Horse Racing “Retirement”
Horse racing is a tough competitive sport that people might think is not as competitive as it truly is. From training the foal to be a racer to the day of the race and how stressful it can be. Once it is the day of the race, there are pressures to win. Now the race is over and what do we do with the horses that didn’t win and don’t have a good pedigree. Well, unfortunately, they are going to be sent to slaughter. This is something that is known that is racing retirement. The horses that are sent to slaughter are used for meat (not really in the united states). Their hoofs tend to be used for glue. It breaks my heart to know how many horses are sent to slaughter after their racing career is over. According to PETA, the thoroughbred-racing industry sends an estimated 10,000 horses to slaughter annually, meaning that half of the 20,000 new foals born each year will eventually be killed for their flesh. These numbers are scary. No animal should have to go through this. Luckily there are organizations that save the lives of the horses that go to slaughter.
Photo: Thinkstock
CANTER is an organization that saves Off The Track Thoroughbreds that are ex-racehorses. This organization is very close to me. Growing up my favorite type of horse to ride was ex-racehorses. They were high energy as well as just a huge lesson in how to handle different types of horses. There was one in particular named Max who was an OTTT and I absolutely fell in love with him. He taught me so many lessons but also showed me compassion when needed. I asked the owner about where she had gotten him and she said CANTER. This is when I knew that this organization was something really worthy.
CANTER is a full volunteer organization that finds the right owner for the right ex-racehorse. It started out as something very small but has turned into something that is truly incredible. I have many friends that have saved a horse from this organization. To me, that is something that is going right in the world. Since this organization has gotten a lot more attention, big companies like the ASPCA have shown their support. This is huge because it will make people more aware of animals being treated like this and also find ways that there can be less of this type of retirement. There are changes being made every day to protect horses and all animals that end up in slaughterhouses.
If you know anyone that is looking or is interested in rehoming an ex-racehorse please look at CANTER. Having a large animal can truly heal you but also heal the horse from finding a forever home.
