Slow Down Says PETA

A recent article in The Wall Street Journal (September 10, 2011--subscription only) discussed the practice of breezing two year old horses being auctioned for sale to demonstrate their "soundness" to potential buyers. This activity has recently come under scrutiny by PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) which states that these short, fast workouts can put young horses at risk because their muscles and bones are not fully formed.

In response, Fasig-Tipton, one of the industry's major auction houses, is taking these concerns seriously and is looking into implementing better safety standards for the horses. Apparently these concerns were raised after two horses died in sales-related exercises. One of those horses died on a muddy track at the Maryland Fairgrounds sale and it is unclear what role the condition of the track played in the outcome.

PETA is urging auction houses to adopt the European model of having the young horses gallop or accelerate gradually. It is also asking the auction houses to limit the sprints to horses older than two and to postpone these breezes if the track is muddy. Terrence Collier, a spokesperson for Fasig-Tipton, one of the auction houses, noted: "We support any effort to improve the welfare of horses and riders."

ironically, how fast a young horse breezes is not always an indication of how fast he/she can run. The most famous example of this are the blazing fast workouts recorded by The Green Monkey as a 2 year old and his notoriously lackluster career on the track. He never won a race.