New York Horse Racing & AIA Press Conference

This video is of the New York Horse Racing and Agricultural Industry Alliance press conference in its entirety from the Capitol Building on October 16, 2012. The purpose of the press conference was to  release the Economic Impact study conducted by the group which reveals that the horse serves as a "job creator" in New York and is responsible for billions of dollars of commerce.

My question is… what does this mean for the horse…?

New York will have a  huge number of unwanted horses in the state unless it FIRST addresses the drug abuse that takes place on racetracks and a comprehensive solution to care for horses bred in the state that have an average life span of 25 years after they retire from racing.

Racehorses that are subjected to multiple injections and painkillers leaves most limited as to their usefulness in second careers. The reason being, chips, stress fractures, arthritis, tendonitis, and a myriad of other ailments that trainers and veterinarians refer to as "racing sound" will not equate to soundness for other less stressful disciplines. It is absurd that the same veterinarians that administer joint injections and painkillers for a horse to race, will not pass that same horse on a vet exam for a simpler easier life. It is a backward system leaving the innocent horse as its victim.

The revenue from the VLTs that is increasing prize money and breeders awards serves as incentive to race unsound horses and breed without any measure of quality or control. Currently, 70% of the American thoroughbred crop ends up in slaughter....what is to stop this in NY?

The reality is there is no effective aftercare program in place that addresses thousands of horses that fall through the cracks from the time they retire from racing.

Please share your thoughts and comments…

CLICK TITLE TO VIEW: LIVE GOV. CUOMO TASK FORCE REPORT on NYRA Aqueduct breakdowns

Aqueduct Racing Officials Faulted in Horse Deaths - NYTimes.com

I was delighted to learn that Gov. Cuomo's task force investigation will be leading to some reform of pain-masking drug use  and clenbuterol abuse on the backstretch. What they uncovered validated what I went through with Bourbon Bandit.

So...here is an x-ray of Bourbon Bandit's knee in which he broke a bone (the equine knee has 5 bones) racing at Aqueduct on November 5, 2011. His breakdown went unreported by NYSRWB, when I inquired why?,  I was told, "because he was not vanned off the track". I am still trying to find out what Bourbon Bandit was racing on that he did not feel the pain of a broken bone until two days later.....???

In today's NY Times article, Aqueduct Racing Officials Faulted in Horse Deaths, Howard B. Glaser, Mr. Cuomo’s director of state operations, said in an interview, “At the New York Racing Association, concern for the health of the horses finished a distant second to economics”.

CLICK TO READ ARTICLE IN NY TIMES

...Thank you Gov. Cuomo for caring enough about horses to be the change that they need to see. These changes are a step in the right direction.

I stepped up and out about the abuse to my horse Bandit suffered...how many others are out there? Do you care enough to speak up? Please comment and share your thoughts, Susan.