JOE HADEED, former trainer, now breeder/owner and chairman of the Trinidad and Tobago Racing Authority (TTRA), was saddened by the news clip on television channel CNC3 on Tuesday night, which highlighted the plight of racehorse, Sunny. The animal was abandoned and had to be rescued by animal lovers.

’I have been getting a lot of calls,’ Hadeed stated yesterday.

’We have to be sympathetic and concerned about the welfare of the horse. Even in America it is a very big problem.’

The Racing Authority chairman added: ’Our first priority is the racehorse. The racehorse is private property and they are not abandoned by owners.They were given to people for riding or as pets and that is where the problems arise. And the owner (who) in good faith believes the horse will get a home and care, gives away the animal.’

He continued: ’A racehorse owner will have a feel for the animal and will not abandon it. In the past, there were the rare occasions where leased horses were abandoned in the paddock.’

Hadeed admitted: ’It is a very sad situation for people who love equine athletes. There isn’t any easy solution for the problem because a racehorse is private property. However, since most of the horses are micro-chipped, we can scan the animal and locate the owner’.

He was also asked to comment on the Ministry of Agriculture’s setting up of a ’home’ for abandoned or retired horses and their call for financial help.

’I am quite sure the Betting Levy Board (BLB) will look at assisting,’ Hadeed said. ’What is to be done we are prepared to do it. Every horse on the farms will be micro-chipped. Once that is done, we will know the owner of each horse. There isn’t any rule to guide us to impose penalty because a racehorse is private property’.

-Glen Mohammed