I will be thinking of this poor Thoroughbred mare, who 'won a lot of money' during her time on the [race] track, and now here she is today; only eight years old and dumped off to auction. Currently standing in the #10 pen, a feedlot pen. (Please note, since the originial posting of this blog entry, it seems this TB mare has been sold - hoooray! Fingers crossed she lives a life of love!)
She walked through the auction ring on Wednesday night and no one bid on her. No one wanted her anymore. No one wanted to feed her wonderful oats and keep her legs wrapped, her stall comfy and bedded. No one wanted any longer for her to be their responsiblity in the racing industry and somewhere down the line, when that 'no one' decided to end her racing career, she ended up here - the Camelot Auction. One terrible (among many) auction for a horse to be.
Now she is in the #10 lot, a feedlot pen, which means the auction house owner is giving rescue group until 2 pm the Saturday after auction to find her a home, or else she ships off to slaughter. No more shipping in fancy limo type trailers with your own stall, legs wrapped and fuzz on the nose of your shipping halter. Now she'll be shoved into a trailer hauling way too many horses. She might be kicked on, stomped on and undoubtly, she'll be uncomfortable and afraid for her life -- as she should be. Because horses are not oblivious. She knows. She knows someone loved her [for money] and then dumped her when she was no longer bringing that money home.
So to #362, [I know you have a real name somewhere, but now you are simply a number] while everyone is spending money and making the Kentucky Derby a celebration, I will be keeping you and all of the too many other horses that share your fate in my prayers.
For those unfamiliar with this ugly side of the horse industry, scroll through other horses in this facebook photo album and see their stories. HOW SAD. How about #364 -- this poor mare was bred by someone for god only knows what reason and now here she stands, in the feedlot, pregnant. What will become of her? Will she live to give birth. And if she does, what are the chances her foal with end up in a good home and not slaughtered with her :( What a way to come into the world; all because some idiotic human was irresponsible. What about #327 - poor Thoroughbred mare. Tatoo'ed and registered. She either ran or was at least on the track at some time in her life. And now, she is in a feed lot. What.A.SHAME.
This is an excerpt taken from an article put out by PETA:
U.S. thoroughbred racing is an industry of numbers. Consider the projected statistics for 2011 alone. The number of horses running in the Kentucky Derby: no more than 20. The number of thoroughbred foals born: 24,900. The number of thoroughbreds who will die on the track: 1,000. The number of thoroughbreds cast off by the racing industry: 21,000. The number of thoroughbreds sent to slaughter in Canada and Mexico: 10,000.Let us not forget Ferdinand. Rest In Peace. If you weren't bringing home the bacon, then I guess they felt it best you BE the bacon ;(
Go on people.. Go celebrate the derby and place your bets. Drink your Julep's and worry about your stupid hats. I will be praying for all the horses out there standing in feedlots, waiting to be slaughter, because someone decided they didn't make them enough money anymore.
Updated: May 2012 ... and for my friend, Linda, and her boy, Moses Solomon. Who was raced so hard in his life prior to Linda that he'd never be able to fully recover, mentally or physically. RIP Moses Solomon, 9 years young.....
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