{ Be as ts of Burden }

Like most AmericAns, i knew LittLe About horseracing. i grew up a horse-crazy kid in a decidedly non- horse-loving family. my fierce passion was sustained only by periodic visits to my uncle’s ranch in texas, where i would spend hours riding his horses bareback across the plains. i didn’t start riding seriously until i was an adult and then focused on learning dressage and jumping. my exposure to racing was limited to watching the triple crown races on tV each spring. i had always assumed that most racehorses retired to a

life as a stud or broodmare, or were sold at high prices as sport horses. but state Deputy’s price tag made me wonder: what happens to the majority of these thoroughbreds once their racing days are over? the Jockey club, the national registry of thoroughbreds

headquartered in Lexington, ky., reports that approximately 35,000 thoroughbreds are foaled in north America each year, 68 percent of which are destined for a career on the racetrack. of those horses, nearly 70 percent will win at least one race, but only 5 percent will win a bigger-pursed stakes race, and only two-tenths of a percent will win a Grade i stakes race, which awards the biggest purse and creates the biggest superstars. For every big brown or rachel Alexandra winning

millions in front of sold-out crowds, there are unheralded thoroughbreds — such as state Deputy — that also race their hearts out each day, but for small purses on cheaper tracks to nearly empty stands. eventually, lackluster performance or an injury ends these horses’ careers. At least 3,000 such racehorses are retired each year, usually by age 6 if not younger, the thoroughbred retirement Foundation estimates. Given that most horses live well into their 20s, the question of what to do with them for the next 15 or more years looms. i learned that, frequently, the answer is one most horse lovers would rather not think about: Approximately two out of every three thoroughbreds that come off the track — even those that are sound and healthy — are euthanized, abandoned on public land or in empty fields, or slaughtered — their meat exported to europe and Japan for human consumption. the closure of horse slaughterhouses in the united

states in 2007, after congress barred the Department of Agriculture from using funds to conduct horse slaughter inspections, did not diminish the phenomenon much. the usDA estimates that more than 90,000 horses were exported to canada and mexico last year for slaughter. the Livestock marketing Association, which advocates the resumption of horse slaughter in this country, puts the number at more than 120,000. by contrast, in 2006, horse slaughter in the united states and the export of horses for slaughter tallied about 150,000, according to the usDA. Horse slaughter has no shortage of opponents, mainly

advocacy groups such as the Humane society of the united states, the Animal welfare institute and PetA. the Humane society asserts that the conditions under which the horses are transported to the slaughterhouses don’t address the unique needs of the animals, which are crammed into low-ceilinged trailers designed for cattle, sheep and pigs

18 The WashingTon PosT Magazine | MAY 30, 2010

that don’t allow horses to hold their heads at a natural height. usDA regulations permit horses to be transported for 24 hours straight without food or water. once at the slaughterhouse, horses are exposed to the loud noise of the plant, slippery floors and the odor of blood, all of which terrify the animals and trigger their flight response, said nicholas Dodman, a veterinary professor at tufts university and a member of the leadership council of the Humane society Veterinary medical Association. supporters of slaughter counter that the process is

humane. Former u.s. representative charles w. stenholm of texas, a policy adviser for the Livestock marketing Association, said u.s. regulations for transport of horses to slaughter were created with the input of veterinarians and others in the field. the captive bolt gun, for example, that is used to render the horse unconscious before its throat is slit has been deemed acceptable by the American Veterinary medical Association, he said. efforts to stop horse slaughter have gained momentum

in recent years as public awareness has grown. Last year in the House and senate, bills were introduced that would prohibit trafficking in horses for human consumption of their meat. in December, the new York racing Association announced that it would ban any trainer or breeder who sells a horse to slaughter. other mid-Atlantic racetracks also have no-slaughter policies on the books, including Pimlico and Laurel Park in maryland, colonial Downs in Virginia and charles town and mountaineer Park in west Virginia. Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53  |  Page 54  |  Page 55  |  Page 56  |  Page 57  |  Page 58  |  Page 59  |  Page 60  |  Page 61  |  Page 62  |  Page 63  |  Page 64  |  Page 65  |  Page 66  |  Page 67  |  Page 68  |  Page 69  |  Page 70  |  Page 71  |  Page 72  |  Page 73  |  Page 74  |  Page 75  |  Page 76  |  Page 77  |  Page 78  |  Page 79  |  Page 80  |  Page 81  |  Page 82  |  Page 83  |  Page 84  |  Page 85  |  Page 86  |  Page 87  |  Page 88  |  Page 89  |  Page 90  |  Page 91  |  Page 92  |  Page 93  |  Page 94  |  Page 95  |  Page 96  |  Page 97  |  Page 98  |  Page 99  |  Page 100  |  Page 101  |  Page 102  |  Page 103  |  Page 104  |  Page 105  |  Page 106  |  Page 107  |  Page 108  |  Page 109  |  Page 110  |  Page 111  |  Page 112  |  Page 113  |  Page 114  |  Page 115  |  Page 116  |  Page 117  |  Page 118  |  Page 119  |  Page 120  |  Page 121  |  Page 122  |  Page 123  |  Page 124  |  Page 125  |  Page 126  |  Page 127  |  Page 128  |  Page 129  |  Page 130  |  Page 131  |  Page 132  |  Page 133  |  Page 134  |  Page 135  |  Page 136  |  Page 137  |  Page 138  |  Page 139  |  Page 140  |  Page 141  |  Page 142  |  Page 143  |  Page 144  |  Page 145  |  Page 146  |  Page 147  |  Page 148  |  Page 149  |  Page 150  |  Page 151  |  Page 152  |  Page 153  |  Page 154  |  Page 155  |  Page 156  |  Page 157  |  Page 158