RACEHORSE REALITIES

Seven Die Leading Up To Kentucky Derby

Hi friends! Reef the fox here with your weekly “Reef’s Report.” I had a tremendous interview I was planning to publish today, but I have decided to put it on hold to talk about something that may be a little hard to read for some people.

Every once in a while, I use this space to provide information that otherwise is not discussed much, and with last week’s horse deaths leading up to the Kentucky Derby, I am going to provide some harsh facts today.

A horse does not reach full musculoskeletal maturity until around 6 years of age. The higher on the horse’s body, the slower the process. That means the bones in the spine and neck are the last to fully develop. The typical racehorse is thrown into training at 18 months of age, and raced at 2 years of age. Racehorses are usually kept locked in tiny 12-by12-foot stalls for hours at a time.

At a 2019 New York State Senate hearing, prominent equine veterinarian, Kraig Kulikowski, likened this to keeping a child locked in a 4-by-4-foot closet for hours.

Racehorses are pieces of property to be bought, sold, traded and discarded whenever and however their owners decide. They are not even afforded the protection of animalcruelty statutes, meaning an owner or trainer can run his horse into the ground — even to death — with virtual impunity.

At Pawsitive Beginnings, we have friends in equine rescue who have saved former race horses from the slaughter pipeline. Once these horses stop making money, they are a liability to their owner. I am sure some find themselves retired to a farm where they can live out their lives, but hun- dreds do not get that opportunity.

How many race horses die on the race track yearly in the United States?