READERS RESPOND

A ban on Lasix in Maryland thoroughbred racing is long overdue

The battle over banning the diuretic Lasix for 2-year-old race horses comes down to this: Some thoroughbred owners and trainers are fighting to keep drugging horses unnecessarily. Every other jurisdiction in the world outside of North America races without Lasix — and has far fewer deaths on the track (“Pimlico owners want state to ban drug widely used on horses on race day,” July 6).

Horse racing is killing horses and the debilitating effects of Lasix may very well contribute to that. Horses who bleed from the lungs from the stress of racing should not be drugged and sent out to risk their lives. They should not race at all.

If trainers and owners are going to dig in their heels at every change proposed to end some of the abuse and suffering in the industry, their motives are clear — the horses’ health comes second to gaining a competitive edge. The Maryland Racing Commission should stand up and do what’s right for the horses.

Kathy Guillermo, Washington, D.C.

The writer is senior vice president for equine matters at People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals.

Pimlico’s owner has it backward: Lasix is good for horses

In the Mid-Atlantic region, the only race day medication that is allowed is Lasix. Before the fiber-optic endoscope for horses was invented, a horse was known to have bled if blood came out of his nose after a race. It was a fairly common occurrence and would usually be clearly seen by all including the fans. With the endoscope, studies have shown that the vast majority of horses do bleed, contrary to claims by Belinda Stronach (“Pimlico owners want state to ban drug widely used on horses on race day,” July 6). With the use of Lasix, you rarely see a horse bleeding from the nose on the track after a race.

This is both a humane issue and an economic issue. Each bleeding event causes cumulative damage to the lungs. The more you can eliminate or minimize bleeding, the safer for the horse and the longer their career will be. Lasix does not always prevent bleeding, but it absolutely delays the onset and lessens the severity.

A common complaint is that too many horses run on Lasix that aren’t bleeders. Horsemen realized years ago that preventing them from ever bleeding in the first place was in the best interests of the horse and the best way to do that was to treat them with Lasix every time.

Another common assertion is that Lasix is performance enhancing. Lasix does not allow a horse to run faster than their natural ability. They run faster when they don’t bleed! Some say they run faster because of the weight loss, but some alternative management practices cause more weight loss. Some of the suggested alternative management practices to mitigate bleeding have far worse effects on a horse’s wellbeing.

The suggestion that Lasix has anything to do with breakdowns is patently false. I agree with Ms. Stronach that we all “must work together to establish a new standard of equine health, safety and welfare.” We have been working on that in the MidAtlantic region for years but banning race day Lasix is not in the best interests of our horses. We are committed to finding an effective alternative but until that is found, it is in the best interests of the horses to continue to be treated with Lasix before a race.

Katy Voss, West Friendship

The writer is a horse trainer who co-runs Chanceland Farm.

Tax dollars subsidizing elite private schools ‘borders on obscene’

The delivery of millions of dollars to some local private schools borders on the obscene (“Maryland private schools receive millions in Paycheck Protection Program loans designed to aid small businesses,” July 9). Many thousands of people are having to make do with little or nothing in the way of being paid for their work or for the important services that they offer to so many in the community.

This kind of pandering to already wellto-do economic interests is dismaying, disappointing and maddening to those of us who believe that distribution of those funds should be more equitable. They should be delivered to those who need to eat and pay their rent.

Gilbert Bliss, Freeland