Horseracing exists in Israel in a very small way, but there are plans to expand the races to include 2,000 horses, to build two large racetracks, and to launch gambling on the races. Cruelty is an inherent part of racing.
I respectfully protest the Israeli government's plan to bring gambling on horse racing to Israel.
Experience in the U.K. and the U.S. has shown that this industry involves enormous cruelty to animals, including breeding thousands more horses than race, the majority born to be killed.
Every aspect of a racehorse's life involves cruelties, from beginning a harsh training regimen before their bones have hardened so that they are vulnerable to fractures from excessive weight being placed on them, to being drugged so they can be forced to race even when injured.
The injuries they sustain include bleeding in the lungs, chronic gastric ulcers, and fractured limbs. When not racing, horses are confined to a stall for up to 23 hours of the day, deprived of the herd contact and freedom of movement that would enhance their physical and mental health. Except in the case of champions who are used for breeding, when a horse can no longer race, at as young an age as four, they are killed or sold from one owner to another in a downward spiral of abuse.
For detailed information about the abuses inherent in racing, see
www.chai-online.org/racing.htm
The cost to society of gambling cannot be ignored. At least 60,000 people in England alone are gambling addicts, their families made to suffer from the loss of income, drugs, crime, and other problems that accompany addictions. In the U.S., approximately 5 ½ million adults are considered problem or pathological gamblers. At greatest risk are young people. The potential is high for the involvement of organized crime, which already exists in Israel.
Israeli law recognizes the need to prevent cruelty to animals. On that basis, we are asking the government to reconsider the establishment of the horse racing industry in Israel, which would inevitably exploit innocent animals.
Please prevent horseracing from becoming established in Israel.
Sincerely,
[Your Name]
