A happy Star of Rome, munching away contentedly. If all horses were treated as well as Mike Progno treats his, I think racing's popularity would explode.
Monday, May 12, 2014
Saturday, May 10, 2014
Answer to "Anonymous"
Hi, Anonymous. I appreciate your comment very much. I don't appreciate your anger so much though, as evidenced by your "flaming," which refers to typing in all capital letters to indicate yelling as opposed to speaking.
Yes, I wish I had called Mike Progno before even mentioning Star of Rome, but I simply didn't think of it. My motivation was pure concern for the horse. However, I did behave in a very carefully measured manner when I mentioned Star of Rome. I did not call the track to complain or make demands that he not run. I did not comdemn his connections nor his running on social media. I simply asked questions. I left a message with the stewards saying "Hi, my name is Beth Wolpert, and I have a few questions I wanted to ask you about a horse named 'Star of Rome.' If you could give me a call back, I would really appreciate it. My number is: ----------. Thanks so much."
When I mentioned "Star" on social media, I simply said - to one of the people I know that watches older horses and horses "at risk" - "Are you watching Star of Rome?" And then I said that Star had a work out and is 15 years old, and included the relevant details. I'm sure you can find the tweet if you search for it.
Sometimes this person on Twitter will say that she/he is no longer watching this or that horse because it was found that the horse's connections love the horse very much, and the horse is happy, so he/she isn't considered "at risk." This is what I was hoping for. Unfortunately, that's not what happened. I have learned my lesson about the power of social media, and I am sorry, and have apologized to Mike Progno for any role I had in this situation - however minor and "measured."
If I hadn't mentioned it on Twitter, there still would have been a bunch of calls to the track, because when I found the information on Facebook, there was already a heated conversation taking place, in which many participants had called the track to complain, and demand that Star not be allowed to race. I don't know how much my mentioning Star on Twitter affected or didn't affect the outcome, but the track has decided not to let him run.
Still, however, after talking to Mike Progno, I thought it wasn't a just outcome, so I did all that I could, and will still do more, to try to help Mike, and get the track to reconsider their decision. I called them four times so far, and I spoke two 2 individuals and received a voice mail from Phil Palermo, the racing director. Unfortunately, he said that the decision would not be changed. But he also said that the decision was based on the fact that they can't afford to take the risk of running a 15 year old horse. Whether or not that is the whole story, I don't know. But seeing as the track doesn't have an age limit, and that the track veterinarian approved Star to run, I think that Mike has a good case to appeal the decision to not let Star race, and perhaps they can come to some sort of an agreement regarding the conditions under which Star can, in fact, run - or something like that.
I also posted what I learned from Mike all over social media, on my blog, on Facebook, and on Twitter. So far, 2 individuals have told me that they are calling the track in support of Star running, if vet-approved, as well. I do believe that horses are individuals. I do believe that it is not age that should determine eligibility, but soundness and a demonstrated desire to run. I think reforms are needed in the areas of Lasix, NSAID use & all medication use, age at which horses begin to train & race, whip use, and others. I think that we should focus on banning trainers with multiple violations, going forward, and not horses that are sound and that desire to run - simply based on their age. I hope that something good can come of this in the long run.
Sincerely,
Beth
Thursday, May 8, 2014
The Most Difficult Shade is Gray
I have absolutely no time to write this, so please excuse the bad writing and mistakes. I hope I remember everything I want to say, but I'm just writing "on the fly" here. I think that people who want to help, want to help as much as possible. And it is easier to do more helping, if there is a quick way to do things. If there are hard and fast rules. If there is right and wrong and black and white. But in the case of Star of Rome, as is the case often in life - it's a complex shade of gray.
I wanted to help. I saw on Facebook that there was a 15 year old horse at finger lakes that had a workout. I've been told that the "claiming game" can be a dark place for a horse. I know good people that keep their eyes on the older horses because sometimes they shouldn't be running. I shared the information on Twitter and well intentioned people took action. But I realize now that I acted rashly. And I don't know if the ramifications can be undone.
