TITLE FROM THE MOVIE WITH THE SAME NAME.
And yes they do shoot horses as well as taking them to abattoirs to be cut-up for food.
A lucky few are rescued by good Samaritans.
'I take it Galagher that this is leading somewhere?'
Naturally.
I am speaking about the decline in thoroughbred and standardbred horse racing.
Not that long ago, gambling was outlawed in most parts of North America and outside of Las Vegas the notable exception was the placing of $2 bets on the ponies.
Racing thrived along with the breeding of race horses.
In more recent times though, gambling has become a legal activity with governments giddily climbing on-board to take their considerable share right off the top.
Casinos and Lotteries have proliferated which have had two negative affects on horse racing. First, these new activities have brought in much more cash for cash starved governments, and Second, with the new competition - fewer and fewer patrons are attending the tracks.
And with that, fewer and fewer horses are needed to supply the declining demand.
Known as the Sport of Kings, Horse Racing had become a victim of the times.
But should it have been?
I personally believe gambling is a societal evil since it hurts those who are least able to afford the loss - that is to say the poor and low income workers.
I am especially appalled that our governments have delved into this social vice right up to their collective armpits.
Simply stated, Gambling is one of the greatest addictions there is.
I remember a woman who I worked with tell me about her friend who went daily to a nearby casino - she did not work and her husband made barely minimum wage. They had two young children. She had maxed out their family charge card to the tune of $25,000.
There was no way in HxLL that this poor family would be able to pay off such a sum.
There is though something majestic about horse races. Certainly they are part of our tradition as evidenced by this past Saturday's running of the Kentucky Derby.
If governments had been less greedy they could have easily incorporated horse racing into the new mix. For instance, having Casinos co-located with Race Tracks with an equitable revenue sharing.
So what if receipts are not maximized; our love affair with horses would be maintained as opposed to seeing these beautiful animals chopped up for dog food.
As I see it...
'K.D. Galagher'
