In defense of horses, and Big Brown
POSTED: June 13, 2008
To the editor:
Big Brown did indeed make history at the Belmont. Yes, there were big losses on the favorite. And anyone who bet on Big Brown deserved to lose, because they were without a doubt counting on a steroid-enhanced, pain-buffered horse to chemically overcome a quarter crack in his hoof and the rest of his woes, bang down the track, and seize the Triple Crown. But with the spotlight on the trainer and everyone else surrounding this horse, it seems that Big Brown may have finally been allowed to run what might have been the first natural race of his life. The result was that he showed how he really felt: tired and lame. Another miracle: His jockey did not whip him on but did the right thing and let him go as slowly as he needed to.
Ten states already ban steroids, and the rest need to follow suit. PETA — whose demonstrators were out in full force on Saturday — will be pushing for illegal and legal drug use to end and for horses to be allowed to be themselves. If money can’t be made honestly and without breaking animals’ bodies and souls, then it shouldn’t be made at all.
Very truly yours,
Ingrid E. Newkirk
President of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA)
