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In scanning this thread, I did not find any mention of the crux of the matter -- that horses are raced too young. They are put on the track before their bones have fully formed, and fractures are the inevitable result.

After the injured colts are euthanized, the racing industry and the owners and the adoring press all weep crocodile tears. The press accounts NEVER mention that this is a horse that would be alive today, were the owners and the industry not so greedy and cruel. Barbaro was a victim, and the humans who claim to love him were his killers.

Tonight on Boston Legal, the character played by Candice Bergen informed the nation that they horses are raced before they are two years old, before their bones are fully formed. Once in a while, Hollywood does get it right.


160 posted on 01/30/2007 8:32:45 PM PST by Knutsdatter
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To: Knutsdatter

Bull,

Barbero was a physically mature horse. Very heavily muscled and trained. At 3 years old a TB is equivalent to a 16-18 year old human male. Full of energy and physically primed. A bad twisted an an ankle with over 1000 lbs of body mass chraging at 25-30 mph out of the gate. A twist with that mass on a slender ankle can result in shattered bones. A tragic mistep.

Barbaro was trained and raced lighter than any other horse going into the Derby and Preakness so he wasn't prestressed from too hard of a schedule.

A horse has to be trained early when still developing to get the density of the bone in the front cannon bones to withstand the forward momentum of racing at full speed. The bone actually is larger on the front stress loaded area of the cannon bones. Comparison xrays of horses trained at 2 yrs old and those who are not show very different bone density.


161 posted on 01/30/2007 9:43:12 PM PST by Rhiannon
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