Race fans, if you are a California resident, please consider emailing Senator Feinstein your thoughts on horse racing as a valued industry. The Senator has been receiving information from opponents that will affect the future fate of Santa Anita. Please contact @ Senator Feinstein
Below is a letter skillfully written by horse owner and member of the ‘We Support Horse Racing’ movement, Karen Gentry.
Dear Senator Feinstein,
I am writing to you in response to your recent statement about Horse Racing’s critical test. I appreciate your concern for horses and I share your feelings of being heartbroken. Each horse is precious and loved by an owner and worker who cares for them daily.
That said, as an owner myself, it would appear there are some critical facts you have not brought up, that I would like to bring to your attention:
There are typically 1900 horses stabled at Santa Anita, with the closing of Hollywood park a few years ago.
This weekend there were 1800 horses on the track every day into the morning along with the 280 horses who raced. That’s a total of over 3800 horses who went over that track over the 2 day period with 1 injury.
Since December there have been about 700,000 horses going around that track with a total of 37 injuries.
**If you have not been around horses in general in your life you may not be aware that horses in private ownership/not racing, also die from leg injuries. According to the FDA, of the total horse deaths in private ownership, 28% are as a result of a broken bone. Senator Feinstein, horses are not designed where that injury can be healed like a dog or a human. You could take every horse off the race track and some would still manage to get injured and have to be euthanized. Its the nature of the beast. There is nothing Government can do to change this.
At the race track everything is done to mitigate risk and credit needs to be given for the reforms the Governor asked for that have seen a 58% improvement.
To seize upon an unusual weather pattern last Spring that caused a higher than usual number of accidents calling for a suspension of racing is an extreme position. We can learn from that weather pattern the next time it returns, 100 years from now. In the meantime, you are using the one sided biased opinions of a small group of radical animal activists , based out of New York, who spend their time and energy lobbying state and federal legislators, as well as our state CHRB, the Governor appointed regulatory agency.
My concern with this group, Horse Racing Wrongs, is that they have 501 (c) 3 non profit status. I am requesting as your constituent that you investigate how it is, a political group, set up only to affect legislation, using regular lobbying efforts, can do this under a 501 (c) 3? Isn’t political activity prohibited?
I have public statements made by their leader, Patrick Batuello, that they filed a ballot initiative with the CA SOS recently. Since when is a 501 (c) 3 able to file for a ballot initiative or appear at a government hearing to participate in lobbying officials? If you need further documentation please contact me.
In the meantime Senator, there are 115,000 Californians who depend on horse racing for their job. The front side workers at each race track are all Union members and are all under the umbrella of the SEIU. The backside workers who care for the horses also live with the horses. This is not a job to them – This is their life. Many of them are from Latin American countries and are provided housing and medical. They would be unable to find jobs in other sectors and likely to become homeless adding to that burden.
Senator, as a horse owner I demand that every precaution be taken to ensure the health and welfare of my horse. I believe that is the case at Santa Anita. I would like to invite you to tour the backside of the track with me to see this in person. I recently brought a documentary film maker back to the barns who was sure he was going to find what the activists claim happens. He was, quite frankly shocked at what he saw. What he witnessed was horses getting treated like royalty from their grooms as well as a panel of veterinarians going over the horses with a fine toothed comb.
To call for horse racing to be suspended because the risk of taking a bad step as an athlete which results in a broken bone will not stop if that same horse is retired. Life happens. You cannot manage risk to zero tho we would like to.
As a taxpayer in the state of California I have other concerns I’d like to ask for you to put high on your priority list. The homeless situation is out of control. Death on skid row of humans is higher priority in my mind. The Medieval diseases such as Bubonic plague are returning to the modern world. This is a problem that affects every single California resident. Let’s work together to solve this problem.
I look forward to your response on the status of a political group who has a 501 (c) 3 status, and what you plan to do to manage the homeless situation. Let’s work to make California The Golden state with better opportunities for all.
Sincerely,
Karen Norton
