By: Maddy Olver
Maddy Olver: Photo Credit: Michael Gallitelli
Maybe due to its connection to gambling, maybe due to the outcry of animal rights activists, maybe because interest in the sport has decreased, or maybe for a myriad of other reasons, horse racing has been under fire. High profile actors such as trainers Bob Baffert, Peter Miller, and Jorge Navarro, among many others, are criticized for their above-average rate of fatalities on the track and drug usage. The tragic death of Kentucky Derby winner Medina Spirit added fuel to the flames; a promising young life lost too soon. The public and other members of the equine community often argue that horse racing is corrupt and supports the suffering of the animal.
While all of these arguments have a place in the continuous discussion of how to improve horse racing, I fiercely defend the sport of horse racing for not only the horses, but the people that pour their blood, sweat, and tears into their jobs for the love and passion of the horse.
I have worked as an exercise rider in Maisons-Laffitte, France, Saratoga, New York, and at Payson Park Training Center in Florida. I watch the trainers, the riders, the grooms, the hot-walkers, the veterinarians, the farriers, and their associates rise every morning before the rest of the world is awake and show up to the best of their ability to provide the highest care and give the greatest effort to each horse.
Belmont Stakes and recent Breeder’s Cup winning trainer Christophe Clement explained to me why he is at the barn every single day for upwards of 12 hours each day. “I am lucky enough, and very grateful to the horses, that I can make a good living doing what I do, but ultimately I do this for one reason: because I love horses.” His long-time assistant, Christophe Lorieul, stated “we live from them, because we care for them.”
The owners, who are an essential part of the industry, experience some of the greatest thrills of their life from horse racing. Simply Google a video of the Queen of England watching her horse cross the wire first and I can promise you, there will not be another time you see the Queen frantically jumping up and down with joy.
Furthermore, the grooms and foreman explained to me how the horses have given them the opportunity to live in the United States and make much better money than they would in Mexico. Much of their wages are sent back to support their families in Mexico, and in the best cases they are able to bring their families over to live with them in the U.S., or their flights are paid for by the trainers so they can take months at a time to visit their families at home.
Maddy Olver Riding a Horse – Photo Credit: Alex Zhang
For the riders, it’s often a similar story. They come from all over the world; Puerto Rico, Chile, Guatemala, Chile, France, Spain, England, America… we are all able to support who we need to support, live in the country we want to live, and do what we love all because of the horse. These horses do not stop touching lives even after they retire from the track. The numerous, highly successful adoption programs such as ReRun, New Vocations, and CANTER match retired thoroughbreds with homes that love them deeply and provide them with purpose beyond racing.
It is easy for outsiders to point fingers at horse racing, but none of us are innocent of corruption and causing suffering. In every sport there are injuries and people who are in it only for fame, glory, and money. It is easy to condemn horse racing while dressing in clothes made by child labor or wearing diamonds mined through human abuse and habitat destruction. Corruption and suffering are inevitable in the world, but we are each individually responsible to decrease it.
The horse is the reason I do what I do. They have given me the opportunity to travel, to learn new languages, to meet new people, to feel a sense of accomplishment, thrill, and passion beyond anything I have ever experienced, and they allow me to fly. I will always be grateful to horses for giving me everything they have given me, and I will always do my part to decrease the corruption and suffering in the industry. I invite you to do the same.
