The horses often lose their balance in the trucks, because their bodies aren’t designed for stability. These horses are sold at auction, crammed into trucks designed for cattle, and starved for more than 24 hours until they reach slaughterhouses over the border. are sent to slaughter, usually in Mexico, when they are no longer “of use.” Even Kentucky Derby winner Ferdinand was slaughtered in 2002 when he could no longer be used for breeding – he was nineteen. If you thought the deaths during races were staggering, you’ll be horrified to know that over 10,000 thoroughbreds from the U.S. These numbers won’t be shared by the racing industry. In New York alone, 43 horses have died in racing or training since January 2015. The New York Times reported that 24 horses die a week on U.S. When you look at the statistics, these three incidents are revealed to be anything but isolated a staggering 750 horses die on the race track every year, which is an average of two deaths a day. After all, the skinnier their legs are, the lighter the horses are this is obviously a recipe for disaster, particularly broken bones which, in certain cases, can be lethal. It all starts with the breeding of the horses who are designed to run at 30 mph while carrying their 1,000-pound bodies on the tiniest ankles possible. The only area of horse racing seen by the public is the race itself, but even this hides some portion of the reality of the industry. The scars left by this process tell the story of racing more clearly than words ever could. This process, called “ freeze firing” is meant to soothe aching muscles, but more often than not ends with deep surface wounds. Many of the horses also had scarring on their legs from being administered liquid nitrogen to increase blood flow in sore muscles. Lasix also works to masks other drugs that might be in the horse’s system so it appears that they haven’t been fed anything that would make the race “unfair.” As an added touch, Lasix dehydrates the horses to force them to lose weight, and thus, run faster. In addition, Lasix, also known as furosemide, is a diuretic that stops pulmonary bleeding in the horses’ lungs during intense exercise, allowing them to push through otherwise exhausting training sessions and races. During their undercover investigation, PETA witnessed horse trainers giving their animals drugs for hypothyroidism to speed up their metabolisms. Perhaps once all of the jockeys get introduced and start interacting, the series will find its momentum.Drugging horses to enhance their performance is a common practice in the horse racing industry. The network’s most recent docudrama, Whale Wars, started much stronger, but its cast all lived together in a high-pressure environment, so it’s not exactly an even comparison. The only tension comes from the quick, short races. ![]() I’ve seen only the first half-hour, but hesitate to judge it simply on that, because it spends so much time on set-up and there’s really very little dramatic tension or narrative arc. The series will air back-to-back half-hour episodes every Friday. It also includes two female jockeys, Kayla Stra and Chantal Sutherland, and Aaron Gryder, who may be best known outside of horse racing for being the jockey in the “Pie-o-My” episode of The Sopranos. The cast ranges from a relatively new 18-year-old jockey, Joe Talamo, to veteran Mike Smith. The series follows seven jockeys during the Oak Tree meet, both on and off the track, and also into the jock’s room. ET, Animal Planet debuts its next docudrama, Jockeys.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
Details
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |