24 June 2012
I was all over the front page once, the media trailed after my owners like excited puppy dogs. I was used to the flashing of cameras and people offering to buy me. I basked in the glory and floated in praise. All the race-goers loved me. I was "King of the track".
But suddenly, I started to lose. I wasn't as fast as the other young horses. In racing terms, I was very old. 13 years to be precise. I got worse and worse, going from number one to the very bottom. I wasn't paying my way at the stables. I was draining my owners money. "What is the point of him, when he won't earn me money? Get rid of him" I heard my owner say to his friend.
And now here I am, awaiting my death at the abattoir. I am worth more dead than alive. A bolt to the head, then a knife to the throat. I am the forgotten legend. Once I was a champion, now I am nothing.
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Unfortunately, the fate of many retired race horses is bleak. There are few race horse rescue centers, and the horses are very expensive to keep. A number will end up as meat because they had nowhere else to go. It's sad really, to know these horses gave their all for us and they could just end up on someone's plate. What is your opinion on horse racing?
Once I Was A Champion • Opuss № I