“The Man Who Would Kill Horseracing”

[Where_sMyWhite]

@LaurieB

It costs a lot of money to train and race a horse–which is why those who are unlikely to earn that money back get weeded out early. Most of those horses go on to become fantastic eventers.

Many of you have read my stories about my mare. Not even OTTB (no lip tat).

I suspect that eventing would not have been her cup of tea but she put up with my riding for many years. She had the grit and determination to survive after 2 colic surgeries within 36 hours, including over 3 hours to stand after the first one, and another 3+ weeks in intensive care before she went home (including, at one point, a discussion with her surgeon about that decision which he said to wait).

She wasn’t the bravest, she was a bit ‘environmental’, she wasn’t overly competitive (watching her run in the arena with her lady friends she was happy when she was in front but quit when any of them got in front of her).

She came from a TB auction (I believe) in CA. Don’t know what she cost as I got her from the person who bought her at the auction.

Another 13-14 years of life after her surgery. Lots of people appreciate the TB try and willings to go forward. I don’t think I appreciated her as much as she deserved until she was retired and I had another horse. Miss P’s photo is the one on my wall <3

[smoofox]

@Texarkana

This conversation reminds me of a moment from a past life:

For several years, I worked in the equine NICU of a major university hospital in an area with active racing and sporthorse breeding programs. Thoroughbred and standardbred mares were our bread and butter, so to speak, although we got a lot of every breed.

I remember accompanying an owner to visit her warmblood mare & foal. In the stall next to them, was a thoroughbred mare & foal. The warmblood owner peaked into the stall next door, then said to me, “it’s disgusting that these thoroughbred breeders continue to breed these cheap horses.” Then she went on to tell me how her foal was easily worth anywhere from $7,000 to $10,000, and that foals by that sire have sold for as much as $30,000, as if I was to be impressed.

The comments caught me off guard. I wasn’t at liberty to say much about another client’s animal, and quite honestly, I was trying to keep from laughing in her face, so I just redirected her attention back to her own horses. But the irony was the thoroughbred mare she commented on was a stakes winner, probably valued around the six figure mark, with a foal by a top Kentucky stallion. I guarantee you there were more dollars worth of horse flesh in that stall than the warmblood breeder had on her entire farm. Yet she automatically dismissed the mare and foal as “cheap” and of poor quality based on a cursory glance. What on earth was she even judging? Conformation? Body condition of hospitalized horses? “Quality” of a sick, newborn foal?

OMG - we have shared a brain in the past! I hauled a Standardbred mare and her foal (did not own them, I worked for them and cared for them) to a similar hospital. The foal was septic and huge - and needed help with lax tendons etc.
A warmblood mare and colt were next to us - and the owners sneered at “my” homely little mare who was about 15’1" - and puny next to their huge mare. “My” ungainly, homely colt was much bigger than theirs… and yeah, resembled a moose calf at that point of his life. The WB folks sneered at them and lectured the tech on the quality and value of their mare and foal. I knew the sire - he was a complete SOB of a Hanoverian to handle and his offspring were known to be very difficult. The potential price tag they were bragging about for that little colt was extremely inflated.

The SB mare was homely - but a pacing machine. She was a great mom. She was black type in her racing days… and her two previous foals were on the same career path. So as you said there was probably more “value” in the SB stall than in the WB stall next door.

The moose calf staggering around the stall with his IV line and splints on obviously disgusted them. They actually asked if he was worth spending any money on… although they did not say it, it was obvious they thought he was garbage.

The little moose recovered, sold for big $$$$$$ (in Standardbred terms) and went on to exceed his dam and sire’s success - with his dad’s good looks.

[smoofox]

@Where'sMyWhite

I often have TVG on as background noise and I would disagree that the track feeds stay on the problematic loaders. Often I’ve seen either the track or TVG (usually the track) switch from the camera behind the gate to a camera on the front of the gate or move the camera behind the gate to view the horses waiting to load rather than the one that won’t. You don’t see the ear twitches, the lunch whips, picking up the horse’s rear (just about) and forcing them in the gate when they don’t want to go. You might see them open the front of the gate for a problematic loader but that’s because that’s the camera they are using… front of the gate and not behind.

I have TVG on a lot as well. And/or the FoxSports feeds from Saratoga, Belmont etc. You actually think the front view of the gate is “hiding” anything? Really? That is just the optimal shot for the load/break - so the camera angles jump around a lot. Apparently you want to see something nefarious in that - it simply is not there. I have seen the odd ear twitches, LUNGE whips flicked at heels (but usually just the leather leads flicked in the dirt), and a butt sling with starter’s arms to help a horse load. The front of the gate is often opened for problem loaders. If a horse thrashes in the gate or sits down - yeah, the camera gets the hell out of the way. Nothing calculated or mysterious about that. No cover up. No conspiracy.

The feeds do not always stay on the problem loaders as they have to try and show as much of the field as possible. If #2 is acting up, they will show #3, #7 and #9 also waiting/loading. They are not trying to “hide” things.

If you have TVG on a lot then you are also aware of scratches at the gate if a horse breaks through the front or thrashes around or may have injured itself in any way or a jock does not like how his horse warmed up and reports that to the vet at the gate etc. …

[Where_sMyWhite]

@smoofox

If you have TVG on a lot then you are also aware of scratches at the gate if a horse breaks through the front or thrashes around or may have injured itself in any way or a jock does not like how his horse warmed up and reports that to the vet at the gate etc. …

Yes, I am well aware of gate scratches. It’s usually very clear when there is an issue with a horse going down in the gate or playing ‘whee… I’m free’ down the track that the track vet inspects the horse and I have seen plenty of times the gate scratch while sometimes, I don’t see the scratch and wonder why not. Yes, I’ve seen “mysterious” gate scratches which I’ve always assumed were real some warmup issue that didn’t get reported to TV or the race caller… no biggie.

Maybe there is nothing nefarious nor attempts at hiding anything but sometimes seems coincidental when 10 horses have to load, second horse is being a pill and they cut away to the 8 other horses waiting to load rather than the pill.

I know that the view will change from rear to front as they get close to getting all the horses in the gate.

[Texarkana]

@smoofox

OMG - we have shared a brain in the past! I hauled a Standardbred mare and her foal (did not own them, I worked for them and cared for them) to a similar hospital. The foal was septic and huge - and needed help with lax tendons etc.
A warmblood mare and colt were next to us - and the owners sneered at “my” homely little mare who was about 15’1" - and puny next to their huge mare. “My” ungainly, homely colt was much bigger than theirs… and yeah, resembled a moose calf at that point of his life. The WB folks sneered at them and lectured the tech on the quality and value of their mare and foal. I knew the sire - he was a complete SOB of a Hanoverian to handle and his offspring were known to be very difficult. The potential price tag they were bragging about for that little colt was extremely inflated.

The SB mare was homely - but a pacing machine. She was a great mom. She was black type in her racing days… and her two previous foals were on the same career path. So as you said there was probably more “value” in the SB stall than in the WB stall next door.

The moose calf staggering around the stall with his IV line and splints on obviously disgusted them. They actually asked if he was worth spending any money on… although they did not say it, it was obvious they thought he was garbage.

The little moose recovered, sold for big $$$$$$ (in Standardbred terms) and went on to exceed his dam and sire’s success - with his dad’s good looks.

Crazy! Although I’m not surprised we both went through the same thing. Kind of like when someone posts a mare on COTH and everyone automatically tells the poster she’s not breeding quality with little to no info… :rolleyes:

Don’t get me wrong, I’m against uneducated overbreeding. But not every person has the same breeding goals, and I can’t stand it when people inappropriately impose their goals onto others.