Letter to the editor: Gambling industry uses up horses at ghastly rate

The Jamestown Sun’s Michael Savaloja pointed out in his June 9 column “Check out some real horsepower tonight” that if I’ll Have Another had survived a run at the Belmont, he would have been retired. The racing industry goes to extreme lengths to save high-profile stallions to churn out yet more horses.

Let’s not forget Kentucky Derby winner Barbaro, who shattered a leg during the running of the Preakness. This horse was subjected him to months of painful treatments before finally being euthanized. Or Charismatic, who suffered a catastrophic fracture in the Belmont, yet was kept alive and sent to a breeding facility in Japan — with screws holding his leg together.

Like I’ll Have Another, Charismatic won the Kentucky Derby and Preakness before breaking down dramatically near the finish in the Belmont attempting to win the Triple Crown. We’ll never know if I’ll Have Another would have suffered the same fate, but the chances are pretty good. We do know that an average of three horses die on U.S. racetracks every single day.

Countless lesser-known horses go from the track to the rendering plant. Because they don’t garner media attention or break down in front of a national audience, casual gamblers never know about their broken, dangling legs and ultimate destruction.

People who want to pay tribute to all the horses who have suffered and died in racing should continue to stay away from tracks and betting parlors.

Jennifer O’Connor

Norfolk, Va.

(O’Connor is a staff writer for the PETA Foundation)

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