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On the heels of the death of Frosten, a colt raced at extreme speeds in a quarter-mile sprint at an Ocala Breeders’ Sales Company (OBS) under tack show on April 10, PETA fired off a formal request to 5th Judicial Circuit State Attorney William Gladson today urging him to pursue criminal cruelty-to-animals charges against those responsible for recklessly overdriving Frosten and a filly known as Hip #1041, who sustained a catastrophic musculoskeletal injury at an OBS under tack show in 2023 and required euthanasia. Overdriving and willfully killing horses are illegal under Florida law.
What Is an ‘Under Tack’ Show?
In defiance of good horsemanship and common sense, juvenile horses, some of them younger than 24 months old, are forced to run short distances at breakneck speeds that they’ll never reach again while racing—if they survive.
Deadly sprints used to drive up selling prices of young horses at these shows are pointless. They’re not even good indicators of performance for future races. When they don’t kill the horses, these events (and the training leading up to them) often leave the animals with permanent injuries.
During a sprint at the April 10 OBS under tack show, Frosten crashed through a track barrier and sustained a catastrophic injury.
Video footage compiled from an OBS livestream and footage captured by a PETA investigator at the track show Frosten’s collision with the barrier at high speed, his euthanasia, and his rider lying motionless on the track.
While filming the scene, PETA’s investigator was assaulted and his backpack stolen by OBS staff members—and OBS Director of Sales Tod Wojciechowski was later arrested and charged over the incident.
In addition to the deaths of these young horses, at least five serious injuries to horses have occurred at OBS under tack shows in the past year alone.
OBS knowingly risks these animals’ lives to inflate auction prices.
This practice is extremely dangerous, damaging, and, we believe, illegal, which is why PETA is calling on authorities to file cruelty-to-animals charges against those responsible for these horses’ deaths and injuries.
Save Horses: Support PETA’s Proposal
Under tack shows don’t have to be fatal. PETA has a plan that would stop most of the carnage at these auctions without significantly affecting their operation. The proposed format would demonstrate juvenile horses’ aptitude for real races instead of dangerous, breakneck sprints that they’ll never perform again.
Please take a moment to defend young horses who are used for racing by indicating your support for our proposal:
