The Kentucky Derby Tragedy
Reader Comments
Eight Belles
Perhaps the breeders would be better off not inbreeding to obviously unsound blood. Eight Belles has 3 lines of Raise a Native in her pedigree! Surely this woud alarm most knowledgeable breeders. But I guess now it's "whatever gets you a good profit from a sale" and not the end result that we see here that motivates the breeders.
ban horse racing
I hope horse racing is banned. I just cannot stand watching these horses get whipped over and over to get them to speed up. I am sorry Becky, but you cannot speak for the horse. If someone whipped you over and over would you run as fast as you can? Probably. I said before. I am with Greta Van Susteran, I am not watching another race. Horses are beautiful creatures and the racing industry is for nought but greed, entertainment and frivolity. I would much rather see a beautiful horse running free than on a track with a whip at its back. To comment on what Alfred of KY said, saying that "horses will be horses" does not mean we have to make problems for them. As car racing causes deaths unnecessarily, so does horse racing do the same. It is time to end it. We may be able to choose our fates and occupations in our lives, but these horses do not have a choice about theirs. So please do no say that the horse wants to race, or "it's in his blood". Speak for yourself. You cannot read the horses mind. I breed yorkshire terriers, but even though they love to chase rats, cars, people, and even very large dogs, do you think I am stupid enough to let them? No. I will not even sell them to anyone unless I put the potential owners through grueling questions about their lifestyle.
This author is an idiot
Do your homework. The two slaughterhouses in Texas have been closed for two years and the one in Illinois closed last year.
Eight Belles
I'd like to weigh in on PETA. It lost a great opportunity during its national coverage to suggest a realistic solution and that is to ban the racing of horses that don't pass an imaging test and to fight for humane training and management conditions.
I am a horse owner who has now watched two high profile tragedies on the race track, and probably will never watch another race because of it.
Wrong, Becky (Liz's sister)
I believe you are wrong on both points. Ruffian WAS euthanized on the track (did you get your information from the Hollywood version?) AND one very effective way to force someone to make changes is to hit them in the wallet. If everyone suddenly refused to watch horse racing, refused to place a bet, and boycotted all sponsors of the sport, don't you think some changes would be made pretty darn fast? By my doing those things, I'm not "covering my eyes", I'm drawing my line in the sand. Mother Theresa said "In this life we cannot do great things. We can only do small things with great love."
Get your facts right!
OK, Tara Piantanida of OR so you say you love Ruffian, in that case you should know that she was NOT euthanized on the track. She was euthanized later when it was determined she could not be saved. Get your facts right. Yes I believe that the horse racing industry needs to make some changes, but if people stop watching it nothing will ever change. You can't just cover your eyes and say "If I can't see it, it will not happen". I believe that horses should not be raced until they are at least 3 years of age, preferably 4. I also think we need to work on cleaning up the bloodlines. The death of Eight- Belles was a tragedy and she will go down in history as a horse who loved to race with all her heart. If she had not loved to race that much she would not have broken both ankles. A horse knows what its limits are. So lastly I just have to say, Run with the wind Eight-Belles and Ruffian, run until your hearts are content.
Horse Racing and Eight Belles
I have been raised on a thoroughbred horse farm, a part of which I now own. I have worked around these animals since I was twelve and have loved them since I was five. I wanted to be a veterinarian when I was younger because of a sick foal, that I was attached to, died from disease. The thoroughbred is a magnificent creature, a cross between English draft horses of old and Arabians. They possess size, beauty and spirit.
The care for these animals has evolved tremendously since I was younger. At age fifty-seven I am still working with mares, foals, yearlings, stallions, racehorses and pensioned horses. Not only is this my vocation, but it is my avocation. I have seen advances in surgery that not only can save a horse, but allow it to return to its natural life. However, there are some injuries that a horse is physically unable to overcome. Leg injuries are extremely difficult to treat, especially when they involve the sesamoids and the suspensory apparatus that holds the fetlock and cannon bone together. There is a very limited blood supply to this area and unfortunately severe injuries to this area are fatal because of the inability of the horse's body to readily heal in this area. Horses need four legs to stand on. When this ability is compromised, it can cause a horse to contract laminitis, or "founder". This is excruciatingly painful and literally can cause a horse's coffin bone to go completely through the sole of its foot. So, this is another side effect of this traumatic type of injury. In these cases, euthanasia is often the result and it is not about the insurance money, but the horse. Relatively few thoroughbreds are insured and if they are, most are underinsured relative to their true value. I know this because I am an equine insurance agent as well.
As far as racing surfaces, I have a few thoroughbreds in training and have some familiarity with turf, dirt and artificial racing surfaces. At first, I thought that the synthetic surfaces were the answer to racing's ills. But now, I am not sure that I wouldn't rather risk running on dirt instead of the synthetic surfaces because of an increase in soft tissue injuries that can also lead to fatal breakdowns on these synthetic surfaces. I personally prefer turf racing, but horses receive fatal injuries racing over this natural footing as well. Injuries happen on farms and anywhere that there are horses. I have had broken legs with foals, yearlings and mares who were either playing roughly, or simply took a bad step and placed too much torque on their leg. I have seen mares get in a fight and back up into each other kicking with both hind legs, simply to establish their pecking order. In fact, I have seen a mare die from this by lacerating a pelvic artery. Man had nothing to do with these fatalities, they were simply horses being horses. Horses do silly things every day. Believe me, I have seen them! My father used to joke that a horse is simply an accident waiting to happen.
As far as breeding goes, soundness is an issue. I personally attempt to breed to stallions that stayed sound on the race track and raced for three or four seasons. Since I sell yearlings commercially and sometimes don't have them sell, I want a horse that will withstand training. Not all horses in the breeding world are sound horses. The Unbridled sire line that Eight Belles descends from is not an extremely sound line. They tend to be big-bodied horses that can sometimes be a little light-boned below the knee. However, when some of these offspring are good, they are very good and are even championship caliber. This is what she was, a potential champion. And, if she couldn't run fast, maybe would not have raced, but been retired for breeding.
I wish that the people who write into these pages had the time to spend on a horse farm or the backside of a racetrack. Maybe they would be more understanding of how much these animals mean to so many people and how hard they are affected by the losses that they suffer when a racehorse is put down. Maybe they could connect to their "farming" side which is pretty much nonexistent any more for most people. Another thing to remember is that these horses are animals and do not have the human qualities that so many wish to impart to them. When you learn to love them for the animals that they are and respect the instincts which they possess, you will have a lot more respect for both the horses themselves and for the people that spend seven days a week caring for them.
Sometimes euthanasia is the right thing for a horse and sometimes that decision needs to be made very quickly. I'll bet that there are people out there that see people suffer needlessly in incurable and hopeless situations that wonder why they don't have that same right.
eight belles
racing should not be permitted of thoroughbreds until they are 3 years old. make the kentucky derby for 4 year olds thenyou will see a lot more mares running and a lot less injuries for everyone. thoroughbred owners make so much money on these animals that they should be forced to allow them to get to at least three years old to be raced and 4 years old to be races in the large and hugely money making races. if that is not acceptable, then no one should back racing period until these people get it and no horses should be permitted to go to slaughter. if your horse is unable to get around, he should be put down in his house with you, the owner there with him. if you no longer want the horse then you should have to spend the time and the money to find a home for that animal. i have been around so many a-holes who decided they didn't like a horse for on ereason or another, called the killers to come and get it so they could make that last $1200.00 for meat and then went right out and bought another horse. no, no, no. not acceptable anymore and never should have been.eight belles was a great filly with an indomitable heart and the sight of big brown pulling away from her is what made her put out all that extra effort, the jockey was not whipping her and it wouldnt have mattered if he was. if she did'nt want to run, she would not have run. didn't anyone notice all the other horses who were not in the closing picture? she loved what she did and she was the best at it. her misfortune was she was running against probably the next secretariat and she was way too young to be running in this type of race with her massive frame and underdeveloped bones. but i have already ordered as many pictures of her as possible. big brown won the race, but she won my heart.
I say "Amen" to that. Until and unless significant changes are made, I've watched my last race.
But who is really to blame for this?
I am. And so is everyone else who in any way supports the horse-racing industry (that includes buying the products advertised during the races). I was the typical horse-crazy little girl who grew up to be a horse-crazy woman. I watched the Kentucky Derby and any other horse-related event I could find. I was given the book, The Kentucky Derby; The First 100 Years, and I could tell you who the first filly to win the Derby was (Regret, 1915). I watched my first Derby in 1973, when I was just 7. With my heart in my throat, I watched as Secretariat won the Triple Crown. My first glimpse of the dark side of racing came two years later as my sister and I watched the Ruffian vs. Foolish Pleasure match race. I was horrified. I can honestly say that, 33 years later, when I watch the race on YouTube, I still cry. It was horrible. Like Eight Belles, Ruffian was euthanized right on the track. When a horse breaks down, anyone who continues to support any part of the horse-racing industry (as it currently stands) is to blame. Up until this past weekend, that included me.
What's the root cause of the problem?
Money. I think we all know that the horse-racing industry is a billion-dollar business. As I watched the Derby this past Saturday, I commented to my friend that the $30 million dollars currently shown in the betting pool at the time was larger than the Gross National Product of some countries. These horses cost a lot of money to buy and they cost a lot to train. But if they do well, they win some prize money, and a whole lot more in stud fees. (Ever wonder why there are so few fillies in the Triple Crown races? Think about it... Is it easier (and cheaper) for a stallion to produce 100 foals, or for a filly/mare?) Owners get a quicker "return on their investment" if they start racing their horses at 2-years-old in order for them to be ready for the 3-year-old season. And when a horse is as big as Eight Belles (17 hands), she looks full-grown. Didn't all of the horses in the Derby look mature? Well, none of them were. Most horses (including Thoroughbreds) aren't fully mature until they're 4-5 years old, and some mature even later. When these horses are training as 2-year-olds, their knees are still soft. Their joints, bones and muscles aren't prepared for the pressure of galloping a 1000-pound body for 2 full minutes.
And, finally, why is this so personal for me?
One year ago, I fulfilled a life-long dream and bought a horse, whom I named Primo Sogno (Italian for "first dream"). He was a 2-year-old Thoroughbred rescued from the track. Even though he looked like an adult, I had to remember that he was just 24-months old. I bought him from a woman who rescued him from a small local race track. He and another colt had been brought to the track to begin training as yearlings, but the trainer had determined that Primo didn't have the right stuff to make it on the track. So they just stopped feeding him. When my friend rescued him, he only weighed 350 pounds. She raised him with her own yearling, got him healthy, and then started looking for the right home for him. I bought him knowing that he couldn't be "started" for at least 6 months. When my trainer determined that his knees were mature enough, we started him slowly and easily. He certainly still has his moments (he's only 3 years old!), but he's doing beautifully. He's happy, healthy and loved. He's like a Labrador Retriever puppy trapped in the 1000-pound body of a Thoroughbred! If every owner and trainer felt about their horses the way I feel about Primo, I would be proud to support the racing industry.
