Bloomberg Opinion Writer Calls to End Horseracing

[Track Phantom]

Who cares what she thinks?!?

There is a lot wrong with horse racing, but quite a bit right, as well. I'm fatigued by these "drive-by-shooting" articles written to shock by people that have zero involvement or investment in the game.

...moving on.

[DeltaLover]

Originally Posted by HalvOnHorseracing

Kavitha Davidson a staff writer at Bloomberg View did an opinion piece calling for the end of horseracing. It looked to me like it was written by someone who did a couple of internet searches and has a very low understanding of how the sport works. If you haven't read it, it's at
http://host.madison.com/news/opinion...a50a78558.html

I do not agree with posting links to this kind of completely ridiculous articles, since by doing so, you simply benefit them as they are getting more publicity and the manage to spread their nonsense to a wider public.

Obviously, the author of this article is a fanatic, who knows next to nothing about horse racing and is trying to impress by adopting an idiotic ideology...

Please, do not give any more action to these stupid article..

[HalvOnHorseracing]

Originally Posted by DeltaLover

I do not agree with posting links to this kind of completely ridiculous articles, since by doing so, you simply benefit them as they are getting more publicity and the manage to spread their nonsense to a wider public.

Obviously, the author of this article is a fanatic, who knows next to nothing about horse racing and is trying to impress by adopting an idiotic ideology...

Please, do not give any more action to these stupid article..

While they may be completely ridiculous to you, they resonate with a large percentage of animal rights people. This piece appeared in numerous newspapers across the country. I did very little to "spread this nonsense" by posting it on a Forum for horseracing people.

Obviously she is a know-nothing fanatic to people who understand the game, but to everyone else she more likely appears to have a reasonable point of view. How many people know that her statement that there are 26 approved raceday medications is wrong? Other than those of us in the sport, almost no one. The rest of the world thinks horses are being overmedicated and bred to be freaks. That is not an insignificant issue.

You ignore such people at your own peril. The harm they can do is far greater than you think. I've actually been stunned by the response here that we shouldn't read such garbage, we should ignore their message (which is getting far greater distribution than this forum), and we shouldn't tell anyone it is out there. I'm further stunned that people would attack the messenger as opposed to the message.

You can bet your ass I'll post that crap as long as it comes from legitimate sources. We need to know so that when they come after a track we can't claim we didn't know it was coming.

[pandy]

Delta Lover said that this post shouldn't be published here and that her article was ridiculous...but when I suggested that his thread on Andy Serling and Mike Beer was ridiculous and should be removed, guess what he said...

He said he doesn't believe in censorship and everyone has a right to their opinion.

Unbelievable!

[FantasticDan]

This cartoon made the rounds in the week before the Belmont..

[Robert Goren]

Horse racing is so much trouble that an article by her is not going to make any difference. Who cares what she wrote? Her audience is very limited. A sport whose survival is dependent on money taken from other forms of gambling has bigger problems that how the PETA feels about how it treats horses.

[Robert Goren]

Unfortunately there is a lot of truth in the Davies cartoon. There would be more if it were not for the fact that some of the drugs used in horse racing make race horse meat unfit for human consumption. How sad is that?

[Greyfox]

It's a weak news day when a writer of that ilk pens an article to can horse racing.
Of course , by extension she should be calling for the end of dog shows, cat shows, dressage and equine show jumping and so on.
But mention banning those competitions and this artsy fartsy type of writer will hear none of it. "They're forms of art" she'll plea.

[magwell]

Be nice if they got rid of the jumping races at Belmont and Saratoga .....

[HalvOnHorseracing]

Originally Posted by pandy

Delta Lover said that this post shouldn't be published here and that her article was ridiculous...but when I suggested that his thread on Andy Serling and Mike Beer was ridiculous and should be removed, guess what he said...

He said he doesn't believe in censorship and everyone has a right to their opinion.

Unbelievable!

I've noted that if there weren't stupid people there would be no smart people. Without the less intelligent, we'd all just be average. In an ironic way we desperately need them. The important thing is to make sure they get to the track to bet their money.

[thaskalos]

I am divided on this issue...and I honestly don't know which way to turn. I am a horseplayer...and have been one for many years. The game has brought great joy to my life...and I have tried to repay it by supporting it with my wagered dollars, and also by the considerable time that I spend trying to provide some advice, which I deem useful, to other players...who reach out to me for guidance, both live...and online.

But I am also a sensitive human being...and as such, I cannot turn a blind eye to some of the huge negatives that this game has associated itself with, for far too long. Nor can I fake outrage, when I encounter the occasional scathing anti-horseracing article that I see. To me, scandal has been a part of horse racing for decades...and the scathing articles are to be expected, and are sometimes well deserved.

I will put the lasix argument aside for the time being, because I admit to being a little unclear on this issue...and will focus on something else, which I consider much more sinister and infuriating to horseplayers and general public alike.

Autopsies have been performed on horses who have suffered fatal breakdowns, and the results have been published...and have even been posted here on this very site. The results of these procedures are very damaging to the integrity and the reputation of this sport...and no one knows if anything is being done to remedy this sad situation. And we, as "loyal horseplayers", look the other way, for fear of heaping even more controversy upon our already much-maligned sport...and our apathy risks making things even worse. According to published reports...approximately 80% of the horses who have succumbed to fatal breakdowns on the track, have broken their limbs on the exact same spot where prior track-related trauma had been detected...indicating that prior injuries were not allowed to properly heal before the horse was sent back to the track. It's a devastating finding, IMO...especially when you consider that there are humans who are asked to ride on the backs of these magnificent animals. There are horses out there who are loaded up with powerful painkillers, and are sent out on legs which are too numbed up to give notice to the poor animals of a pre-existing injury. It's a shameful practice, and it has been widely reported and we know about it...but we look the other way, because we want to remain loyal to the sport that we love.

Another disgrace that horse racing has associated itself with is the slaughterhouse situation. All of us know the fate which ultimately awaits so many of these majestic creatures once their racing careers are over...but we block this horrific image right out of our minds. We cheer the equine athlete as it comes thundering down the stretch...but we are apathetic of the athlete's plight down the road. Out of sight, out of mind...as the saying goes.

I love this game...and so do all the other posters here. But "love" doesn't mean just standing and cheering on the sidelines. Love also means caring deeply about these majestic animals, who are the REAL stars of this show...and who have brought so much joy and excitement to us for all these years.

So...when some smart-alec from this site tells me that I am being "too negative" whenever I point out what I perceive to be the evils of the sport...I tell him that I love the sport...but I love these magnificent animals even more.

[pandy]

Well put.

Ignoring problems doesn't solve anything.

[whodoyoulike]

It's this person's opinion who has a right to express.

But, who is Kavitha Davidson? I'm unfamiliar with this person.

Is s(he) a Bloomberg writer who specializes on horse racing issues?

I think we've all discussed before on here the problems with the excessive use or abuse of administering horses drugs. The responsibilities fall on the owners and trainers.




And, why do I have to continually need to scroll to the right and left on the 2nd page of this thread while reading each post?

[johnhannibalsmith]

Originally Posted by whodoyoulike

...



And, why do I have to continually need to scroll to the right and left on the 2nd page of this thread while reading each post?

The cartoon image is probably too big for whatever you are viewing on.

[whodoyoulike]

Thanks. So, it's FantasticDan's fault.