To the editor:
Anyone who has ever had an ingrown toenail or a bad case of athlete’s foot knows how painful it is to walk — much less run— until it has healed. Big Brown, the horse being touted as the future winner of the Triple Crown, has a 5/8-inch crack in his hoof. His trainers dismiss the injury as a “hiccup.” Big Brown also has a condition known as “burnt heels,” which occurs when a horse suffers abrasions and burning of the skin after his feet make contact with the track.

One would think that only weeks after the world watched Eight Belles die on the track, the horse racing industry would take injuries a bit more seriously. Yet there is simply too much money at stake, and even if it takes some stainless steel “stitches” and some superglue, Big Brown will be forced run. Horse racing is a greedy industry built on the bodies of horses, starting from their feet up.

People who care about horses should refuse to support a “sport” in which animals routinely pay with their lives.

Jennifer O’Connor, writer
Animals in Entertainment, PETA
Norfolk, Va.