Omak Suicide Race

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misterjinglejay

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Does anyone know if there's a petition to stop this horrendous race?
I'm not sure how to post a link, but the videos are on You Tube.

I know there are so many cruelties in the world - where does one start to stop them?

Horrible,horrible people.
 
Holy moly :(

Why are some people even allowed to breathe the same air as the rest of us, and animals. Just disgusting. Next time someone suggests UK horse racing is cruel, I will point them here so they can start their campaign here first. :(

Signed. :(

And without wanting to afford normal functioning americans, how in the hell is this still allowed in s so called developed country? yes horrid things happen in plenty of other under-developed countries (china for one) but wow, don't know how the US can call itself developed. That would never be allowed to happen in the UK, and yes I know we did horride things in the past, but not anymore.

Makes me wonder why any animal wants anything to do with us :(
 
Stencilface said:
Makes me wonder why any animal wants anything to do with us :(
Click to expand...

ditto this ^
I wouldn't be suprised if eventually horses turned on us and they go back to being completely wild animals.
Such as that horse breed that no one has been able to break them in as they are so naughty and powerful. Not sure of the name, but eventually most horses wont let us if we carry on treating them like ****.
I hope many people that are riding die in this sport, and then maybe they will ban it.
 
Absolutely horrific. And the people that commented on youtube about the number of deaths of flat racing to this: flat racing is a huge industry and hundreds of races happen every week - the suicide race is very small yet still 3 horses are killed per race so the figures cannot be compared! They also say the horses wouldn't run down the hill if they didn't want to -they have obviously never heard of herd instinct.
 
I am shocked more than I can say. Absolutely shocked. Sitting here crying watching such unspeakable cruelty.

Not good. Not good at all. :(

So wrong on every level.
 
Stencilface said:
And without wanting to afford normal functioning americans, how in the hell is this still allowed in s so called developed country? yes horrid things happen in plenty of other under-developed countries (china for one) but wow, don't know how the US can call itself developed. That would never be allowed to happen in the UK, and yes I know we did horride things in the past, but not anymore.

(
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There is a lot of opposition to it but its supporters cry "TRADITION". To an extent it is tied into Native American culture, similar to your Appleby Fair.
I'm not sure if it takes place on Indian Reservation land but part of the town is on reservation land and laws are different there.
http://library.findlaw.com/2003/Mar/24/132651.html

Progress HAS been made in outlawing the Mexican rodeo practice of horse tripping
 
SophieRIDSH said:
There is a lot of opposition to it but its supporters cry "TRADITION". To an extent it is tied into Native American culture, similar to your Appleby Fair.
I'm not sure if it takes place on Indian Reservation land but part of the town is on reservation land and laws are different there.
http://library.findlaw.com/2003/Mar/24/132651.html

Progress HAS been made in outlawing the Mexican rodeo practice of horse tripping
Click to expand...


I see your point, however Appleby fair is policed and does have RSPCA inspectors there every year, whilst there is cruelty (as there is everywhere) I truly don't beilieve it is as deliberate, and not on this scale.

Horse tripping looks horrific too, how does anyone enjoy that? Thats how they used to make horses fall in old westerns isn't it, before we knew better. There must be a lot of rocks around for these people to crawl back under. :(

FWIW, I believe cruelty is cruelty, I don't give two hoots about tradition and beliefs when it comes to animal welfare.
 
Howdy from Colville Indian Country, USA.

I would like to speak a few words about the Omak Suicide race, as I have attended it many times, and know both the riders and horses who run this race. While there have been some horses as well as riders who have died in this race, the Humane Society videos put out are not accurate and are put out for their own purposes (To raise money to feed their machine and keep their corporate heads highly paid). This race is run on Indian land, and Indian horse races such as this have been run for hundreds of years. I have never witnessed any horses dying at any of the races I have attended. Most of these horses run the race year after year, and have to train for and qualify to run this race. And they compete in many heats over the course of the Omak Stampede. Most run the race at least 5 times in the course of the week. It is not just a bunch of drunk Indians riding their horses death. Most of these horses are family pets and are very well taken care of. Many of the riders do this as a way to stay connected to Indian traditions that are constantly on assault by the overbearing Colonialist attitudes and attempted religious domination of our culture. Many of our young men use this as a way to become warriors, as our other traditional ways have been taken away from them. Easy for others to judge when they have no idea the struggles Indian people have.
Many Indians would look at the many events you folks do, and wonder themselves about "humane" treatment of horses. I have witnessed many a show jumper or dressage horse go insane from the treatment of locking them up in a stall most of their lives only to be kept behind arena walls and never letting them be horses.
So, while I know you all feel this is some kind of barbarianism, from this side of the world some of your equestrian practices are questioned as well. I have also witnessed riding and training practices the "civilized" set use on their horses that would be called abuse out here. So, until you live and know a culture and what is involved, I ask you to educate yourselves to the reality of what is true, vs. the spin from those who have much to gain by manipulating your emotions issuing half true videos.

Regards,

NaShook
 
NaShook said:
Howdy from Colville Indian Country, USA.

