PETA - Big Brown

[Kasept]

October 14, 2008

Michael Iavarone, Co-President/Co-CEO
Richard J. Schiavo, Co-President/Co-CEO
International Equine Acquisitions Holdings, Inc.
595 Stewart Ave., Suite 810
Garden City, NY 11530

1 page via fax

Dear Messrs. Iavarone and Schiavo,

On behalf of PETA’s two million members and supporters, I am writing to extend our condolences on Big Brown’s injuries, which are reportedly serious enough to be career ending, and to ask you to take a very difficult step. For the good of future generations of thoroughbreds, we ask you not to stand Big Brown at stud. Rather than pass on the traits of a horse who has been plagued by injuries throughout his brief career, we ask that you geld and retire Big Brown.

Following the breakdown and death of Eight Belles, questions that had been confined to racing insiders became public: What has happened to thoroughbreds? Why are more than 700 horses suffering catastrophic injuries resulting in deaths on the race track every year? Some of the problems are attributed to breeding. Stallions with the fewest starts, whose careers are cut short by injury or fear of injury, are more likely to be bred than horses with longer racing careers. Logical people are questioning why unsound horses are being bred.

One of the issues is that the use of legal drugs such as phenylbutazone has contributed to keeping unsound horses competing and thus covering up weaknesses. But as important, the desire for speed appears to have trumped common sense. Numerous media outlets reported that all 20 of the horses who competed in this year’s Kentucky Derby had genes from Native Dancer—a winning horse who likely passed along a tendency toward unsoundness along with his speed.

Native Dancer, too, was retired for leg injuries. Like Native Dancer, Big Brown’s ascendency has been marred by ongoing leg and hoof problems, including a quarter crack in his hoof just before the Belmont Stakes. Will you set aside your own desire for profit and do what’s right for the horses? These animals have brought you fame and fortune. Perhaps now you could find it in your hearts to do them a favor.

Best regards,

Kathy Guillermo
Director of Research

[Payson Dave]

Holy Mother of God!!

[mes5107]

Not as nasty a tone as I'm used to from Peta, but I thought that they were against castration of animals.

[sumitas]

With all due respect to Big Brown, he is a talented and gutsy horse, I do understand the viewpoint of the letter . Soundness is sacrificed for a short and speedy career insofar as breeding goes .

[ateamstupid]

Seriously, I know PETA = bad!!! BAD PETA!!! but haven't many of you been saying basically the same thing this year? How it's a shame that a horse with such bad feet is going to be passing his genes on to hundreds of new thoroughbreds?

[alysheba4]

Originally Posted by ateamstupid

Seriously, I know PETA = bad!!! BAD PETA!!! but haven't many of you been saying basically the same thing this year? How it's a shame that a horse with such bad feet is going to be passing his genes on to hundreds of new thoroughbreds?

.......yeah, but this stuff has been going on so long not much you can do........kinda like the illegal alien situation in cali

[DogsUp]

PETA is now on Victorino's case for liking Spam:
http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/blog/big...urn=mlb,115113

[Cannon Shell]

Originally Posted by ateamstupid

Seriously, I know PETA = bad!!! BAD PETA!!! but haven't many of you been saying basically the same thing this year? How it's a shame that a horse with such bad feet is going to be passing his genes on to hundreds of new thoroughbreds?

yeah like Danzig and Mr P

[Scav]

The only thing that PETA can bitch about in horse racing is when Cannon finally lets me get on a thoroughbred.....

[philcski]

To put it in perspective, you can get to Spectaculardynasty who has had about 15 starters, of which nearly all have won at some level, four of which have started more than 40 times, for the low low price of

FREE.

[Cannon Shell]

Originally Posted by Scav

The only thing that PETA can bitch about in horse racing is when Cannon finally lets me get on a thoroughbred.....

I will turn myself in to the proper authorities

[ateamstupid]

Originally Posted by Cannon Shell

yeah like Danzig and Mr P

I'm not saying that I agree or disagree with them, I just find it funny that people who have been saying the same basic thing about Big Brown are reacting so negatively to this.

[Cannon Shell]

Originally Posted by ateamstupid

I'm not saying that I agree or disagree with them, I just find it funny that people who have been saying the same basic thing about Big Brown are reacting so negatively to this.

Those people while probably not radicals dont know what they are talking about either. There is no soundness gene and genetics plays a very small role in the soundness of horses generally speaking.

