Are horses and those who would protect them experiencing their Michael Vick moment?

A congressional subcommittee will hold a hearing today on the woes of the horse-racing industry. Meanwhile, lawmakers in the House and the Senate have co-signed legisla tion to ban the export of live horses for slaughter and human consumption.

The hearing follows an Associated Press report that Thoroughbred racetracks in the U.S. reported 5,000 deaths since 2003. Many other deaths went unreported. (Last year, after a period of relative safety, at least six horses had to be put down at Colonial Downs in New Kent County.)

The death of 2006 Kentucky Derby winner Barbaro and the on-track euthanization of Eight Belles at last month's Kentucky Derby have left people questioning the direction of the sport.

Wayne Pacelle, president and CEO of the Humane Society of the United States, says the track-related deaths only skim the surface.

He said the deaths of Barbaro and Eight Belles have started a debate over the ethics of horse racing, but he's not sure the right questions are being asked. "One of the biggest questions is what happens to all the horses that aren't good enough to compete in Triple Crown races."

As many as 100,000 horses a year have been slaughtered for exporting as food in Japan or Europe. With the horse-slaughter industry shut down in Illinois, Texas and California, U.S. horses are now being sent to Mexico and Canada for slaughter, Pacelle said.

"Michael Vick and his co-defendants were involved in what is generally viewed as malicious animal cruelty. In this case, some folks in the industry are turning horses over to others who are then engaging in a barbaric act."

The dogfighting conviction of Vick, the former Virginia Tech football star, focused outrage on a vile sport.

There are some clear differences between Thoroughbred racing and dogfighting -- Thoroughbred racing is legal, for one.

But there also some parallels. Horses and dogs have been bred for the sake of performance, gambling profit and entertainment, at the expense of their well-being. And animals who don't perform can end up shot, hanged or electrocuted (as in the Vick case) or slaughtered.

"We don't oppose horse racing," Pacelle said. "But we do have concerns about the horses not getting the best care and treatment that they should have."

Those concerns include the racing of 2-year-olds, track surfaces and the administering to horses of performance-enhancing drugs such as steroids. The organization also decries a Balkanized horse-racing industry that lacks national structure and oversight.

"There are many people in the industry who love horses and are concerned about their welfare," Pacelle said. "But that does not excuse the problems in the industry, or the problem makers."

Thoroughbred racing needs national regulation. Steroids have no place in any sport involving man or beast. The sight of a broken Thoroughbred being put to death on a racetrack should sicken us. And the idea of healthy horses being slaughtered for food should be distasteful, if not revolting.

There's no excuse for this state of affairs. If we allow it, we're part of the problem.
Contact Michael Paul Williams at (804) 649-6815 or mwilliams@timesdispatch.com.