Dreamer Boycott

[Zig]

Back to comments about the movie please.

[monizuki]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by TB or not TB?:

Therefore, I intend to boycott Field of Dreams. It shows a light, happy side of growing crops, in which the crops are all cut down to create a baseball field instead of contributing to deaths of countless animals through the ingestion of grain. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

What? Do I detect a hint of of saaaaarrrcasm? LOL

[Tory Relic]

Oh, is this a pet peeve of mine or what? I grew up around the race training track in Camden and don't remember seeing my first steeplechase OR flat race. I do remember seeing Ruffian work here in the 70s. That was something!

Like Emily, I've been involved with the backside of racing. I've worked here on farms and I've worked at tracks (Saratoga and Belmont Park). I've spent many an afternoon at Laurel Park and a few at Pimlico. I also worked at a show horse farm where the trainer was so abusive I couldn't stand it and quit. But I'm also friendly with many show people who do not abuse their horses! There are bad apples everywhere.

I like TB or Not TB's take on the situation.

I also have an adopted race horse. I can't call her a rescue, she came to me because she was considered not good enough to race anymore and her owner wanted her to have a good lifetime home. She was sound the day I got her six years ago, and is sound today. She's had ordinary horse problems since, such as absesses and the like but she's not neurotic (beginner children ride her), she's sweet and kind, smart, and healthy. She peps up a bit with experienced riders but is never unruly. She's a bit of a hard keeper but that's just the way they are sometimes.

She is the granddaughter of Seattle Slew and the love of my life. Without racing, I'd have never had her. Without racing I wouldn't have experienced some of the most wonderful moments of my life, or tear up everytime I read Estes poem about "Big Red." I was in love, at 15, with the horse that fulfilled that poem's hope. I cried 16 years later when he died. I cried when another titan colored horse broke down at Belmont and went soft on the jockey that saved him.

Yeah, racing has its bad moments and it has its glorious ones. And there is the day to day keep on keeping on thing that pulls it all together. Dan Fogelberg nailed it with "Run for the Roses."

There's nothing else - NOTHING - like it.

[Bumpkin]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by khobstetter:
ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh..COME ON

IT'S A MOVIE FOR HEAVEN SAKE !!!

It is simply not in the best interest of horses in general to boycott ANY HORSE movie because one thinks it is not what they want it to be.

This is a movie about horses, and in that vain it puts horses again on the minds of the public.

Here in California we are FIGHTING for the survival of the horse industry in the LA Metro area at all. Facilities are closing right and left an becoming HOUSES!!

With all the publicity this particular movie has generated we have horses in the public eye....every child of a politician who runs home and say,,"Daddy I want a horse"..is one more advocate.

PLEASE put your personal self aside an go see the darn movie..it will help keep horses in the minds of the politicians!! And horses in the mind of politicians will help keep horses alive.

It is not the end all of end alls...BUT every little bit helps!!!!

BESIDES..it's a rather nice movie, YOU MIGHT LIKE IT !!!! </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

I agree.
Here in Washington State, we are also loosing more and more horse facilities to McMansions.

[Gretchen]

One of my best friends is a trainer at the local track...and I can tell you, the horses are all treated well! They are fed 3X a day, exercised everyday, walked out 1/2hr after every workout, legs are poulticed and wrapped to prevent swelling, blanketed in the winter if needed, vet care, farrier, etc. is done before they pay themselves.I doubt that many people on here do HALF of what they do. There are good and bad trainers there, as well as in ALL show people, or ANY OTHER horse owner! And as far as the health care...everyone there is SELF employed. There are programs for the people there to get into as far as health care,etc. Are you going to fight for show trainers now also for health insurance?? But, they know what they're getting into BEFORE they decide to do this for a living.

[Layne Farm]

i can't belive i just read this whole post I guess since i breed and race horses i'm the antichrist

I will say this. I saw the movie it was cute. In every sport there is good and bad. But some of you on the bashing of race horses and how they are treated krack me up.

[dianad]

Well, I HAVE to go watch it, cause this is my wonderful OTTB mare, Dream (Dreamology),complete with little star.
http://community.webshots.com/myphotos?action=viewAllPh...=483435585&ran=25070

[Bumpkin]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Layne Farm:
i can't belive i just read this whole post I guess since i breed and race horses i'm the antichrist

I will say this. I saw the movie it was cute. In every sport there is good and bad. But some of you on the bashing of race horses and how they are treated krack me up. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

I agree, I worked in racing here and overseas, and everyone I worked for and was associated with treated their horses better than some H/J trainers I know.
The racing industry also treated clients and employees, i.e. grooms and jocks way nicer than you see in the H/J world.
When I first started working at the track, early 70's making 100$ a month grooming per horse was better than working at a real job.
With tips it was wonderful.
Of course gas was like 25 cents a gallon back then. haha

[Emryss]

I thought it was a nice movie and a fun date with my husband.

