By Nicole Arciello | Executive Director
Every day, we at Horseracing Wrongs are working to be a voice for the horses and end their suffering.
As the only organization in the United States solely focused on ending the cruel horseracing industry, Horseracing Wrongs is building momentum and our campaigns are mobilizing thousands to become advocates for the horses.
As we near the end of another year and still recovering from the effects, the loss of momentum because of Covid, 2022 has proven to be a great year in the fight to end horseracing!
I'm happy to share an update on the last few months!
In September, Horseracing Wrongs held the first Nationwide #Vigil4Horses. The live-stream event took place outside the gates of Saratoga Race Course in New York, while advocates across the country joined from home to light a candle to remember the thousands of horses that are killed for gambling and entertainment.
We are making plans now for the next #Vigil4Horses for 2023, which we will hold annually until the last track is shut down!
On October 27, almost a year to the day of the defeat of a racetrack proposal in Sturbridge, Massachusetts, another similar proposal was up for vote. This time in Hardwick, Massachusetts. Horseracing Wrongs sent out Action Alerts and a Petition to target Hardwick's Board of Selectmen to ask them to say no to animal cruelty and vote no to the racetrack. Victory was declared as the board voted 3-0 against the proposal.
In an unexpected turn of events, just last week, Hardwick's Board of Selectmen voted to overturn the decision and vote yes in support of the track. Horseracing Wrongs and the smart and organized people in Hardwick are determined to fight this decision by collecting enough signatures to push a referendum vote. We will update as things progress, but we are confident that this proposal will be shot down, for good, in the first part of next year!
On November 8th, Election Day, California voters overwhelmingly defeated Prop 26, which would give the horseracing industry in CA a massive subsidy in the form of retail sports betting at the state's four major horseracing tracks. Horseracing Wrongs was part of a coalition to campaign against Prop 26 and educate the public of the built-in horseracing bailout - what the ads and commercials left out.
What we know for sure is the horseracing industry in the U.S. can no longer support itself and it has to rely on taxpayer subsidies to survive. This is why we are seeing proposal after proposal in Massachusetts.
We celebrate the defeat of Prop 26 and we are working with groups other states to introduce legislation to redirect the subsidies from horseracing to education, where the money should be going - for public benefit.
The bill to redirect horseracing subsidies in New York State will be re-introduced in January and we will do all in our power to assist the people in NYS to educate and pressure their lawmakers to support and co-sponsor this bill. If you live in New York State be sure to sign up for our Action Alerts and we will send you an easy tool to contact your representatives.
Every opportunity we can take to educate the public about the inherent cruelty and killing of innocent horses for gambling and entertainment is one step closer to shutting this industry down for good!
Thank you for partnering with us and for your dedication to the horses!
For the horses,
Nicole Arciello
Executive Director, Horseracing Wrongs
nicole@horseracingwrongs.com
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