x..Socks..x
Horse Racing is NOT cruel.
They only race the ones who WANT to race.
End of subject. That's NOT true. Not at all. My best friend works at Philadelphia Park, a PA tack. I get to go behind-the-scenes. Sure, a lot of them love it. It's all they know. There's many who HATE it. But they still run.
If they only raced the ones who want to be raced, many breeders, owners and trainers would be broke. They don't just give up on a horse that doesn't want to run. They'll force it and train it and push it to run.
It's an industry designed to make money. They don't just forget the ones who don't like to run. They squeeze every penny out of them they can.
I know a horse named Brenda. Her race name's Brendas Kiss. She'll plant her feet in her stall and flat-out refuse to leave. She'll threaten the people around her. The jockeys are afraid of her. She's thrown many of them. She hates running. She shows it. But they make her do it anyway. It's what she was bred for and what they're paid to make her do. It's how she earns her keep in the eyes of her owner. That's how the track is. Her misery is overlooked.
My best friend knew another horse (I never got to meet him) that didn't run well. She loved him and wanted to buy him. His name was Mister Budster, her horse Halo wears his halter. I hear Budster hated running. The owner blamed the trainer for his lack of success, and sent him to another trainer. They overworked him. They had him on a jogging machine. He had a heart attack and died. It turns out he had a bad heart. His death couldn't be prevented, but the fact that he hated his job made it a real tragedy.
I don't know who told you that they only race the ones who want to race, but it's a huge lie.
