Once again it gives me great pleasure to turn the keyboard over to my main man and our esteemed guest author, Mr. Del Mar. He who hath given us both the Bolt Speedman and Presence of Fillies at the Track posts in previous weeks. This week he’ll be talking about a subject very near and dear to many of our hearts; caring for horses after their racing career has ended.
As such, I’d just like to take this opportunity to remind everyone of the magnificent work being done by numerous organizations such as ReRun Thoroughbred Adoption and of course Old Friends. I must also mention my Facebook buddy Sharla Sanders and her program called The Second Race. I consider these folks the Clara Bartons of our sport; angels who give everything and ask nothing in return.
I’d kindly ask all horseplayers who wind up with a decent lump sum in their pockets after a particularly strong day/week/meet of wagering to consider giving a small portion of that back to the horses themselves by donating to these organizations/causes. Every little bit counts, especially in these economic times where we’re all trying to stretch our dollars as far as we can.
Enough preaching from me though, let me turn things over to Mr. Del Mar:
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What do we do with race horses when they no longer race and are considered by some just horses? I say once a race horse always a race horse. Many are put into breeding programs and the math is simple for the owners of the lucky few, it creates revenue. Most are simply kicked to the curb after they have been used up for all they are worth to the owner’s pocketbook. I’m not anti owner and I know that it’s a losing proposition for many to even own a race horse, let alone try to care for it after the glory days. We owe much to the owners without them there is no horse racing, but what do we owe to the horses?
These animals are the stars, they are the show. Without them it would just be jockeys running a foot race, I believe they call that a track meet. These ultimate athletes who have given us so much only ask for feed and care. There is no contract negotiations, no agent and no strikes. They simply show up and run their hearts out for us and their owners. How should we treat these magnificent creatures who put their lives on the line and give so much while asking for so little? I say we let them live out their golden years in dignity, comfort and surrounded by good company. I now would like to introduce an idea for a non profit, new look at The Horse Racing Hall of Fame.
There are many good natured individuals who already are working hard to find these horses homes, but they can only plug the dam with their fingers for so long. With over breeding and careers shorter than an NFL running back, the water is already spilling over the side and the levee is breaking. The main problem here is funding. If there were a Horse Racing Hall of Fame in locations like California, New York and any other location with a strong horse racing market, we may be able to generate some revenue. This would be the first Hall of Fame I’m aware of with live athletes, not just bronze busts. You could interact with the athletes themselves, maybe set up a winner’s circle that mimics a major track for that area. Make a small donation for admission, pay for pictures and maybe have your kids dress up like a jockey sit on the back of a race horse and have a very fun souvenir unlike any other.
This being a non profit charity, there will be many tax breaks to encourage people to do the right thing. Maybe owners would donate racing memorabilia like horseshoes worn in a race, they could be purchased by racing fans and both parties could get a nice tax write off. If legislation could be passed, perhaps we could even have satellite wagering with the proceeds going to the charity, maybe even find a way to get a tax break for the horseplayers. Occasionally have an exhibition match with the horses that are still able to run. Set up a small track where some of our retired residents get another shot at winning, bingo for a race horse. These animals love to run and I’m sure they miss the competition and attention. People could wager on these races and the takeout is simply a donation. On another note, it would be nice to see a kind of mandatory 401K set up by the owners to plan for the horses retirement. When a claimer exchanges hands you just roll over the fund. Maybe tracks could set a small percentage of the takeout aside to do the right thing and make sure the horses who are the main function of their business will always have their basic needs.
An adoption program must be put into effect and there are already great organizations that do this. The Hall of Fame would likely partner up with these folks and assist with funding to any foster horse owners. Our stable would fill at some point so we must find homes for any horse we can. What we can do for these organizations is bring awareness and let the public see these amazing animals in the flesh. It’s a lot harder to say no when one of these animals is staring you straight in the eye and you know you can help. Veterinary costs are a concern. I’m sure there are many young would be veterinarians who would be happy to intern at such a facility. A few veterinarian volunteer teachers to train them, a few on payroll and there it is, a highly reduced veterinary cost for a good cause. The same approach can be done with almost every facet of horse care and horse racing itself. Everything from farriers, exercise riders, trainers… you name it. I believe there are enough good people in the world who would be very willing to lend a hand.
A prime example of never giving up on a horse is that of LAVA MAN. Guess who’s back in training and possibly making a comeback, that’s right. Even better his trainer Mr. Doug O’Neil is donating his 10% share of the purse for training fees if LAVA MAN returns. Who knows maybe we’d end up with a horse that was believed to be out of the game and end up in a situation like this. Talk about funding and promotion.
