Unregulated horse racing at Ogden facility, decried by PETA, has stopped, for now

OGDEN — Unregulated horse racing at a Weber County facility decried by an animal rights group as inhumane has stopped, at least for now.

"Given that Weber County had been holding these lawless, abusive and deadly events since at least 2007, if PETA had not exposed the widespread illegality and cruelty at these races, undoubtedly horses would still be suffering and dying there," Hannah Schein of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, or PETA, said.

The organization last April released details of its investigation into unregulated match racing at the Golden Spike Event Center, charging that it found instances of drugging and abuse of horses and gambling. Around the same time, the organization that had promoted the periodic events canceled an event scheduled for that month, and race dates identified on the Golden Spike Facebook page for June 21, July 5 and Aug. 16 never materialized.

A Golden Spike official defended the group that organized the events blasted by PETA, CB Promotions, and questioned the validity of the charges levied by the national animal rights organization. Regulated competitions continue and races organized by the Utah Quarter Horse Racing Association are scheduled for Sept. 13 at Golden Spike.

"Those horse owners that were racing in the match races, they love their horses. They're not going out of their way to do stuff to harm their horses. I disagree with what PETA thinks," said Duncan Olsen, the Golden Spike general manager.

Every sort of activity has "bad actors," he said, but the horse owners involved in the unregulated racing feel they're being "vastly misrepresented" by the PETA charges. Golden Spike, he also noted, is the venue for events like match races, not a sanctioning body for the activities held at the facility.

Nevertheless, Olsen also said county officials seek "a little bit more information" before allowing a resumption of unregulated races and that his aim is to act in the best interests of the animals. PETA had supplied county officials with details of its findings from Golden Spike races.

"That's where our bread and butter is, equestrian events, and so we don't want to actively participate if there is wrongdoing," he said.

Golden Spike, a county-owned facility, has allowed unregulated horse racing since at least 2007, according to PETA, pointing to archived Weber County Commission meeting minutes that reference the activity. The group has also investigated unregulated match races, typically featuring quarter horses racing along straightaways of up to 400 yards, elsewhere around the country.

In going public last April with its investigation into the activity in Weber County, the group charged jockeys have been caught on video excessively whipping horses and using electronic shock devices on the animals. PETA also said it uncovered evidence of "what appears to be widespread possession and use of illegal controlled substances to enhance horses' performance." Testing of syringes it collected at undisclosed horse racing locations found them to contain cocaine, methamphetamine and other substances, presumably to make the animals run faster.

Duncan, though, challenged the notion that the presence of a syringe necessarily indicates illicit drugs are being injected into horses. Syringes can also be used to inject animals with vitamins, supplements and drugs like ibuprofen to help with inflammation.

While Duncan expressed a measure of skepticism about PETA's charges, the American Quarter Horse Association, or AQHA, sent a letter to Weber County officials in 2024 expressing concern with unregulated racing at Golden Spike. The organization, an advocacy group for activities involving quarter horses and the horses themselves, asked county officials to stop allowing unregulated racing.

"There have been numerous reports of horses being injured and dying at races such as these due to injections of illegal and inappropriate substances, abuse and exhaustion," the AQHA said in the letter. PETA received the letter from the county after making a public records request and supplied it to KSL.

Schein drew a sharp contrast between regulated and unregulated quarter horse racing. In regulated racing, horses, notably, face increased scrutiny to prevent mistreatment while unregulated racing doesn't face such attention.

She said some of the horse stables, or cuadras, that used to compete at Golden Spike are now taking part in races in Nevada. "These cuadras are the same ones we documented in Weber County that were injecting horses at race time and whose jockeys employed shock devices and whipped horses without limit, sometimes over 30 times in a 300-yard race," she said.

She also charged that unregulated quarter horse racing may be occurring at a track in Beryl in Iron County, which she's investigating. "We will review all available evidence from the track and options for action, which may include contacting Iron County authorities," Schein said.

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