race horse euthanized

[dorokusai]

I watched that race and it was sad to hear about Belles being put down. It took all the excitement out of it for me.

Tomorrow - I'd be interested in that offer and it sounds pretty neat.

Mark
Polk Audio CS

 

[mazersteven]

I just finished writing a small book on Thoroughbred Race Handicapping. As soon as I complete the (seemingly never-ending delaying) process of publishing the thing, I would be willing to send one (free) to any interested AH member. PM me if you want one. I'll see what I can do.

You gotta be shittin' me, Tomorrow. You think you're Mickey Spillane? You think you're some kind of a f-kin' writer?

 

[aberkowitz]

Back to the age issue- I have read stories on other sites about how in Europe and Asia they don't generally start racing horses until they are at least 3 or 4 years old, allowing their bones more time to mature. I don't know exactly how true this is, but given that a thoroughbred can have a lifespan of up to 30 years, racing 2 year old horses may be a bit aggressive. I have no knowledge on this issue, but it may be worthwhile to explore raising the minimum age for major races in the US.

 

[mike c]

This is a little away from the thread topic....but I don't think Mike will mind.

I just finished writing a small book on Thoroughbred Race Handicapping. As soon as I complete the (seemingly never-ending delaying) process of publishing the thing, I would be willing to send one (free) to any interested AH member. PM me if you want one. I'll see what I can do.

of course i don't mind. i was wondering why you knew so much stuff about this. so you're a writer?

You gotta be shittin' me, Tomorrow. You think you're Mickey Spillane? You think you're some kind of a f-kin' writer?

LOL.

 

[avaserfi]

Andrew's girlfriend here again.

Tomorrow- I just meant that the growth plates on a 2 year old have not fully fused together, and that the joints haven't reached their mature strength. Sorry about that- should have been more specific. Their skeletal system simply isn't strong enough to handle the pressure that racing puts on them at such an early stage in their life, since that is the slowest maturing system in the equine body.

I agree that humans have been pushing the equine body for thousands of years, but you mentioned endurance horses. The stresses on endurance horses are totally different from the stresses on race horses- mostly respiratory and muscular, whereas the race horse ends up with structural stress as well. Plus, I know several endurance riders, and most of them wouldn't go on even a 15 mile ride with a 2 year old, let alone a 50 or 75 mile endurance race.

I know that the idea is that these horses mature earlier, but even in my admittedly short time in the horse industry (around 10 years where I have actually known what is going on), I have seen too many 'broken-down' off the track Thoroughbreds who were only good as pasture pets... and they were 9 years old. I can't help but think that if these horses were allowed to mature to even 3 years old before serious race training began, then the numbers of injuries and track rejects might decline a great deal. Personally, I think running them at that age has less to do with the horses being 'more mature' and more to do with greed and blindly following 'tradition'.

I don't think horse racing should be stopped- I enjoy watching races as well. It is just one more equestrian sport, and if one is ended, then it seems like they would all be in danger. Every equine sport has its issues (the eventing world has had its share in the past few months, as well). However, I do feel like the entire structure of racing could use a bit of an overhaul to ensure the welfare of the animals involved. While I agree that if we are concerned about horses, we should be concerned about the welfare of all species (I actually work in the field of farm animal welfare), I feel that the strains we place on horses are physically much more taxing than those placed on other species, and thus, they require a bit more regard from humans.

Also, I would be very interested in your book, once it is published. I'm always looking to expand my knowledge of the different disciplines. Please let Andrew know when it is ready to go!

 

[Tomorrow]

Okie-dokie folks. I'll letcha know when it gets bound...sometime this summer it seems. (It's short...only about 65 pages and is designed for casual horse players with at least the basics of handicapping under their belts. If you don't understand it...blame me, lol.)

Mike...I don't know if I'd call myself a "writer".

Mazer...yeah, that's it. Call me Mickey. Spillane. Yeah. That's it. Where's my bottle and my smokes.........?

