. . . aftercare, and slaughter. It appears Bill Shanklin will be loaded for bear to take this issue on. We are forewarned that the future series will be lengthy and in depth. Good.
http://www.horseracingbusiness.com/upcoming-rescue-aftercare-and-horse-slaughter-series-14342.htm
Thank you, Shammy Davis, for this heads up.
It’s easy to sit back and say you will do your part by just making sure to always keep your own horses safe, and that you hope others will do the same. The reality is that not everyone thinks that way. Or, sometimes even the most well-intentioned people get into situations where they cannot retire or care for their horses properly, etc.
I look forward to reading this series and learning more about the scope of the problem, and the suggestions for solving it.
While I agree that OTTBs should have “retirement” opportunities, New Holland isn’t going to go out of business if not another single TB was bred.
The focus seems to be on the “northern” auction houses where kill buyers ship north.
I never (although this is about the only place i frequent 
) see anything about QHs that don’t make the grade. I am assuming there are “southern” auction houses where kill buyers ship south. And when you look at registration numbers, far more QHs registered than TBs. Just see the TBs more because of the visibility of racing.
There are at least three TB’s at a feed lot out here, one just raced four days ago, all fresh from the track. (Thompsons feed lot). Not long ago a there were a bunch of Arab mares, bred with foals at side there. It is very sad, it is not an issue that effects just one breed.
[QUOTE=Where’sMyWhite;8820243]
While I agree that OTTBs should have “retirement” opportunities, New Holland isn’t going to go out of business if not another single TB was bred.
The focus seems to be on the “northern” auction houses where kill buyers ship north.
I never (although this is about the only place i frequent ) see anything about QHs that don’t make the grade. I am assuming there are “southern” auction houses where kill buyers ship south. And when you look at registration numbers, far more QHs registered than TBs. Just see the TBs more because of the visibility of racing.[/QUOTE]
Bastrop is a kill pen in LO that offers ‘rescues’ ie they list their slaughterbound horses for sale online [and at inflated prices].
They saw recent ‘fame’ when two of their workers slit the throat of a dog on video and posted it for all to see… thankfully they were arrested, alas they had the funds to meet bail [wonder how that happened?].
Oh and all the horses they had listed this week, I hear, have sold. I guess there’s no such thing as bad press?
These kill pens/dealers and auction are all over the country.
[QUOTE=Angela Freda;8825993]
Bastrop is a kill pen in LO that offers ‘rescues’ ie they list their slaughterbound horses for sale online [and at inflated prices].
They saw recent ‘fame’ when two of their workers slit the throat of a dog on video and posted it for all to see… thankfully they were arrested, alas they had the funds to meet bail [wonder how that happened?].
Oh and all the horses they had listed this week, I hear, have sold. I guess there’s no such thing as bad press?
These kill pens/dealers and auction are all over the country.[/QUOTE]
As early as January 2016, the news reported the lack of racehorse aftercare provisions in the NY breeders fund. Like with KY and its welfare issues, the buck stops with the state. You are right the problem persists nationally but horse auctions are just sales. The end user doesn’t have to acknowledge a reason to purchase. The low end ones like New Holland are a business, the same as Keeneland or F-T. It just takes a little longer for a TB sale to get to a low end auction. You want to stop slaughter go to the state legislatures and, in the case of sport horses and racing, insure aftercare programs.
http://www.dailygazette.com/news/2016/aug/31/race-horse-retirement-care-proving-harder-expected/
Again, here are some facts included in Part One of the OP.
http://www.horseracingbusiness.com/rescue-aftercare-and-horse-slaughter-part-1-14333.htm
Added: Tracking retired horses is problematic also.
http://www.bloodhorse.com/horse-racing/articles/214636/aftercare-the-challenges-of-tracking-horses
Nice follow story about NY’S first Equistar awardee.
http://www.bloodhorse.com/horse-racing/articles/214686/hogan-to-be-honored-for-aftercare-commitment
In general, I found the article far more balanced than is typical on the subject but I take issue with implication that the “distribution curve” is necessarily skewed only by slaughter. Young horses die for other reasons-- they break their legs in pastures, become diseased, suffer training accidents and run through fences. There is a financial aspect to this as well which is very familiar to people who own pets. Sometimes that $2000 horse doesn’t get that $5000 surgery.
