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CelesteMejia
ProfessorBatty
English113B
25February2015
BehindtheRaceTracks:TheImmoralityofHorseRacinganditsManySecrets
HorseracingisacommonsportthroughouttheUnitedStatesyet,notmanypeopleknow
thathorseracingisconsideredanimalabuse.Horseracingisapopularsportandmanypeople
useitforgamblingpurposes.Theybetmoneyonahorse'sabilitytorunasfastastheycan.Little
dotheyknowthat,thesehorsesarebeingforcedtocompetewhichiscruel.Notalotofpeople
knowhowtrainersorjockeysactuallytreattheirhorses.Horsetrainersareknowntobe
physicallyabusivetotheirhorses.Theyusewhipstomakethehorsesrunfasterandpunishthem
whentheydont.Peoplesupporthorseracingbutinrealitynooneshouldsupportsuchasport.In
fact,horseracingshouldnotcontinuebeingasport.Manywillarguethat,horseracingisafun
sporttowatchandthatitisnotabusesincethehorsesarejustracing,buthorseracingisabusive
becauseweareforcingthemtodomanythingsagainsttheirwillwhichisslowlykilling,thisis
whyweshouldputanendtohorseracing.
Trainersareknowntodrugtheirhorsetoenhancetheirspeedwhentheyarecompeting.
Therehavebeenmanycaseswherehorseshavebeentestedandtheyarefoundtohavesteroids
intheirbody.InCampbellsarticleWhenDoesUseBecomeAbuseinEquestrianSport?she
statesthat,Insofarastheunderlyingreasonfortryingtoenhancehorsesbyadministering
anabolicsteroidsistogainanunfaircompetitiveadvantage(PittsandDavid2007)(i.e.tocheat),
theiruseisunethical.Butabovethat,andindependentofethicalconsiderationsaboutcheatingin

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sport,theuseofanabolicsteroidsisalsounethicalbecauseitconstitutesanabuseofthewelfare
ofthehorsesinvolved(Campbell).Inotherwords,Campbellmentionshowtrainersdouse
steroidsontheirhorseswhichisunethicalbecausetheyareforcefullyinjectedthemwithouttheir
knowledge.Trainersdonotcarefortheirhorses,theyjustcareaboutthemoneyandtheyare
willingtodoanythingtowinevenifitmeansusingsteroidsontheirhorses.Thefactthattrainers
drugtheirhorsesshowshowinhumanehorseracingis.
Racetrackhorsesarebeingforcedtorunandcompeteagainsttheirwill.Whentheyare
barelyborntheyarealreadyteachingthemtocompeteandaremakingthemdoalotofheavy
training.Thehorsehavenosayandnoonewantstospendtheirwholeliferunningand
competingespeciallynothorses.AccordingtoCampbell,thereisadifferencebetweenchoosing
tobeanathleteandparticipateinasportfrombeingforcedunwillinglytobeinasportlike
horsesare(WhendoesuseBecomeAbuse).Likeshementioned,horsesarebeingforcedtorun
wheninrealitytheydonothavethecapacitytoberunningeveryday.Howwouldyoufeelbeing
forcedtoruneveryday24/7whilebeingwhippedandyelledatconstantlyandthenbeinglocked
inasmallcage?Horsesshouldnotbeusedasobjectspeopleusetocompete.
Horsesthatcompetearemorepronetohealthdiseasesandhealthproblems.Theyare
knowtogetliverdamageandstomachulcersduetotheconstanthighspeedracing.Theyalso
getfootinfectionsfromconstantlyrunningathighspeeds.AuthorsGerberandYoungmention
intheirarticle
HorsePlayintheCanadianWest:TheEmergenceoftheCalgaryStampedeas
ContestedTerrainthat,
Inadditiontofatalities,racinghorsesfrequentlyfaceligamentand
tendoninjuriesrenderingthemincapableofperforming.Further,onceahorsehasfinishedhisor
herracingcareer,heorshefacesanuncertainfuturewhichmayinvolvemultiplesalesand

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owners,neglect,orslaughter(Gerber,Young).Asyoucansee,horsesareoftengettinginjured
duetoconsistentlyrunningandtheydonotgetthepropertreatmentfortheirinjuries.Whena
horseisunabletocompetetheyjustsendthemtoaslaughterhouse.Thefactthattheysend
horsesthatareunabletocompetetoaslaughterhouseshowsthatthehorsetrainersandowners
donotcarefortheirhorsestheyjustcareforthemoney.
Horseracingcausesatremendousamountofdeathsofhorseseveryyear.Horses
thatcompetehaveashorterlifespanthanhorsesthatdonotcompete.Forexample,manyhorses
dietoanoverdosesfromdrugs.AccordingtoDenhamhestatesinhisarticleIntermedia
AttributeAgendaSettingintheNewYorkTimes:TheCaseofAnimalAbuseinU.S.Horse
Racingthat,Onaverage,theTimesreported,24horsesdieeachweekonU.S.racetracks
somebreakdownduringcompetition,whileotherssustainfatalinjuriesinpracticesessions
(Deham).Basically,manyhorsesthatraceareconstantlydyingeachweekduetoalloftheabuse
andcrueltytheyface.Horsesthatracearemorevulnerabletodeathwhichisheartbreaking
becausepeoplekeeppayingmoneytowatchhorsesracebutcompetingsomuchisslowlykilling
them.
Yes,horseracingisapopularsportandmanypeoplewillcontinuetosupportitfor
entertainmentreasonsandforgamblingreasons.Itisimmoraltocontinuesupportinghorse
racingknowingthattheyareabused.Peoplemaythinkthatthehorseownerscarefortheirhorses
buttheydonotcareforthemtheyjustseethemasobjects.Onceahorseisunabletocompete
theysendthemawaytobekilled.Trainersareabusiveandcrueltotheirhorsestheywhipthem
whiletheyareracingwhichisverypainfultothem.Howcanpeoplesupportsuchasportthat
abusestheiranimals.Weshouldallstopsupportingandstopattendinghorseracingevents

