moore2me
Lions don't need to spank
I always watch the Kentucky Derby and the other thoroughbred races that are televised if I can. Yesterday, I saw a beautiful filly, Eight Belles, run the race of her life, break both her front legs, and fall down on the track to never get up again. She was euthanized by the vets on the track. This has caused questions to resurface about if thoroughbred horse racing is animal cruelty or not.
The problem is that these horses have to bear human weight, saddles, and other tack and learn to race before their bones and internal structures are fully formed. Most of the horses in the Kentucky Derby (and other big races) are only 3 years old. This means that they have to start training the horses when they are 1 or 1 1/2 yrs old - riding and racing. (It would be like taking human children 3 or 4 and making the wear high heels or putting a back pack on a 1 year old.)
Most quarter horse trainers and pleasure horse trainers would say that 1 to 1 1/2 years old is way too young for weight bearing and especially too young to bear weight and begin to race. Sure they will put an empty saddle on a young horse to let them get used to it, but an adult will not ride them, or race them.
And, I feel some responsibility here too. I have watched the race religious since before Secretariat ran his famous win. I am part of the problem. What I saw yesterday was wrong. There were people laughing and hugging and in the meantime a beautiful young horse was dying on the dirt track. This is not sportsmanship. We need to either start these horses when they are older, have the races less stressful, or find another way to amuse ourselves - something free of animal cruelty.
What do you guys think?
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/04/s...em&ex=1209960000&en=a7824db46a95008f&ei=5087
http://apnews.myway.com//article/20080504/D90EQ5AO4.html
Below are three pictures showing the sequence of events. The photographs are from the AP story above.
1.) First row, left picture. Kent Desormeaux rides Big Brown past Gabriel Saez riding Eight Belles (5) to win the 134th Kentucky Derby Saturday, May 3, 2008, at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Ky. Eight Belles will have her accident within seconds of this shot.
2.) Track personnel try to hold down Eight Belles after the 134th Kentucky Derby Saturday, May 3, 2008, at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Ky. Eight Belles was euthanized after breaking both front ankles following a second-place finish in the Kentucky Derby. You can see that her front left leg is bending the wrong way.
3.) Bottom picture. Eight Belles is examined on the track after she is down - she may already be dead.
View attachment Kentucky_Derby_Horse_Racing_sff_KYD161_20080503182439.jpg
View attachment APTOPIX_Kentucky_Derby_Horse_Racing_sff_KYD196_20080503192458.jpg
View attachment Kentucky_Derby_Horse_Racing_sff_KYD183_20080503190350.jpg
The problem is that these horses have to bear human weight, saddles, and other tack and learn to race before their bones and internal structures are fully formed. Most of the horses in the Kentucky Derby (and other big races) are only 3 years old. This means that they have to start training the horses when they are 1 or 1 1/2 yrs old - riding and racing. (It would be like taking human children 3 or 4 and making the wear high heels or putting a back pack on a 1 year old.)
Most quarter horse trainers and pleasure horse trainers would say that 1 to 1 1/2 years old is way too young for weight bearing and especially too young to bear weight and begin to race. Sure they will put an empty saddle on a young horse to let them get used to it, but an adult will not ride them, or race them.
And, I feel some responsibility here too. I have watched the race religious since before Secretariat ran his famous win. I am part of the problem. What I saw yesterday was wrong. There were people laughing and hugging and in the meantime a beautiful young horse was dying on the dirt track. This is not sportsmanship. We need to either start these horses when they are older, have the races less stressful, or find another way to amuse ourselves - something free of animal cruelty.
What do you guys think?
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/04/s...em&ex=1209960000&en=a7824db46a95008f&ei=5087
http://apnews.myway.com//article/20080504/D90EQ5AO4.html
Below are three pictures showing the sequence of events. The photographs are from the AP story above.
1.) First row, left picture. Kent Desormeaux rides Big Brown past Gabriel Saez riding Eight Belles (5) to win the 134th Kentucky Derby Saturday, May 3, 2008, at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Ky. Eight Belles will have her accident within seconds of this shot.
2.) Track personnel try to hold down Eight Belles after the 134th Kentucky Derby Saturday, May 3, 2008, at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Ky. Eight Belles was euthanized after breaking both front ankles following a second-place finish in the Kentucky Derby. You can see that her front left leg is bending the wrong way.
3.) Bottom picture. Eight Belles is examined on the track after she is down - she may already be dead.
View attachment Kentucky_Derby_Horse_Racing_sff_KYD161_20080503182439.jpg
View attachment APTOPIX_Kentucky_Derby_Horse_Racing_sff_KYD196_20080503192458.jpg
View attachment Kentucky_Derby_Horse_Racing_sff_KYD183_20080503190350.jpg
