Responsibility for ex-racehorses

[Sightseek]

This link was sent to me today. http://www.ksdk.com/news/local/story...provider=email The horse was bred by John Oxley and last trained and owned by Dawn Martin. Who Her Own Storm was turned over to after she was retired to the track is not known, but she eventually was starved and on the way to the slaughterhouse. In addition a few tracks (none of them 'Storm had raced) have taken an anti-slaughter stance. Personally, I would be devastated if a horse I had bred or owned ended up like this horse, but is it the breeders or former owner's responsibility for the rest of the horses' life? Please note that no one involved in this situation has said it is, but this is a topic of discussion in the racing industry and something worth addressing I think.

[Scav]

Pretty hilarious that this horse is directly assigned to Secretariat (4th gen), any horse that has Storm Cat in its pedigree is gonna have Secretariat also.

If all states took the responsibility that Pennslyvania does, where funds are collected from each starter and the owner has NO CHOICE but to pay it, it would be a good start.

For example, Philly Park collects on average $750 per racing day ($10 times 75 starters). In October, they will recieve $13,500 in fees towards the retirement program.

[Sightseek]

Originally Posted by Scav

Pretty hilarious that this horse is directly assigned to Secretariat (4th gen), any horse that has Storm Cat in its pedigree is gonna have Secretariat also.

If all states took the responsibility that Pennslyvania does, where funds are collected from each starter and the owner has NO CHOICE but to pay it, it would be a good start.

For example, Philly Park collects on average $750 per racing day ($10 times 75 starters). In October, they will recieve $13,500 in fees towards the retirement program.

You have to wonder if there would have been so much news about the horse if the movie hadn't come out though. It seems that retired racehorses make much more news when victims of abuse, mainly because I think people can say this horse made x amount of $ on the track and no one took care of it afterwards, also you can use names like Secretariat and Kentucky Derby winner relative etc.. I heard somewhere that less exracehorses end up in slaughter pens than other horse, but I think most people would suspect otherwise because of the image of racing.

[Scav]

As proved in other threads my math skills are obviously diminishing, and I am far from an expert on what I am about to say but to me the logical assumption is that thoroughbreds, specific to racing, are the most 'bred' horses in the United States so that would automatically increase the numbers that end up slaughtered.

[Linny]

Actually there are more Quarter Horses in the US than any other breed. TB's however are more likely to be related to "famous" horses. Sure, a Dutch Warmblood might be related to Aristos B, but most people have no idea who that is. They do know who Secretariat or even Seattle Slew or Affirmed are. To say a rescue horse once showed at Devon or Upperville means little outside the show world. Most people know of Churchill Downs as the home of the Derby or of saratoga or Belmont or Santa Anita.

[Sightseek]

Originally Posted by Linny

Actually there are more Quarter Horses in the US than any other breed. TB's however are more likely to be related to "famous" horses. Sure, a Dutch Warmblood might be related to Aristos B, but most people have no idea who that is. They do know who Secretariat or even Seattle Slew or Affirmed are. To say a rescue horse once showed at Devon or Upperville means little outside the show world. Most people know of Churchill Downs as the home of the Derby or of saratoga or Belmont or Santa Anita.

[Scav]

Originally Posted by Linny

Actually there are more Quarter Horses in the US than any other breed. TB's however are more likely to be related to "famous" horses. Sure, a Dutch Warmblood might be related to Aristos B, but most people have no idea who that is. They do know who Secretariat or even Seattle Slew or Affirmed are. To say a rescue horse once showed at Devon or Upperville means little outside the show world. Most people know of Churchill Downs as the home of the Derby or of saratoga or Belmont or Santa Anita.

Learn something every day.

[Danzig]

Originally Posted by Linny

Actually there are more Quarter Horses in the US than any other breed. TB's however are more likely to be related to "famous" horses. Sure, a Dutch Warmblood might be related to Aristos B, but most people have no idea who that is. They do know who Secretariat or even Seattle Slew or Affirmed are. To say a rescue horse once showed at Devon or Upperville means little outside the show world. Most people know of Churchill Downs as the home of the Derby or of saratoga or Belmont or Santa Anita.

i knew there were more QH's bred each year...which ought to tell you that they are overbreeding as well! that's a lot of horses, just in those two breeds each year.

[paisjpq]

Originally Posted by Sightseek

You have to wonder if there would have been so much news about the horse if the movie hadn't come out though. It seems that retired racehorses make much more news when victims of abuse, mainly because I think people can say this horse made x amount of $ on the track and no one took care of it afterwards, also you can use names like Secretariat and Kentucky Derby winner relative etc.. I heard somewhere that less exracehorses end up in slaughter pens than other horse, but I think most people would suspect otherwise because of the image of racing.

You really have to look at the slaughter numbers in terms of percentages and not just raw numbers. An estimated 10% of horses headed to slaughter are TBs...or somewhere around 9-10,000 annually...or 30% plus of a single years foal crop. Those are not good statistics.

[randallscott35]

Originally Posted by paisjpq

You really have to look at the slaughter numbers in terms of percentages and not just raw numbers. An estimated 10% of horses headed to slaughter are TBs...or somewhere around 9-10,000 annually...or 30% plus of a single years foal crop. Those are not good statistics.

The catch 22 of this is that when they outlawed slaughter in the US, the horses are simply shipped to places where they can still do it. What that has done, IMO, is put horses at more risk of being inhumanely killed. I remember reading some awful things about a Mexican slaughterhouse using just horrific methods. How an animal is slaughtered should matter as much as the fact that it is slaughtered to begin with.

[Linny]

The banning of slaughter means that horses that might have been slaughtered "locally" now suffer for days and weeks before meeting their end. It also means more cases of abandonment, especially in such hard economic times. Honestly (I'm zipping my flame suit) if there was a slaughterhouse in every county and it was quick and didn't drag the horses into weeks of terror in pens and trucks I'd rather be ale to lead ol' Dobbin down there are get a couple of bucks rather than paying for euthanasia and disposal. The difference between getting $200 for meat value vs paying $750 is almost $1000. If I'm struggling enough that I am contemplating disposing of my horses, that is significant.

[Antitrust32]

Originally Posted by paisjpq

You really have to look at the slaughter numbers in terms of percentages and not just raw numbers. An estimated 10% of horses headed to slaughter are TBs...or somewhere around 9-10,000 annually...or 30% plus of a single years foal crop. Those are not good statistics.

100,000 horses are slaughtered every year?

People are that irresponsible to keep breeding their horses like that? Pathetic.

[Kasept]

The hoo hah about the filly's tie to Secretariat while understandable, is particularly silly given the prominance of her second dam Gal in a Ruckus, Oxley's upset winner of the 1995 Kentucky Oaks. Gal in a Ruckus beat Urbane in that Oaks, the heavy favorite owned by Jay Em Ess who went on to a notable career as a broodmare producing Suave.