Posted By: Lloyd  on Friday, May 09, 2008

Right on!



Racing horses (or dogs, etc.) is the equivalent of boxing:  supposedly human(e) beings savoring the prospect of injury or death as entertainment.  The gladiator wickedness lives.



Two thumbs down on all blood "sports".

Posted By: Dauric  on Friday, May 09, 2008

Lloyd, I have to disagree,

"Racing" in it's purest form isn't a blood sport, whatever it is that you're racing, be it dogs, horses, cars, or people. It's about being the fastest, not about doing damage.

That said; breeding horses that can tear themselves to shreds in the pursuit of more speed is inhuman, not as a gladiator, but rather as the uncaring manager of a sweatshop. Doesn't matter what the risk is to the workers as long as they produce goods.

It's a race car with no roll-cage or seatbelt fitted with a Saturn V rocket engine, and giving the driver no say in the matter (or searching for someone insane enough to drive it after they've signed a release-from-liability form.)

There was an interesting commentary piece on NPR just after the Eight Belles incident, the speaker was commenting on the focus on "More speed" from horses, more "Power" from quarterbacks, faster throwing arms from baseball pitchers, regardless of the fact that those who have trained for that power or speed, human and animal alike, burn out faster and suffer far more debilitating injuries than those who play a more "Tactical" fashion.

But, to the owners, it doesn't matter. There's always someone to replace them, someone who's bought in to training in such a way as to give that extra bright burn in exchange for the life of he candle.

Posted By: carol M.  on Friday, May 09, 2008

Is Bush guilty of this too? He must be, he is the cause of everything going wrong!!

HA, Ha!!!

Posted By: Lynne  on Friday, May 09, 2008

So true it brings tears.

Posted By: David Barker  on Friday, May 09, 2008

When things like (Eight Belles) happens, which is not that often, as some folks will have you believe, the thought should be given about "special" races as the Derby and the Breeders Cup events, to be delayed broadcast by a half hour in order to clean up messes like this.  True, these animals will weigh in excess of a thousand pounds while standing on bones not much bigger than your forearm and running 35 to 40 miles an hour is amazing to say the least.  So let's stop live racing along with all the other cures for this ailment.

Posted By: JGBell  on Friday, May 09, 2008

The Inbreeders cup ???

That is really ba-a-a-ad.

Almost as painful as watching the horse get shot.

Posted By: ARNOLD PRAVER  on Friday, May 09, 2008

THESE HORSES ARE TREATED,IN GENERAL,WITH LOVE AND ARE TRAINED TO RUN IN A CONFINED AREA, MOST LIVE LONG LIVES, NO DIFFERENT THAN ANY ATHLETE....GET AFTER THOSE WHO BRUTILIZE ANIMALS.....TAKE TIME OUT AND SEE THE HORSES THAT ARE PAST THEIR PRIME ANF ARE FORCED TO PULL A CARRIAGE FULL OF TOUISTS....LIKE YOU.....LIGHTEN UP, THE WORLD IS NOT AS WICKED AS YOUR EYES WANT TO SEE....PEOPLE KILL PEOPLE, NO OWNER OR TRAINER DELIBERTY HARMS THE ANIMAL HE LOVES

Posted By: Kara  on Saturday, May 10, 2008

Yes, it is sad that the horse was put down, but she would have suffered too much if they would have tried to save her.  One of the injuries was a compound fracture, which would have contracted an infection.  



Even if the bone had not broken the skin there was no way for her support herself at all.  She would not have been able to put all of her weight on her 2 hind legs. That is physically impossible for a horse.  



Again, if there was a way for them to do, she would have been in a sling for a very long time, and that is just torture for a horse and frightening, not being able to move on her own. On top of that she would have developed laminitis (the same thing Barbaro got, and the reason he was put down).



and she was NOT shot! she was "put to sleep" so to say, meaning she was given an inter venous shot.



Horse racing is not a blood sport.  Yes there is selective breeding to get more speed and more power, but that is no different than breeding 2 champion dogs in the pursuit of perfect confirmation.  These animals are bred to run, and they love to run.  They live to run, and sometimes that can be their downfall.  People have taken bad steps and dislocated a joint or broken a bone.  That is what has happened here, and other cases a well and not just on the race track.  



It can happen to the family horse thats only ridden on trails or in western pleasure shows.  What about the  Hunter/Jumper horses that breaks a leg going over a jump? Who is standing up for them?  The only reason people are even paying attention to this is because it happened at the derby.  If she was a low level claimer (a horse with not as much value) NO ONE would care but the true horse racing faces.