05/05/2025
The Horrors Behind the Kentucky Derby:
• Raced too young: Horses are forced to race at just 2 or 3 years old—before their bones are fully developed—leading to high rates of injury.
• Rampant drug use: Trainers use both legal and illegal drugs to mask pain and push horses beyond their limits, risking fatal breakdowns.
• Whipping: Jockeys routinely whip horses during races to force them to run faster, causing physical pain and stress.
• Catastrophic injuries: Broken legs and other severe injuries are common. Horses who fall often must be euthanized on the track.
• Tongues tied down: Horses’ tongues are tied to their lower jaws with straps or bands, restricting breathing and causing pain, injury, or even partial tongue loss.
• Confinement: Horses are kept in stalls for up to 23 hours a day, deprived of natural movement and social interaction.
• Overbreeding and discard: Thousands of horses are bred for speed, and those who don’t perform or age out are often auctioned off and sent to slaughter.
• Slaughter pipeline: Many former racehorses end up in kill pens and are shipped to slaughterhouses in Canada or Mexico.
This isn’t a sport—it’s systemic animal abuse disguised as entertainment.
You can love horses. You can love horseracing. You can’t love both.
