NYS Humane Association

Susan Wagner testified at the Public Hearing on the Welfare of Racehorses in New York State before the Senate Standing Committee on Racing, Gaming and Wagering and the Senate Standing Committee on Domestic Animal Welfare on Wednesday, June 5, 2019. Susan Wagner is Founder and President of Equine Advocates which maintains a 140- acre sanctuary in Chatham, NY. Currently the sanctuary is home to 82 equines. Most of these horses were purchased out of kill pens or seized by police in cruelty case raids. Most horses bred for racing never make it to the racetracks. Over a hundred thousand horses are slaughtered annually. Slaughter makes it too easy to dispose of a problem, even making a small profit. Horse slaughter is the garbage disposal for the horse industry. The convenience of slaughter encourages indiscriminate breeding of horses, causing a surplus of horses born each year. If the Federal government banned horse slaughter, the result would be a better and healthier horse industry. https://www.equineadvocates.org/

Susan Kayne testified at the Public Hearing on the Welfare of Racehorses in New York State before the Senate Standing Committee on Racing, Gaming and Wagering and the Senate Standing Committee on Domestic Animal Welfare on Wednesday, June 5, 2019. Susan Kayne thanked both Senator Addabbo and Senator Martinez for having the courage to create this venue to hear about the reality of horses bred and used in the racing industry. A lot of funding is needed for the aftercare of racehorses. Ms. Kayne does not think that funding should be controlled by the Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance, a PR organization for the racing industry, that is more interested in covering up racing carnage and the numbers of horses going to slaughter than the aftercare of horses. Unbridled Thoroughbred Foundation - http://www.susankayne.com/Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance - https://www.thoroughbredaftercare.org/

Colleen Segarra testified at the Public Hearing on the Welfare of Racehorses in New York State before the Senate Standing Committee on Racing, Gaming and Wagering and the Senate Standing Committee on Domestic Animal Welfare on Wednesday, June 5, 2019. Colleen Segarra testified about discarded racehorses who end up at auctions and are sold by the pound for slaughter. She said that her organization provides support in cruelty cases. One example was the Ernie Paragallo cruelty case in which almost 200 severely neglected horses, many from the racing industry, were seized. The resources required to handle that number of horses was astronomical. She said funding for responsible retirement of racehorses is desperately needed in the industry. http://www.equinerescueresource.net/

Dr. Friedlander testified at the Public Hearing on the Welfare of Racehorses in New York State before the Senate Standing Committee on Racing, Gaming and Wagering and the Senate Standing Committee on Domestic Animal Welfare on Wednesday, June 5, 2019. Dr. Friedlander testified before this committee to oppose the slaughter of horses. He stated that New York State should not be a pipeline for horses to be slaughtered in Canada. Furthermore, horses are not being slaughtered humanely as required by the U.S.Humane Methods of Slaughter Act (HMSA). https://citizensagainstequineslaughter.org/

John Holland testified at the Public Hearing on the Welfare of Racehorses in New York State before the Senate Standing Committee on Racing, Gaming and Wagering and the Senate Standing Committee on Domestic Animal Welfare on Wednesday, June 5, 2019. John Holland is President of the Equine Welfare Alliance (https://www.equinewelfarealliance.org/) , an organization dedicated to ending the slaughter of American horses and the preservation and protection of wild horses and burros on public lands. Mr. Holland has determined that about 18% of the 96,000 horses going to slaughter annually from the United States are racehorses. EWA tracks everything they can about the slaughter industry. He says the slaughter industry is an absolute horror. Nobody cares about the animals at all, and it’s all about making money. The racing industry breeds 20,000 horses a year in New York State alone resulting in thousands of unwanted horses who never make the cut or are worthless after a short racing career. Most of these horses end up going to slaughter because their usefulness is over, no one wants them, and there's nowhere else for them to go. He estimated that providing care for 20,000 horses a year, with average lifespan of 25 years, at a low cost of $2,000 a year would cost $1 billion a year. If the United States banned horse slaughter and transport to other countries for slaughter, horses could not be disposed of so easily, and breeders would have to become more responsible for the animals they produce.

John Scheib testified at the Public Hearing on the Welfare of Racehorses in New York State before the Senate Standing Committee on Racing, Gaming and Wagering and the Senate Standing Committee on Domestic Animal Welfare on Wednesday, June 5, 2019. Mr. Scheib maintains that the welfare of racehorses will always fail because racing is about money. No one gets into racing because this is the best thing do for his horse - it’s all about the money. Mr. Scheib questions why the NYS Attorney General does not enforce existing laws regarding tampering with a racehorse to affect its performance. It is a felony to illegally drug a racehorse and that rampant violation of the law should be prosecuted. Mr Scheib is director of Responsible Animal Care (https://www.facebook.com/RACUSALLC/).

Patrick Battuello testified at the Public Hearing on the Welfare of Racehorses in New York State before the Senate Standing Committee on Racing, Gaming and Wagering and the Senate Standing Committee on Domestic Animal Welfare on Wednesday, June 5, 2019. Mr. Battuello is the Founder and President of the non-profit organization, Horseracing Wrongs (https://horseracingwrongs.org/), and asserts that horse racing is immoral and must end. He stated that horse racing is an archaic non-viable gambling industry that exploits, abuses, and kills horses. An average of 137 horses die every year on NYS racetracks; 2000 horses, nationally. This does not include racehorses that die away from the racetracks and the estimated 15,000 to 20,000 shipped to slaughter in Mexico and Canada each year when no longer making money or wanted by their owners.

