PSA post for any horse racing fans out there, an on-line auction to benefit The Exceller Fund is now open. There are lots of very cool racing memorabilia items. Anyone who is a fan of Man o' War will love the ORIGINAL CC.Cook prints.

The Exceller Fund provides rescue, adoption and retirement for Thoroughbred racehorses that would otherwise end up at the slaughterhouse.

http://www.specialhorses.org/Auction.asp

Thank you for looking!

I wish I could have a horse.

Me too....at least my daughter is living my dream. She moved out to the country, now has 20 chickens, a goat and a horse. I am SO jealous!

Horse meat is a delicacy in France. American Indians preferred it over cow meat. It really is interesting how it is viewed in different societies.

Not a fan of horse racing but I did enjoy Secretariat.

I wonder if horse racing is considered a sport?

It is the "Sport of Kings"...

What the consumer in Europe does not know (or perhaps doesn't care?) is that racehorses are given all kinds of substances that should not be in food animals. Racehorses are routinely given Phenylbutazone which is a known carcinogen in humans. They are also given powerful steroids as part of their training and development and to help recover from injuries. In fact, most of the topical and internal treatments for horses carry this warning "NOT FOR USE IN FOOD ANIMALS."

More information is available on this site:
http://www.vetsforequinewelfare.org/medications.php

However, since horse meat is not officially for sale in the U.S. the FDA does not preside over the export of horses for slaughter. The USDA says its not within their jurisdiction to supervise. The foreign countries only require someone to sign a certificate that indicates they have no knowledge that banned substances have been given, and the forms are then signed by the slaughter plant operators.

Separate from the human safety issue, it is just sad to think that an animal can be raised to trust people, and perform to its utmost, and when that animal is used up after giving it's all, it is dispatched in a cruel and heartless fashion.

The sentiment is summed up in this tale which is typical of a Thoroughbred sent to slaughter:
http://www.excellerfund.org/articles/perhaps-you-know-joe.html

Horse racing was also the first sporting event where African Americans excelled. In the early days of racing, almost all jockeys were black, and a number of highly successful trainers were black. In fact, Isaac Murphy still holds the record for the best win percentage in North American racing. Sometime around the turn of the 20th Century, black jockeys and trainers disappeared from the racing scene due to segregation laws.

These days, a majority of the jockeys in racing are Hispanic, and it is rare to see an African American jockey.

With regards to being a sport, horse racing is as much as sport as NASCAR. Even if you do not count the physical exertion of an animal as sport, being a jockey is one of the most physically demanding tasks in modern sports. A jockey does not "sit" on the horse while racing, but balances on the balls of his feet on a mere wisp of a saddle while controlling about a ton of thundering horse using two leather straps and a metal bar. The physical skills and exertion employed by a jockey would be akin to a combination of bicycling, rowing and downhill skiing.

Agree 100%

Wonder how much I can get for my picture of Smarty Jones that's autographed by the jockey?