"What we really want to know, did he feel anything along the way?" PETA spokeswoman Kathy Guillermo said. "If he didn't then we can probably blame the fact that they're allowed to whip the horses mercilessly."Uh...a filly's a she, Kathy.
Glad to see the people with expertise on horses weighing in.
There was an interesting letter today at WND regarding a person who filed a complaint with PETA in Canada.
ReplyDeleteAccording to the author an animal control officer routinely catches stray dogs, ties them to a tree and shoots them one at a time.
PETA didn't even bother responding to the complaint - seems there was no money or publicity in it for them.
While one may object to immature horses being run at the Derby, one can be sure that PETA will only rear its ugly head if money or publicity is in it for them.
Oh - BTW - PETA maroons - horses actually LIKE to run, and will race other horses when left to their own devices.
Those little riding crops, on a 1,000-pound animal's rump? It's just a little flick to remind him you're there. Or her.
ReplyDeleteHas Guillermo ever SEEN a horse up close?
I abhor the practice of running fillys against studs. Many of them have as much heart, but they don't have the bone.
ReplyDeleteEight Belles, when she realized Big Brown had taken the lead started closing on him rapidly. I can tell when she broke down. So can anyone else who watched the race. That is where she slowed and couldn't catch him.
She still finished the race on two broken legs and came in second.
No real horseman would put a filly with that much heart in a race against studs. She would have been much more valuable as a retired brood mare after winning any number of all filly races. And she would have, if she hadn't reached deeper into her courage and heart than her bones could support.
I intensely dislike people who do that to any being with that much heart for a quick buck. That goes for the owners of Ruffian who broke her down the same damn way for the same damn reason.
It is not a matter for PETA, but is a matter that should be looked at by the various horse racing commissions.