[Danzig]

Originally Posted by Cannon Shell

yeah like Danzig and Mr P

hey, i didn't....
oh, the horse. j/k, i knew who you meant.

and danzig sired the most stakes winners on the continent, and with small books. it's a crapshoot for sure.

personally, i wouldn't breed to big brown because boundary didn't do a whole lot in his brief career at stud, and big brown wasn't a top 3 yo.. he's just the top this year...too many horses out there with better pedigrees and more talent.

[Cannon Shell]

Originally Posted by Danzig

hey, i didn't....
oh, the horse. j/k, i knew who you meant.

and danzig sired the most stakes winners on the continent, and with small books. it's a crapshoot for sure.

personally, i wouldn't breed to big brown because boundary didn't do a whole lot in his brief career at stud, and big brown wasn't a top 3 yo.. he's just the top this year...too many horses out there with better pedigrees and more talent.

Honestly it is about price also. If you could get to him for $20k you may take a chance he is going to do ok. But for $75k he is a huge risk for the reasons you said not to mention there are plenty of really good proven sires at that level. One of the mistakes that they made was letting the media make a big deal out of the feet issues. They simply talked too much. If you are staying in as a major stakeholder in a stallion the last thing you want is the media telling of the woes of your horses health over and over. There are quite a few major stallions that have gone to stud with far bigger issues than this horse has that you never heard about in the media.

[AeWingnut]

Originally Posted by Kasept

October 14, 2008

Michael Iavarone, Co-President/Co-CEO
Richard J. Schiavo, Co-President/Co-CEO
International Equine Acquisitions Holdings, Inc.
595 Stewart Ave., Suite 810
Garden City, NY 11530

1 page via fax

Dear Messrs. Iavarone and Schiavo,

On behalf of PETA’s two members and supporters, I am writing to extend our condolences on Big Brown’s injuries, which are reportedly serious enough to be career ending, and to ask you to take a very difficult step. For the good of future generations of thoroughbreds, we ask you not to stand Big Brown at stud. Rather than pass on the traits of a horse who has been plagued by injuries throughout his brief career, we ask that you geld and retire Big Brown.

Following the breakdown and death of Eight Belles, questions that had been confined to racing insiders became public: What has happened to thoroughbreds? Why are more than 700 horses suffering catastrophic injuries resulting in deaths on the race track every year? Some of the problems are attributed to breeding. Stallions with the fewest starts, whose careers are cut short by injury or fear of injury, are more likely to be bred than horses with longer racing careers. Logical people are questioning why unsound horses are being bred.

One of the issues is that the use of legal drugs such as phenylbutazone has contributed to keeping unsound horses competing and thus covering up weaknesses. But as important, the desire for speed appears to have trumped common sense. Numerous media outlets reported that all 20 of the horses who competed in this year’s Kentucky Derby had genes from Native Dancer—a winning horse who likely passed along a tendency toward unsoundness along with his speed.

Native Dancer, too, was retired for leg injuries. Like Native Dancer, Big Brown’s ascendency has been marred by ongoing leg and hoof problems, including a quarter crack in his hoof just before the Belmont Stakes. Will you set aside your own desire for profit and do what’s right for the horses? These animals have brought you fame and fortune. Perhaps now you could find it in your hearts to do them a favor.

Best regards,

Kathy Guillermo
Director of Research

I really wonder if they have 2 million members and supporters. I think we need to question the 700 horses suffering catastrophic breakdowns.
(is that world wide including countries like Mexico and Uraguay)

I don't think IEAH will/ should castrate Big Brown. I just hope that people won't take their mares to him and people won't buy his bad feet progeny

[Danzig]

Originally Posted by AeWingnut

I really wonder if they have 2 million members and supporters. I think we need to question the 700 horses suffering catastrophic breakdowns.
(is that world wide including countries like Mexico and Uraguay)

I don't think IEAH will/ should castrate Big Brown. I just hope that people won't take their mares to him and people won't buy his bad feet progeny

wonder if their insurance would pay on the fertility insurance if they did this and filed a claim?! i'm betting no.

[DogsUp]

Originally Posted by DaHoss9698

In all seriousness they bring up a good point that has been argued in many places. Why the industry continues to breed to unsound horses. However, like most wackos, the way they go about their message alienates anyone who would agree with them because they are so thoughtless in their delivery.

I thought the same exact thing. They aren't totally offbase here.

[Bobby Fischer]

Good to know PETA would support and sponsor horse racing if certain breeding practices were followed.

[Bobby Fischer]

Brown was sound enough to be the star of the 3yo division.

If some of his offspring have soft feet and can't race - they aren't gonna make it to breeding. These things have a way of working themselves out.