 

[Tomorrow]

Andrew's girlfriend here again.

Tomorrow- I just meant that the growth plates on a 2 year old have not fully fused together, and that the joints haven't reached their mature strength. Sorry about that- should have been more specific. Their skeletal system simply isn't strong enough to handle the pressure that racing puts on them at such an early stage in their life, since that is the slowest maturing system in the equine body.

I agree that humans have been pushing the equine body for thousands of years, but you mentioned endurance horses. The stresses on endurance horses are totally different from the stresses on race horses- mostly respiratory and muscular, whereas the race horse ends up with structural stress as well. Plus, I know several endurance riders, and most of them wouldn't go on even a 15 mile ride with a 2 year old, let alone a 50 or 75 mile endurance race.

I know that the idea is that these horses mature earlier, but even in my admittedly short time in the horse industry (around 10 years where I have actually known what is going on), I have seen too many 'broken-down' off the track Thoroughbreds who were only good as pasture pets... and they were 9 years old. I can't help but think that if these horses were allowed to mature to even 3 years old before serious race training began, then the numbers of injuries and track rejects might decline a great deal. Personally, I think running them at that age has less to do with the horses being 'more mature' and more to do with greed and blindly following 'tradition'.

I don't think horse racing should be stopped- I enjoy watching races as well. It is just one more equestrian sport, and if one is ended, then it seems like they would all be in danger. Every equine sport has its issues (the eventing world has had its share in the past few months, as well). However, I do feel like the entire structure of racing could use a bit of an overhaul to ensure the welfare of the animals involved. While I agree that if we are concerned about horses, we should be concerned about the welfare of all species (I actually work in the field of farm animal welfare), I feel that the strains we place on horses are physically much more taxing than those placed on other species, and thus, they require a bit more regard from humans.

Also, I would be very interested in your book, once it is published. I'm always looking to expand my knowledge of the different disciplines. Please let Andrew know when it is ready to go!

Sounds like Andrew has good taste!

 

[speakerman39]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080504/ap_on_sp_ot/rac_kentucky_derby

ok

-i'm no tree hugger / animal rights person
-i try not to post in political/religious/or whatever threads

but let's see...

horse wins people money ... yay for the horse!

horse hurts itself doing what people want it to do ... it gets killed.

wtf.

Hey Mike the trainer for that horse was from my home town. Been a lot about it here on our local news. We also have a horse track no more than (4) miles from my home. In fact, most of the movie "A League of Their Own" was filmed there. It is called Ellis Park. I do agree, however, it is sad that the Philly had to be put to sleep.

 

[mike c]

Sounds like Andrew has good taste!

yeah but ...

Andrew's girlfriend here again.

...do we forever call you Andrew's GF?

perhaps registering under "andrewgf" (like loserwife)

Mike...I don't know if I'd call myself a "writer".

well you are publishing something

 

[Tomorrow]

well you are publishing something

Yeah, but I'm less like a writer and more like an old guy with too much time on his hands.

 

[pzaur]

Of course PETA has their say. Besides the fact that they euthanize as many or more animals as the Humane Society.

Animal racing is a brutal sport. The gladiators are well taken care while they're useful to the owners and then forgotten about after their usefulness is done.
Sad, sad, sad...

-pat

 

[HiDefGuru]

I'm probably going to hell for this, but the second I read the title of this thread I thought of This little gem and started laughing my @$$ off

no laughs? I thought SOMEONE might get a kick out of this.

guess not

 

[Audioholics]

Everyone seems to wonder why they put the horses down so fast... but they forget the six figure (or more) insurance policies on these horses. I bet that it's a pretty simple decision for the owners.

Incidentally, this was the first Kentucky Derby I had ever seen. The weirdest thing: Right before the race I said to my friend, who is from Kentucky, "Man, these horses are one broken leg away from the glue factory."

oops.