These animals deserve better, they can’t speak for themselves so we must be their voice. With the tax right offs, volunteer work, admission, memorabilia, souvenir photos, satellite wagering and whatever else we can dream up… this may work and operate self sufficiently. Let’s give these brave warriors the respect they deserve and a dignified way to live out their golden years.
Matthew Galbreth aka Mr. Del Mar
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I just hope the decision to run Lava Man is a responsible one and he is fully healthy to run again. That being said, I am on the same page with you on the welfare of our horses. We must all support the breed.
TONY: Couldn’t agree more in reference to LAVA MAN. I’m just really excited to see him run, I’ve never seen him live. One of my family members claims LAVA MAN as his favorite horse. I will tell you this, if LAVA MAN’s connections have the right intentions (and I believe they do), I will be cheering from the grandstands. I love me an old pro and I believe these horses miss the action just like a retired human athlete. I watched the TVG Legends show about LAVA MAN and saw his connections well up and get misty (grown men mind you). I think they have nothing but the best intentions after seeing that kind of emotion from a bunch of tough guys. I hope they do the right thing whether it is to race him or just take good care of him in retirement. The horse racing fan in me wants to see him win.
I’m not really sure if the decision to put Lava Man back in training should be applauded. He’s going on 9 years old and showed no interest in running at all with 3 straight off the board finishes last year. If he’s in Doug O’Neils barn, it should be as a stable pony.
Nice job Mr. Del Mar, this is a very heart felt article.
I’m personally excited about Lava Man possibly returning to the races. I’m surprised at the amount of people saying they don’t think it will be a good idea, whether it’s about the horses health, or ability to still compete in the top echelon; his connections made it clear that if he is not able to be competitive in graded company, then he will be retired for good. It’s great to see a horse his age trying to stage a come back, he has a very large following and this will somewhat “heal the wounds” of losing some other top horses yet again at the end of the year.
Who else here thinks that Frank Stronach only bought Einstien to retire him at the end of the year? The guy is pretty much only into the breeding aspect of things. Must have been a bundle offered for Einstien, becuase personally I wouldn’t sell a horse that wins grade 1′s on grass, dirt and synthetics in a million years!
Oh yes, one more thing! If Zenyatta is not retired at the end of the year and indeed continues racing into next year, my gratitude will be beyond words!!
I’m very disappointed at the LAVA MAN comeback…he’s no JOHN HENRY who never lost the love to compete at the G.1 level like LAVA MAN did his last three races. I can read that “LAVA MAN is feeling good” statement as “he appreciates being a horse, running around on a grass field when he wants to and not because he’s implored to”.
I hope their eyes can be objective as LAVA MAN trains…my worry is that their vision of his preparation is clouded by Sunshine Millions money.
Personally, I feel he’s done/earned more than enough for his connections.
We definitely need some good news considering the Kona Gold tragedy. Here’s hoping Lava Man returns sound and remains healthy.
As for the post, I’d just like to say thanks to Mr. Del Mar for speaking on a very serious issue.
There’s some good news related to horse care that I must share (thanks to Julie Ziek for sharing):
http://www.animallawcoalition.com/horse-slaughter/article/693
Dear Matthew,
Thank you so much for recognizing the work of ReRun and other rescue/adoption programs. It is always wonderful to come across someone that gives a shout out to our efforts and reminds everyone that the problem of the unwanted racehorse has not been resolved yet.
I also really appreciate your efforts to think creatively about how more funding from more varied sources can get to programs like ours so that we can offer more ex-racehorses a second chance at life. ReRun is a strong voice, but additional voices are greatly needed to keep the light on this subject, particularly when there hasn’t been a high profile death of a racehorse to grab the public’s attention.
As you can imagine, the number of Thoroughbreds needing our help is exponentially greater than the funding we have to support them. I don’t think the time will ever come when owners save the funds needed to cover the post-racing lifetime of each and every horse they own and retire. However, if a little bit of funding was procured from everyone who is involved with racing–from wagers to OTBs to owners–the heavy expense would be distributed across individuals and companies and a lot more racehorses would be helped.
I could go on, but you clearly know the song I’m singing!
Once again, Matthew, thank you for acknowledging ReRun’s work and that of many other groups. We’re trying our best to help the horses. Kudos to you, good sir!
Christine Orman
Resource Development Director
ReRun, Inc.