Funny, Considering the Number of Entries I Thought He Retired Years Ago
 

I got the following earth shattering, and self-serving, news this morning.....



Michael Dickinson will not be applying for a Trainers License in 2008



I need 100% of my time to concentrate on Tapeta Footings. I spent most of last winter overseas and 50% of my time this summer visiting Tapeta installations in 5 countries, which obviously leaves little time for training. I have been concerned for sometime about the welfare of horses racing on unsuitable surfaces and really want repay the horse in my own small way.

so will his horses be drinking more or less beer now?

you mean no more stories upon stories about dickinson sticking his finger in the mud at a track? how will the sport survive?

I've always liked Dickinson. A legendary jumps trainer. I like that the welfare of the horse has always been his first emphasis, from the setup of his stable, to his gallops, and his work on developing Tapeta.

The guy won about 1 race every 5 months with a full barn. Im sure he will be sorely missed

Welfare of his horses, maybe that would explain why his runners averaged about 4 starts a year. That or the great surface they trained over

Well then you guys should be happy he's gone, and not around clouding your forms with horses to readily bet against ;)

So when did you join PETA?

Before someone reminds me I need to let it go, I'm sure A Huevo really appreciated how Dickinson had his welfare in mind when he ran over the sloppiest track in history off a year long layoff in the 2005 WV Breeders Classic.

That statement makes no contextual sense whatsoever.

count me as one who didn't know he was still training.

Coming from someone who used welfare and jumps trainer in the same post I'll take that as a compliment.

Ahhh ... so you think jumping horses is cruel?

I have a problem with you speaking for Dickinson. His first priority is the welfare of his horses? Really? Let's be honest with ourselves...if his first priority was the welfare of horses he wouldn't be in a business where they are put at risk.

Tough to argue with this.

Dickinson's first priority is to make money. There is nothing wrong with this. However, this is the important point that seems to be being glossed over. Mr. Dickinson can, does, and will make a great deal of money from the proliferation of synthetic surfaces. His second priority is to enable his first priority to be successful.

The overall welfare of horses is way down the actual list of his priorities.

I obviously didn't speak for Dickinson. I most obviously spoke my own opinion, based upon my own observations, when I said, "I've .... "

I asked you if you thought jumping horses was cruel. You haven't answered directly. Do you think so, or not? Your reply above is confusing: do you think racing horses (not over jumps) is cruel, or not?

So you maintain Dickinson's initial development of Tapeta over the years was not initiated nor based upon his concern for track conditions that horses would be racing over, that it was simply his getting on the bandwagon years ago, with the realization that someday tracks would want synthetic surfaces, and he would then be in a position to profit from that?

Yes it can be a cruel sport. Please tell me otherwise. I need a good laugh today.

I think they may go hand in hand.

Frankly, a great deal of things were said about synthetic surfaces when they were introduced to racing that have been proven to be completely untrue. And, this is in just the first couple of years.

If the Tapeta surface was so kind to horses how come Mr. Dickinson's horses make less starts overall than any other trainer's horses on the entire planet?

Yes, jump racing can be a cruel sport, as can flat racing, as can barrel racing or riding horses over jumps in a show ring.

But either flat or jump racing (or other horse sports) can also not be "cruel" to the horse at all, unless one believes the essential nature of any horse sport - that being man utilizing the horse within them - is cruel by definition.

That's the PETA viewpoint, btw.

PETA's viewpoint goes deeper than that. They want the sport banned.

I don't want it banned. I just want people to stop trying to pretty the sport up as something it's not. Just be real and accept the fact that you enjoy a sport that can be cruel to an animal. It doesn't make you evil, it makes you human.