[omega4179]

A lot of Conservatives will disagree but I am totally against Horse and Dog racing. I have seen enough Derby breakdowns and euthanizations. If you don’t breed these fragile Horses theres no need to sell and race them. Free Market at work!

[OldDeckHand]

"A lot of Conservatives will disagree but I am totally against Horse and Dog racing."

I love horses and I love racing. But, breakdowns haven't decreased at the rate one might expect in relation to the tremendous advances in equine medicine and that's a BIG problem.

Breeding and steroids is to blame, IMHO. I believe the industry is making strides in the right direction with respect to steroids, but breeding is something much more complicated. I'm not sure how to fix it, nor am I sure it's even fixable.

The composite/artificial tracks seemed to show great promise early on. But, more scientific study needs to be done and they may not be the panacea so many had hoped for.

[ALPAPilot]

Having done Eventing with Thoroughbreds I can assure you they are not fragile.

[Nepeta]

As horrifying as catastrophic breakdowns are, in fact there has been only one breakdown leading to euthanization in the Kentucky Derby over all its runnings. No jockeys have died, either. The economic importance of breeding and racing TBs is not trivial in several states. Thousands of people are employed, and if there was no racing the economic impact would be great. Is there room for improvement? Of course. In Mongolia, they run 18 mile races over uneven ground with 12-13 hand horses galloping all the way. [Mongols are insulted if you call them ponies...] They spend all their lives outside and are obviously very tough, running farther in one day than most TBs do in their racing careers. Obviously, there is some lesson to be learned.