End the Cruel Practice of Commercial Horse Racing
- by: Care2.com
- recipient: European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso
Over 400 horses are raced to death every year in European racing industries. The horses that aren't raced to death, the ones that manage to survive three years or more of racing, tend to develop serious illnesses like bleeding lungs and gastric ulcers.
Jump-racing is where the most horse fatalities occur. Horses were once bred specifically for this kind of race, with more strength than those on the flat racetracks. Now, horses that aren't fast enough for the flat racetracks are put into these races. With their weaker bone and muscle structures, fatalities are much more common. In an industry where speed and money are key, animal welfare is put at stake.
Commercial horse racing is a cruel sport, in which its competitors suffer until their premature death. Urge the European Union to stop the practice now.
President Jose Manuel Barroso,
Commercial horse racing is a serious animal welfare problem all over Europe. For example, approximately 18,000 foals are born into British and Irish racing industries each year alone. Only 40% of these horses go on to become racers. The rest are slaughtered for their or shot.
Race horses suffer their entire lives, from youth til their often untimely and painful death. At a young age, race horses experience rigorous training and their bodies are pushed beyond the limits of their growing frame. As adults, they are drugged for performance and treated as machines.
Because commercial horse racing is a sport based on money, race horses are abused and mistreated, with 400 being raced to death each year.
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I am writing this letter to urge you to stop the cruel practice of commercial horse racing.
