Film, fundraiser seek to save colts that are born to die

The Athens News
Film, fundraiser seek to save colts that are born to die
By Dennis Powell

The horse racing industry is big business.

Encouraged by rules that view race horses as tax-favored agricultural animals, it benefits breeders to make sure their prize mares produce as many offspring as possible. But a mare can't foal again while nursing a newborn.

As a result, breeders at big operations keep nurse mares - bred to bring them into milk, but when their colts are born, the colts are killed or left to die, the mother and her valuable milk going to a hot-blood thoroughbred. The nurse mare's offspring are, literally, born to die.

"Born to Die" is the title of an 11-minute documentary made by OU visual arts graduate student Sue Morrow. The film premiered at last month's Equus Film Festival in New York, and funding is being sought to make a full-length documentary on the subject. The short film was made as partial fulfillment of Morrow's master of arts degree requirements....

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