The owner of Star of Rome is Mike Progno. I spoke to him at length. He is owner, breeder, and trainer of Star of Rome, and he says that Star of Rome loves to race. At first I didn't believe him. I saw, on Equibase, how often Star of Rome ran. I saw that he ran on Lasix. I thought that for sure this guy was "bad." I now believe I was wrong.
Mike Progno is a horseman that does things the old way. He said that he doesn't believe in running horses until they are four years old. He says that not running as a two or three year old is the reason for Star of Rome's longevity, but because of the way things are done nowadays, healthy Star of Rome seems like a freak. He says that in the old days, you'd see teenage horses run often. He told me the names of some horses from long ago so that I could look them up and check it out online. Unfortunately, I couldn't jot the names down as I was driving, and even if I could - I couldn't hear too well on my hands free device.
Mike thinks that contrary to the reaction of horror that we all had to the idea of a 15 year old running, that Star of Rome should be held up as an example of racing done right. He said that if horses weren't pumped full of drugs and put into training at two, that there would be many more like "Star," and he thinks that fewer horses would be shipped off to slaughter as well. I asked Mike about the Lasix. I said "Lasix is a drug - what about that?" I asked, "What about the fact that it drains a horse, and doesn't allow them to race often - safely?" Mike said that Star of Rome has never bled, and that he hates Lasix, and wishes that it didn't exist. He said that when Lasix came out, the horsemen were told that it was good for the horses and would prevent the dreaded bleeding. He said that they all used it, but that Star has only ever been on 3 CCs - the minimum recommended dose. Other good horseman that I know to be morally sound have been duped into the Lasix culture as well. Even the best trainers at the top of racing - the cleanest and most revered - use it, as it has become a fact of the racing life (Graham Motion, Cristophe Clement). I believed Glenn Thompson when he said that he would love to not use Lasix, and he was telling the truth. He's isn't using Lasix with his two year olds, and found that if no NSAIDS were given in the days prior to breezing, they in fact didn't bleed. I believe that Mike Progno doesn't want to use Lasix as well, and would be happy to see it taken away. He said that most trainers take away the water after giving Lasix, because they want the horse to lose the water weight to aid Lasix's performance enhancing effects. Mike says he leaves the water with the horse, to minimize any dehydration and its effects.
I asked Mike why he raced Star so often. He said that the horse dictates when he runs. He says that usually it's every 10 days, but sometimes longer and sometimes shorter in between. He said that Star doesn't like to race on ground that is semi-frozen in the Winter, and that Star gets that time off every year. When off, Star lives in an big open paddock/pasture, and grazes at will. He said that Star gets crazy when he wants to race and starts tearing away up and down the paddock fence, "chomping at the bit," so to speak. He said that between races, Star doesn't train much at all - just a little jog here and there, but mostly - he rests. He said that his filly doesn't like to race as often & usually has a month in between.
I asked him why Star runs in claiming races. I asked if he was afraid he would lose him that way. He said that he used to be, so he ran Star in allowance races, but that now that he is older, he doesn't think that anyone will want to claim him. He also said that everybody knows him there - and knows that Star is his "pet." He said that he is afraid that people who think Star should retire might claim him. He said that would be bad for Star - that Star loves him, and even has a girlfriend (the filly) at home, and just doesn't want to retire - yet.
Finally, I asked him what he would do if Star isn't allowed to race again - what would happen to him then? He said, "Well, it would really stink, because Star would be very unhappy, but he'd just come home with me." He sent me the pictures and the videos - like he said he would. He seemed to be genuine. I just want to relay the information and let you all judge for yourself: Black and white? Or gray? Are horses all individuals or all cut from the same cloth? Should they be treated based on the reality they present? Or, should hard and fast rules apply to each and every one?
In my opinion, the hard and fast rules should be those that say: Hay, oats and water only. To me, that's black and white. In other areas, I have to say - there are many shades of gray.
I wanted to help. I saw on Facebook that there was a 15 year old horse at finger lakes that had a workout. I've been told that the "claiming game" can be a dark place for a horse. I know good people that keep their eyes on the older horses because sometimes they shouldn't be running. I shared the information on Twitter and well intentioned people took action. But I realize now that I acted rashly. And I don't know if the ramifications can be undone.
