[ad_1]
When the 5-year-old Thoroughbred first crossed the finish line in the $ 1.5 million Dubai Golden Shaheen race, what happened next should have stopped everyone: Zenden collapsed and died. But the players, it seems, did not stop for a minute – they profited from his “victory”.
Above, you can see how Zenden, a Kentucky horse based in Florida, spent the last moments of his life: he was repeatedly whipped by jockey Antonio Fresa as they both descended on the final leg of the races. Then, with clear signs of serious injury to his front left leg, he reportedly suffered a compound fracture and was put to sleep on the track just minutes after winning the race and setting the track record. Even when his body was taken away, money passed from hand to hand.
This is not the first time that a horse breaks and dies on the treadmill immediately after a race.
After finishing second in the 2008 Kentucky Derby, Eight Beauties was put to sleep on the track because she broke both of her front ankles. Players could redeem their winning tickets for cash, and the owner, coach, and jockey still made a profit.
This exploitation sums up bloody sports beautifully, just like drugs, slaughterhouses and catastrophic horse breakdowns.
More recently, the revelation revealed that 78 purebreds have died on the tracks in Pennsylvania since January 2020, and that millions in tax dollars have been paid for doing so. Last month, a jockey and trainer were called in for smiling for a photo shoot while riding dead horses. And in an interview, a jockey named Robbie Albarado threw in a disgusting comment covering domestic violence – right after breaking the whipping rules. We no longer need to be reminded that some trainers, owners and jockeys consider the horses they keep as disposable – we need reform.
PETA fights cruelty in horse racing
Horses feel what we do: joy, pain and fear. Therefore, we need to work to make the sport safer for them and make positive changes from the inside out.
While horse racing can never be completely safe for animals, a zero-tolerance drug policy, synthetic tracks, a ban on whipping, allowing horses to compete only after their third birthday, and other reforms will go a long way. PETA advocates for these changes through shareholder activism, action alerts, and direct engagement with the horse racing industry.
Too late for Zenden and countless others, but with your help, we can prevent injured horses from escaping to their own grave. Click below to learn about the vital changes PETA is helping to bring to the racing industry:
[ad_2]
Source link