Abolishing the Need for Nurse Mares for Sport

We the undersigned, repectfully request that the Jockey Club address the issue of Nurse Mares, which has become an entrenched industry, so that the dams of "valuable" foals can be transported and rebred. 

There is  silent chilling story that is hidden behind the business of breeding thoroughbreds bred for the racetrack.

"Because of the need for live cover, mare are transported without their foals.  These foals are incredibly valuable. The danger in travelling while still so young, with mares often being bred during their foal heat, nine days after birth, or even within the first month of the foal%u2019s life, creates a risk that owners are reluctant to take. The insurance companies are even more reluctant, with the fees being quite prohibitive. This has given rise to the popularity of the nurse mare foal industry.

At one time, the practice of a nurse mare was done in the spirit of one neighbour helping another. More often than not, the mare was given two foals to raise, her own and the orphan foal. Today we have a nurse mare industry with mares being bred specifically for the purpose of producing milk used to nourish the foal of another mare, a more "expensive" foal.

Nurse mare farms have been in existence for the past 30 years serving the sport horse (i.e. Thoroughbred Racing Horses) breeding industry. The sole purpose of these farms is to breed healthy open mares and turn them into lactating mares through pregnancy and birth. These mothers are called nurse mares or wet mares. After foaling, the mare is made available for lease to a farm that wants a wet mare for their sport prospect foal.

But the true tragedy is what happens to the foals that are left behind.

Looking up information on the internet on the nurse mare foal industry, one is struck by the shocking stories. Stories of foals that are disposed of, their bodies thrown in a pile to rot outside the barn.

At times the bodies of these foals provide a monetary value. As pony leather, the hides of these foals are used in the fashion and textile industry and for some, the meat of these foals is considered a delicacy.

Sadly, there are also stories of induced labour ensuring that mares are being made available on demand, or foals taken away before given the chance to drink the all important colostrum with the incredibly important antibodies so necessary for the foal that the mare passes on."

From http://horsesforlife.com/TheDilemmaNurseMareFoals

There are many viable solutions.  But first and foremost we must ensure that all foals that are the offspring of Nurse Mares are not abandoned or discarded, but instead are raised by the corporations and owners of the Nurse Mares.

Alternativley allow AI in the Thoroughbred industry with limited breedings per stallion.

There may also be other viable alternatives which you, as the Jockey Club can address.

As a lover of horses, it is not okay to do nothing, while foals are being destroyed and/or left abandoned without adequate care.  This puts an unacceptable blight on the Thoroughbred breeding industry and our own humanity.