racing horses...to their deaths

All my readers know that I take deep issue with PETA marketing tactics, but still respect the information that PETA provides.

PETA reports:

A little over a year ago, people watched in horror as Eight Belles was ridden to her death at the Kentucky Derby. Her jockey whipped her as she ran flat out on the hard dirt track before finally collapsing after crossing the finish line and immediately snapping both her front ankles. She was euthanized in the dirt where she lay, wracked with pain, a victim of the dirty business of thoroughbred racing.

Eight Belles' tragic breakdown was no freak accident. Rather, it was a glimpse into an industry quietly responsible for more than 1,000 fatal horse breakdowns on U.S. tracks each year.

Reform attempts by PETA include:

• A ban on all drugs designed to push horses beyond their limits
• Softer track surfaces to protect vulnerable horses' bones and joints
• A ban on the use of whips
• An end to the racing of young horses before their legs are fully formed and strengthened.
• An end to the practice of shipping thoroughbreds overseas, where most end up in a dog-food can

You can make a donation to this campaign here.