13 May 2021- Greenwich, CT
As a proponent in combating mistreatment of animals, I was disgusted to hear how overworked your horses are. As racing horses is an old sport, you have much of a grip on your organization and its dealings. However, I would like to engage in a conversation regarding the ethos of the organization itself.
On your website it says, “Meeting the highest standards in thoroughbred racing and equine safety.”(NYRA Website) However horse racing, in itself, is not a safe sport for the horses. Many horses have lost their lives due to over racing and overtraining and it pains me to think that this will continue to happen.
When I learned last year that one of my favorite horses, Borough Boy, was euthanized on the track, I was in dismay. When you see a horse die on a track, the reality of the sport starts to kick in. Horses are gorgeous animals who should be protected and not raced into their grave.
Saratoga, a main hub for horse racing, has become a death sentence for many horse averaging about 14 deaths per season in 2020.(Times Union) As the future generation becomes more aware of the mistreatment of animals, I feel that you will need to follow strict corporate ethics in order to just survive. Which is why I wonder if it is even worth backing the malpractice of racing these live animals.
If you want to discuss ways we can make this sport more ethically responsible, you could look into buying NFT Horses. While this is horse racing technically, these horses are Virtual Entities. Thus, NFT horses are a more approachable topic for discussion.
For more information check out this link:
https://www.timesunion.com/news/article/Battuello-13-deaths-and-counting-14413633.php