The writer tried to scrupulously hew to facts and solid statistics when they are known and I appreciate that as a breath of fresh air. But the TB world isn’t divided between slaughter and happy ever after. IME, like anything else, it involves a million different decisions by 100,000 people all working in a backdrop of chance and hope and finances. That wobbler two year old will not race and may not live but he didn’t necessarily go to slaughter.
Thoughts on the most difficult alternative.
http://www.horseracingbusiness.com/the-horse-euthanasia-ethical-dilemma-14606.htm
[QUOTE=Where’sMyWhite;8820243]
I never (although this is about the only place i frequent ) see anything about QHs that don’t make the grade. I am assuming there are “southern” auction houses where kill buyers ship south. And when you look at registration numbers, far more QHs registered than TBs. Just see the TBs more because of the visibility of racing.[/QUOTE]
People can also look TBs up easier than other breeds because so many of them are tattooed. Or they see a tattoo and automatically think the horse is a TB even if it’s a racing QH or whatever. Tattoos are a double-edged sword at auctions like that because on the good side, they can ID the horse and find connections or fans who want to save it but on the bad side, people can ID it as a TB easier than they can other breeds. I’ve seen nights on social media where people say the TB industry throws away more horses because 35 horses (numbers made up) had tattoos at the auction where there were 50 QHs (and 5 “TBs” that are really QHs with tattoos) but since they don’t have a way to easily ID them, they are marked as grade horses or whatever.
It’s unfortunate because it gives the TB industry a bad name but at the same time tattoos are nice because they can help ID horses and make it easier to save them.
[QUOTE=Shammy Davis;8846957]
Part 3
http://www.horseracingbusiness.com/rescue-aftercare-and-horse-slaughter-part-iii-14353.htm[/QUOTE]
If funding of thoroughbred after care is going to be mandatory via the fees discussed in the above article, then the aftercare programs would HAVE to take any horse referred to them. Although I usually manage to find homes for my retirees on my own, I’ve contacted some programs in my area and were told they were full.
This post may be long winded but this is genuine and coming from someone who owns more than one OTTB; all of which were the cream of their crop at one time but fell through racings cracks.
I think that a lot more horses from southern tracks ship direct across the boarder than we realize. Look at New Mexico, California, Texas, Arizona, Louisiana, etc. These tracks are not exactly the cream of the crop and a lot of the tracks are known for “trainers” who shouldn’t be trainers and look at their stable of horses as dispensable (the cowboy mentality). Not saying all who train here are that way, but it is known. There are virtually no rehoming programs at these tracks; so what exactly happens to the majority of those horses who race every year? I know a lot of the California horses were shipping direct to feedlots in the Washington/Oregon area and shipping direct over the border to Canada. Little visibility there. A friend of mine was an exercise rider at some of the smaller CA tracks and trainers were willing to give away the failing ones to anyone willing to take the leadrope because there was no other option. There is little visibility to this. Even sadder is the horses I have seen on the California CANTER listings are quite the lookers; I just don’t have the funds to ship on all the way to the east coast, unfortunately.
But think about Texas, Arizona, New Mexico, Louisiana… where does everyone think these hoards of claimers end up? The disappear and no one ever notices. This is not to say that no horses ever get rehomed off these tracks; because I am sure some do.
