I watched the Kentucky Derby for the first time, and was aghast how the jockeys openly whipped their horses in broad daylight — and nobody says a peep!! “The love of money is the root of all evil.”

“Sure, it hurts a horse,” said the renowned veterinarian Dr. Alex Harthill of Louisville, Ky. “Repeated whipping should be outlawed.” (source)

Photo of some of the jockeys putting their whole might into the beatings.

Strangely, I can’t find a video of the final stretch that shows the beatings just before the finish line. The powers that be don’t want the people to see. Lots of money involved.

I’m in-step with PETA on this one:

Whips

As thoroughbreds race down the stretch, jockeys (as instructed by trainers) whip the horses mercilessly. Sadly, this abuse is standard practice in the U.S., since trainers, owners, and jockeys are all driven by the desire to make money, leaving the horses to suffer terribly.

At a 2008 race, the horse named Appeal to the City suffered hemorrhaging around her eye when jockey Jeremy Rose “engaged in extreme misuse of the whip ….” There are few penalties for extreme whipping in the U.S., even though jockeys in other countries face severe penalties for hurting horses in this way. (source)

A bit like Rome?