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becausewearesayingitisalrighttouseanimalsforsportswheninrealitywearejustkilling
them.Thereisnoneedforhorsetocontinuesufferingfortheirentirelifes.Itisunethicalof
trainerstotreattheirhorseswithnotrespectandasobjects.Horsesarenotobjectsandshouldnot
beforcedtocompeteagainsttheirwill.Horseracingisnotasportitisanimalabuse.

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AnnotatedBibliography
Campbell,M.L.H."WhenDoesUseBecomeAbuseinEquestrianSport?."
EquineVeterinary
Education
,25.10(2013):489492.
Thisarticletalkedalotabouthowfarcanyouforceananimaltodoataskuntilit
becomesabuse.Thenittalkedabouthowhorseracingisabusetohorsesbecausetheyare
forcingthehorsestorunasfastastheycanagainsttheirwill.Thisarticlealsotalksalot
aboutusinganimalsforsportsmakesthemsufferjusthowpeopleusehorsesasasport.
Theauthorshowedalloftheresourcesheused.Healsowasabletoshowusbothsidesof
thestorywhenitcomestousinganimalsforsport.Heusesalotofevidencesand
researchthathasbeendoneonhorses.Iagreewithwhattheauthoristryingtosaywhich
is,weshouldnotuseanimalsforsportsbecauseitisabuseandunethical.Sincemypaper
isarguingonwhyweshouldnotcontinuehorseracingIfoundthisarticleveryuseful.
Theauthortalkedalotabouthowhorseracingisbasicallyabusebecausetheyareforcing
horsetorunagainsttheirwill.Hementionshowweshouldnotuseanimalforsports
whichiswhatIamtryingtoargueinmyessayandIwillincludethatinmyargument.
Gerber,Brittany,andKevinYoung."HorsePlayintheCanadianWest:TheEmergenceofthe
CalgaryStampedeasContestedTerrain."
Society&Animals
,21.6(2013):523545.
Thisarticletalksalotaboutusinganimalsasobjectsforsports.Theauthormentionshow
horseracingaffectshorseshealthandarelikelytodieatyoungerages.Theyfacealotof
injuriesliketendoninjuries.Healsomentionshownowtherearemorewelfareand
organizationsthatareprotectinghorsesliketheHorseProtectionAct.Theauthorwasnot
biasedhepresentedargumentsfrombothsides.Hegavealotofwellresearched

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information.Iagreewiththeauthorthatweshouldnotusehorsesoranyotheranimalsas
sportobjects.Iwillusealotofthisinformationinmyresearchpaper.Hetalksalotabout
howunethicalitistouseanimalsforsports.Thisarticlewillhelpwithmyessaysincewe
havethesameopinion.HealsotalksalotabouthealthproblemstheyfacewhichIwill
includeinmyargument.
Denham,Bryan."IntermediaAttributeAgendaSettingintheNewYorkTimes:TheCaseof
AnimalAbuseinU.S.HorseRacing."
Journalism&MassCommunicationQuarterly
,
91.1(2014):1737.
Thisarticletalkedabouthowslowlytherehasbeenadecreaseinhorseracing.Itstated
howtherehavebeenmanycaseswhereownersdrugtheirhorsessotheyareableto
competefaster.Therehavebeenalotofreportsofinjuredanddeadhorsesduetotheuse
ofdrugsonthehorses.Inherarticle,theauthorusesalotofstatisticsandresearch.She
alsoprovidessomestudiesresearchershavedoneonthehorsestoshowthattheyare
beingdrugged.Shealsostatedsomehypothesisregardinghowdruguseonhorseshave
leadtoasignificantamountofdeathstothehorses.Myresearchpaperisonwhyhorse
racingisbadforhorsesandthathorseracingshouldbebad.Thisarticlewasuseful
becauseittalkedalotabouthowtrainersdrugthehorsessotheycancompetebetterbut
thisleadstomoredeathstothehorses.ShealsoincludingalotofstatisticswhichIwill
includeinmyresearchpaper.Overall,thiswasausefulresourcewhichIwillhelpme
writemyresearchpaperonracehorsing.