The Kentucky Derby Tragedy

Sad

Thats sad I hope we don't do that today

Eight Bells and the Future of Horse Racing

The tragedy at the Kentucky Derby is heart breaking, a sickening result of a once majestic sport gone "unbridled". Believe me, I am no animal activist. I beleive we, in this country, care more about our pets than we do about our fellow human beings, however, the drive to "succeed" is what has created this outcome. The funny thing is, is that "success" doesn't even mean the same thing anymore...why hasn't there been a triple crown winner since 1978?? Success is not in the amount of money you can make, how much do you possibly need? Success is the reputation you create as being honest and forthright, commpasionate and full of integrity - those people are remembered and revered. Horse racing can still be a majestic sport, it does not need to be banned, it needs to be regulated and cleaned up. Money in this country has become like a drug, a bad addiction. People kill each other for it let alone torture animals in their drive for more. The key is not to condemn all participants, some are willing to play fair, but to shore up the rules. Regulations are not put in place to choke the business but to level the playing field and to weed out the bad apples - they won't ever play fair. If trainers, owners, and race tracks can make the adjustments, focus their attention away from the purse and direct it into creating the "best" athlete, not just the fastest, maybe even more could compete - fairly, honestly, and with thriving, healthy, strong and majestic partners... wouldn't that be exciting, and worth "betting" on?

There were other alternatives for Eight Belles

Eight Belles could have been given a sedative and sent to Best Friends sanctuary in Utah. They currently have a horse with a prostetic leg. There were alternatives it's just some of that society is not educated enough to know about the rescue animal facilities out there. Look up Best Friends, all of you, and get educated. There is no reason that animal had to be euthanized.

I hope the Kentucky Derby will finally be banned.

Sham on any celebrity that supports this inhumane sport. Thankfully, PETA has successfully had Greyhound racing banned by the year 2010.

so sickening

It is so devastating when Eight Belles was killed. I was sick. I feel hopeless to stop these money grubbing people from discarding their animals. It is all about money. I would have taken Eight Belles if I could have. And helped her recover and loved her. What must she have felt after being forced to race on fragile legs, and then killed when they broke. What must she have thought before they shot her. I did my best. I did what you wanted. And now you end my life. Animals are innocent and at our mercy. To exploit that is horrific. How do we find the time and courage to impact this sport and affect change? There are so many problems in the world. But that shooting made me furious. We have to find a way to create change.

Eight Belles

First of all Bonnie... euthanizing a horse is not "slaughter". Sometimes there just isn't anything that you can do about it and it's ends up being your only option. I've grown up with horses. My grandpa raises horses for standarbred racing. I know it's not exactly the same thing, but still. I watched the race where Eight Belles got badly injured. The way she broke BOTH ankles, there was no way to heal that. Unfortunately, that was the only option for Eight Belles. Yes, it's sad, but it had to be done. But I honestly don't think it's right for you to say that euthanizing is slaughtering. It's not even close. Slaughtering is killing for the fun of it. Euthanizing is putting an animal down because that's what's best for the animal. Think about it.

vets decision

Eight bells was "slaughtered" by a vet who made the decision before speaking to her owners or trainer. So I guess that he must have had his name on her insurance policy???? I also guess all the critics that say she could have been saved know better than the vet???

And to Tara Ruffian fan...Ruffian died from thrashing when waking up from her surgery. I didnt get my facts from Hollywood, I got them from Dr. Prendergast who performed the surgery....

quick thought

You say that people are just too greedy to want to pay to keep a broken horse in a sling- what about the fact that horses NEED to be weight bearing in order to survive? Ask your vet about this- if horses cannot put weight on their feet, it effects the circulation in their feet, which leads to nasty things like laminitis, in themselves potentially deadly.

Sometimes euth is the best option- even people who will make the effort and pay the bills on the very best of care (see: barbaro), don't always get the desired result.

And as the owner of some fancy h/j show horses, you might want to look around and "clean up your own house" so to speak. H/J breakdowns may not happen quickly or spectacularly, like racing or eventing accidents do (though you do see the occasional rotational fall or heart attack over the fence, even when the fences do fall down, they simply aren't publicized as much), but horses are being jumped too young (three year old hunter futurities? horses jumping 3' courses as four year olds?), given drugs, overcompeted, lunged to death to stay "quiet" enough for their amateur owners, among other things. Racing and eventing may be popular targets right now, but every discipline has its dark side, and I hope you are willing to apply the same amount of anger and hysteria to your own discipline.

Reply to Ms. Ross

Bravo Ms. Ross. Well written and intelligently expressed. I could not agree more.

Reply to Ms. Ross

Ms. Ross,

Your reply to Ms. Erbe's editorial was extremely well written and based on factual content. This is something that her original opinion piece was obviously not. Even your own opinions had merit due to your experience with horses. Thank you for sharing your thoughts with those that do not understand thoroughbred horses, how they are raised, or what they are bred to accomplish. They are a natural "fight or flee" animal whose basic instincts dictate that speed is the primary means of survival and establishing their order in the "herd", whether that herd be natural, or man-made in the form of a horse race.

