Stop Drugging Race Horses

An extensive New York Times investigation has revealed that race horses are routinely drugged so they can race despite existing injuries.  The result has been greater risks of serious injuries and even death for horses and for jockeys.
Currently, the US has no laws regulating drug testing and penalties for overmedicating race horse. In Indiana, a first drug offense means that trainers must forfeit their winnings. But in New Mexico, trainers who are caught drugging horses with the powerful painkiller Flunixin,"get a free pass on their first violation, a $200 fine on the second and a $400 fine on the third, records show." Only eleven states require necropsies to determine if a horse who broke down had an existing injury. 
While poor track surfaces and jockey errors can contribute to a horse breaking down, the "prime suspect" is drugs. Medicating horses with painkillers and other drugs should be banned. This inhumane practice will only contribute to the decline of the racing industry, as more and more people become aware of the abuses the horses are subjected to and the dangers they and jockeys face.
We, the undersigned, demand that an immediate ban on drugging race horses in the US. 
An extensive New York Times investigation has revealed that race horses in the US are routinely drugged so they can race despite existing injuries.  The result has been greater risks of serious injuries and death for horses and for jockeys:
- Approximately 3,600 horses have died while training or racing in the U.S. in the past three years.
- Horses in lower grade claiming races have a 22 percent chance of breaking down or otherwise showing signs of injury than horses in higher grade races.
- 63 horses died at the track at the Finger Lakes Casino and Racetrack in upstate New York in 2011, more than double the fatalities of the five previous years.
Currently, the US has no laws regulating drug testing and penalties for overmedicating race horse. In Indiana, a first drug offense means that trainers must forfeit their winnings. But in New Mexico, trainers who are caught drugging horses with the powerful painkiller Flunixin,"get a free pass on their first violation, a $200 fine on the second and a $400 fine on the third, records show." Only eleven states require necropsies to determine if a horse who broke down had an existing injury. 
While poor track surfaces and jockey errors can contribute to a horse breaking down, the "prime suspect" is drugs. Drugging race horses will only contribute to the decline of the racing industry, as more and more people become aware of the abuses the horses are subjected to and the dangers they and jockeys face.
Medicating horses with painkillers and other drugs must be banned. 
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