By The Star Staff
Seeking to prevent hundreds of horses from roaming the streets after ending their competitive life in racing, Sen. Keren Riquelme Cabrera announced the filing of a resolution Thursday to investigate the feasibility of providing recurring funds to non-profit entities that care for the animals in their old age.
“We do not want to see more horses roaming our roads, so in order to prevent a crisis in the management of thoroughbred horses withdrawn from competition due to lack of resources, it is imperative that the Senate of Puerto Rico initiate an investigation aimed at identifying platforms for allocating recurring funds to tackle this growing problem,” the at-large senator said.
“Although horse riding is highly known in our society, this is not what happens after these specimens complete their time in competition,” Riquelme Cabrera added. “Several studies highlight that the competitive life of a thoroughbred horse, on average, extends to a period of just five years, at most. After that stage, many of these equines do not have a viable path to complete their lives, which can be extended up to 25 years.”
The New Progressive Party senator noted that Puerto Rico has no institutionalized program to care for horses after their competitive retirement.
“We emphasize that the Third Sector, non-profit organizations, are active in the care of these equines,” Riquelme Cabrera said. “However, they do not have the economic capacity to meet the increase in the number of horses that finish their racing career each year. If no action is taken, we will see an increasing number of unattended horses in many areas of Puerto Rico. We can take action now to prevent that.”