They shoot horses, don't they?

[rhu]

In all the media coverage about Eight Belles's tragic end at the Kentucky Derby, I've been struck by the following: On WGBH radio, James Carroll compared it to the destruction of an artistic masterpiece; in the New York Times there was an article that described the horses as racing's most valuable asset.

Completely lost seems to be the fact that animals are dying painfully for the sake of human entertainment. Oh, not as directly and certainly as Michael Vick's dogs, perhaps, but inevitably as these horses are bred and raced with regard primarily for victory rather than for the safety of the animals.

I'm not a vegetarian. I'm not an animal rights activist. There are times when an animal's death serves a legitimate human purpose. If canaries dying in mines saved miners' lives, that's a worthwhile tradeoff.

But what's going on in horse racing disgusts me.

Comments

[rubrick.livejournal.com]

Of course, as has been pointed out, this sort of thing is hardly limited to non-human sports participants.

[530nm330hz.livejournal.com]

Granted, but I don't think I've seen media commentary along the lines of "When a twenty-year old cheerleader dies in competition, it's like seeing a Michaelangelo painting destroyed." That's the sort of comment that I kept reading and hearing after the Kentucky Derby, and that's what really got me upset.

[rubrick.livejournal.com]

I agree wholeheartedly-- though "Jones is being traded to Atlanta" has always struck me as rather peculiar.