© 2022 Copyright Statement dolor sit amet, consetetur sadipscing User Terms, sed diam nonumy eirmod tempor invidunt ut labore et dolore magna aliquyam erat, sed diam voluptua. At vero eos et accusam et justo duo dolores et ea rebum. Stet clita kasd gubergren, no sea takimata sanctus est Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet.
You need to be logged in to fill out this form
"*" indicates required fields
Avoiding the Nuclear Option
In a column that ran in The Blood-Horse’s March 29, 2014, issue, we addressed the breaking scandal involving a video released and published by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA). At the time we stated: Embracing the story as the full truth about horse racing is wrong, but dismissing the story solely as the fabrication of radicals also would be wrong.
The content of the PETA video did prove to be false and misleading, according to an investigation conducted by the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission (KHRC). The commission appropriately concluded that no abuse had been documented by the “undercover” investigation of trainer Steve Asmussen’s barn by Kerin Rosen, working on behalf of PETA. Nearly every issue raised in the shock product PETA gleaned from Rosen’s work was a mischaracterization of reality. Horses were not being given illegal medications, Zayat Stables’ Nehro did not have “nubs” for hooves, and the repeated claims that horses were forced to run crippled and sore were simply unsubstantiated exaggerations by an organization whose primary goal is to shut down the sport entirely.
Given what we now know, our previous position in this column that the video should not be dismissed “solely as the fabrication of radicals” also deserves reconsideration. As an industry, we need to be aggressive in response to outside attacks.
The nation learned of the PETA video through a New York Times article that minimally addressed the motive for the video or its veracity. The racing industry’s reaction leaned more toward condemning Asmussen than a two-prong approach of explaining that 1) PETA has an agenda and a history of distorting facts to meet that agenda, and 2) the Thoroughbred industry comprises tens of thousands of hard-working people nationwide who care deeply for the horses in their care
Create a free account with TheHorse.com to view this content.
TheHorse.com is home to thousands of free articles about horse health care. In order to access some of our exclusive free content, you must be signed into TheHorse.com.
Start your free account today!
Already have an account?
and continue reading.
Written by:
Eric Mitchell
Related Articles
4 Ways to Boost Soil Health on Horse Farms
Feeding and Riding the Lactating Mare
Virginia Quarter Horse Positive for EHV
How To Manage a Horse With Seasonal Allergies
Stay on top of the most recent Horse Health news with
FREE weekly newsletters from TheHorse.com
Sponsored Content
A Novel Treatment for Equine Osteoarthritis: 2.5% Polyacrylamide Hydrogel
Harnessing Fluorescent Light Energy for Horse Wounds and Skin Disease
PulseVet Shock Wave Therapy for Horses
Weekly Poll
Readers’ Most Popular
Top Categories