12/11/2020
NM racing needs all the prayers you can give us! Please read this and like and share it!!
December 10, 2020
Dear New Mexico Racing Commission, New Mexico Gaming Control Board and Sunland Park Racetrack:
We have an emergency and life‐threatening situation that requires immediate action. There are 1000 horses and 634 people under direct threat. The horses may lose their lives. Their people will lose their livelihoods, and many will lose their homes. In addition, there are at least 50 times that many people in this state who depend directly and indirectly on New Mexico’s billion‐dollar equine industry.
Sunland Park’s race meet was postponed from end‐December to January 26, 2021 by the New Mexico Racing Commission. Sunland Park racetrack management has left these horses in limbo, declining to provide a date for horses to enter the barns and resume training. New Mexico racehorses are currently finishing the Zia Park race meet. All training at Zia Park will cease on December 31st and horses will not have a place to live and train if Sunland Park is not open for training. Owners of these horses cannot survive another shutdown. People are literally sacrificing care for themselves so that they can feed their horses.
Training is essential for the safety and welfare of racehorses. It is inhumane to deny racehorses the ability to train and to train properly. Life threatening injuries may result when racehorses cannot leave their stall or train in a safe manner. Stall injuries and episodes of spontaneous colic as well as self‐ inflicted fractures and lacerations occur when horses are not properly conditioned and exercised. In addition to the stress and panic induced by not training, racehorses must maintain a constant level of fitness for their safety and wellbeing.
The New Mexico Racing Commission has blatantly failed to protect the welfare of the horse. They have disregarded their own mission statement which includes “to provide regulation in an equitable manner.....which promotes a climate of economic prosperity for horsemen, horse owners, and racetrack management.” They have routinely discriminated against horsemen, horse owners, and by attrition they have discriminated against the racehorses. They have not involved horsemen in the discussion or considered their input regarding the health and welfare of the horse. They have also shown no concern for the people who live with the horses and are responsible for their daily feed and care.
New Mexico racetracks have a financial agreement and legislated responsibility with New Mexico horsemen and by extension with New Mexico racehorses to provide a safe racing environment. New Mexico racetracks benefit greatly from the multi‐million‐dollar financial arrangement and yet the majority of these racetracks have taken every opportunity during the Covid pandemic to minimize their contribution to or to completely deny a safe training and racing platform for these horses. They have done this in some instances with help from the racing commission and in some instances on their own interpretation of or taking advantage of ambiguous Covid announcement opportunities. On the other hand, racehorse handlers and personnel have shown that horses can be trained and can race safely and successfully applying due caution and adherence to stringent biosafety protocols for social distancing and Covid 19 prevention.
In closing, Sunland Park Racetrack management has refused to provide even a target date for horses to move into the barns and stalls. This will be the first time in 61 years that the horses do not have a place to train and the horsemen and horses will be literally displaced like refugees with no place to care for their horses. The entire New Mexico racing industry is requesting that Sunland Park allow horses and horsemen on the grounds no later than December 23, 2020.
The following is an accounting of actual horses and people who are under direct threat. These numbers have already been reduced dramatically from pre‐shutdown numbers due to relocation and re‐homing of horses.
Zia Park Current Population:
1000 horses, 70% New Mexico bred 250 grooms
70‐80 exercise riders
30‐40 pony riders
100 trainers
40‐50 jockeys
8‐10 farriers
10 veterinarians
20‐30 other medical personnel
6‐7 valets
12‐14 gate crew
6‐7 racing office personnel
2 photographers
4 stewards
10 hay and grain providers
10 horse bedding providers
10 tack and equipment personnel
Thank you in advance for your concern and support of these horses.
BTM hauls hay and shavings to various Equine operation in the State of New Mexico, and Arizona