He has little to no interest in horses (but he likes me anyway!) and he enjoyed the movie, also. It was a chocolate pudding kind of movie: warm and soothing in a comfortable kind of way - meant to be enjoyed, but not particularly complicated.

[Albion]

I guess I'm a little biased, one of my best friends has been galloping race horses since she was 15 & is now training - she's one of the best horse people I know, beautiful to watch on a horse and beautiful to watch WITH horses. She loves the racing industry, but she doesn't love ALL of it - there are a lot of issues she has with the way things are done here, but I know her horses are happy, well-cared for, and sound. All of her personal riding horses are OTTBs given to her by owners that wanted their former racehorses to have good homes. She's ridden for some big name barns & that seems to be the norm (horses given to people or retired to a happy ending as opposed to getting put on a truck to New Holland or what have you), although she did grow up involved more in the 'chasing side of things than flat.

I galloped for a little while at a small training track - I saw some things I didn't like, I saw some things I did. It's like any other discipline.

There are good owners, bad owners, good trainers, bad trainers, good riders, bad riders - just like anything else in the horseworld. Why racing turns into a lightning rod for discontent with the horseworld, I'm not sure - I don't think it's entirely fair.

[CDHinFL]

I didn't read all of the previous posts, so this may have been adressed... a Jodie Foster movie has been boycotted by flight attendents b/c of how they are portrayed.

The directors, etc... say that the movie is for entertainment, and that should not reflect on the impressive job that airline attendants do. Take it as you will...

[Plumcreek]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Drakaina16: I'll never forget Spirit having eyebrows! </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

The animation artists said they NEEDED the eyebrows.

[Emryss]

No, no. The animation artists said THEY needed the eyebrows! Couldn't draw expressions otherwise....

Eyebrows on horses are creepy. So are smiling horses.

[mst]

Its a movie!!!!! At least they have started making movies with a horsey theme. Its good for equine industry as a whole. The more the public is involved the better. So what, the horses never poop. Did the people who have never been involved with horses see the movie and go home saying, "wow, horses don't poop."?

If the movie bothers you that much, don't watch the derby, preakness, or belmont either. They don't show the dark side on those broadcasts. All those people who bought alex's lemonade are racing fans too.

[carolprudm]

If you watch Harry Potter "Prisoner of Azkeban" you will see a hippogrif (bird/horse)poop! It's the sceen in which Haggrid is teaching the class.

[Aggie4Bar]

Somewhat OT, but regarding the horse (or one of them) who protrayed Dreamer, there was a movie review on the telly last night that said Kurt Russell bought the horse and gave it to Dakota Fanning as a gift.

[horseygrl5]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Aggie4Bar:
Somewhat OT, but regarding the horse (or one of them) who protrayed Dreamer, there was a movie review on the telly last night that said Kurt Russell bought the horse and gave it to Dakota Fanning as a gift. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

I read in Equestrian magazine that Kurt Russell gave Dakota a Palomino horse.

[libgrrl]

*NO* horse movie or tv show is realistic.

I actually thought Seabiscuit came as close as any.

Have you ever seen Saddle Club? Sheesh!!!

Re: the TB industry -- some of it is bad, some is good. As with most things, it appears to come down to money. Those at the margins (read: "cheap tracks") are probably less kind to their animals than the really wealthy owners with horses running at the "big" tracks. If one is operating at the margins, they are probably more apt to view the animals they work with as commodities. Sad, but true.

At least whenever I've watched races on TV, I notice that the NTRA generally supports the various thoroughbred charities -- for people and for horses. They are also vocally anti-slaughter.

[Racetb*Aefvue Farm*Biziz Ltd.]

Oh please, leave the TB racing industry alone. There are exploited animals EVERYWHERE. Unless you've had first hand experience with the hard working, caring people that make up a race horse's team, you really have no basis on which to make these blanket rationalizations, and certainly no right to criticize. I'm to tired to argue the point tonight, but trust me, racing doesn't derserve this rap.

[certifiedgirl]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by CuriosoJorge:
Um, if you're mad at the racing industry, why don't you boycott that, rather than the movie? </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

No kidding!! And don't forget to boycott all of the equine medicines and medical treatments that have been funded and developed by those in the racing industry- while your at it!