Stefanie's+Page

Hello! This is Stefanie's Page...

I am against the use of horses in entertainment, it is unacceptable and should be put to an end.



__Editorial: __

It's a big issue but some people don't realize just how big it really is. Using horses for our entertainment is unacceptable and must be put to an end. Horses are being used in ways that are harming and traumatizing them. They are being forced into performing without having a choice. The way we use these horses as entertainment is just the wrong thing to do, but many of us don't seem to realize what a huge impact it has on the horses. Horses are being hurt and killed, the use of drugs is far too high, and the aftermath is just horrible. You may not agree, but something, definitely needs to be done about this.

Too many horses are being killed and injured from our lack of safety. We are putting horses under pressure to make them perform for a crowd of thousands of people. Race horses are losing their lives because jockeys are pushing them beyond their limits, causing them to break their legs, which means a bullet goes through their head. About 1 or 2 horses die in every race, and if it's not during the race, it will be after. Jumps racing is very dangerous for horses because they are forced to jump over high obstacles which is difficult for some horses. Many horses have fallen on their heads and have been killed. "Horse Soring," is an issue that deals with the famous, "Tennessee Walking Horse." The object of this method is to get the horse to lift its legs higher for the crowd. They either use acidic products that cause pain, or put, "stacks" in their hooves that put pressure on thee hoof, also causing tremendous amounts of pain. If horses are scared to perform, owners will use cattle prods, whips, and other things to get them to go.

Furthermore, drug use rates are becoming far too high. Drugs are mainly used to help horses win a race or help them perform better. Some drugs are very risky to use because it could end up being a health concern for the horse. When race day comes, most owners don't think about the side effects, they just want their horse to cross the finish line first. Once horses get exhausted, owners inject them with a special drug so they can get one more race out of them. The rule is you may use drugs during training but not on race day. Since so many new drugs are being invented it is very hard to tell the owner has used drugs on race day. B eginning in 2010 there have There have been approximately 600 drug infractions in the 38 racing industry's in North America, beginning in 2010. These 38 racing industry's, lack standardized drug testing or legality. Some of the health issues related to drug use include, bleeding in the lungs, stomach ulcers, inflammatory airway disease. Almost all drugs, result in disease, injury, and pulmonary bleeding. Let's not forget, the aftermath of using horses for entertainment is just horrible. Lets face it, race horses don't stay race horses forever. You may think that after retirement, horses are sold to new owners but you are wrong. The most common thing that happens, is horses are shipped to the slaughter house to be killed for dog food. Other owners have been known to dump their horses in Cooley's and leave them there to die. A Cooley is a huge dirt pit where horses have no food and suffer from infectious diseases. Other horses are just simply shot in the head because they are of no worth to their owner anymore. Also, during a horse battle, where two stallions fight to their death, the horses get tired and basically fall over and die from extreme dehydration, and exhaustion. Horses are being killed in their act of entertaining us, and we as humans don't have anything close to a broken arm. How is that fair to the horses who suffer?

On the positive side, you may be thinking that some people make a living off owning a racehorse, or a Tennessee Walker, for that matter. We are using these poor horses as money makers. Running these horses to death just so the owner can make money off them, is just horrible. All you can see is the money makers being killed, while the money receivers are just spending their money on something they don't need. At every horse race you can see a betting window where thousands of people place bets on which horse they believe is going to win. If that specific horse wins the race, the better receives exactly how much he bet on that horse. Sometimes people bet over one hundred dollars. You may think it's a nice way to make a few extra bucks, but really, all their doing is betting on which horses will die the day after the race.

Horses are being killed all over the world just so we can have a good show. They are being pressured, whipped, forced, shocked, and other things you wouldn't even imagine. The things we make them do for money, and entertainment, is just indescribable because it is so severe. Horses are being injured and killed, drugs are being over-used, and the aftermath is just horrible. Imagine you were the horse in this situation. How would you feel if you were tortured and pressured, just so you would run one race for a crowd? Stand up for what you believe in, and help us save the lives of these innocent horses.