and another horse is dead...Eight Belles broke both her front ankles

I used to love watching the Derby but not anymore! I'm sick over that horse being destroyed on the track. I'm glad I didn't see her fall down. Last year the Barbero tragedy, noe Eight Belles, it's all too much for this animal lover.

... . ..... that was a weird one alright .. even going to the window was a sad one . she ran her heart out, check the replays, , kinda like a bambi movie, , geezzzzzzz, a bad one.....

I was really into this sport for a few years in the early 70s. Then I saw Ruffian break down in the match race with Foolish Pleasure in 1975 and I began to lose interest. I like animals too much to watch something in which one of them might run the race of their life and then die moments later.

I don't have a problem with boxing, though. What do you suppose that could mean?

I'm the same way, Tatters! I love boxing, always watch it on TV and have a friend who used to be a welter weight champ, used to go to his fights! It's entirely different for me with animals; like you, I just do not want to see animals hurt. Imay not even watch the other 2 races, parts of the Triple Crown. I've had enough!

that's some sick shit; break your ankles and die immediately before you even catch your breath. we can bankroll WINNERS but not let your ankles mend so that you can retire to the horseback-rides-for-kids circuit.

everything gets hurt, but not all get a chance to heal. a strange sort of classist election.

They hace been complaining about the track for a few years now. Maybe this latest loss will get them to do something about it.

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winter
that's some sick shit; break your ankles and die immediately before you even catch your breath. we can bankroll WINNERS but not let your ankles mend so that you can retire to the horseback-rides-for-kids circuit.

everything gets hurt, but not all get a chance to heal. a strange sort of classist election.

The ankles can't heal on a horse- that is why it was euthanized. It would have been crueler to keep the horse alive.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2008-05-04 22:12 by FrankM.

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FrankM

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winter
that's some sick shit; break your ankles and die immediately before you even catch your breath. we can bankroll WINNERS but not let your ankles mend so that you can retire to the horseback-rides-for-kids circuit.

everything gets hurt, but not all get a chance to heal. a strange sort of classist election.

The ankles can't heal on a horse- that is why it was euthanized. It would have been crueler to keep the horse alive.

She broke both front ankles. Without one front leg to stand on, there was no way they could even get her into the ambulance while she was alive. There was absolutely nothing they could do.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2008-05-05 06:03 by tatters.

..... appears some feel humans are not animals.. ...... seems odd to me.

I can't get a link for this but right now on the Yahoo headlines, there's an ABC news video about the problem.

The news clip reports that TWO horses A DAY suffer such injuries in races - it didn't say if this is in the US or worldwide.

They questioned whether inbreeding leads to a higher rate of passing along "frailties". Better tracks won't address that problem...

I can't find the link. Thoroughbreds are less inbred than the breeds where there is a small gene pool, such as the Suffolk Punch. They are a ton of animal bringing enormous weight down onto joints at speed and there will always be injuries.

I highly doubt the accuracy of the news story, when did the facts ever get in the way of a story? I can think of this happening on ONE occasion in 25 years of race-going in the UK, it was hugely distressing but a complete freak accident.

What I do know is that injury rates in horses racing on dirt and training on dirt are far higher than for those who race on all-weather or on grass.

LQ I know you and I agree to disagree about horse racing . I do believe that getting rid of dirt tracks and introducing all-weather tracks will greatly improve the welfare of US horses. It would be great if you could rebuild tracks so horses are not on the turn the whole time and race them right-handed as well as left-handed too. That changes distances and sometimes means relocating grandstands, but would also help welfare and injury reduction.

regardless - horse racing should be banned!! PETA is correct by trying to stop this cruel so called "sport" that only strokes the ego's of the rich!!
I couldn't believe how cold all the owners reactions were - "it's just part of the game". - BRUTAL!!

I don't preach but this one bothered me greatly.

PETA statement -

Eight Belles' death is yet another reminder that these horses are raced when they are so young that their bones have not properly formed, and they are often raced on surfaces that are too hard for their bones—like the hard track at Churchill Downs. Eight Belles' jockey whipped her mercilessly as she came down the final stretch. This is no great surprise, since trainers, owners, and jockeys are all driven by the desire to make money, leaving the horses to suffer terribly.

