View Full Version : Kentucky Derby Tragedy
Did anyone see the Kentucky Derby? A filly named Eight Belles finished second and then broke both front ankles while galloping out a quarter of a mile past the wire. She was euthanized on the track.
I can just see parents sitting with their kids watching the race then the horse breaks her leg. Mommy whats wrong. Oh, they are going to put the horse to sleep. Its dinner time.
hpdrifter
05-05-2008, 11:44 AM
Yeah, I saw the thing on the Today show this morning about it. Really sad.
I don't know much about horse racing but I know a friend of mine who was in horse rescue considered it cruel. She rehabbed former race horses.
MC Moot
05-05-2008, 11:47 AM
meh...this city's heritage and it's most celebrated public event is built on animal cruelty....(n)
July 10, 1986: A chuckwagon collision resulted in the deaths of six horses. ...
1995: Three horses died in rodeo accidents...
1999: One horse died in a chuckwagon accident...
2002: A total of six horses were euthanized after they were injured during chuckwagon races...
2004: A horse was put down after it broke a hind leg in a rodeo event...
2006: Two horses died during Day #1 of the Rangeland Derby (One from a heart attack, the other euthanized owing to injuries from the ensuing pileup)
2007: Three horses died in a wreck during Day 9, Heat 7 of the Rangeland Derby. All three horses lost belonged to Gary Gorst, whose wagon team wiped out after being cut off. A second driver - Tyler Helmig - was injured after his wagon crashed into the heap. The race officials put Ray Mitsuing - a veteran driver at the Stampede - at fault for the wreck and assessed him 25 penalty seconds. After further review, the Stampede Board made a controversial ruling that put Kelly Sutherland - the fourth driver in the heat - at fault. Kelly - a multiple winner of the Rangeland Derby - was suspended for the final day...
The worst animal accident for a single event related to the Stampede was on July 3, 2005. Nine horses died after jumping off a bridge and into the Bow River. The accident occurred during the Trail 2005 trail ride from the Stampede's ranch to the city. The incident occurred five days before the beginning of the Stampede. Shortly after the accident, the Calgary Police cleared organisers of any criminal fault, upon finding no willful intent to cause cruelty[9]. The Stampede's internal investigation was released in December of the same year and failed to identify the cause. It did rule that the accident was not caused by sudden noise as was speculated at the time. With its press release, the Stampede indicated they wouldn't try again unless they could ensure safety. Though no future rides were planned, the option to have one in the future was left open...
BOYCOTT THIS EVENT!
http://calgarystampede.com/
:mad:
The horse race track is a place where the rich mix with derelicts as they drink and gamble. It also seems like a good place to wear a big fancy hat. I don't really get it. I guess people love watching cars and horses turn left.
MC Moot
05-05-2008, 11:52 AM
Bukowski's writing was the only redeemable aspect of the spectacle,just as Hemingway was to the bullfight...fuck the Kentucky Derby and the mint julips' those bourgoise ride into town on...
cookiepuss
05-05-2008, 12:32 PM
I don't really consider it cruel...however I know there are exceptions and horrible people who are over working the horses or shooting them up with steriods(n), but over all, these horses are worth so much money that they are very well cared for because they are a commodity.
They are bred to race. Running is in their blood and they are athletes. Human athletes get hurt all the time...the difference is we don't put them down if they get hurt. Unfortunately, we just can't fix certain conditions well in horses and it's more humane to euthanize them.
I don't know..I just like to look at each individual case as it comes up. maybe this horse was abused or overworked...doesn't mean every race horse is abused.
MC Moot
05-05-2008, 12:39 PM
but over all, these horses are worth so much money that they are very well cared for because they are a commodity...
This is true their quality of life is incredible...even rodeo stock,particulaily equine...
NoFenders
05-05-2008, 12:40 PM
I can just see parents sitting with their kids watching the race then the horse breaks her leg. Mommy whats wrong. Oh, they are going to put the horse to sleep. Its dinner time.
Kids with horses know all about it. It's not the first time a horse has been put down because of two broken ankles.
Where my daughter rides there's a list a mile long of horses that are up for slaughter. What will anyone do about that??? Nothing. It's just part of the scene.
