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Largest Horse Racing Protest in History

June 13, 2019 by Leave a Comment


The News

On June 8th, approximately 150 animal rights activists staged a protest at the Belmont Stakes, the final leg in the American Triple Crown. According to the advocacy group Horseracing Wrongs, the protest, which attracted activists from as far as 150 miles away, was the largest ever at a race track.

During the protest, Patrick Battuello, the director of Horseracing Wrongs, spoke to TheirTurn about why the organization is working to abolish the horse racing industry.

“From the moment race horses are born, they are abused creatures. They are torn from their mothers as mere babes. Their bodies are pounded years before they are done forming. They’re intensively confined. They’re socially isolated. They’re drugged, doped and beaten with whips. They’re bought, sold, traded and dumped like common Ebay products and, of course, they’re killed routinely.”

While not unusual, the death of 35 horses since December at California’s Santa Anita racetrack has, for the first time, triggered mainstream public discourse about the ethics and future of horse racing in the United States. In a June 11th editorial (“We are Running Out of Ways to Tell Santa Anita to Stop Racing”), the Los Angeles Times wrote, “Over time, Americans have to decide how much death they are willing to tolerate in this ancient sport.”

According to Horseracing Wrongs, an estimated 2,000 horses die on the tracks or during training each year.

Horseracing Wrongs will be staging protests throughout July and August during the upcoming races at the Saratoga Race Track in upstate New York. In addition, the organization is, in the coming months, sponsoring protests in 16 states at 22 tracks.



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TheirTurn.net Comments

  1. Bethany says:

    I wish I could be there along with them. You have support all the way over here in Australia. Horses are beautiful intelligent animals that deserve better than what they get. We don’t need to make them run to death to appreciate their strength and beauty.

  2. Natasha Brenner says:

    AMEN!!!

  3. Elsje Parsons Massyn says:

    Its time that ALL animal exploitation STOPS!!
    Grey Hound Racing
    Horse Racing
    Circuses
    Exploitation of dolphins, killer whales and other animals in shows

    ENOUGH IS ENOUGH!!

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