This is purely my opinion and should be taken as such.On Saturday, a tragedy occurred that mars the entire equine industry. After coming in a hard fought second place in the Kentucky Derby, the lone filly in the field of twenty, Eight Belles, broke both front legs and was euthanized on the track.
This of course drew the public's attention to the sport of horse racing and the tragic way some horses end their careers. This has drawn public outcry spurred on by PETA and the media. There has not been a single media outlet that has not criticized the horse racing industry. They have painted a picture of tragedy, taking away from Big Brown's victory and tried to darken the historic sport.
It angers me that people that have never owned horses or have never been involved with them are so eager to condemn. It angers me that PETA has tried to shame the jockey saying he did something wrong. People need to realize that this was a freak accident and that Eight Belles was injured beyond help. The humane thing was done by euthanizing her quickly and humanely.
There are a lot of things that the media and PETA are quick to point out as being flaw in racing. Some of them truly are things that should be looked into but others are absolutely absurd.
First of all, the idea that as a filly, Eight Belles should have never been allowed to run against colts. In general, Thoroughbred colts are bigger-both in height and weight, stronger and well, the point of them being faster is debatable. There is a filly Triple Crown equivalent in which last year's Belmont winner, Rags To Riches, was running before beating the colts in the Belmont. Eight Belles came in second place in the Derby beating 18 colts. Clearly, she was not outclassed by simply being a filly. The trainer maintains that she had a good run and wasn't bumped by the other horses. Additionally, because she was a filly, Eight Belles would have carried less weight than colts with similar experience. A former jockey and one of the commentators made the comment that she was as big as the filly Winning Colors, who won the Derby in 1988. Certainly, being a filly had nothing to do with her accident.
Then there is the idea that in general, Thoroughbreds are not as suited for running as they have been in the past because of the inbreeding. A majority of horses are related to Native Dancer, the 1953 Belmont and Preakness winner. The claim is that horses are being bred for speed and not longevity. If you look at speed trends, the average speed/time in a race has not changed substantially since the 1950s because of inbreeding, with the exception of the blip of Secretariat in 1973. Major thought needs to be put into the breeding of these horses but how do you change the breed if every horse shares the same blood anyway?
Are the horses being pushed too hard too early? Is three years old too young to be raced like this? I don't know. At three years old, a horse has reached like 90+% of its maturity but they are still growing. Their bones, ligaments and tendons are still pliable. Injuries can readily happen but I also think at that age, they heal much faster too. In general, all horses begin their training at two and three whether it's for racing or for riding or for pulling a cart. The key I believe is taking it slowly and do the training properly. I don't know if three is too early and if we changed the age of horses being raced if there would be any difference or not. I don't think there really would be.
One of PETA's crazy claims is that Eight Belles jockey was beating the filly as she neared and crossed the finish line even though it was impossible to catch Big Brown. The trainer stated that the whip was used to control the filly as she drifted into the rail. Honestly, does PETA really believe that a 115 pound man carrying a whip is hurting that horse that outweighs him by half a ton? Horse hide is thick! And if a 115 pound man came after me, he'd better have a whip too. Now, there are cases where the whip has been used inappropriately but this wasn't one of them. If there is evidence in any case of a horse being mistreated then yes the offender should be punished but simply stating as PETA did that there is a link between being hit with a whip and breaking your legs is absurd!
Should the actions of the jockey and the trainer and even the owner be reviewed? Sure. But nothing will be found. Because all of the people that do the reviewing care about the horses, care about the industry and realize that this was a freak accident.
Should racing be overhauled? Maybe. There are some changes that should be looked into. The claim that the artificial dirt is better for racing than strictly dirt is a claim that I am uncertain of. On average like two horses a day are injured or killed on the normal track from accidents, while that number is 1.5 on the artificial. I think those numbers are too close and the artificial dirt hasn't been in use long enough to make the call that it's better in any way. And let's think of the history of racing for God's sake! The Kentucky Derby has be going on for over a 100 years and now one horse breaks her legs on national TV and everyone goes ape shit. It's a shame but it happens.
Let's face it. Horses are God's evolutionary joke. Here is a creature that is like a high performance sports car. They are tall, sleek and fast. They carry a huge amount of body mass on tiny legs and feet. One thing goes wrong and one of three things can happen. They can break their legs; they can founder-i.e. the things holding their hooves onto the bone die so their hoof can fall off or they can colic-the guts twist. Nothing there has a good end. Pretty much beyond heroic efforts, the horse is going to die. From these creatures we ask a lot-we ask them to run fast, to pull heavy loads, to jump high fences, to carry riders and be calm about all of these things. Do horses like to do these things? Yes. A horse is meant to run. They like doing it. They do it by themselves with no rider. Does a 115 pound man make much difference? NO.
