50 horses in 20 years! That's terrible.
I noted this part of the article:
' "We love those horses," he said, his voice breaking with emotion. "The outriding horse is an 18-year-old horse, I've had him for 13 years. He's part of our family, he's supposed to be my kid's horse."
Speaking of his right lead horse, which helped Harden win the 2009 Calgary Stampede, he said the horse was irreplaceable.
"They're just like humans, they're our family," he said. "It's just devastating for our whole family. It's hard to take." '
I do not doubt for a moment this man's sincerity and severe sense of regret. However, if these horses were like members of his family, why risk their lives in a race with a terrible track record?
Unlike the Grand National, where horses are almost always euthanised after injury for insurance reasons, I'm very relieved to read that one horse in this race which was not critically injured has had an operation and "will live".
As I have said on other threads, I have no objection to humans engaging in any sort of dangerous sport or activity, if that is their own conscious choice. But animals don't get the choice. They are entered for a race by humans. It is therefore those same humans who bear the responsibility for the deaths.
I noted this part of the article:
' "We love those horses," he said, his voice breaking with emotion. "The outriding horse is an 18-year-old horse, I've had him for 13 years. He's part of our family, he's supposed to be my kid's horse."
Speaking of his right lead horse, which helped Harden win the 2009 Calgary Stampede, he said the horse was irreplaceable.
"They're just like humans, they're our family," he said. "It's just devastating for our whole family. It's hard to take." '
I do not doubt for a moment this man's sincerity and severe sense of regret. However, if these horses were like members of his family, why risk their lives in a race with a terrible track record?
Unlike the Grand National, where horses are almost always euthanised after injury for insurance reasons, I'm very relieved to read that one horse in this race which was not critically injured has had an operation and "will live".
As I have said on other threads, I have no objection to humans engaging in any sort of dangerous sport or activity, if that is their own conscious choice. But animals don't get the choice. They are entered for a race by humans. It is therefore those same humans who bear the responsibility for the deaths.