PETA is calling on the racing industry to suspend the jockey and trainer, to bar the owner from racing at the track, and, at the very least, to stop using young horses who are so susceptible to these types of horrific injuries. We're also demanding that the industry stop racing horses on hard tracks and switch to softer, synthetic surfaces, which would spare horses' bones and joints, in addition to calling for a permanent ban on the use of whips. Help PETA call for an end to cruelty masquerading as sport by using the form below to take action today.

Although Eight Belles' death, like Barbaro's before hers, made headlines, countless lesser-known horses suffer similar fates—their broken legs and battered bodies are simply hidden from public view. Most racehorses end up broken down or cast off or are sent to Europe for slaughter.

The news stories continue here in the States - it's getting excellent coverage.

The PETA story is the cover story for the 2nd time in 24 hours on the Yahoo news (usually a story gets one cycle only).

The PBS News Hour with Jim Lehrer just had a story on it followed by an excellent debate between two sports writers.

The story ion PBS (as well as the NBC Nightly News - national) nterviewed several people (including trainers, owners) who say that horses were sturdier decades ago and that a newer emphasis on speed has lead to imbreeding - later it was noted that Eight Belles is related to Barbaro.

Other points noted include that horses are raced at too young of an age and are drugged and given steroids to get them back to racing before an injury heels.

Of course, the type of track was also noted.

Here's a link to one of the sportswriter's points of view. He had a strong debate on the PBS show:

[www.nytimes.com]

The news clip reports that TWO horses A DAY suffer such injuries in races - it didn't say if this is in the US or worldwide.


How many humans get sick every day?

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sweetcharmedlife
The news clip reports that TWO horses A DAY suffer such injuries in races - it didn't say if this is in the US or worldwide.


How many humans get sick every day?

You think the horse had to be put down because she got "sick"? That's like saying a race car driver who dies in a horrible crash succumbed to a fatal illness! And by the way, when there WAS a series of fatal wrecks at the Indy 500 in the early 70s, modifications WERE made to the cars and to the track to make them safer.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2008-05-06 17:14 by tatters.

C'mon people . Are you naive ?

Thoroughbred racing is a business . These people daon't give a damn about the animal . They are only interested in the return on revenue invested . If a horse wins any of the triple crown races the stud fees are where the cash is at . This case a bit different because the horse was female but still a valuable commodidty

I feel as bad as others regarding Eight Bells tragic demise but I learned long ago most others in this world don't feel the same as I or in this case we do .

I'd rather spend my time with a dog than a lot of people I know . At least they aren't deceptive , coniving and dishonest .

I really do hope of ther is such a thing as reincarnation that I come back as a dog . And especialy to one of you caring people !

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tatters

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sweetcharmedlife
The news clip reports that TWO horses A DAY suffer such injuries in races - it didn't say if this is in the US or worldwide.


How many humans get sick every day?

You think the horse had to be put down because she got "sick"? That's like saying a race car driver who dies in a horrible crash succumbed to a fatal illness! And by the way, when there WAS a series of fatal wrecks at the Indy 500 in the early 70s, modifications WERE made to the cars and to the track to make them safer.

And their are modifactions being made in horse racing. In california all tracks are now required to use synthetic surfaces instead of dirt. Which has been proven to be easier on horses. Many tracks are switching to this type of surface. But more research is still needed to find the right type of surface. If you want to complain about animal abuse go to a rodeo or a circus or a Zoo. Not a racetrack.

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paulr15
regardless - horse racing should be banned!! PETA is correct by trying to stop this cruel so called "sport" that only strokes the ego's of the rich!!
I couldn't believe how cold all the owners reactions were - "it's just part of the game". - BRUTAL!!

...... . . just when ya think there might be a sensable conversation taken place, and whammo,, a post like above.. .. ........ make sure ya have an apple in your lunch pale tomorrow..

I am really sorry folks, but I think PETA needs to stuff themselves with Shawarma and eat it! ... Then again, they are probably vegetarians so you better make it a Falafel.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2008-05-07 05:11 by BluzDude.

Arlington Park, Illinois. Over 20 horses were put down because of injuries over the same 1/2 block of dirt. The racing board,of course, found nothing wrong.

No easy solution to the problem imo. You can call for an end to horse racing but it's not realistic. Many people are employed by the horse racing idustry. I'm not sure how well or poorly these animals are treated, The owners and trainers will say one thing and PETA will say the opposite and the truth is probably somewhere inbetween.