People keep pointing at the fact that Barbaro was saved after breaking his leg several years ago. First of all he broke a hind leg and only one. Eight Belles broke both front legs. One of these breaks penetrated the skin and was contaminated. There was no way for her to stand. There would have been no hope and only pain for her had they tried to save her. In my opinion, Barbaro should have been euthanized after he broke his leg. I think they only tried to save him so he would be sound enough to stand at stud for the money. Even if that wasn't their intention, he certainly should have been euthanized after he came down with laminitis. Instead he was made to go through months of medical care and ultimately was euthanized. Let's face facts too. Veterinary medicine is not a miracle. In some areas, we are just as advanced as human medicine and in others we are far behind. Sometimes we are behind simply because of the physiology of the animals we treat. While a dog or cat can get around normally for the most part with only three or even two legs, large animals don't move the same way. Not to mention the sheer amount of weight they carry. Euthanasia is often the most humane option. Eight Belles was euthanized in a timely fashion and a humane manner. There was no pain, no struggle. It's not like they took a pistol to her head. But even that would be more humane than trying to fix the impossible.
Another thing that they have tried to attribute to an increasing number (is the number increasing or are people just starting to look into it?) of racing injuries is the use of drugs and steroids that are sending animals back to the track before they are ready. Drugs that hide the pain. I don't know if I fully want to argue against that. Even amid the baseball steroid abuse scandal, Capitol Hill was calling out the racing industry for their use of steroids in racing horses. I know that there are people, trainers and owners that are doping their horses illegally. This does need to be stopped. Proper rest and training should be what brings a horse back to the track, not drugs.
Is it about the money? Of course it is! What's not about the money? In the past, it's been about breeding the horses that were the fastest. This is still true today but after a horse, especially a colt, retires for the track, there are stud fees. High stud fees. I don't think that people are purely after the money. The lure of having a horse that ran and won the Derby or any Triple Crown race is still magical. Why did the media insist ..ing on Eight Belles' death rather than the fact that she was the first filly since 1999 to be in the Kentucky Derby? Rather than the fact that she came in a valent second place in a large field? Why didn't they focus on Big Brown's historic run from the 20 post spot? No, they just focused on the tragedy. The point is the death of Eight Belles was a tragic, freak accident that mars racing and points to the fact that changes should be looked into, however it should be realized that Eight Belles ran a fantastic race and her death was humane.
[EDIT-Originally published to Blogger on May 30, 2011]
This of course drew the public's attention to the sport of horse racing and the tragic way some horses end their careers. This has drawn public outcry spurred on by PETA and the media. There has not been a single media outlet that has not criticized the horse racing industry. They have painted a picture of tragedy, taking away from Big Brown's victory and tried to darken the historic sport.
It angers me that people that have never owned horses or have never been involved with them are so eager to condemn. It angers me that PETA has tried to shame the jockey saying he did something wrong. People need to realize that this was a freak accident and that Eight Belles was injured beyond help. The humane thing was done by euthanizing her quickly and humanely.
There are a lot of things that the media and PETA are quick to point out as being flaw in racing. Some of them truly are things that should be looked into but others are absolutely absurd.
First of all, the idea that as a filly, Eight Belles should have never been allowed to run against colts. In general, Thoroughbred colts are bigger-both in height and weight, stronger and well, the point of them being faster is debatable. There is a filly Triple Crown equivalent in which last year's Belmont winner, Rags To Riches, was running before beating the colts in the Belmont. Eight Belles came in second place in the Derby beating 18 colts. Clearly, she was not outclassed by simply being a filly. The trainer maintains that she had a good run and wasn't bumped by the other horses. Additionally, because she was a filly, Eight Belles would have carried less weight than colts with similar experience. A former jockey and one of the commentators made the comment that she was as big as the filly Winning Colors, who won the Derby in 1988. Certainly, being a filly had nothing to do with her accident.
Then there is the idea that in general, Thoroughbreds are not as suited for running as they have been in the past because of the inbreeding. A majority of horses are related to Native Dancer, the 1953 Belmont and Preakness winner. The claim is that horses are being bred for speed and not longevity. If you look at speed trends, the average speed/time in a race has not changed substantially since the 1950s because of inbreeding, with the exception of the blip of Secretariat in 1973. Major thought needs to be put into the breeding of these horses but how do you change the breed if every horse shares the same blood anyway?
Are the horses being pushed too hard too early? Is three years old too young to be raced like this? I don't know. At three years old, a horse has reached like 90+% of its maturity but they are still growing. Their bones, ligaments and tendons are still pliable. Injuries can readily happen but I also think at that age, they heal much faster too. In general, all horses begin their training at two and three whether it's for racing or for riding or for pulling a cart. The key I believe is taking it slowly and do the training properly. I don't know if three is too early and if we changed the age of horses being raced if there would be any difference or not. I don't think there really would be.
