Warm-hearted viewers welcome to Animal World: Our Co-Inhabitants. Today on the Stop Animal Cruelty series, we will be examining the uncivilized and inhumane activity of horse racing and steeplechase or jumps racing which involves horses having to jump fences while running on a track.
From beginning to end, the entire racing industry is a story of continual, appalling abuse of horses. Ward Young, spokesperson for the Australian non-profit organization.
The Coalition for the Protection of Racehorses, is very knowledgeable about the practice of horse racing. He now brings us greater insight into the lives of the beautiful and noble beings who are forced to be a part of this so-called “sport.”
Ward: A lot of people think that racehorses are well treated, that they’re treated like royalty. Unfortunately this isn’t the case. These horses are fed a diet to try and make them better performers.
They’re usually fed high protein and performance-enhancing foods, not foods that they would naturally eat in the wild. As a result, so many horses, approximately 80 percent of horses have stomach ulcers from it.
There are a number of other issues with the treatment of these animals, such as them being confined in their stalls. They’re kept in stalls approximately 22 hours a day.
They’re usually only let out when they’re racing or training or for a run in the morning or things like that. As a result these horses that are on house arrest exhibit these symptoms of horses that are really, really distressed from living in these confined areas. They sway in their cages and they’re really anti-social.
It’s just no place for horses.