Eight Belles

Ms. Erbe,

After I finished rolling my eyes at your misleading, sensationalist commentary in my local newspaper and reading the hysteria posts on your blog, I felt I should chime in. Clearly neither you or the majority of posters to your site have any knowledge of horse racing, other than as casual one-day-a-year fans, at best, which, of course, makes you experts on "what should be done." As a journalist, were you not taught to check your facts before writing misleading articles?

I am curious as to what type of "work" you've done "with grooms and farriers who have come off the track." I have been associated with racing or race horses since the mid-70's. My husband has worked internationally with racers and currently works with a hall-of-fame trainer. Trainers and their staff at all levels of racing work 7-days a week, many for little pay, attending to the horses every need. They spend more time with the horses then with their human families.

It is understandable that people are upset after the breakdowns of Barbaro, George Washington and Eight Belles - three fatal accidents that have occurred on Thoroughbred racing's biggest stage within the past year. It is definitely a black eye for the sport.

Where are you and the activists when a $5,000 claimer breaks down on a Wednesday afternoon at one of the lower-level racetracks? I don't hear them. But since this was the Kentucky Derby and on national television, you all come out of the woodwork looking for a forum.

You who protest that horse racing is "barbaric" and press for rule changes such as banning the whip and forcing every racetrack to switch to synthetic surfaces, should learn the facts before causing a stir. You are grossly misinformed and only looking to place blame where there is none.

But let's keep this all in perspective. From the numbers I have seen, there are about 1.6 breakdowns for every 1,000 starts. Sometimes putting a horse down is in the best interest of the horse. Not many horses have the temperament to endure being confined to a stall in a sling for months. Infections and laminitis can be a lethal result. If you knew that your horse had a slim chance for survival, treatment could cause the horse weeks or months of pain and suffering, and it would cost hundreds of thousands of dollars, with no guarantee that the horse would live, would you take that chance? The owners of Barbaro are to be commended for trying, but many owners just don't have the money to go that far. Would you rally against a dog or cat owner in the same situation? For the most part, Thoroughbreds are well cared for and they enjoy running. After all, this is what they are bred to do.

You hysterically call for all tracks in the country to be forced to install synthetic footing. Are you aware of the debacle that went on at Santa Anita park over the winter regarding the synthetic track? Horses are injured on synthetic surfaces too. It isn't a cure-all. Studies have been ongoing comparing synthetic tracks to dirt. I suggest you google them before making such ignorant demands.

You state that two year olds should be banned from racing. Please. Two-year-olds run in Europe all of the time. Check any European racing site, you will see plenty of two and three year old races being held. Steeplechasers on the other hand, generally don't race until they are at least three.

Your "stories" about horses going crazy from being fed too much sweet feed is again, plain ignorance regarding the nutrition of the racehorse. A scientific study on race horse nutrition was done by Texas A&M University, and is available on the web. They found that horses get more sugar from good quality hay and grazing live grass. Sweet feed has about the equivalent of sugar as you get in your morning breakfast cereal and orange juice. And you don't weigh 1,000 pounds.

Horses are not forced to stay in their stalls for 23 hours a day, nor can there be any comparison to a human being tied to their bed for that amount of time. I urge you to visit the backstretch of any racetrack or training facility to see the morning warm-ups, breezes, baths, hand grazing, etc. that takes place in the mornings. In the afternoons, horses generally nap, munch hay and are sometimes walked or taken outside to graze if they are not running that day. They are never restrained while in their stalls without good reason. Race horses get vacations where they are turned out for weeks and months at a time. Throwing them all into a pasture is an idealist fantasy. The horses would, indeed become injured, possibly from fighting to determine rank, and some would have to be put down. A miserable horse does will not race well. It is in the best interest of everyone associated with the horse to keep him happy.

You go on to tell another "story" with no basis for fact, of a third-hand account of a trainer trying to break a horses' spirit. No race-horse trainer in his right mind would try this. Obviously you again didn't bother to check your facts before spewing your vitriol. Every racetrack and state that allows racing has a racing commission and stewards. Most of these people are owners, former trainers, jockeys and others from the racing world. No situation, as the one you described would be tolerated by any horseman. Contrary to your belief, horsemen and women love horses and are in horse racing for the love of the horse. Only a handful of owners and trainers become majorly successful. Most are lucky to stay out of the red and earn a moderate income.

Does that mean we should stop looking at some of the underlying reasons for breakdowns? Not at all. I like the idea of doing more research on breeding (and inbreeding) patterns to find out why today's horses seem to be less sturdy than those of 30 or 40 years ago.

I also think we should keep pressing for stricter drug testing and impose stiffer penalties for offenders. In my opinion, (I have no hard proof to back my claim, this is only my opinion) we are seeing an increased number of breakdowns because trainers are introducing horses to more and more medicines (legal and illegal). Allowing horses to run on medications when their bodies are already compromised could be one major reason why they are now more prone to injuries.

In closing, the death of Eight Belles was terrible and something that nobody wants to see. But let's keep it in perspective. Fatalities are going to occur in horse racing whether or not we ban the whip, switch to synthetic surfaces, or run two-year-olds. You want to protest or stop watching horse racing because of an accident? That's your choice. Just stop pointing fingers without knowing all the facts.