I don't like seeing animals treated cruelly either so if waiting until the horses are more mature and improving the tracks will curtail injuries then that may be worth looking into.

"Lyin' awake in a cold, cold sweat. Am I overdrawn, am I going in debt?
It gets worse, the older that you get. No escape from the state of confusion I'm in.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 2008-05-08 03:36 by FrankM.

I will admit that one of my pet peeves(no pun intended) is how soon they start running these horses at 2 now. They used to wait until after the Triple Crown races before thay ran the babies. But some tracks, including Hollywood Park are already running two year old races. Way too soon in my opinion. But with the lack of one overall governing body. Each state and track can pretty much set thier own rules.

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sweetcharmedlife

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tatters

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sweetcharmedlife
The news clip reports that TWO horses A DAY suffer such injuries in races - it didn't say if this is in the US or worldwide.


How many humans get sick every day?

You think the horse had to be put down because she got "sick"? That's like saying a race car driver who dies in a horrible crash succumbed to a fatal illness! And by the way, when there WAS a series of fatal wrecks at the Indy 500 in the early 70s, modifications WERE made to the cars and to the track to make them safer.

And their are modifactions being made in horse racing. In california all tracks are now required to use synthetic surfaces instead of dirt. Which has been proven to be easier on horses. Many tracks are switching to this type of surface. But more research is still needed to find the right type of surface. If you want to complain about animal abuse go to a rodeo or a circus or a Zoo. Not a racetrack.

yes - the horses injuries in this case can't be compared to human injuries - we put the horses into the horse racing situation.

we could compare horses injuring themselves out on the open range in their natural environment with what humans do to themselves (or to other humans).

in our last thread about barbaro, the problems with the tracks were covered well. i think it's interesting that genetics, pain medication used to cover injuries, and age are being mentioned in mainstream media as contributors to the problem. i had heard the latter two arguments years ago but not in anything mainstream.

as far as PETA is concerned, they're not raising the flag on this one - mainstream media is providing the arguments (see my link to NYT article above) and PETA is just offering solutions.

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sweetcharmedlife
I will admit that one of my pet peeves(no pun intended) is how soon they start running these horses at 2 now. They used to wait until after the Triple Crown races before thay ran the babies. But some tracks, including Hollywood Park are already running two year old races. Way too soon in my opinion. But with the lack of one overall governing body. Each state and track can pretty much set thier own rules.

I don't know if you are aware of this or not but all foals born during any calender year are considered that age . In other words if a horse is born on say October 6th its birthday according to the industry is January 1st of that year . The Triple Crown races is for 3 year olds only . Some may be as young as just a bit over 2 years old and therefore eligble to run .

Sometimes PETA goes over the top, but for the most part I support their efforts to protect animals of all kinds. Animals cannot speak for themselves and there are thousands of undocumented stories of animal abuse nationwide; PETA goes after the small cases as well as the national stories because I believe their intentions are good ones. Think about what would be going on if not for PETA; they are the animals' police department!

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boston2006

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sweetcharmedlife
I will admit that one of my pet peeves(no pun intended) is how soon they start running these horses at 2 now. They used to wait until after the Triple Crown races before thay ran the babies. But some tracks, including Hollywood Park are already running two year old races. Way too soon in my opinion. But with the lack of one overall governing body. Each state and track can pretty much set thier own rules.

I don't know if you are aware of this or not but all foals born during any calender year are considered that age . In other words if a horse is born on say October 6th its birthday according to the industry is January 1st of that year . The Triple Crown races is for 3 year olds only . Some may be as young as just a bit over 2 years old and therefore eligble to run .

Yes I am aware of that. But that's why when they breed them,they usually try to plan it so that they are born early in the year.

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soundcheck

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paulr15
regardless - horse racing should be banned!! PETA is correct by trying to stop this cruel so called "sport" that only strokes the ego's of the rich!!
I couldn't believe how cold all the owners reactions were - "it's just part of the game". - BRUTAL!!

...... . . just when ya think there might be a sensable conversation taken place, and whammo,, a post like above.. .. ........ make sure ya have an apple in your lunch pale tomorrow..

????????- please try and make some sense soundcheck