After the Finish Line

When I was in Congressman Ed Whitfield's office last Wednesday and he whipped out his Blackberry to give me names and numbers of people I should get in touch with as part of my research for the article on horse slaughter, one of the first names he mentioned was Bill Heller's. In fact, he called Bill Heller while I was sitting there to tell him to expect my call.

Well I have just finished reading Bill Heller's book, After the Finish Line, The Race to End Horse Slaughter in America, and I know why he was so high on Whitfield's list. If you are at all interested in the topic--not from the eye witness perspective of animal brutality--but from the point of view of what is being done to rescue and re-train thoroughbreds, I highly recommend his work. It is a quick read but incredibly well researched and even uplifting. While there is much that still needs to be done, according to Heller, the thoroughbred racing industry has done a pretty good job of caring for its own and getting the message out that slaughter does not have to be the ultimate fate of horses who can no longer race.

I called Bill last week when I got home from Washington and he is as gracious on the phone as he seems to be in print. He was very interested in my project, told me some reassuring tales about his own escapades with agents and offered his advice and help. I promised I would call him when I finished the book, and I will.

What is interesting about Heller's work is that only 3 years ago when the book came out, the rescue and retirement organizations that he mentions were just blips on the radar screen. The anti-slaughter movement was still in its undercover days and even though individuals in racing, notably John Hettinger, were taking a stand, the issue was pretty much hush-hush.

Just three years later and it is still gaining momentum but has become, I believe, a grass roots movement that is a force in its own right. Heller's book went to press before the anti-slaughter bill made it through the House of Representatives the first time, so the time is clearly right for me to do a follow up. And it is equally the right time to focus on the groundswell of momentum that the Fans of Barbaro have provided to this group.

Every once in a while, I get the timing right. Let's hope I can do the story justice!