The problem is not that there's nothing in there that is a revelation; it's that there's plenty in there for people who already oppose racing to reaffirm their personal feelings, even though those feelings might not be based in fact. Nehro's got no pulse in one foot! Therefore horse racing is cruel! (Never mind pulse in a foot is actually a bad thing)
In the comment thread on Gawker on the article someone pointed out how vastly superior UK racing is because they don't start racing them until they're four and they race there until they're twelve. Oh, and drugs have ruined the breed. And a chorus of voices chimed in on how awful it is to race horses at age 2, when they're still babies (apparently 3-year-old girls learning to ice skate and do gymnastics is not an issue because shut up that's why).
The movement to ban NYC carriage horses has really brought to light, to me, how divorced people are from the reality of the lives of domesticated animals. They infantilize horses (and dogs and cats) into perpetual victims of evil man. And this dumb PETA thing plays into every one of these preconceived notions about horses and the people who make their livings off of them.
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Gentlemen! We're burning daylight! Riders up! -Bill Murray
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