A Kentucky family that has been in the horse business for decades says action to address the health of the animals is overdueA mare and her six-day-old foal grazing in a pasture at Claiborne Farm in Paris, Kentucky. It takes 100 employees to keep the 3,000-acre farm humming and the nearly 400 horses cared for."We got to start proving that we are doing all that we can to do the best for these horses," says Walker Hancock, seen at Claiborne Farm .
Nearly 10 horses a week, on average, died at American racetracks in 2018, according to the Jockey Club's Equine Injury Database. This is a crisis for people in the sport whose livelihoods depend on the breeding and nurturing, and the buying and selling, of racehorses. "You are now dealing with a public that has become intolerant of broken bones, whipping, drugging and death," Ms Guillermo noted.
Horse racing has been on the decline for nearly two decades. In 2002, more than US$15 billion was bet on races in the US. Last year, the handle fell to US$11 billion. In 2002, nearly 33,000 thoroughbred foals were registered as racehorses compared with 19,925 last year. The group quickly grew to more than 1,800 industry members. It lobbied statehouses and regulators and went public with some of the sport's dirtiest laundry to try to shame horsemen, veterinarians, politicians and regulators into treating thoroughbreds like athletes rather than commodities filled with a smorgasbord of anti-inflammatories and painkillers.
"He politely and candidly told us that he appreciated what we were trying to do, but until Churchill got involved he couldn't push the bill," said Mr Hancock, who said he met with the senator in 2016. Mr McConnell, through a spokeswoman, declined to comment. "While many point to USADA'S efforts in Lance Armstrong's lifetime ban from cycling as a positive point in its favour, what consequences have there been as a result?" the memo asks."Cycling has taken a beating as a participatory and commercial endeavour."
"With their track record, they should be running toward this legislation," Mr Arthur Hancock said."This is a life raft being thrown from the Titanic, but instead you got 55 different fiefdoms all going their own way while our history is going down."
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