Sue McDonough testified at the Public Hearing on the Welfare of Racehorses in New York State before the Senate Standing Committee on Racing, Gaming and Wagering and the Senate Standing Committee on Domestic Animal Welfare on Wednesday, June 5, 2019. Sue McDonough has owned and rescued horses for over 30 years. Professionally, Ms. McDonough served 26 years with the New York State Police in the Bureau of Criminal Investigation; her expertise with the State Police became investigating animal cruelty. Ms. McDonough spoke of Senate Bill S.1976 that would prohibit the use of performance enhancing drugs in racehorses. No other legislator, in either the Senate or Assembly, co-sponsored this legislation, and this bill has not received support from the racing industry. She said that laws protecting racehorses already exist but are not enforced. It is currently unlawful to administer any controlled substance with intent to influence the outcome of a horse race: this is a felony. Investigators at race tracks are not police or peace officers, and they only report violations to NY Racing Association instead of to a police agency. Ms. McDonough, as a State Trooper, stopped trucks hauling horses up 1-87 to Canada for slaughter. Ms. McDonough hopes this hearing will result in regulations that will recognize the value Americans place on humane animal treatment and will better protect the racehorses.

Dr. Kulikowski testified at the Public Hearing on the Welfare of Racehorses in New York State before the Senate Standing Committee on Racing, Gaming and Wagering and the Senate Standing Committee on Domestic Animal Welfare on Wednesday, June 5, 2019. Dr. Kulikowski, a graduate of Tufts University Veterinary School, learned from his racetrack internship that he did not want to be a racetrack veterinarian. Why would a veterinarian abdicate their knowledge and skills to trainers? Trainers, who control many horses, offer veterinary practice substantial income. One trainer can represent hundreds of thousands of dollars of revenue. The quality of racetrack medicine was not the only reason that Dr. Kulikowski decided not make a career as a racetrack veterinarian. He objected to 2- and 3-year-old horses, immature juveniles, being raced. This leads to lifelong medical and mental issues.

Dr. Lyon testified at the Public Hearing on the Welfare of Racehorses in New York State before the Senate Standing Committee on Racing, Gaming and Wagering and the Senate Standing Committee on Domestic Animal Welfare on Wednesday, June 5, 2019. Dr. Lyons graduated from Tufts University Veterinary School, is an equine veterinarian, and is the founder and director of The American College of Veterinary Sports Medicine and Rehabilitation, Homecoming Farm, Inc. According to her testimony, race track veterinarians have abdicated their authority as medical professionals. These veterinarians do not perform physical examinations, make diagnoses, nor develop therapeutic plans. Race track veterinarians simply deliver drugs at trainers’ request. For example, giving an anti-inflammatory drug to a horse is appropriate treatment but only if it's in the context of that horse resting. What you can't do is give that drug and then say, "Keep training. Keep racing," but that's what happens at these tracks. Dr. Lyons has had owners' horses come to New York racetracks from her practice in Florida or Kentucky. Many of these horses had numerous drugs given to them within days of arriving. Drugs are not used therapeutically, which is illegal, and which absolutely contributes to the completely unacceptable development of injuries. She advocates for a new type of CT-scan, developed for humans, that can detect tiny fractures not seen on an X-ray, to be used at every race track on every racehorse to identify preexisting conditions and to avoid breakdowns. The American College of Veterinary Sports Medicine and Rehabilitation, Homecoming Farm - http://www.acvsmr.org/

Iris Marie Bloom is Founder of Protecting Our Waters. Pat Valusek, host for this series, is president of the New York State Humane Association.

Roberta Schiff, advocate of vegan lifestyle, is coordinator of the Hudson Valley Vegans. Pat Valusek, host for this series, is president of the New York State Humane Association.

Kathy Stevens is Founder and Executive Director of Catskill Animal Sanctuary, located in Saugerties, NY. She is the author of 2 books: (1). Where the Blind Horse Sings: Love and Healing at an Animal Sanctuary and (2). Animal Camp: Reflections on a Decade of Love, Hope, and Veganism at Catskill Animal Sanctuary. Pat Valusek, host for this series, is president of the New York State Humane Association.

Kathy Stevens is Founder and Executive Director of Catskill Animal Sanctuary, located in Saugerties, NY. She is the author of 2 books: (1). Where the Blind Horse Sings: Love and Healing at an Animal Sanctuary and (2). Animal Camp: Reflections on a Decade of Love, Hope, and Veganism at Catskill Animal Sanctuary. Pat Valusek, host for this series, is president of the New York State Humane Association.

Gretchen Primack is a humane educator with the Ethical Choices Program (ECP - Ethical Choices Program - www.ethicalchoicesprogram.org). Gretchen is also a writer, poet and animal activist. Pat Valusek, host for this series, is president of the New York State Humane Association.

Pat Valusek, host for this series of videos, is chair of the New York State Humane Association with guest Dr. Harold Hovel, treasurer for New York State Humane Association and author of the booklet, The Connection Between Animal Abuse and Humane Violence.