Which is more inhumane?

[Mama Soltera]

I've been thinking about this lately. I think they're both wrong and honestly, I can't believe they're legal. It seems that most people think it's more inhumane for the dogs. I was thinking though that many of the dogs get placed in homes from rescues when their racing days are over and they are somewhat fulfulling their instinct to run/hunt/chase (though they never get to actually catch the damn thing!). Horses aren't doing anything natural. They're being forced to go faster than they'd ever want or need to go and they're run to death. I guess my question is, which would you like to see outlawed first? While I would want both outlawed, I realized my first pick would be the horses. I also realize some people fully support both of these. Someday though I'm sure we're going to look back and wonder at how anyone could've allowed this sort of thing to go on.

[swd12422]

I voted equally wrong, but many people find dog racing more distasteful than horse racing, despite your very good point that the dogs are doing what they love to do and the horses really aren't so much. The reason for this is that the horses that race are worth a LOT of money, and are generally treated very well. The dogs, on the other hand, are bred for quality but come out in quantity. So for every litter of racing pups, maybe one of those dogs will even qualify for the track and the rest are put down or adopted out, if they're lucky. For every horse that is bred to race, they're given a much better chance at succeeding b/c, well, there's only one of them to work with and it cost a lot of money to get the horse to begin with. The dogs are seen and treated as much more expendable, and while there are some racing dog owners who treat all their dogs as pets, most can't afford to keep/kennel dogs who aren't making them money, and there are so many of them that there's no place for them to go but out back to get a bullet in the head.

And then there's the whole issue of drugging the animals... The dogs get hormones out the wazoo... To keep the females from going into heat, to keep the males bigger and stronger and a little meaner.... It's just not right. I'm not sure how I feel about using animals as entertainment (other than my own pets for my personal companionship, no monetary gain), but I'd rather see lure coursing for dogs be the sport of choice rather than the track. THAT's more "natural."

As for the horses, I'm curious: You'd like to see horse racing outlawed and say it's not "natural" for them to be racing around a track at top speed, and I agree, but how do you feel about dressage? Is that a more acceptable horse sport? It's certainly not more natural, it's still competitive, there's just no major speed involved. So it is better, or just different, in your eyes?

[Theia]

Horses have been needed for speed and or endurance many times in society. As a prey animal, their speed was a natural evolutionary development. And as a former horse owner, I do know that some horses LOVE to run.

I disagree with drugging and mistreating any animal, and racing sports aren't much different from the meat industry in that manner. Although I think that the horses probably are a bit more closely watched for doping, but yes, too many are pushed beyond the limits of their bodies and end up injured as a result.

I don't think the sports themselves are bad. Dogs don't race only around a track as greyhounds, they also race in agility and as sled dogs. Horses race in endurance and as another poster mentioned there is also dressage. The Lipizzaners go through rigorous training to learn "dance" or fighting moves that are not natural movements. There are people that misuse or mistreat the loyal service of all animals. That is what I would rather see put to an end.

[Triciabn]

horses are tested after every single race for drugs.
If you are caught drugging a horse you will be off the race track for a certain amount of time.....but there are some crazy wealthy folks who don't care and will "run the legs off a horse"...but most all horse people would care for their horses above and beyond their own kids....<cough>...as my childhood memories recall, lol.

Truthfully... racehorses are treated crazy good for most of their lives... and then.. girls can turn into broodmares that live out their lives on lush pastures with high tech medical care. Many others are resold to other families...and some are...what they call...shipped to Canada....no one knows what Canada does with the racehorses.

I have proabaly said to much...but I don't even like horses much but I can attest to them living on all but silken pillows....but there will always be jerks who abuse animals....most I knew were crazy wealthy. I could name names but that would be wrong.
Tricia

[newtomotherhood]

I do believe the race horses shipped to canada end up in feedlots, are then butchered and shipped across seas or are shipped across seas and then butchered! I have heard they taste very good!

[Mama Soltera]

These are all really interesting comments. A lot of this I did not know. That is really sad about the dogs. And no, I have no issues whatsoever for working dogs or competition otherwise. It's more being overworked for the entertainment of people only that gets to me. Personally, I think (and can tell) that dogs love working and agility and all that. I've never heard the word dressage before but if it's showing them, doing agility etc. with them, no I definitely don't have a problem with that. I would think the horses would very much enjoy that actually.

[buttercup784ever]

I don't think it's OK for animals to be made to do something that has a high potential for injury or death. Racing is dangerous for horses. I'm sorry, but IMO I don't care how "luxurious" the life of a racehorse is, it's sort of like saying slavery is OK because the slaves are treated really well.

