Today is the first Saturday in May, when I watch my first horse race of the year, the Kentucky Derby. This is the first race in the competition for the Triple Crown - a trophy which has not been awarded since 1978! While not an expert on horse racing (I have watched three horse races a year for the past 12 years or so), I do own a horse (see right) and have spent plenty of time discussing the ins-and-outs of horse industry ethics. So, while you are mixing your mint juleps and picking out the perfect hat, here are some of the top issues facing racehorses and their riders.
1. Racing young horses can be physically destructive. The Kentucky Derby races three year-old Thoroughbreds, a breed which is not physically mature until age four or five. Moreover, age is determined based on January 1st of the year of foaling, so the horses racing today are actually between the ages of two and three, and have already been fully trained and run many races to qualify. This means that they are actively racing well before three years of age on bones that are not fully developed. Is it any wonder then that these young horses (babies!) receive fatal injuries on the track, as favorites Eight Belles and Barbaro did in recent years? This does not even go into the long-term health and soundness implications of putting a horse through such intense work at a young age. To give some perspective on how young these animals really are, the average, healthy Thoroughbred lives to its mid-thirties.