 

[jonnythan]

Everyone seems to wonder why they put the horses down so fast... but they forget the six figure (or more) insurance policies on these horses. I bet that it's a pretty simple decision for the owners.

You imply that there's an alternative.

edit: Hey, look, a red chiclet for this post.

 

[stratman]

Of course PETA has their say. Besides the fact that they euthanize as many or more animals as the Humane Society.

Animal racing is a brutal sport. The gladiators are well taken care while they're useful to the owners and then forgotten about after their usefulness is done.
Sad, sad, sad...

-pat

I didn't know PETA killed animals! Wow! Now that's hypocritical!!

 

[mtrycrafts]

What way, exactly?

What I have heard on the radio talk-shows is that in Europe the race horses are much older and injuries are 80% less than here.

 

[Tomorrow]

What I have heard on the radio talk-shows is that in Europe the race horses are much older and injuries are 80% less than here.

I cannot vouch for the accuracy of that statement. But racing in Europe is done primarily on grass. Racing is a little less punishing on horses' legs on the grass. In the U.S. it is done mainly on dirt. The new "Poly" tracks that are being used now (using old bits of tires, and other spongy materials) also supposedly reduce injuries, but the tracks are new enough that solid studies haven't yet been done. Most of the big California tracks (Santa Anita, Hollywood Park, Del Mar) have gone to a Poly surface within the last two years.

 

[Tomorrow]

Everyone seems to wonder why they put the horses down so fast... but they forget the six figure (or more) insurance policies on these horses. I bet that it's a pretty simple decision for the owners.

Incidentally, this was the first Kentucky Derby I had ever seen. The weirdest thing: Right before the race I said to my friend, who is from Kentucky, "Man, these horses are one broken leg away from the glue factory."

oops.

Many of these young horses have not proven their worth and do not have the huge insurance policies about which you speak. The injuries suffered by Eight Belles was exceedingly painful and not survivable. It was the humane thing to do to put her down as soon as possible.

However, one can find greed and immorality in all walks of life, Clint, horse racing being no different.

 

[aberkowitz]

What I have heard on the radio talk-shows is that in Europe the race horses are much older and injuries are 80% less than here.

One of the other interesting points that I heard made by an expert last night on ESPN was about the inbreeding of horses. As breeders have tried to breed faster (And therefore smaller horses) there's been a lot more inbreeding among the blood lines of the great thoroughbreds, and some experts have started to believe that this may be resulting in horses with smaller legs/ankles and much weaker bones. If you look back at the horses of the 40s & 50s you'll find much thicker horses who ran a bit slower than today's svelter/faster horses.

One other point that I didn't know was the fact that horse breeding is totally unregulated by any of the racing bodies.

 

[Tomorrow]

One of the other interesting points that I heard made by an expert last night on ESPN was about the inbreeding of horses. As breeders have tried to breed faster (And therefore smaller horses) there's been a lot more inbreeding among the blood lines of the great thoroughbreds, and some experts have started to believe that this may be resulting in horses with smaller legs/ankles and much weaker bones. If you look back at the horses of the 40s & 50s you'll find much thicker horses who ran a bit slower than today's svelter/faster horses.

One other point that I didn't know was the fact that horse breeding is totally unregulated by any of the racing bodies.

I don't believe what the "expert" was saying to be true. (Those ESPN guys make me crazy sometimes. ) Like today's human athletes, the horses racing are generally bigger/faster/stronger, not skinnier/smaller.

The horse breeding business is far more regulated than the American Kennel Club and the dog breeding business. There are regulations imposed by many governing bodies, not the least of which is by the NTRA (National Thoroughbred Racing Association) and all the individual state racing authorities.

As with dogs, anyone can breed any breed/individual to any other (that's how we get mules and mixed breeds, by the way ). But for racing purposes, the governing bodies attempt to ensure the improvement of the thoroughbred bloodlines.