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Most of you probably remember the tragedy at the 2008 Kentucky Derby, in which a young filly, Eight Belles, was whipped mercilessly in the final stretch, only to break both her front ankles after she crossed the finish line.

At that time, we called for the racing industry to eliminate, at a minimum, some of its most abusive practices, including permanently banning the use of whips.

In an encouraging sign, California's Del Mar Racetrack has just announced that it has officially banned the use of hard leather whips and will only allow softer riding crops on the track. These softer crops will not sting or leave welts on horses like traditional hard leather whips do.

All whips should be banned outright, but considering that this reform comes on the heels (hooves?) of similar improvements by the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission, it seems that the industry is getting the message that "business as usual" won't fly anymore.

Of course, while these are steps in the right direction, the racing industry is still far from humane. Young horses are still forced to race before their bones are fully mature, horses are pumped with drugs so that they can run while injured, and "retired" racehorses are still sent to slaughter—and these are just some of the many abuses that horses endure in the racing industry. The only way to stop the cruelty altogether is to end horse racing once and for all.

Posted by Jeff Mackey

It takes a lot to shock the public these days, but the fact that cruel incidents in the horseracing world are finally being taken seriously is just about doing the trick. Before Eight Belles' tragic death made the public realize that horseracing isn't all fun and games, drugging and heavy whipping just made up another day in the industry. But now, people are on red alert, and we're doing our best to continue exposing the horseracing industry for what it really is. Because of all this new attention, the industry is getting a good once-over from the public, Congress, and horseracing authorities, and skeletons just keep falling out of the closet.

On that note, let's talk about whipping, shall we? Now, don't get excited ... this isn't the fun kind. Whipping racehorses was banned in 1982 in Norway under the Cruelty to Animals Act. It's severely restricted in the U.K., and many jockeys there are asking for it to be completely banned. If you ever had any doubt that it should be banned in the U.S., check out this video:

The good news is that Jeremy Rose, the jockey in the above video, was recently suspended in Delaware for six months for "extreme misuse of the whip." You can read all about that here.

It's about damn time that these serious problems are being taken seriously! Here's to hoping that there's no future need for hideous videos and cruelty charges in "sports." Thanks for ruining my Friday, Jeremy! I hope you spend your six months in some serious deep thought.

Posted by Christine Dore