|
|
Post by rducasey on May 4, 2008 11:17:15 GMT -5
I tuned into the Kentucky Derby yesterday as I do every year,,,,mainly for the pomp and ceremony. But I am done with it now. I will never watch another one. And looking at Chris' avatar of her beautiful horse , Duval, makes it all the more tragic. If you saw it, the horse that finished second, Eight Belles, broke both front ankles as the jockey was pulling her up as the race was over. She was euthanized on the spot within minutes. An absolutely beautiful horse, the only filly in the race, and her life tragically ended like that. All this was going on as the winning horse's jockey, owners , and followers celebrated wildly. Wasn't it just a year or two ago that Barbaro broke his hind leg in the Preakness I believe? Then after months of trying to heal it, he was finally euthanized. As I watched yesterday's race I was thinking of Barbaro and hoped nothing would happen to any of these fine horses. They seem to push them so hard to win, and their beautiful long legs seem so fragile at such speeds. RIP Eight Belles, you did not deserve that fate.  |
|
|
|
Post by Katryna on May 4, 2008 12:22:49 GMT -5
As you know, Mary, I too was watching and was broken hearted at the fate of Eight Belles. I also have resolved not to watch another race. I am only a casual viewer of these races, and maybe Chris can set me straight on this; but it just appears to me as it did to Mary that they push these horses so mercilessly to win. It seem cruel to me.
|
|
|
|
Post by mlm828 on May 4, 2008 13:47:49 GMT -5
I did not watch the Derby yesterday but was heartbroken when I heard the news. R.I.P. Eight Belles.  I have not been able to watch horse racing since the Breeders' Cup a number of years ago, when several horses broke down and had to be euthanized. It seemed as if it happened in almost every race that day. Then a couple of years ago, a lot of horses (about 20, as I recall) were injured and had to be euthanized at the Del Mar race track. After that, they replaced the 1930s vintage dirt track at Del Mar with a synthetic track, which reduced but did not eliminate the injuries and deaths. Living near the Del Mar race track (near enough to hear the PA announcer calling the races and the cheers of the crowd), I used to go to the races occasionally, mostly when my old firm entertained clients at a "Day at the Races." It was fun -- beautiful horses, a beautiful setting, and occasionally winning one of my $2.00 or $5.00 bets. But horses dying is too high a price for entertainment. |
|
|
|
Post by Chris on May 4, 2008 16:59:31 GMT -5
Poor Eight Belles. As you know, Mary, I too was watching and was broken hearted at the fate of Eight Belles. I also have resolved not to watch another race. I am only a casual viewer of these races, and maybe Chris can set me straight on this; but it just appears to me as it did to Mary that they push these horses so mercilessly to win. It seem cruel to me. It must have been heartbreaking to watch. I don't know if horse racing is cruel, to be honest I don't know that much about it. It's hard on the horses also because they begin racing them at the age of 2. Usually you don't break in a horse until it's three or four years old and in Denmark you are not allowed to compete a horse under the age of four. They say it doesn't matter because the jockeys are very small but I don't know... When racing you take advantage of the horses instinct to flee in case of danger so for the horses it's a natural reaction. A horse will always flee any danger and only if that's not possible it will fight for it's life. This reminds me of the World Championships in Three Day Eventing about twenty years ago. A Danish rider was riding the cross country test when suddenly his horse stumbled and fell and then died a few minutes later. It was a warm day and since it happened on live TV, people were appalled. Three Day Eventing is hard on the horses too and many people thought is was cruelty to animals and wanted to ban eventing. Turned out the horse died from a congenital heart problem that had nothing to do with the warm weather or the rider pushing him too hard. I have never heard of a horse breaking both ankles like that so I don't know if it had anything to do with racing. Especially since she broke her ankles after she had finished the race. Maybe it's a so called fatigue fracture coming from over training the horse. Happens a lot for athletes so why not horses?? I hope they find out what caused her to collapse like that so it doesn't happen to anyone else again. I did not watch the Derby yesterday but was heartbroken when I heard the news. R.I.P. Eight Belles. I have not been able to watch horse racing since the Breeders' Cup a number of years ago, when several horses broke down and had to be euthanized. It seemed as if it happened in almost every race that day. Then a couple of years ago, a lot of horses (about 20, as I recall) were injured and had to be euthanized at the Del Mar race track. After that, they replaced the 1930s vintage dirt track at Del Mar with a synthetic track, which reduced but did not eliminate the injuries and deaths. Living near the Del Mar race track (near enough to hear the PA announcer calling the races and the cheers of the crowd), I used to go to the races occasionally, mostly when my old firm entertained clients at a "Day at the Races." It was fun -- beautiful horses, a beautiful setting, and occasionally winning one of my $2.00 or $5.00 bets. But horses dying is too high a price for entertainment. That's absolutely horrible!!! I've never heard about that but it's terrible, poor horses!!! - Chris |
|
|
|
Post by Colorado girl on May 4, 2008 18:38:47 GMT -5
This makes me sad too.... Rest in Peace  |
|
|
|
Post by hoosier on May 5, 2008 18:39:33 GMT -5
I missed the race being at work and only heard about it later. It is horrible. Another filly, like Ruffin, has her life cut short. Horses seem so big and strong but are actually fragile, delicate creatures. My brother lost two horses to intestinal problems so I know first hand how heartbreaking it can be. After Barbaro was hurt I remember they had several articles explaining the anatomy of a horse's leg and I was surprised to learn they have no muscle in their lower leg, only bone. No wonder they seem to break so easily! Hopefully more tracks, including Churchill Downs, will seriously look into this artificial turf and more owners and trainers will examine their animals more closely to see if there are stress fractures or some other condition and weigh the possible outcomes before sending them out to race.
|
|
|
|
Post by doobrah on May 8, 2008 13:29:29 GMT -5
My mom actually called me to remind me the race was on, but after Barbaro, I had given up watching what amounts to 58 minutes of talking and 2 minutes of horse race.
Boy, am I glad i didn't watch. I would have been bawling.
I hope there is enough public outrage and enough people turn away to eat into the profits. Maybe that would cause those who make money on horse racing protect their animals better.
Apparently Eight Belles comes from a line of horses that are big-bodied and weak-legged. I've also heard they are forced to race too young. And then there's the composition of the track. A couple of years ago some tracks started putting in the rubberized track material that is easier on the horses and fewer "break down".
Poor horse. I hope her death is a catalyst for some changes in the industry.
|
|
