Eight Belles' death renews horse racing questions

I've never really agreed with horseracing as a betting game, mainly because i think its stupid seein as the horse doesnt know whats happening and dont know that if they happen to slip, their brains are blown out. I think alot of animal racing is cruel and exploits the animal, slightly unfair.

STOP exploiting these animals
STOP inbreeding them.
STOP pumping them full of drugs.

All for the sport of it.

I just read the story. She was a really nice looking horse. They should be thinking about if 2nd place was worth her life!

When will compassion and humanity become mainstream?
And what exactly is the meaning of "sport" anyway?

"Breeding, over training and supplements are pushing these animals to limits beyond their bodies' capabilities"

Like you said Joe Leo, it's all for the sport, but really it goes far beyond that. There is so much money- obscene amounts from around the world- behind this sport that newscasters will gloss over mentioning this tragedy. Even at the event itself the Churchill Downs' staff will do anything necessary to cover up the event by positioning ambulances to block the view to avoid risking any situation where an investor may consider withholding funding.

What infuriates me the most is: although in the limited minds of these beasts they are doing their utmost to meet the needs of their human masters (a phenomenon easily noticeable in other equestrian sports like Dressage), wealthy thoroughbred owners have NO problem sacrificing our equine friends. As long as they are insured, an owner will do anything to gain greater glory and maximize their investment.

Disgusting. Please spread the word on this. Every little bit of publicity helps to break the silence.

When I saw that they euthanized this horse, my first thought was: I broke my ankle when I was 3... luckily my parents didn't decide to put me down because I'd never be able to run track. The horse finished 2nd place with 2 broken ankles! Give him a medal not death. It's crazy. If I break an ankle in a race, I'll go sit on a bench. An animal finishes the race with two broken ankles and humans kill him? Gives a whole new meaning to the phrase "getting back on that horse."

Breeding animals for sport and profit is the height of human arrogance. This is a very sad event ... hopefully though it will bring about much needed changes. I couldn't agree with you more. Horses are beautiful graceful animals that should be able to run free. It is appalling what is done to them and other animals all in the name of greed.

It's my hope that we human beings will someday redefine what we consider to be "sport." Running an animal to ground simply isn't.

Well said, Linda. Well said.

I agree with Linda completely. Its high time that we humans finally realize that we do NOT have dominion over other animals nor the land...our species has done more damage to other inhabitants of and to the earth itself...shameful!

Perfect example of our animal behavior. The human animal controlling the weaker animals for profits. Money and suffering for our entertainment.

It really upsets me that people insist on treating animals like second-class world citizens. Horses are such smart, intuitive animals. Buy it, break it, toss it?

Alright reality sux Cause people are addicted to money,So the exploitation of these beautiful gentle animal's will never stop...It's sad to see these animal's have to go thru basically torture and Turned into just object's instead of being Treated as living being's of good with feeling's...

so sad...

Let's leverage our friends. The time is now- we have peoples' emotions, it's fresh in their minds. We can still throw salt in the wound.

Here's another link. Are you ready to make something happen?

http://current.com/items/88935234_death_at_the_derby

As a vegan and animal lover who grew up with four Arabian horses in rural Kansas, this breaks my heart.

Why can't we be nice to animals?

I knew all the PETA freaks would be coming out. A knee jerk reaction to something they know nothing about. Those animals get treated better than you or I. Go picket a grocery store if you want to stop animal cruelty.

lib, broken legs do not necessarily spell death for a horse any more.

http://health.bloodhorse.com/viewstory.asp?id=33663

JohnA - not a single PETA freak here, just people who love horses, have a lot of experience with horses, and are very knowledgeable about horses and about the abuses committed against horses in horse racing, such as drugs, steroids, and other dirty business.

this sport's completely pointless and goes hand-in-hand with nascar racing.

JohnA,

The fact that they are treated well does not excuse what is done to them. I grew up with four horses that were also treated well - except we never raced them until their ankles broke.

And yes, I am a "PETA freak". I'd love to see people have to go through all the pain ever felt by the meat they eat. What we do to animals, especially in the meat industry, is reprehensible and sickening.

tikiman,

Kind of ironic that you think humanity has a sick streak to it, yet you've espoused socialism, which amplifies the harmful effects of self-centered action.

I'll bet you that those races are at least in part subsidized by tax-payers.

brokenladder, in what way does socialism amplify the harmful effects of self-centered action? I've lived in Sweden and Switzerland, as well as Great Britain in the sixties, all three countries largely socialist, yet I haven't seen any harmful effects of self-centered action, let alone amplified, in these countries. Perhaps you could define "harmful effects of self-centered action". :)

While I agree that there are many many aspects to horse racing that are cruel and dishonest I don't think that a trainer/owner/jockey that makes it to the Derby is necessarily representative of the whole sport.

Was it tragic what happened to Eight Belles? Yes. Will it continue to happen? as long as people continue to breed these horses to run as 3 year olds. As long as the money and the prestige is rewarded when these horses bodies are not fully developed. I think that if horse racing was able to cater to the four and five year olds with better developed bodies then these type of injuries would be better avoided. However that'll happen when people finally have enough of the sport as is.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=8ddAvRGfm4Q&feature=rela...

Another great article on this subject... The injured horses that you didn't see last weekend.

http://therail.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/05/06/injured-hor...

What I see is that, as in the rest of the competitive sports, winning is the ONLY thing that matters.
totally disgusting, and I did at one time love to watch the horses -- grew up around racers, road the slow ones, no one would ever think that such a thing could have happened, EVER.