I have very mixed feelings about this one...we can put a man on the moon and grow new digits for humans from what amounts to ' DNA hog dust'...but we still shoot horses as though this were the old west...

http://www.slate.com/id/2190571/

When reading the article it is easy to see that saving the horse might not be an option although one would have thought that an attempt might be made then to use the horse for breeding.

If a horse cannot support its weight with two damaged front ankles, hooves, or legs unfortunately, the best course of action would be to put down the horse so that the horse, in this case Eight Belles would not suffer...that's my opinion.

Obviously that has been the time honoured way of dealing with leg injuries on slender -ankled horses. My real consternation is over the backwardness of this approach, which is straight out of the dark ages. To address in my own layman way some problems presented in the article: I can give my children correct doses of pain medication based upon what they weigh. Can this not be done with large animals as well? My persian cat actually had a hip replacement after falling off a rock wall and that was ten years ago [ back when I could sort of afford such caprices on his part]
I know it's fairly common for humans to be put into induced comas for benefit of healing and comfort.

It just seems odd [ especially if one owns a champion purse winner possibly worth millions ] that apparently no one specializes in helping these injured horses instead of merely blowing them away right there at the track. Good heavens.

They tried with Barbaro, but in the end the results were the same, he had to be put down.

It was tried with Ruffian back in 1975, and the results were the same, she too had to be put down.

Unfortunately, for all the modern vet technology, it is still very difficult to treat horses, regardless of whether that horse is a champion racer or not.

I think if it is case of letting the horse suffer, even for just a bit, it is not worth it, it is best to end the suffering as soon as possible.

Of course, I can see your point, and nobody wants the animal to suffer... I'm just wondering why more progress hasn't been made in this area over the years -especially when so much money is involved. Even if people weren't involved solely for the welfare of the horse, you'd think they'd be drawn toward the money they would make for being the vet who finally invented a way to save prize horses.

Such a sad, sad thing. I was so upset on Saturday after the race, I'm not ashamed to say I cried every time I thought about it. As much as I love horses, I have to agree that putting Eight Belles down immediately was the best thing to do. I guess the consolation I have in this whole fiasco was that they didn't actually shoot her with a gun like they did in the old west. Can you imagine the fallout if that happened? At least nowadays, it's a little more humane, even though still upsetting.

It really is awful, Lisa. Once the horse is no longer a cash cow [ so to speak] -they're history.

ktstew, I, too, was disturbed by the death of Eight Belles, but I understood it. Barbaro was treated for months at what is probably the top large-animal care center in the U.S. -- the Widener Veterinary Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania -- but despite heroic efforts by expert and experienced vets, his life could not be saved.

The problems are several and involve equine anatomy and size. Eight Belles had broken both forelegs; a horse needs at least three to support its weight and is really built to carry its considerable weight on all four. (Barbaro had broken only one hind leg and still couldn't be saved.) Horses can't sit or lie down during the healing period as humans can -- their weight will result in suffocation. Using a sling apparatus to support a horse's weight isn't practical in the long-term and presents significant health problems of its own. Life-threatening disease in the other limbs are frequently the result of broken legs in horses; curing it is quite difficult and often futile. Finally, horses have been known to thrash and kick while undergoing treatment, resulting in additional injuries.

Because the chances of saving a racehorse in these circumstances are so slim, money is a consideration. Barbaro's owners were willing to spend quite a lot in an effort to save his life, but to no avail. Remembering that tragedy, and understanding that the chances that Eight Belles could be saved were low, they surely made the decision not to invest in a probably futile attempt.

The question many people are asking now is whether owners are really tempting fate by racing these young horses. Far more horses end up being euthanized on racetracks than the public knows, because their injuries occur during races that are not remotely as high profile as the Triple Crown is.

"It just seems odd [ especially if one owns a champion purse winner possibly worth millions ] that apparently no one specializes in helping these injured horses instead of merely blowing them away right there at the track. Good heavens."



There are people who specialise in this type of injury and the progress that has been made is unbelievable. Many horses are saved that would have been put down not long ago.

Unfortunately not all breaks are fixable. The horses physicology is complex and doesn't easily lend itself to weeks or months of immobility. The temperament of the horse will also have to be taken into consideration, will it cope with the confinement and the rehabilitation afterwards. Thirdly, what will it's quality of life be afterwards.

As tough as it may seem, shooting them is, sometimes, the kindest thing you can do. It is done quietly and efficently, by professionals and remember, unlike us, they don't look at the gun and think "I'm going to die".

Destroying a horse is a decision that is never lightly made.

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There are people who specialise in this type of injury and the progress that has been made is unbelievable. Many horses are saved that would have been put down not long ago.

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I guess this is the comment I had been looking for. I haven't heard much about such advances in the news, and it's good to know that at least some progress is being made. It goes without saying that a double fracture would be almost impossible to deal with, but I'm hoping that as time passes, lesser injuries can be surgically fixed with good results.

One sesamoid fracture is treatable, but two is very unusual. If you have limitless funds for the veterinary treatment, it is possible to save a filly (or colt in the case of the great Mill Reef), but it is lengthy and costly.

I am sure that if they could have saved this filly for the stud paddocks, they would have done... as she would have made a wonderful broodmare.