Look at Puerto Rico. Any horse that is sold there to race is doomed. Every single horse that ships there goes to race until it can no longer do so successfully and when it cannot, its led to the back of the track and euthanized. Owners do not care and often order the horses dead as quick as possible. There is no after care programs, no successful career options for any of these horses off the Puerto Rican track. Granted, its better than going to the slaughterhouse but still; What a waste. And trainers continue to sell and ship their horses to Puerto Rico knowing full-well what will happen to that horse in a very short period of time. I was watching a horse racing a Churchill Downs last year; a pretty grey that was well bred and doing seemingly well: was sold right off the track to Puerto Rico. A ping of sadness I still get over that.
The Thoroughbred industry breeders 10’s of thousands of foals every year, flooding the market. You have the cream of the crop and then the regular joe’s breeding thousands of registered thoroughbreds every year by mediocre stallions out of mediocre mares. You have an industry where failed juvenile stallions in Kentucky are sold and end up in the south, west, north at small breeding farms to produce more mediocre horses instead of just gelding them and finding them a suitable performance home where many of them could excel quite well.
The thoroughbred industry puts themselves in this situation all on its own. Same with the QH industry (who openly supports disposing culls at local auctions for slaughter). And the TB industry relies on those in the performance horse world to pick up the pieces and give their horses a chance.
The problem also lies in the fact that it is very hard to find a horse available on the track to an outside person that does not have issues. You can only look at horses at the low ranking tracks as possible prospects. These horses have fallen to the bottom part of the industry, are raced much more frequently, don’t always receive the most quality care, and are usually only available to an outside source because they have some sort of “issue”. Whether it be bowed tendons, splints, bucked shins, soreness, temperament, arthritis, lack of desire, reoccurring injuries that prevent them from earning their keep. Many started off as cream of the crop yearlings, ended up in the big name barns and then quickly fell off the beaten path because they were not derby quality.
Bottom line: the industry expects those from the outside world to clean up their mess because the only thing available to them for performance horses; is the horses at the end of the line who have one chance to find an escape. Sure, there are still the diamonds in the rough who are available who don’t have any known issues but they are few and hard to come by. But these horses futures, those who are offered to the outsiders, rest solely in the hands of those who care enough to take a look at the horses and take a chance. I commend those trainers who take the time to find suitable homes for their horses and take the time to take care of their horses legs, etc. But lets be honest, the TB industry has done this to themselves
Shanklin continues. TB overproduction?
http://www.horseracingbusiness.com/the-over-breeding-canard-14609.htm
[QUOTE=snaffle1987;8872910]
This post may be long winded but this is genuine and coming from someone who owns more than one OTTB; all of which were the cream of their crop at one time but fell through racings cracks.
I think that a lot more horses from southern tracks ship direct across the boarder than we realize. Look at New Mexico, California, Texas, Arizona, Louisiana, etc. These tracks are not exactly the cream of the crop and a lot of the tracks are known for “trainers” who shouldn’t be trainers and look at their stable of horses as dispensable (the cowboy mentality). Not saying all who train here are that way, but it is known. There are virtually no rehoming programs at these tracks; so what exactly happens to the majority of those horses who race every year? I know a lot of the California horses were shipping direct to feedlots in the Washington/Oregon area and shipping direct over the border to Canada. Little visibility there. A friend of mine was an exercise rider at some of the smaller CA tracks and trainers were willing to give away the failing ones to anyone willing to take the leadrope because there was no other option. There is little visibility to this. Even sadder is the horses I have seen on the California CANTER listings are quite the lookers; I just don’t have the funds to ship on all the way to the east coast, unfortunately.
But think about Texas, Arizona, New Mexico, Louisiana… where does everyone think these hoards of claimers end up? The disappear and no one ever notices. This is not to say that no horses ever get rehomed off these tracks; because I am sure some do.
Look at Puerto Rico. Any horse that is sold there to race is doomed. Every single horse that ships there goes to race until it can no longer do so successfully and when it cannot, its led to the back of the track and euthanized. Owners do not care and often order the horses dead as quick as possible. There is no after care programs, no successful career options for any of these horses off the Puerto Rican track. Granted, its better than going to the slaughterhouse but still; What a waste. And trainers continue to sell and ship their horses to Puerto Rico knowing full-well what will happen to that horse in a very short period of time. I was watching a horse racing a Churchill Downs last year; a pretty grey that was well bred and doing seemingly well: was sold right off the track to Puerto Rico. A ping of sadness I still get over that.
