Posted on 05/21/2006 7:03:50 PM PDT by Paul8148
I'm a horsewoman who has shown jumped and ridden horses, and I'm no expert on everything, but I do have experience and a point of view that is different than yours.
I'm probably on the soft side on the way I treat my own horses. I don't know anyone who loves or pampers their horses more than I do. Even the bad pony who has no purpose in life here gets the best of care.
And I admit that people in the horse business are as good, or as bad, as people can be in any other facet of humanity. There are people who abuse horses. There are people who are just dumb about them and their horses suffer for it. BUT by and large horse people are sensible, sensitive to the needs of the animal, and interested and prideful of their level of professionalism and animal husbandry. By and large, I respect the people who have horses and think most people will try to do right by them... The ones with a backyard horse, all the way up to the ones who have reached the top of horse sport. So now let me answer your points one by one:
The manner in which race horse have been treated over the last century is despicable. All racing breeds - Thoroughbreds, Standardbreds, Arabians, and Quarter Horses - are subject to inhumane treatment. The abuse ranges from neglect and simple lack of education on the part of the trainers, to violence against the horses, as well as dangerous - sometimes deadly - drugs.
I would argue that despite the bad seeds that act out of meanness and selfishness, the state of horse care in this country. The state of the horse has NEVER been better. Horses are expensive luxuries, and by and large horses, even race horses, live longer and healthier now than they EVER did in the past. There are LOTS of people watching horse sport. Abuse is NOT respected by their peers, it's criminal, and abusers don't make it.
Horses - especially Thoroughbreds - are started under saddle around the age of two; this can be up to five years before a horse's skeleton is fully developed. (The human equivalent to this would be for an eight-year-old child to run around with a 50 pound sack of coal.)
I will agree that it would be better if they were a year older to start running hard, but at two, a TB is not equivalent to an 8 year old, it would be more accurate to compare them to a 17 year old. They are nearly full size, fully sexually mature, and are typically started under saddle at two to three in other disciplines as well as racing. Most pleasure horses are started slower and not worked as hard until about 4, that's true.
Thoroughbred, Quarter Horses and Arabians who race under saddle are not taught how to listen to their rider, or do anything but gallop at top speed, WHICH CAN CAUSE SEVERE LEG DAMAGE.
Not really true. While they aren't finely trained to do a lot that is complicated, they are barely broke off the track, they don't actually run at top speed all the time, they go for several types of workouts in a given week, some walks, some trotting, some with a pony horse, and lots of easy cantering. Not just hard galloping.
The constant pounding of the legs on a hard track can often cause tendons to bow. If left untreated, a damaged tendon can cause chronic pain and permanent unsoundness. The two main ways that a lame racehorse is dealt with are pin firing and nerving, both of which are extremely cruel to the horse.
Yes, racing can cause bowed tendons. Bowed tendons are painful while accute, but often heal nicely and without further problems. My 24 year old Arab has an old one he had when I got him at 10. No problems.
Pin firing and blistering are old methods for treating all kinds of lower leg ailments. Less in favor now than it used to be, because it does leave scars. You are right that the point is to create a soft tissue injury that will increase blood flow to the area because the lower leg otherwise has a poor blood supply. It sounds scary, but it also saved horses I think. I'm pinging vetvetdoug, because the part about the acid is new to me, particularly with the term 'nerving'. Nerving as I know it, is where the nerves, usually to the foot, are surgically cut, as a last ditch effort to save horses with chronic, painful foot problems such as founder and Navicular Syndrome. It does numb the foot. The alternative is severe pain or death. Anyway, I don't know for sure about the 'acid' you post of, so I'm pinging a vet, and hoping he can answer.
For many owners, the race horse is a financial investment, not a living animal (the way many people see their trucks or cars). Many owners do not have the money to buy another horse if theirs is not fast enough, so their horse is forced to run even if he is unwilling or in pain.
Horses are an investment indeed, and some take better care than others, certainly. I would propose to you though, that in this day and age, with the feed, medicine, expertise and animal rights 'watchers' everywhere, while there are still bad things that happen, over all, life has NEVER been better for the horse. It is unfair, and inaccurate to paint horsemen as characteristically abusive.
Bye then, It's been swell. Glad we had this talk :~D
Well, I certainly meant no offense to you, and I hoped you didn't take it that way.
Yes, that was my favorite picture, page before this:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/1636107/posts?q=1&&page=86#86
:')
This is horsie talk for making the beast with two backs? (Of course, I know that horsies do it dog-slyle, so to speak. I'm no ~fool~, after all!)
I think you are right that he stumbled coming out of the gate at the Derby... or one of them did.
Yes, isn't that wonderful? (Good blood supply.)
The Jacksons live 10 miles away, IIRC.
I also loved reading this:
" ... During the long wait to see how Barbaro would come through surgery Sunday, flowers arrived at the hospital, some of them carried by children. Two apples and a handful of carrots were accompanied by a handwritten note. ... "
Eating after *all that* is pretty amazing to me! Hope he gets the apples and carrots ("his favorite treats") after a few days of hospital hay!
Jockey Edgar Prado, who won his first Kentucky Derby victory in seven tries, said that he had smooth sailing after Barbaro made a slight misstep at the start.
“He stumbled a little bit coming out of the gate but he recovered right away,” said Prado. “You see what he did when I turned him loose, he took off like a rocket. I never had a doubt in this horse....
Source: Kentucky Derby News 05.06.2006a
I would suggest you go back to lurking as you've seriously overplayed your hand in your post.
Hair has experience with horses and has been a source of info on all of the threads about Barbaro. Rte66 and Hair were on the original live thread and there was absolutely NO command from Hair at all.
I appreciate that :~D I'm just a gal who's very interested in this, like anyone else.
You knew I'd respond to that post, because I think it'd be wrong not to. When people post things like that, broadly condemning the horse sport as characteristically cruel, even on this board, it plays right into the hands of the animal rights activists who believe all forms of animal ownership and animal sport is cruel, inhumane and ought to be stopped. I think they're wrong. Do you?
Well, I just called it as I saw it. I knew Rte66 wouldn't have been offended by your 'goading' her into checking the video card and getting a new monitor. (Sheesh, I'd have took it as a suggestion since I wouldn't have given a thought to the video card.)
Thanks. Maybe that was it, but I was still thinking it was before the gate, like when he was so high-spirited yesterday and "bucking" him, Prado said. I really thought it was right then or that it had been the same situation at the Derby, but I hadn't seen it then, either.
Seems like the people talking were comparing what they had seen with Barbaro to Afleet Alex, when he got knocked in the Derby last year and did go almost to his knees, but recovered.
Not sure whether it was Baffert, but it was some other owners and trainers who were talking about it on a sports segment of our local TV news. Aargh--it won't solve anything, anyway. Just had me wondering.
Knowing the monitor is 15 years old, I know that my colors are dark, lol. It was just embarrassing to admit it, but I really couldn't see what was *in* the horse pool and I really wanted to - still can't!
(At least I didn't get the usual "don't you know monitors are only $300 nowadays and PCs are only $400?" lecture I have gotten before. Or, the really good - "find a used one to buy cheap" command.
I always think "I doubt seriously you could stand to live the life I'm having to live right now, so don't mess with me! If I had $700 extra, I'd have a decent puter set-up! But first, the $2 bus fare.")
I pray for this horse.
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