One of PETA's crazy claims is that Eight Belles jockey was beating the filly as she neared and crossed the finish line even though it was impossible to catch Big Brown. The trainer stated that the whip was used to control the filly as she drifted into the rail. Honestly, does PETA really believe that a 115 pound man carrying a whip is hurting that horse that outweighs him by half a ton? Horse hide is thick! And if a 115 pound man came after me, he'd better have a whip too. Now, there are cases where the whip has been used inappropriately but this wasn't one of them. If there is evidence in any case of a horse being mistreated then yes the offender should be punished but simply stating as PETA did that there is a link between being hit with a whip and breaking your legs is absurd!
Should the actions of the jockey and the trainer and even the owner be reviewed? Sure. But nothing will be found. Because all of the people that do the reviewing care about the horses, care about the industry and realize that this was a freak accident.
Should racing be overhauled? Maybe. There are some changes that should be looked into. The claim that the artificial dirt is better for racing than strictly dirt is a claim that I am uncertain of. On average like two horses a day are injured or killed on the normal track from accidents, while that number is 1.5 on the artificial. I think those numbers are too close and the artificial dirt hasn't been in use long enough to make the call that it's better in any way. And let's think of the history of racing for God's sake! The Kentucky Derby has be going on for over a 100 years and now one horse breaks her legs on national TV and everyone goes ape shit. It's a shame but it happens.
Let's face it. Horses are God's evolutionary joke. Here is a creature that is like a high performance sports car. They are tall, sleek and fast. They carry a huge amount of body mass on tiny legs and feet. One thing goes wrong and one of three things can happen. They can break their legs; they can founder-i.e. the things holding their hooves onto the bone die so their hoof can fall off or they can colic-the guts twist. Nothing there has a good end. Pretty much beyond heroic efforts, the horse is going to die. From these creatures we ask a lot-we ask them to run fast, to pull heavy loads, to jump high fences, to carry riders and be calm about all of these things. Do horses like to do these things? Yes. A horse is meant to run. They like doing it. They do it by themselves with no rider. Does a 115 pound man make much difference? NO.
People keep pointing at the fact that Barbaro was saved after breaking his leg several years ago. First of all he broke a hind leg and only one. Eight Belles broke both front legs. One of these breaks penetrated the skin and was contaminated. There was no way for her to stand. There would have been no hope and only pain for her had they tried to save her. In my opinion, Barbaro should have been euthanized after he broke his leg. I think they only tried to save him so he would be sound enough to stand at stud for the money. Even if that wasn't their intention, he certainly should have been euthanized after he came down with laminitis. Instead he was made to go through months of medical care and ultimately was euthanized. Let's face facts too. Veterinary medicine is not a miracle. In some areas, we are just as advanced as human medicine and in others we are far behind. Sometimes we are behind simply because of the physiology of the animals we treat. While a dog or cat can get around normally for the most part with only three or even two legs, large animals don't move the same way. Not to mention the sheer amount of weight they carry. Euthanasia is often the most humane option. Eight Belles was euthanized in a timely fashion and a humane manner. There was no pain, no struggle. It's not like they took a pistol to her head. But even that would be more humane than trying to fix the impossible.
Another thing that they have tried to attribute to an increasing number (is the number increasing or are people just starting to look into it?) of racing injuries is the use of drugs and steroids that are sending animals back to the track before they are ready. Drugs that hide the pain. I don't know if I fully want to argue against that. Even amid the baseball steroid abuse scandal, Capitol Hill was calling out the racing industry for their use of steroids in racing horses. I know that there are people, trainers and owners that are doping their horses illegally. This does need to be stopped. Proper rest and training should be what brings a horse back to the track, not drugs.
Is it about the money? Of course it is! What's not about the money? In the past, it's been about breeding the horses that were the fastest. This is still true today but after a horse, especially a colt, retires for the track, there are stud fees. High stud fees. I don't think that people are purely after the money. The lure of having a horse that ran and won the Derby or any Triple Crown race is still magical. Why did the media insist ..ing on Eight Belles' death rather than the fact that she was the first filly since 1999 to be in the Kentucky Derby? Rather than the fact that she came in a valent second place in a large field? Why didn't they focus on Big Brown's historic run from the 20 post spot? No, they just focused on the tragedy. The point is the death of Eight Belles was a tragic, freak accident that mars racing and points to the fact that changes should be looked into, however it should be realized that Eight Belles ran a fantastic race and her death was humane.
[EDIT-Originally published to Blogger on May 30, 2011]
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