recently i heard that Figo, an inter milan soccer played deliberately knocked over a black cat which had been wandering in front of the stadium. he believed that the black cat had brought them black luck which resulted in the lost of a 11 point lead in the Italian soccer league. ( they still won the title in the end last weekend) this caused an uproar and protests from those animal welfare groups. this lead to have some thoughts about it.
while i do condemn Figo actions and see it as inappropriate, i begin to realize that there was another sports which has been an act of animal cruelty. heard of equestrian and horse racing ?
equestrian is a form of sports in which the rider will make the horse jump over several obstacles. it is like a form of art and performance. those lovers of these 2 sports, equestrian and horse racing, are mostly likely to believe that these horses are born to run and jump. i will say ... this is nonsense! as nonsense as what Figo is thinking...
the forms of animal cruelty often take place behind the scenes. when a horse suffers from a major injury such as a broken leg which will affect the running or jumping, it will be put to sleep. on a positive note, u can think that they are ending their pain. but i am not on that frequency of thinking. it does not matter whether the horse is a champion horse in last week race or a young horse which has years ahead to live. to the owners, it is a matter of money. as long as they can't win a race anymore, they are dealt as useless and should be put aside. mind you.. there isn't any medical treatments to these horses and they ain't suffering from a life threatening injury... they are being slaughtered to save the costs of rearing them...
i believe most will remember the whip that's often used in the racing. can u image urself being whipped as u run a race? the pain inflicted on the horse to make them run faster is unacceptable to me.
during training, these horses may be given drugs to enhance their performance or be immune to pain. i believe those sportsman out there who been through competitive sports and training will know how painful and hard those periods are. can u imagine that ur coaches have total control over and don't give a damn to ur feelings ?
those poor horses out there... they have to endure these pains and sufferings to put up a show/race for us. beneath their glamorous facade, these 2 sports are ruthless industry motivated by financial gain and prestige. Cruelty? u can bet on it...
P.S u dont have to love a dog to be caring for animals. there are many other ways.
