Quote:
Originally Posted by Ducay
I know nothing of horses but you've intrigued me. How does running them in the chucks keep them alive longer?
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All of the chuck horses are former thoroughbreds that were not good enough to race any longer...for a variety of reasons. Poor performance, injury, illness...lots of variables. When they are not sound enough, they are very few options on what happens next.
Once race horses are no longer able to earn their keep ( and they are very expensive to keep, feed, vets... etc) they will be sold off. If they can no longer run at all, they often go to slaughter again for a variety of different uses. Those that can still get around in decent times are bought by the chuck drivers and become part of what is a very large family of other horses and those that care for them.
I would guess the average chuck teams are at least 12 horses on the wagon plus outrider horses...so 20 a piece? There are probably 40 - 50 chuck teams in Canada...maybe more, so it adds up in a hurry.
I understand many dont like that they are used for "our" entertainment but the truth is, that is the vast vast majority of every horse alive.