This is a call to action for all people who love and care about the well being of horses.  Whether you love or despise Thoroughbred horse racing, please take a stand to help the horses. For all of you who hate horseracing and all it stands for, please keep reading. Learn what you can do to help. For those of you who love all things horses, including the Thoroughbred racehorse, also please keep reading, because we can and need to do better. 

The sweeping changes that are occurring in the racing industry in the US, specifically in California, are to be applauded. Things such as limiting or banning Lasix (whether or not it relates to horses breaking down, at least we are not selecting for horses that need it to run) and other medications, regulating the use of whips,  more transparency regarding veterinary records,  increased competition testing, and other changes.  These measures will help to increase the quality of life of racing animals, and help minimize the risk of injuries and death, which we can ALL agree nobody wants.  

Yet the elephant in the room, and one of the main reason people hate racing, is because of the uncertain fate of the horses AFTER their racing career. Not to mention worries about breaking down and dying while racing (which is not common, although the media would lead you to believe otherwise). 

This is a rally call to all lovers of all horses everywhere. Please don't hate racing and turn your back on it. Then all you do is doom the unfortunate horses to experience more of the same.  Instead, let's all of us, both pro and against racing, stand together, and take a stand for the horses in racing stables everywhere, today. We have simple solutions.

1) Ban the racing of 2 year old's, and

2) Develop a VOLUNTARY racetrack oversight organization, such as the AZA (Association of Zoos and Aquariums) that regulates the quality of life of zoo animals, or, the Alliance of Marine Mammal Parks and Aquariums, which both have extremely high standards that facilitates must constantly uphold, in order to remain accredited.  This is an organization that should have oversight of the track welfare of the animals as a whole, and take into consideration environmental concerns, safety concerns, training issues, and the horse's physical and emotional well-being while stabled on a racing facility, and 

3) Follow the lead of racing in Asia (Singapore, Beijing) and have a $100,000 fund in place, for each horse, before it ever races, for it's lifelong care, after the end of it's career.

The recent inability of HISA (Horse Racing Integrity and Safety Authority), a group with good intentions,  to be unable to come to an agreement with the US Anti-doping agency in January of 2022 is of concern.  It also lends credence to the idea of an  independent oversight organization as outlined above,  that racetracks would have the option to belong to, which would then in turn, monitor the husbandry and welfare of racing animals.  It's being done for zoo's and aquarium's, there is no reason why it can't work for horse racing. 

That's it folks. If owners can spend millions of dollars on entry fees, and bettors can spend millions of dollars on betting, we can take a very small fraction of all that money, and put it in a fund to provide for the care of each animal for the rest of it's life. And if they are not racing at age 2, and have to answer for some oversight to make sure the horses get excellent care while racing, then horses will break down less and run longer.  It's a win-win!

Racehorses should be treated like the precious gems they are, from the time their tiny soft hooves touch the straw, until they take their last breath. Let's give back to them what they deserve, for all they do to uplift us.

From The ResqRanch, Through Education, Ending the Need for Rescue's and Shelter's, in the First Place. WWW.Resqranch.org

Won't you stand with us, and sign this petition? Thank you!