I would like to speak a few words about the Omak Suicide race, as I have attended it many times, and know both the riders and horses who run this race. While there have been some horses as well as riders who have died in this race, the Humane Society videos put out are not accurate and are put out for their own purposes (To raise money to feed their machine and keep their corporate heads highly paid). This race is run on Indian land, and Indian horse races such as this have been run for hundreds of years. I have never witnessed any horses dying at any of the races I have attended. Most of these horses run the race year after year, and have to train for and qualify to run this race. And they compete in many heats over the course of the Omak Stampede. Most run the race at least 5 times in the course of the week. It is not just a bunch of drunk Indians riding their horses death. Most of these horses are family pets and are very well taken care of. Many of the riders do this as a way to stay connected to Indian traditions that are constantly on assault by the overbearing Colonialist attitudes and attempted religious domination of our culture. Many of our young men use this as a way to become warriors, as our other traditional ways have been taken away from them. Easy for others to judge when they have no idea the struggles Indian people have.
Many Indians would look at the many events you folks do, and wonder themselves about "humane" treatment of horses. I have witnessed many a show jumper or dressage horse go insane from the treatment of locking them up in a stall most of their lives only to be kept behind arena walls and never letting them be horses.
So, while I know you all feel this is some kind of barbarianism, from this side of the world some of your equestrian practices are questioned as well. I have also witnessed riding and training practices the "civilized" set use on their horses that would be called abuse out here. So, until you live and know a culture and what is involved, I ask you to educate yourselves to the reality of what is true, vs. the spin from those who have much to gain by manipulating your emotions issuing half true videos.

Regards,

NaShook
Click to expand...

While I totally understand your points about staying connected to Indian Culture, and can emphathise with a group of people wanting to retain ago old traditions, there are times when you have to accept that behaviours that were seen as ok years ago, just are not anymore. I haven't watched the video's, but have read alot about this race, and there is nothing about it im my eyes that can be seen as accepable. There are other ways of connecting with culture / rataining tradition without resorting to such cruel practices.

This week, bull fighting was banned in one part of Spain. The key arguments those who are 'for' the sport presented revolved around tradition, culture, community etc, but as with the Omak Race, this is no reason why animals should be treated in such an awful way. Interestingly, many of the people defending bull fighting focused on two things ... 1.tradition and 2. how awful other people are to animals (factory chickens / dogs kept in apartments) - but how does this make what they do any better?

There are times when traditions should be resigned to the history books, as we understand that what we did in the past just isn't the right thing to do. I agree that there are many cruel practices in the horse world here too, and some people on here probably do things that you and I both feel are cruel (stabling 24/7 is a hate of mine too) - but that is not a reason to justify this race and its effect on the horses. People may train for weeks for it, but again, how is that a justification?
 
NaShook said:
Howdy from Colville Indian Country, USA.

I would like to speak a few words about the Omak Suicide race, as I have attended it many times, and know both the riders and horses who run this race. While there have been some horses as well as riders who have died in this race, the Humane Society videos put out are not accurate and are put out for their own purposes (To raise money to feed their machine and keep their corporate heads highly paid). This race is run on Indian land, and Indian horse races such as this have been run for hundreds of years. I have never witnessed any horses dying at any of the races I have attended. Most of these horses run the race year after year, and have to train for and qualify to run this race. And they compete in many heats over the course of the Omak Stampede. Most run the race at least 5 times in the course of the week. It is not just a bunch of drunk Indians riding their horses death. Most of these horses are family pets and are very well taken care of. Many of the riders do this as a way to stay connected to Indian traditions that are constantly on assault by the overbearing Colonialist attitudes and attempted religious domination of our culture. Many of our young men use this as a way to become warriors, as our other traditional ways have been taken away from them. Easy for others to judge when they have no idea the struggles Indian people have.
Many Indians would look at the many events you folks do, and wonder themselves about "humane" treatment of horses. I have witnessed many a show jumper or dressage horse go insane from the treatment of locking them up in a stall most of their lives only to be kept behind arena walls and never letting them be horses.
So, while I know you all feel this is some kind of barbarianism, from this side of the world some of your equestrian practices are questioned as well. I have also witnessed riding and training practices the "civilized" set use on their horses that would be called abuse out here. So, until you live and know a culture and what is involved, I ask you to educate yourselves to the reality of what is true, vs. the spin from those who have much to gain by manipulating your emotions issuing half true videos.

Regards,

NaShook
Click to expand...

Strangely, I wouldn't treat any pet of mine to anything which could deliberately cause injury or death, and I would certainly not beat it as the riders in the race I have just witnessed have. To be perfectly honest, I could not care less about the riders who die in this race - they know and choose to take the risks. The horses don't have that choice.
And how can the video be half true? Are you saying that those horses didn't go tumbling down that hill? Of course they did. Please don't preach about "tradition". Just because something has been done for centuries doesn't make it right. I am sure there are plenty of other traditions you can keep which don't involve cruelty to animals.
 
I always thought the Native American link was very tenuous at best, and the race was started by some random woman in the 30's....?
 
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