Posted by: Jeanne, Ft Lauderdale, FL on August 19, 2011 at 03:12 PM

Tami my dear, I see I have hit a nerve! It is easy to pontificate from the sidelines and possibly done nothing to help a horse. I have run into this type of thinking for years. I trained race horses for thirty years. In that time I bet I rescued countless horses and I did it before I paid the light bill or my rent. Also, just shutting down racing will kill probubly more horses than would be saved. First of all; who will feed them in this harsh economic environment.....not many I'm afraid!So we all know where these horse would end up.
What needs to be done is systematically work to fix the underpinnings of the sport...Unfortunately, I don't see this happening without a major injection of tax incentives on a federal level. We need these incentives that were lost under Ronald Reagan. With that maybe we can turn this industry around and do a much better job of scrutinizing who we want as active players in the game.
On a personal note...Tami if you met me you would realize I am just as passionate about the welfare of the horse as you. And like you feel there is need for drastic change in racing in order to protect God's Magnificent Creature...the Horse. Where we difer is in our approach. Believe it or not there are people in this sport that have a standard of excellence. Many of them are my friends. Unfortuntely, there are elements/individuals in the coporate structure of racing that just doesn't give a damn about the animal and have put pressure on upstanding horseman to knuckle under and be mediocre. Like any business in this world there is greed and like you I want them gone! But shutting down the entire industry and killing thousands of horse in the process in not the way to go. Also, calling names and casting dispersion on caring dedicated racing professionals isn't a fix either. If you really want to help Tami, find the nearest adoption program at the local racetrack and roll up your sleeves. They can use someone like you with all that passion and love for the horse.....

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Posted by: Lisa, OKC, OK on August 12, 2011 at 10:19 AM

And as "he understands it" it is a diuretic which causes the horse to shed water weight....GOOD LORD! There isn't one trainer in the universe that wants a horse to lose more weight than he naturally does during a race!! Who is this guy kidding with such a ludicrous statement? He needs to "understand" a whole heck of a lot more.

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Posted by: Jeanne, Ft Lauderdale, FL on August 11, 2011 at 06:08 PM

I also would like to post a historical footnote to this discussion. My best friend (a racetrack vet) was running the horse rescue after Hurricane Andrew. It was a real mess. She had countless horses to feed and medicate. In the immediate aftermath of the storm she had no feed, medication, or other necessities. Through the support of the trainers from racetracks, farms, feed companies, even van companies; she was able to meet her goals. HOWEVER!!! The Humane Society at that time advertised the need for funds to support these same horses and received to my knowledge a seven figure sum of money from the general public at large. My friend informed me that the Humane Society didn't donate any of those funds to the care and need of these traumatized horses. Quoting from my friend, "NOT ONE CARROT WAS RECEIVED FROM THE HUMANE SOCIETY". So I think that this Director from the Humane Society should stick to managing his own shop before he starts casting dispersions on people that dedicate themselves to a seven day work-week at minimum wage....all for the love of a horse.

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Posted by: Denise, Richmond, VA on August 11, 2011 at 03:38 PM

For the naysayers, read the Rick Violette interview. Lasix is a preventive. Very Simple and therefore beyond the reason of the Humane Society. Do some research on the Humane Society. It is anti-everything.

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Posted by: Sue, Elkton, MD on August 11, 2011 at 03:04 PM

Dane is wrong about the fact that most horse do not bleed. Sadly, throughout the years there are more and more horses who do bleed, whether it be through genetics, the world we live in (how many more people get allergies these days than before)!, and without lasix they would literally bleed out through the nose - and then what an uproar that would cause. Horses pulled up from races with blood everywhere. Why would we take a medication away from a horse that does not enhance it's performance but merely makes them comfortable enough to perform to the best of their ability.

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