Hillary Clinton (D)
Hillary Clinton for President
4420 North Fairfax Drive; Arlington, VA 22203
ph: 703-469-2008; fax: 703-962-8600; web mail: http://www.hillaryclinton.com/help/contact/
Dear Senator Clinton:
Animal cruelty is not a partisan issue. In light of Eight Belles’ tragic death in the Kentucky
Derby, I ask you to condemn horse races.
I support sentiments expressed in the letter below and urge you to denounce brutal
spectacles such as horseracing. Horses forced to run so fast their legs can’t support their
weight never “win.” Dogfighting, cockfighting, and horseracing measure an animal’s worth in
dollars. When glory fades, racehorses are neglected and abused. Some wind up on kill floors.
Animal protection issues matter to myself and many other voters. Please be more aware of
this untapped constituency and take a stand against cruelty.
"As a high profile political figure with the esteem of many women, I regret to say that your public
support of horseracing — and specifically betting on Eight Belles — makes you culpable in her
destruction. I ask you now to publicly condemn races like the Kentucky Derby. Eight Belles ran for
her life and was fiercely whipped as she came down that final stretch when she was no doubt in a
great deal of pain. We cannot call ourselves a civilized nation if we allow any living being to endure
such abuse.
"Races like this are the equivalent of child sweatshops. These are not even seasoned horses: They
are young fillies and colts whose joints are not formed enough to endure such a grueling race.
Despite this, they are pushed beyond their limits. The Triple Crown and other major horse races
have become the graveyards of too many horses who were called champions.
“For example, Go For Wand, who went down in the 1990 Breeders' Cup Distaff and then stumbled
up and tried to keep running with her broken leg dangling; Union City, who fractured a leg in the
1993 Preakness and was destroyed; Prairie Bayou, who that same year suffered a compound
fracture in the Belmont Stakes and had to be destroyed; George Washington, who was euthanized
after breaking his leg while running the Preakness last year; and of course Barbaro, the 'poster
horse' of the racing industry's failures and excesses, who despite efforts could not be saved from the
injuries sustained during the 2006 Preakness.
“Barbaro's injuries were terrible — fractures of his canon bone, sesamoids, and long pastern as well
as the dislocation of the fetlock joint. These are just a few of the horses we hear about — they are
the winners, the horses who run the big races. Hundreds of horses meet the same painful, deadly
fate every year in the horseracing industry.
" A racetrack is not a place for a fun day out. Attending the Derby is as despicable as attending a
dogfight. Most horses you see will not end up out to pasture on a beautiful ranch but will be sent
overseas to be slaughtered for someone's dinner plate. At some point, all horses stop winning.
"We call on you to publicly reject betting on such hideous spectacles of domination over wonderful
animals who deserve more than pain and death for human profit and amusement.
"Very truly yours,
Ingrid E. Newkirk, President, PETA"
Barack Obama (D)
Obama for America; P.O. Box 8102; Chicago, IL 60680
ph: 1-866-675-2008; web mail: http://my.barackobama.com/page/s/contact2
John McCain (R)
John McCain 2008; P.O. Box 16118; Arlington, VA 22215
ph: 703-418-2008; web mail: http://www.johnmccain.com/Contact/
Dear Senators Obama and McCain:
Animal cruelty is not a partisan issue. In light of Eight Belles’ tragic death in the Kentucky
Derby, I ask you to condemn horse races.
I support sentiments expressed in the letter below and urge you to denounce brutal
spectacles such as horseracing. Horses forced to run so fast their legs can’t support their
weight never “win.” Dogfighting, cockfighting, and horseracing measure an animal’s worth in
dollars. When glory fades, racehorses are neglected and abused. Some wind up on kill floors.
Animal protection issues matter to myself and many other voters. Please be more aware of
this untapped constituency and take a stand against cruelty.
"Eight Belles ran for her life and was fiercely whipped as she came down that final stretch. She was
no doubt in a great deal of pain. We cannot call ourselves a civilized nation if we allow living beings
to endure such abuse.
"Races like this are the equivalent of child sweatshops. These are not even seasoned horses: They
are young fillies and colts whose joints are not formed enough to endure such a grueling race.
Despite this, they are pushed beyond their limits. The Triple Crown and other major horse races
have become the graveyards of too many horses who were called champions.
“For example, Go For Wand, who went down in the 1990 Breeders' Cup Distaff and then stumbled
up and tried to keep running with her broken leg dangling; Union City, who fractured a leg in the
1993 Preakness and was destroyed; Prairie Bayou, who that same year suffered a compound
fracture in the Belmont Stakes and had to be destroyed; George Washington, who was euthanized
after breaking his leg while running the Preakness last year; and of course Barbaro, the 'poster
horse' of the racing industry's failures and excesses, who despite efforts could not be saved from the
injuries sustained during the 2006 Preakness.
“Barbaro's injuries were terrible — fractures of his canon bone, sesamoids, and long pastern as well
as the dislocation of the fetlock joint. These are just a few of the horses we hear about — they are
the winners, the horses who run the big races. Hundreds of horses meet the same painful, deadly
fate every year in the horseracing industry.
"A racetrack is not a place for a fun day out. Attending the Derby is as despicable as attending a
dogfight. Most horses you see will not end up out to pasture on a beautiful ranch but will be sent
overseas to be slaughtered for someone's dinner plate. At some point, all horses stop winning.
"We call on you to publicly reject betting on such hideous spectacles of domination over wonderful
animals who deserve more than pain and death for human profit and amusement.
"Very truly yours,
Ingrid E. Newkirk, President, PETA"