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This mare was only 2 years old when racehorse trainer Amber Cobb did the following to her:
(Warning: graphic frames)
PETA obtained the above footage by requesting public records for race officials. The video shows Cobb yelling, cursing and beating a young purebred with a pitchfork while the horse was tied to the back of a stall on a New Jersey farm earlier this year. Cobb’s actions scared the horse so much that as it tried to run away, it rolled over and collapsed heavily to the floor. Cobb left her upside down and tied to the wall, until finally jockey Jaime Rodriguez entered the stall to untie her.
You might think that Cobb’s racing license would be immediately and permanently revoked for her actions, but that didn’t happen. The Delaware Thoroughbred Horse Racing Commission (DTRC) and the Pennsylvania Horse Racing Commission have suspended it for just two months. (These commissions were involved because she raced in Delaware and Pennsylvania.) She was also ordered to attend anger management classes. This punishment is not proportionate to the abuse and is not a sufficient deterrent to prevent horses from tolerating such reckless and dangerous behavior. Excessive punishment inflicted on the filly by an enraged coach is a problem of cruelty that goes beyond just breaking the rules and is a stain on “sport.”
Cobb should be banned from racing forever.
She has a history of violations, including in 2020 when she was fined $ 500 for filling syringes with drugs. In 2018, she also had a “brawl” at the Finger Lakes Gaming & Racetrack public place in New York and was fined $ 200.
In addition, a former employee testified at a DTRC hearing that Cobb punished the horse by refusing to eat for several days.
Anyone who abuses a horse and demonstrates a clear disregard for the rules of the race should not be allowed to participate in racing, training or owning a horse. Join PETA and urge all horse racing commissions to protect horses like this filly and ban this trainer.