As the 20th Anniversary of Ferdinand's Kentucky Derby Victory, I invite you all to read this story one more time.
Nineteen years ago tomorrow, a 3 year old colt named Ferdinand came out of no where and stole my heart.The long shot winner of the 112th Kentucky Derby, was a big chestnut colt with a gentle nature. He was my introduction to Thoroughbred Horse Racing and heartbreakingly my introduction to a dark industry secret.
It was supposed to be Snow Chief's year, after all he was the favorite. Ferdinand, who was a laid back guy had essentially been ignored by handicappers and the main stream press. When they turned for home and the big Chief began to fade, a red horse with an old man on his back, crossed that wire first. I was 12 years old and Snow Chief had been my first pick for the Derby. Matter of fact it is the first race I can remember watching. I learned what it felt like to lose that day. I remember I cried a bit, pouted while I kicked at the ground, and complained that "Everyone who said the knew about race horses said Snow Chief was the favorite. That this race belonged to Snow Chief!" Well as an adult I now know if I ever have a horse it the Run for The Roses....I hope and pray he isn't the favorite.
Over the next few days and then weeks leading up to the next leg of the series, good 'ole Ferdinand started to grow on me. Thus began my obsession with underdogs. In horse racing, football (the Bills) and everyday life I always rooted for the least expected outcome. So much so, that when the Buffalo Bills headed to their 4th Super Bowl in a row, I still refused to believe that they would lose (again). You weren't going to find a fair weather fan here, I dug in and by the end of that game I was exhausted. In 1987, when Alysheba went down and picked himself up to win!!!! Well I screamed, I jumped up and down, and drove everyone in my house nuts. Later that year when Aly and Ferdinand met at the Breeders' Cup, well let's just say I was a quivering idiot and needless to say when Ferdinand won that race I didn't know which way was up. The year I turned 14, I got my first AQHA filly and to the dismay of her breeders I registered her Flowers For Aly.
Now fast forward 18 years, I am a mom now. I had put my first love, horses, on the backburner. Well one day after dropping my eldest at school, I sat down with my morning coffee and switched on the T.V. and got the shock of my life. 1986 Kentucky Derby winner SLAUGHTERED in Japan!!! He had been sold to a stud farm and had not produced winners.....so he was "disposed of". I have since learned to lack of acreage, that it is a very popular alternative in Japan to send unwanted thoroughbreds to slaughtered for pet food.
I couldn't breathe, I was devastated and I couldn't sit still, so I paced my house like a zombie. Sobs racked my body, my breathing became so labored I started to feel dizzy. It was all so overwhelming, that big beautiful red boy, treated like garbage. I was enraged. I could not fathom, EVER, that a winner of the greatest Thoroughbred race in the world would be treated with such disdain. Okay so he wasn't a viable stud, did a horse who had shown such strength, courage, and heart deser to be terrified, humiliated, and alone. No one to pat his neck or allow him put his face to their chest and feel comfort one more time.
He had given his body and heart so his humans could feel the glory of stepping into the winners circle, had raced ($3 million+) to pay bills and as the men around him got the glory, he was discarded for trash. He wasn't retired, but sold and sent to country that breeds horses specifically for human consumption!!! In an industry where 16 BILLION DOLLARS were wagered on races last year, I find it hard to believe that one single horse needs to ever be sentenced to death.
That day I was inconsolable. I called my mom, both my sisters and told them. We all love horses, but well I may have freaked them out a bit. All I could imagined was how terrified Ferdinand must have been. I can picture him with his head held high, eyes rolling showing the whites of his big beautiful brown eyes. His ears twitching every which way trying to figure out where the danger was coming from. Sniffing the air, his nostrils flared out and all he could smell......the fear of the other horses. I imagined him in a cold sweat, his flanks heaving, and eventually he would hang his head in exhaustion, he would be more tired than after any workout or race. Only this time no one was there to tell him he was a good boy and it would be okay.
The shock and terror that these noble creatures go through just to line the pocket of a two-bit horse dealer drives me to action. I have 2 front burners now. I want America to wake up and smell their Mint Julep. Just imagine for every dollar that is spent during the Triple Crown Series...we COULD save them. Not only the racers, but the orphans whose mothers are ripped away to nurse other foals, our wild mustangs out west, the PMU foals,and every other horse that is treated unkind and neglected.
One last thought. I live in South Florida, and I see horse owners who are willing to lay down millions of dollars for a 5 acre lot and then cram 10 horses on it. I always wonder after those big, loyal, beautiful "family pets" are done showing and working for their humans...will those owners show the same loyalty and work just as hard to make sure that they have a forever home? After all, we all get to stand in the winners circle and feel the glory of victory, whether it is a blue ribbon or a compliment about our horsemanship. So join me in remembrance of Ferdinand and the countless horses that have suffered his fate. Tomorrow, when My 'Ole Kentucky Home begins to play, that tear in my eye will be for my first underdog.
Please visit New York Horse Rescue. They work primarily with former racers.
www.nyhr.org is there site.
No comments:
Post a Comment