Eight Belles was a beautiful horse, with amazing speed for a filly. The jockey did everything right, and the situation could have been much worse. Very unfortunate.
Yeti, more work goes into racing than you kow.
:cool:
I know. I am being a doofus. My father is a retired veterinarian and as a kid he would take me to the racetrack. He was into harness racing.
My comment was towards the little kid that does not know horses are put down. You know......the small children that are just learning about death.
I am just not into racing but I understand all the effort and care for the horses.
Secretariat's birthplace is right outside of Richmond. Sports Illustrated listed Secretariat as one of their all-time top 50 athletes.
checkyourprez
05-05-2008, 07:22 PM
guys let it go, lets not beat a dead horse.
(y)
funk63
05-05-2008, 07:27 PM
guys let it go, lets not beat a dead horse.
(y)
haha! ya i mean, at least the rider didnt die. its hard for me to muster up feelings for different species.
Documad
05-05-2008, 07:47 PM
This is apparently something we're going to see more of.
Last week, NPR ran a story about the derby and how all of the horses participating are related to Native Dancer, a very fast horse with a big foot problem. Because of the way American race horses have been bred, they are getting weaker and weaker ankles and shorter and shorter careers. The entire breed is contaminated and it sounds like the situation is hopeless unless they find some new stock in a country that hasn't been inbred with American and British horses.
Loppfessor
05-05-2008, 09:27 PM
Pardon my ignorance but why are horses who get injured put down? I mean don't they make casts for horses? I canunderstand that they won't race again but do they reallyneed to be killed? Someone please explain
Documad
05-05-2008, 09:40 PM
If they are merely injured (like Native Dancer), I think they're put out to stud because they make more money that way. I think they're only put down when the damage can't be repaired or when it doesn't make financial sense. I think that it's also more difficult to repair a horse's shattered leg than a human's shattered leg because horses are designed to stand on their feet. Also horses don't have wheelchairs and crutches. :p
My family was into jumpers rather than racehorses so I could be wrong.
russhie
05-06-2008, 04:17 AM
Lopp - horses carry more than 60% of their weight on their front legs, so breaking a foreleg is pretty serious. Breaking both is...well, terrible. I'd say that if possible, they'd have rehabbed her as even moderately decently bred fillies are used as broodmares. The fact is, beyond financial considerations, lots of horses end up crippled or in pain after breaking legs - it's more to do with quality of life.
Racehorses, especially at that level, are athletes who are cared for beautifully. Mistreatment would manifest itself in the animal's behaviour - they're not one horse in public and another in private - so you'd be able to see it on the courses.
NoFenders
05-06-2008, 01:07 PM
Secretariat's birthplace is right outside of Richmond. Sports Illustrated listed Secretariat as one of their all-time top 50 athletes.
Secretariat was a tripple crown winner and had a 30 length lead in the Belmont. Quite a horse indeed. They say BigBrown is the next history maker, and after watching the Derby, I'd have to agree. Wathing him run right to the front in the start, and then fade back on the back stretch only to hit 6th gear and rocket by them all in the end was facinating. Just awesome really.
:cool:
bigblu89
05-06-2008, 03:39 PM
The crazy thing is, that if Big Brown wasn't in the race, the Winner of the Derby would've had to have been euthanized on the track.
How fucked up is that?
Whatitis
05-06-2008, 03:47 PM
Breaking two front ankles is very crucial to a horse. Once an adult they they will spend most of their time on thier feet, even sleeping, and most of that weight on the front. A very dificult injury for a horse to come back from. One of the reasons they don't lie down is their body weight squishes their insides and is not confortable. Barbaro, 2006 derby winner, broke one of his front and they tried to repair him. He wasn't gonna race anymore but had good stud abilities. After surgury and a lot of care, he died from compications for that injury. There are cruel trainers out there I'm sure but most of these horses are very, very well taken care of. I saw the derby and you didn't see much of the injury if any at all, they did show a far shot of the horse lying down on the track for a very brief moment. Can't see that it would shock kids from what I saw but I guess a parent would need to explain when a kid asks what euthanized means.
vBulletin® v3.6.7, Copyright ©2000-2025, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.