in support of HISA or tightening up medication regulations is immediately called a “PETA lover” and told to go away: “you hate horse racing, why are you even in this group!!!” These comments come from racetrackers, people who work/have worked on the backside.

I’ve even seen the same accusation leveled at people who dare suggest that The Great God Baffert be held to the same standards as everyone else in the sport.

I can understand some of the defensiveness, but attitudes like this are the slow suicide of horse racing.

[HipNo34]

Yeah, the thing I find most frustrating is how everything (even outside racing and horses, actually, so literally, everything) seems to have to be either/or, one end of the spectrum or the other. Oh, and never mind the nuance in differentiating between animal rights and animal welfare. That one is huge for me – but that ship has probably sailed well over the horizon by now.

I haven’t peeked in a while but I bet, since Baffert’s been set down, Twitter is eating itself alive right about now.