The Thoroughbred industry breeders 10’s of thousands of foals every year, flooding the market. You have the cream of the crop and then the regular joe’s breeding thousands of registered thoroughbreds every year by mediocre stallions out of mediocre mares. You have an industry where failed juvenile stallions in Kentucky are sold and end up in the south, west, north at small breeding farms to produce more mediocre horses instead of just gelding them and finding them a suitable performance home where many of them could excel quite well.
The thoroughbred industry puts themselves in this situation all on its own. Same with the QH industry (who openly supports disposing culls at local auctions for slaughter). And the TB industry relies on those in the performance horse world to pick up the pieces and give their horses a chance.
The problem also lies in the fact that it is very hard to find a horse available on the track to an outside person that does not have issues. You can only look at horses at the low ranking tracks as possible prospects. These horses have fallen to the bottom part of the industry, are raced much more frequently, don’t always receive the most quality care, and are usually only available to an outside source because they have some sort of “issue”. Whether it be bowed tendons, splints, bucked shins, soreness, temperament, arthritis, lack of desire, reoccurring injuries that prevent them from earning their keep. Many started off as cream of the crop yearlings, ended up in the big name barns and then quickly fell off the beaten path because they were not derby quality.
Bottom line: the industry expects those from the outside world to clean up their mess because the only thing available to them for performance horses; is the horses at the end of the line who have one chance to find an escape. Sure, there are still the diamonds in the rough who are available who don’t have any known issues but they are few and hard to come by. But these horses futures, those who are offered to the outsiders, rest solely in the hands of those who care enough to take a look at the horses and take a chance. I commend those trainers who take the time to find suitable homes for their horses and take the time to take care of their horses legs, etc. But lets be honest, the TB industry has done this to themselves[/QUOTE]
yup
How are your guys doing, Scott K? 
I think a lot of these articles are very much pie in the sky.
IMO, the problem is the structure of American racing which ruins so many horses in ways that make them unsuitable for second careers. I blame the totally North American structure of claiming races for this. We need to get rid of claiming racing.
You know that most people don’t care how fast the horses run if they put on a good race. That could be used to have levels of racing based on handicaps. Every horse that is raced would have a handicap and run only with comparable horses. The handicaps would be re-evaluated based on performance and times. Doing this would get rid of the multiple levels of conditions that exist currently.
This, of course, wouldn’t apply to Graded races which would be open.
[QUOTE=vineyridge;8885684]
I think a lot of these articles are very much pie in the sky.
IMO, the problem is the structure of American racing which ruins so many horses in ways that make them unsuitable for second careers. I blame the totally North American structure of claiming races for this. We need to get rid of claiming racing.
You know that most people don’t care how fast the horses run if they put on a good race. That could be used to have levels of racing based on handicaps. Every horse that is raced would have a handicap and run only with comparable horses. The handicaps would be re-evaluated based on performance and times. Doing this would get rid of the multiple levels of conditions that exist currently.
This, of course, wouldn’t apply to Graded races which would be open.[/QUOTE]
You and Joe Clancy are on the same page. There are those that disagree. See the comments following the article.
http://thisishorseracing.com/news/index.php/easyblog/entry/time-for-racing-to-claim-a-change
As you probably know. Australia doesn’t have claiming races. They, like other countries, have an unwanted problem and their share of the international breeding market is increasing . Very complicated issue. OZ is trying to get its act in order as this link indicates.
https://www.thoroughbredracing.com/articles/australian-racing-offence-about-racehorse-retirement/
By submitting your email, you agree to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. You may also receive promotional emails from The Chronicle of the Horse. You can opt out at any time.
For Customers
Company
Terms of Use
