Michelle, The best piece I've seem in the press is this one: search.washingtonpost.com
I disagree with some of what Beyer says. I think that trainers and jockeys can cause broken bones, but I don't think Lucas or Antley caused this one.
This year, as in most years, we have had lots of horses break down and either have to be destroyed or retired. The real problem is that throughbreds are very fragile. They have spindly legs compared to most horse. Yes, they are strong for running, but they don't take a beating well.
The first problem, as I see it, is that there is a mania about speed. If a horse races a mile 2 seconds faster in Florida than a similar horse races in New York, the Florida horse gets all the press. Fast tracks are hard and slow tracks are softer. That makes hard tracks, the kind that hurt horses legs, the most popular. This is something that I think is ludicrous and makes no sense.
The second problem is that these things are bred to be fragile-legged. Even the ones who do not break their legs often have major sickness problems. Before Lasix, bleeding from the nose was the chief one. I know I don't like to run when I have a bloody nose. <g>
Due to the second problem, the horses are doped up to the extreme. Not on illegal stuff to make them run faster, but on the legal (in the US) Bute and Lasix to keep them from dropping out for health reasons. That forces them to go beyond the level where pain would usually force them to stop.
And the fourth thing is, these horses want to win. They hate other horses to pass them and they will fight when they should quit. Horses are among the dumbest animals out there and the one thing they know is run, run, run. |