And I know I'll probably be flamed for saying that. People who love horses LOOOOVE horses. It just doesn't seem worth it to me, to put an animal through the danger and stress just for entertainment?

I said 'no' to both in the poll, btw.

[Mama Soltera]

Yes, just for entertainment and betting seems very wrong. I don't know that I'd compare it to slavery, but I do think it's all pretty barbaric and, like I said, some day we will look back and wonder how it was ever legal. Also, yes, both are wrong, but I guess I wanted to know which people feel is worse overall.

[lookatreestar]

i think both are dumb. but i hate seaworld and other animal places for entertainment.

[*Eva*]

Well here's my 2 cents on the issue. I know absolutely nothing about dog racing so I'll decline to comment on it but I find some of the horse racing comments interesting. I'm not a fan of horse racing, my main issue is that they are essentially riding babies at breakneck speed when their bones have not completely developed. If racing was not done on primarily 2 and 3 year olds I really wouldn't have as much of an issue with it. I found it interesting that someone was saying the horses were "forced to race" and didn't like to run so fast. You can't make a horse go, if they have no interest in racing and don't have the heart for it, they're not going to win. Plain and simple. I've ridden plenty of exracehorses that hated racing but loved to jump or do dressage or heck even cart little kids around. Just like people they're not going to put their heart into something they don't like.

[Mama Soltera]

I did not realize that about horse racing at all (that they're young to where it's bad for their bones). And sorry but people and horses are *very* different creatures, so I have to respectfully disagree with the rest of your comments. If the horses wanted to run that fast on their own and race on their own they certainly wouldn't need a rider making them go faster and faster. We could just watch them doing it in the field and bet on them that way.

[swd12422]

I agree.... We rescued a greyhound who had never raced; he was one of the lucky ones who never made it to the track AND didn't get the bullet in his head. When we visited the racing kennel, one of the handlers said, "Have you ever seen him run?" We said no, we'd never watched a race or anything. He wanted to show us how fast the dogs were, and how much they LOVE to compete, so he went and got another dog out of the kennel and put each of them in their own training run so they could race each other.

The other dog was SO excited! She leaped around, tore down the run and back again, trying to egg our dog on. Our dog sniffed her through the fence, walked over to the edge, and pooped. Then he sauntered over to the gate and waited to be let out. Meanwhile, the other dog was going INSANE, she wanted to race him so badly.

It wasn't hard to see why our dog never made it to the track. However, 5 years later, bring him over to our neighbor's big backyard, and he will tear it up like the biggest winner on the grade A tracks. I can't believe how fast he can run, even at 8 years old!

So yeah, he didn't like to compete, but he sure loves to run. And he will compete with other dogs at the park a little bit/if he's in the mood, but my point is that some of these animals really DO want to "run that fast" but on their own terms, not with someone cattle-prodding them, whipping them, and forcing them beyond their limits to the point that bones break.

And that's another issue with dog racing (don't know about horse racing)... The tracks can be very dangerous due to the way they're graded and finished. And there are a million other conditions, both on the track and in the kennel, that make it so unpleasant/cruel/dangerous for the animals, and they're not fixed b/c the dogs are so expendable and it's cheaper not to worry about all that stuff. If all these things were fixed, maybe it really wouldn't be such a bad sport. In a perfect world, the animals could run if/how they wanted, people could watch them for entertainment (and it IS a sight to see a gangly, long-legged, top-heavy dog suddenly soar into the air and run like a gazelle), and both parties would enjoy themselves. That's what we have in my neighbors' yard (they come out just to see him run -- they can't get enough).

[JenKrebs]

Information about dog racing

Greyhound racing is cruel and inhumane. Greyhounds endure lives of nearly constant confinement, kept in cages barely large enough for them to stand up or turn around for 20+ hours per day.

While racing, many dogs suffer and die from injuries including broken legs, paralysis, and cardiac arrest.

And many greyhounds are euthanized every year, as the number retired from racing exceeds the number of adoptive homes.

I have adopted six retired racing greyhounds since 2003. They are intelligent, sensitive, gentle companions. I shudder when I think of the years they each spent, treated as commodities and literally running for their lives.

For the facts on dog racing, please visit http://grey2kusa.org/racing/sheets.html

[Mama Soltera]

That's a funny story. I can definitely see almost every dog I've known wanting to race. I don't agree with pushing them to their limits or forcing them but they definitely like that playful competition.

[ShadowMoon]

I chose both being equally wrong. There are ways to foster an animal's need to run without forcing it to compete and pushing it's limits. IMO, horses are raced at too young of an age anyway.

I'm sure that many of these animals are treated beyond well but that should be the case regardless if they're making someone money.