The owner of Star of Rome is Mike Progno. I spoke to him at length. He is owner, breeder, and trainer of Star of Rome, and he says that Star of Rome loves to race. At first I didn't believe him. I saw, on Equibase, how often Star of Rome ran. I saw that he ran on Lasix. I thought that for sure this guy was "bad." I now believe I was wrong.
Mike Progno is a horseman that does things the old way. He said that he doesn't believe in running horses until they are four years old. He says that not running as a two or three year old is the reason for Star of Rome's longevity, but because of the way things are done nowadays, healthy Star of Rome seems like a freak. He says that in the old days, you'd see teenage horses run often. He told me the names of some horses from long ago so that I could look them up and check it out online. Unfortunately, I couldn't jot the names down as I was driving, and even if I could - I couldn't hear too well on my hands free device.
Mike thinks that contrary to the reaction of horror that we all had to the idea of a 15 year old running, that Star of Rome should be held up as an example of racing done right. He said that if horses weren't pumped full of drugs and put into training at two, that there would be many more like "Star," and he thinks that fewer horses would be shipped off to slaughter as well. I asked Mike about the Lasix. I said "Lasix is a drug - what about that?" I asked, "What about the fact that it drains a horse, and doesn't allow them to race often - safely?" Mike said that Star of Rome has never bled, and that he hates Lasix, and wishes that it didn't exist. He said that when Lasix came out, the horsemen were told that it was good for the horses and would prevent the dreaded bleeding. He said that they all used it, but that Star has only ever been on 3 CCs - the minimum recommended dose. Other good horseman that I know to be morally sound have been duped into the Lasix culture as well. Even the best trainers at the top of racing - the cleanest and most revered - use it, as it has become a fact of the racing life (Graham Motion, Cristophe Clement). I believed Glenn Thompson when he said that he would love to not use Lasix, and he was telling the truth. He's isn't using Lasix with his two year olds, and found that if no NSAIDS were given in the days prior to breezing, they in fact didn't bleed. I believe that Mike Progno doesn't want to use Lasix as well, and would be happy to see it taken away. He said that most trainers take away the water after giving Lasix, because they want the horse to lose the water weight to aid Lasix's performance enhancing effects. Mike says he leaves the water with the horse, to minimize any dehydration and its effects.
I asked Mike why he raced Star so often. He said that the horse dictates when he runs. He says that usually it's every 10 days, but sometimes longer and sometimes shorter in between. He said that Star doesn't like to race on ground that is semi-frozen in the Winter, and that Star gets that time off every year. When off, Star lives in an big open paddock/pasture, and grazes at will. He said that Star gets crazy when he wants to race and starts tearing away up and down the paddock fence, "chomping at the bit," so to speak. He said that between races, Star doesn't train much at all - just a little jog here and there, but mostly - he rests. He said that his filly doesn't like to race as often & usually has a month in between.
I asked him why Star runs in claiming races. I asked if he was afraid he would lose him that way. He said that he used to be, so he ran Star in allowance races, but that now that he is older, he doesn't think that anyone will want to claim him. He also said that everybody knows him there - and knows that Star is his "pet." He said that he is afraid that people who think Star should retire might claim him. He said that would be bad for Star - that Star loves him, and even has a girlfriend (the filly) at home, and just doesn't want to retire - yet.
Finally, I asked him what he would do if Star isn't allowed to race again - what would happen to him then? He said, "Well, it would really stink, because Star would be very unhappy, but he'd just come home with me." He sent me the pictures and the videos - like he said he would. He seemed to be genuine. I just want to relay the information and let you all judge for yourself: Black and white? Or gray? Are horses all individuals or all cut from the same cloth? Should they be treated based on the reality they present? Or, should hard and fast rules apply to each and every one?
In my opinion, the hard and fast rules should be those that say: Hay, oats and water only. To me, that's black and white. In other areas, I have to say - there are many shades of gray.
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