Tripadvisor Flags Racetracks for Failing Animal Welfare Standards

The policy stipulates that Tripadvisor will not facilitate ticket sales or generate booking revenue from experiences where domesticated animals are at increased risk of injury or death due to sport or entertainment, encompassing most dog, horse, and camel racing, as well as rodeo-style events.

This announcement signifies a strong stance from one of the largest travel platforms against practices that compromise animal welfare. PETA has long raised awareness about the dangers faced by horses on racetracks, especially following high-profile incidents like the death of filly Eight Belles during the 2008 Kentucky Derby. The organization has documented numerous fatal breakdowns, including the collapse of a 7-year-old horse named Lost in Limbo, whose fall was conspicuously omitted from Churchill Downs' replay video in 2023, a year marked by 12 horse fatalities around the Derby. Additionally, a recent PETA investigation captured the injury of colt Vino Subito just before the Kentucky Derby, a video that has garnered over 5 million views, highlighting the industry's struggle to conceal these events.

In 2025, 365 horses died from racing or training at the 41 racetracks monitored by the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority, averaging one death per day. Some estimates suggest that fatalities across all U.S. racetracks could be three times higher.

The British Horseracing Authority has reportedly urged Tripadvisor to reevaluate its decision, though the global racing community is encouraged to prioritize the safety of horses rather than deny these alarming warnings.

Racing insiders acknowledge the significance of Tripadvisor's action. Jonathan Stettin noted that the concern extends beyond PETA and organizations like Horse Racing Wrongs, mentioning that it reflects a broader public sentiment. Increasingly, travelers are choosing to distance themselves from industries perceived as harmful to animals, rejecting circuses with performing tigers, marine parks with confined orcas, and racetracks that exploit horses, routinely drugging them and discarding them when they are no longer profitable.