Horse Racing

The other thing about race horses - besides suffering the whip routinely - is that after their racing days are over they tend to die en masse in a convenient stable fire. Maybe it's the midgets in brightly colored costumes that more than make up for the animal abuse.

Horses are innately evil and are only kept in line by liberal use of the whip.

Truth is, IMO, the difference in how horse racing and football are treated by many is all about image. Football is only enjoyed by brutish sweaty blue-collar beer-guzzling dolts. Horse-racing is a civilized and refined white-collar sport enjoyed by champagne and mint julep sipping aristocrats. The beer-guzzling dolts are a menace to politically-correct society. The aristocrats finance it.

Also, most people involved in racing will tell you that thoroughbreds actually love to race despite the whipping and that the whipping is not particularly painful to the horse. I tend to believe that. If you really want to find mistreatment in equestrian sports, look no further than some of the practices for training gaited horses (Tennessee Walkers, etc).

Hard for me to call something a sport when half of those participating in a race have no choice in the matter. It also would not exist without gambling.

I also don't get how horse racing is as popular as it is. They run the horses ragged and train them in a certain way that their legs/ankles wear down or break at an early age. The only "sport" that's more barbaric or cruel is bull "fighting".

ValuJet said:

Well, cockfighting is pretty bad. And the stuff Michael Vick was doing.

Click to expand...

I forgot about those, but those are already illegal. Dogfighting is definitely tops on the list. At least with cockfighting, there's a chance (albeit small) those idiots get bird flu.

ValuJet said:

When I lived in Florida, a buddy of mine used to take me to Jai Alai. His girlfriend's brother was one of the stars and best players. Craig (my friend) said the guy wouldn't directly tell him who to bet on, but his code phrase was "I'll be using a new cesta this afternoon." That meant he would lose, by throwing the game. Craig would win big when he went, but couldn't go often or they would be on to him.

Click to expand...

I wonder if Craig kept the girlfriend around just to make money off her brother tanking jai alai games.

jps1983 said:

I also don't get how horse racing is as popular as it is. They run the horses ragged and train them in a certain way that their legs/ankles wear down or break at an early age. The only "sport" that's more barbaric or cruel is bull "fighting".

Click to expand...

Horse racing is a vestige of a bygone era. At one time, there wasn't a lot of legal gambling outside Las Vegas. Now we have it in many places, along with the internet, and that is a lot faster and more exciting than going to the track where you might have a dozen races to bet on spread out over several hours.

As for legalized animal cruelty, ever read up on dog racing?

I don't understand horse racing. I think it's a cruel "sport". I watched the race today just to see if Chrome would win, however.

Jessica4Bama said:

I don't understand horse racing. I think it's a cruel "sport". I watched the race today just to see if Chrome would win, however.

Click to expand...

I watched it just because it was history in the making. If a Triple Crown weren't up for grabs, I wouldn't have cared.

ValuJet said:

Just watched Belmont, and I've long been confused about this. How does NBC, the most politically correct of the PC mob, justify broadcasting an event where animals are beaten with whips for a mile and a half? On the replay, I counted 23 sharp whips the jockey gave California Chrome after the home stretch, and the poor bastage still lost.

Click to expand...

Because NBC (presumably) makes a truckload of cash airing those three races, particularly this year when we can expect to have higher ratings than if there was no potential TC winner.

ValuJet said:

Where's PETA and all the other aggrieved groups?

Click to expand...

Don't get me started on that. Ever notice that only CERTAIN ANIMALS have rights? The flea that lives on the dog sure doesn't.

ValuJet said:

Costas is calling for a re-naming of a football team, in which no one really cares save for elitist, white liberals,

Click to expand...

I fail to see how he stops short of calling for the abolition of the American flag. After all, we're supposed to get rid of the Rebel flag because it's a symbol of oppression. Well then to a NATIVE AMERICAN, wouldn't the flag be a sign of oppression? We freed the black men, we rounded up the red ones and put them on reservations.

And why do you continue to expect consistency from a public liberal? Shame on you.

ValuJet said:

yet proudly announces an event where horses have the hell beaten out of them?

Click to expand...

In his contract?

ValuJet said:

Need some enlightenment, please.

Click to expand...

Don't expect a liberal to live by the rules he passes for others.

Rosie O'Donnell can have a gun, you cannot.

Besides - is Costas a vegetarian?

jps1983 said:

I also don't get how horse racing is as popular as it is. They run the horses ragged and train them in a certain way that their legs/ankles wear down or break at an early age. The only "sport" that's more barbaric or cruel is bull "fighting".

Click to expand...

I saw a clip of a bullfight, in which the matador started to get beaten by the bull and about a dozen guys run in to rescue him. In a philosophic sense, I don't object to bullfighting (different cultures and all that), but unless the bull can get a dozen bulls to run in to his rescue, then the matador should be left to die if the bull gets the upper hand. Just my opinion.

mikes12 said:

I saw a clip of a bullfight, in which the matador started to get beaten by the bull and about a dozen guys run in to rescue him. In a philosophic sense, I don't object to bullfighting (different cultures and all that), but unless the bull can get a dozen bulls to run in to his rescue, then the matador should be left to die if the bull gets the upper hand. Just my opinion.

Click to expand...

Ernest Hemingway was a big proponent of bullfighting. I think he loved the intensity of the moment, the intrinsic risk involved in the life-or-death event, the pomp and formality with which it was conducted. I have a sense that if presented with your proposal, a true fight to the death between men and beasts, he would have enjoyed it even more.