Here's an interesting article that discusses the possible benefits of synthetic racetrack surfaces and the fact that horses may have undetected "microfractures" that can ultimately result in disaster:


http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/05/sports/othersports/05racing.html?ref=othersports

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Far more horses end up being euthanized on racetracks than the public knows, because their injuries occur during races that are not remotely as high profile as the Triple Crown is.

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We really don't hear that much about it in the news, unless it's a sensational case like this one. I am fascinated by the link provided by lanfranco - a whole 'insider industry' of stats and constant upgrades to racing surfaces.

Yesterday's New York Times (I believe in the sports section) did several articles on thoroughbred race horses.
Many of these horses are not treated humanely - it's all in the money. They are absolutely beautiful animals - it is a shame.

Ah, sorry - I did not read your post - obviously the same reference. I had a "discussion" in another thread with someone who felt that since his brother (I believe) treated his horses humanely, he believed everyone did. So, I did tell him to "stop and smell the roses" - but then those horses were running for the roses, weren't they?

There's a good article on Barbaro's jockey in the latest issue of Reader's Digest. I wasn't really interested in the story, but still found it fascinating.

For the record, Eight Belles was NOT shot to death, she was euthanised via injection on the track.

She had two broken front ankles and could not get up; she was in pain and was suffering. She broke the sesamoid bones in both her ankles, with one ankle bone protruding through the skin (somewhat like Ruffian). Her owners and trainers decided what was best for her.

Eight Belles ran the race of her life. She will not be forgotten.

People have a misconception about how horses are treated in the racing industry. I guess its all that whipping. But having owned a couple of race horses (the very frustrating Fava and very exciting Relativity) I can tell you that apart from the odd exception the horses are treated like royalty. Are trainer was particularly careful with his horses, so much so that we had to demand he race them again and THEN they could rest. There are enormous amounts of money in racing here in Australia not just in prize money but in breeding. It's not unusual for a horse to win a major group one and then thats the end of his racing career its off to stud where the real money is.
Owners love their horses, trainers pamper them and the jockeys can form a bond that only rider could appreciate. Nobody wishes to put down an animal and if there were a way for it not to happen then it simply wouldn't. But horses live on their feet, unless you want to put a horse in traction for months, which might be considered cruel in itself, its virtually impossible to repair a badly damaged animal.

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For the record, Eight Belles was NOT shot to death, she was euthanised via injection on the track.

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I DO realize that Eight Belles was given a lethal injection. They Shoot Horses, Don't They? is the name of a famous movie from many years ago, and immediately popped into my head as a strictly rhetorical name for this thread.

I opened this page not to cause a brawl of some kind, but because I was interested in answers to some disturbing questions. Thankfully there have been some thoughtful and courteous replies which provided new information and links for me to look at. It still seems a legitimate question to wonder why - after all our science fiction like advances in medicine and technology - we still must sometimes end an animal's life. It 's sad - but a required action at times like this.

But was not They Shoot Horses, don't they, a film about marathon dancing in the depression - a means of making money for the cash strapped.

Sometimes a little knowledge is a dangerous thing about horseracing and quogevox has hit the nail on the head. Breeders, owners and trainers on the very much whole take great care of their horses.

A breeder could not send its young stock to the sales and expect it to be sold if it were anything other than 100%.

It is a business, like any other involving animals. There are sad times and there are glad times. To suggest that there is indemic cruelty in the bloodstock industry is, in my opinion, somewhat flawed.

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... as a strictly rhetorical name for this thread.

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Sigh.
The movie was named in such a manner due to the exhaustion and despondency of one of the dancers -who has just executed a 'mercy killing' on his girlfriend at her request. She was physically in pain and had just found out the prize money was all but non existent, due to various fees and penalties. When questioned by the police as to why he did such a thing he replied...."well...they shoot horses, don't they?"

The parallel seems fairly obvious...

The saddest photo appeared in the sports section of Sunday's New York Times. It was a photo of the horse lying on the ground and the vet with needle in hand and another assistant holding down the horse's head. But look at the other two horses in the photo. One turns away as if not able to look and the other with his head reared up as if to say 'why". The article underneath this photo is captioned "race's aftermath shows sports brutal side". Look beyond the glitz and the glitter, the mint juleps and the hats. It's all about the money.
If a picture is worth a thousand words, that photo is worth a million words. Enough said!

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It's all about the money.

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I merely think a lot of it is about money.
I don't pretend to know anything about racing or breeding or equestrian health care but I do know something about the way a businessman thinks. Not the jockeys or the stable boys, who probably don't make fantastic money and nine times out of ten probably take wonderful care of the horses. Many of their bosses [ the ones with the REAL money] are out to make more and will not be sentimental over a horse which they perceive is no longer 'purse viable.' That's just how the bottom line works, no matter what business one is engaged in.

Have to love the NY Times and their brand of reporting.

Funny to hear one of the PETA people interviewed by Mike Turico of EPSN and every question he asked the lady gave responses which seemed read from a cue card that had nothing to do with the question he asked.

Questions along the lines of, since PETA is asking for the jockey to be suspended for the common practice of using the whip, did the jockey use the whip any more then other jockeys and even after asking the same question politely three times, Turico got no answer to his question but instead a list of gripes which had nothing to do wtih his question from the person speaking for PETA.

Good points that were brought up during the show I was watching on ESPN were taking the use of the whip out of horse racing and not allowing horses to be administered any pain type medications just before a race.