Fantasia - Cape Times today.

hibernia Wrote:

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> Is it only racehorses that face uncertain futures,
> or do other horses that change hands also end up
> in the wrong places? just saying like..


I THINK...racehorses have higher profiles...so become more newsworthy...amongst many other things...

i'm working on finding that out Hibs

its about volume - numbers...

Definitely not just thoroughbreds. Most of the cart horses n Cape Town are cross-breeds. While some owners treat them like their own children, others really couldn't be bothered.
Eastern Cape bush racing I assume is also not limited to thoroughbreds.

But as has been said, the largest quantities of horses available are thoroughbreds.

Congrats to everyone involved in helping this mare get back the life she deserves!

Muhtiman Wrote:

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> mr hawaii Wrote:
>

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>

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> > and another reference to Bush Racing - Hope the
> > NHRA take note
>
> This story broke on another site and the SPCA
> published their version about the rescue and had
> no references to bush racing at all.....one can
> surmise that this may have been a township work
> horse one of many used to cart scrap to scrap
> merchants and worked until it was found in a
> gutter..... Who ever has laced this story with
> "bush racing" has got it all arse about face as
> the only bush in Delft is the one smoked by the
> locals.....

it seems there is a "concrete racing " problem in many townships (i suppose similar to illegal drag racing)
www.sportingpost.co.za/2013/09/12/racing...days-child-fantasia/

ok, so besides the growing bush and township racing, has anything further been done from racing's side to minimise the output to the secondary market? any talk happening wrt programmes for retirement etc?

.....now that it is varified that there is a problem with so called informal horses in the WC.....now I'm opening the can....do you think for one moment that the people that are involved with these practices are having their horses vetted after injury, lameness, sickness.....I very much doubt it.....do you then think that these people are coming forward to have their horses inoculated for AHS....again I very much doubt it too

......So in the shadow of our highly vaunted quarenteen station and in the middle of a supposed AHS free zone we have hundreds of horses that could harbour and transmitt AHS.....the last outbreak of AHS in the so called AHS free zone was blamed on "informal" horses in the Marmre area....I think that the racing faternity has a bigger problem in not controlling or monitoring horses leaving the industry to become a bigger liability to the AHS problem they are creating.....:

there are too many worms here to even fit in the can...some serious damage control going to be need to be done by racing....but who is going to step forward to take the beating? RA? NHRA? Phum? GC, TBA? all of the above?

about to break: - SPCA cases of racehorses, purported bush and township racing problem, looming AHS control failure, Pindi's appeal

is racing going to charge racing for bringing itself into disrepute?

Rehoming racehorses is a major problem, and not just inSA. The UK has designated "Rehoming" charities that prepare exracehorses for life in another sphere. We don't have the facilities or funding for that.

1 Most owners are not horsemen (not their fault!) so when their horses racing career is over they tell the trainer to get rid of it, find it a home etc.
But....a if the horse is big, sound, moves well the trainer may be able to find the horse a new career in showing, dressage ,jumping. That is if said trainer has any connections there.
b The local horse care unit may be called to remove and rehome the horse. Cost of this is borne by the units so funds are always needed there.
c If horse is unsound the kindest thing is to euthanase but many owners and some trainers find this distasteful so would rather give it to someone as a pet. The someone most times has a plot and wants a lawnmower. Thoroughbreds can't just live on grass so soon the horse is thin and unhappy. HCU called in to fix.
d Most people are careful off where their horses are sold/Rehomed to but after the first home there is no control over it then. Fantasia is a good example, she was a beautiful grey filly, possibly sold/homed to a new career. Then if she didn't do well may have been given away, then can't survive and moved on again.....
e Bush racing is taking off in rural areas and needs guidance and education as this may well be another option.

We are very careful about our horses but even so a few years down the line anything may happen....

There is no easy fix to this problem.
There is no easy fix

?......the key lies with Racing .SA who have had funding cut by the operators who have regarded them as unnecessary for not getting ahead of the recentAHS protocol failures....now they have the ammo under the pretext of the AHS issue to demand more funding to address the informal horse problem in the WC.....Larry W himself said to the reporter that he would get to the bottom it.......now is the time that the collaborators in the industry get better and earn those fat salaries or we will never be able export a horse out of this mess.....:

It is surley a sad day if retired race horses are neglected as shown on the photo.

In my opinion, we (punters, owners, trainers, jockeys and TAB management) must make a contribution to stop the cruelty on retired horses.

I want to propose that TAB register a trust and takes 2 cent of every bet struck on the tote to finance the trust. I do not know how practical this is and do not know how many bets are taken at a race meeting. If this is pacticaI I do not think it will have a hugh effect on the exotic pools or dividends.

Surely, the IT specialists can programmed the Systems of TAB to accomdate this and will make sure it the money will go b channeld to the trust.

It is a small gesture but maybe it will help. Would like to hear the opinion of other "clanners"