#also- apparently there’s no such thing a cowboy/girl themes strap on

[dr-lizortecho]

#save a horse ride a cowgirl

[riadark]

Where The Wild Things Aren’t

When I was a kid and my dad had to watch us because he was off and mom was working, he would take us to the track. In New York we had Belmont and Aqueduct. If he was planning on keeping us there for the day we would go to Belmont because they had extensive grounds for kids. We would get there at opening, he would give me and my brother cash and would say, “Meet me back here after the 9th race.” We spent the day playing our little hearts out, eating from the concessions at will and meeting him dutifully. I wonder what it looks like today. In my memory it was this giant adventure land of swings and drawbridges, and sand, and spinning things, and climbing structures, having fun with abandon and without care and doing what you please when you please. Like a mini Burning Man for kids.  If he just wanted to quickly just get in a couple of races, he would take us with him to the clubhouse at Aqueduct and talk over the program with us because we would ask questions, sitting bored just looking out onto the field. Occasionally, my godfather would show up (I only saw him at the track), and hand me twenty bucks. I didn’t care that he never saw me. I loved that he would give me money and I didn’t have to do shit for it. In a pinch, we would just go down the street to the OTB. Tons of tall, old men, at least in my little girl eyes, smoking cigarettes, throwing their red trimmed betting slips down in the ground in disgust when” their” horses lost.

The racetrack program and the daily race form was serious business. It was one of the few times my dad would read and have a pen and make notes—nay, the only time. He would explain race times, scratches, we would look at the horses and he would make comments about their posture, he would tell me about their handicaps, and what special equipment the horse was wearing, perhaps a word here or there about the jockey, what conditions we had today and historically how the horse performed in those conditions. And then he would teach us about the bets. The trifecta, the win, place, show, the exacta, the superfecta, the daily double and so on. Other than the fact that it was apparent to me that my dad had a gambling problem, it also because apparent to me that these races were all about the horses- and that they were slaves.

My dad lost some but he won quite a bit. After his wins, we would go on shopping sprees. The whole family would go to the store and we would all get new shoes. My dad insisted we all get nice pairs. My mom would get jewelry. All because a horse ran really fast.

At some point, my dad bought a horse. I was able to see close up what was going on. For those of you who say, well they are well taken care of— they are not. They are a commodity. They are cared for in order to perform for their masters to make money and for the poor bastards in the stands to lose theirs. Don’t believe me? How many horses have been dying at the Derby, the Preakness, the Stakes for example? Right on the track. Was it “their time”? No it was not. They are pushed, drugged, prodded, tormented, terrified, strung out, and have no way out. So they run their little hearts and legs off, while being whipped and spurred in the belly. And if they don’t drop dead, the only ones sent to pasture are the ones that they use to make more money making machines. The rest, are sent to slaughter, in Mexico, on death trains, horrible horrible marches into concrete buildings, where they can smell the blood, and hear the panicked cries of their brethren ahead of them being sliced and hooked by the throat onto a conveyer belt for processing. Thanks for your service!

Dogs suffer the same fate at dog races but their end of life is a bit different.  They don’t have slaughter houses for dogs; as a result, in order to get rid of them when they are no longer useful (about three years on average), they are left to starve to death or beat to death or shot on the spot.

Bulls have it only a bit more mildly worse in the bullfighting in the coliseums. They are stabbed repeatedly, taunted, gauged, and then killed. They also throw some horses in there too, blinded and running about wildly in order to delay the action when the matador comes out in his pretty little sequin get-up and funny little hat, and supposedly slays the animal that has already been slowly bleeding to death all day. Que machismo! Ole!

Rodeos are harmless you think? Ok, let’s move past the fear factor for the animals. Did you know that the majority of them suffer broken limbs and are killed afterward? Bet you didn’t. Now you know. If you are into bondage, that’s cool. That is your choice. This is someone’s child and it did not have a choice and it has no idea what the hell is going on. It is abducted, caged, then thrown out into a huge stadium where people are maniacally bloodthirstingly cheering. Next thing it knows it is being tackled and tied and it HURTS and then it has a broken leg and is shot and thrown in a dumpster. That bull and horse that are bucking? Is it because they are meanies. Nope. Before they are let out, they are electrocuted with prods. Also, check out that strap the so called cowboy is holding in the back part of the animal (and I say so-called because real cowboys don’t engage in stupid things like rodeo). That strap, crushes their balls. Real manly stuff. Give that man a very large belt buckle!

Circuses are monstrosities too. Just the taking of the animal from its family is bad enough (a repeating theme for captivity). Imagine if someone came to your family at the park and said, “I’m taking your kids. I have no skills, or education, or certifications, or desire to do anything other than beat your kids into submission so they can do tricks for me so that I can charge people to watch them do it that until they day they die.” Sure thing Billy Bob. We will call you a… Trainer!  The process to break its spirit is heartbreaking; tying it down for prolonged periods, starving it so it will do anything for food, beating it if it doesn’t do as it is told. Then, once trained, still beaten just for the hell of it every so often to keep it submissive. Kept in cages and train cars most if its life to travel from godforsaken town to godforsaken town, just to be let out, starved again so it won’t piss and shit while you eat your popcorn and laugh, do its stupid tricks because you payed your money to see a goddamn show, and then back into its cell for a lifetime of hell.

The cobras in the baskets have had their fangs torn off btw.

Birds can fly. FLY. And we throw them in cages to be confined, alone, with their piss and shit until death.

Dogfighting, cockfighting, and hog-dog fighting are the three most common types of animal fightings which you sanction by supporting these others forms of cruelty.

Horse drawn carriages are not romantic. It is relentless slavery in unnatural conditions.

And all these earthlings, who had families, most wild animals, who have instincts, who would never do these tricks in their natural habitat, who can feed themselves, who don’t need doctors or hospitals, or supplements, or physical therapy, or medications, who are born to run free and have children and take lovers, and eat in the sunshine in the grass on the plains, in the mountains, in the jungles, in the rainforest, are stuck in cages to do this year after year, so their masters, can earn a shitty income off of the slavery off of their backs.

Same for all the Abusement parks that have marine life. Same for zoos. Your city may have a “nice” zoo, but it is just a very nice jail. There are many zoos in other countries that are atrocious, and the roadside zoos here are simply baby animals caught by some monster with a whip and a club and a cage. Oh and you pet a tiger? Did you shake hands with a monkey on a leash? Congrats, you just pet a baby that was torn from its mom, and kept drugged all its life. Good for you! Did you take a selfie? Did you post it to facehook, and Instafan, and bumblr, and triller to show all your “friends”? Natch.

April Mission Eight- Horses, elephants, dogs, lions, tigers, bears, dogs, whales, dolphins, monkeys, chimps, ALL earthlings are not meant to be owned and taken from the wild, or their natural habitat in order to perform for you and to entertain you, for someone to profiteer off of this cruel abusement. There are so many things out there that you can find enjoyment in. Don’t let that be slavery. For more information on how you can be a part of shutting this down by various forms of action and how now to support these endeavors, check out the link here.

http://www.animalequality.net/entertainment