Yikes. That muscle atrophy shows up on camera. It reminds me of a pelvic fracture, poor guy. It is sickening to see him so thin.
Actually, lucky guy that he found a good home!
[QUOTE=merrygoround;7870248]
The video didn’t show the hollows, just that the height was equal.
Poor guy! Bless you and your vet for giving him a fighting chance.[/QUOTE]
Actually you can see it in the video. Just easier if you have seen it before in other horses. I’ve had one with a broken pelvis before so it jumped right out to me. Mine did fully heal. Ran Prelim then intermediate less than a year after the accident.
Just want to be one more voice in the chorus of “Bless you, ETR!” And jingles like mad that Malcolm makes a full and speedy recovery. <3
[QUOTE=Appsolute;7870474]
Thank you enjoy for all you have done for this horse! It’s not easy emotionally or financially.
I do hope that his “connections” face some consequence. But I realize that is going to require even more hard work from the do gooders like you.
Bless you - and curses to the people and industry that let this happen.
Honestly I would be very happy to see racing go away, like I said, the resident “racers” on this board hate me - but I hate that the industry victimizes horses like this :([/QUOTE]
The industry didn’t victimize this horse; irresponsible individuals did.
[QUOTE=enjoytheride;7859837]
Tonight a friend of mine asked me if I wanted to go to a local tack/horse auction and I said sure! I didn’t have anything better to do than sit in the cold for 2 hours watching used halters being auctioned off one by one.
I always make a habit of looking at the horses and tonight I noticed one in particular. He was hip tag 74. A three year old bay OTTB, still wearing aluminum shoes. He had been dropped off by someone who didn’t bother leaving his papers or telling the sale barn anything about him.
When he tried to pee in his stall he slipped and fell, getting cast, and unable to get up. His slick shoes flung sparks out on the smooth concrete floor. He eventually got up but he was covered in scrap marks.
I got to work networking on FB and soon had an offer from Friends of Ferdinand to purchase him. Then I had to get a friend out of bed to drive to the auction with a trailer. We stayed at the auction, in the cold, from 4pm to 10:30 pm to bid on hip number 74.
He was first horse in, and the only person bidding against us was the kill buyer. We won him for a grand total of $110.
Two total strangers came up to us and hugged us. They asked us if we bought that bay horse from the killer and they said they were so glad.
He loaded well, travelled well, and went into his temporary stall and sucked down water in between mouthfuls of hay.
He’ll soon be picked up by a vet to be checked for his future prognosis and then he’ll go into a rehab program and eventually for adoption.
We are having some trouble figuring out his registered name but I’ll post it when we figure it out. It starts with 0124 something then I think a 5
https://www.flickr.com/photos/20892581@N04/15180021303/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/20892581@N04/15799459965/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/20892581@N04/15179555704/[/QUOTE]
God Bless you! He looks very kind!
Thank you for being his savior!!! :sadsmile:
then I guess the problem is that racing has so many irresponsible individuals. There’s a “feel good” story on Haskin’s Blood Horse blog about a black type winner who ended up with shredded ankles and knees who was run in a $3,000 claimer and claimed by a non-racing individual . There’s a telling quote by two official vets who thanked the person for getting the horse out of racing. If the official vets can’t force connections not to race broken horses, who can?
To me the Haskin’s take at the end is just plain wrong. It’s up to racing, not non-racing individuals, to see that their horses are not raced to death.
http://cs.bloodhorse.com/blogs/horse-racing-steve-haskin/archive/2014/11/21/jj-and-anna-and-their-long-journey-together.aspx
Seriously, you deserve a halo for this OP. And some other people deserve something entirely different.
He looks very similar to the OTTB I rescued. Even more like him after he developed EPM.
I think sometimes the vets at the lower level tracks have it rough too because if they don’t allow the horses to race, they know they will end up at slaughter so maybe they figure its better just to let them run. I think racetrack vets in general have serious ethical issues, but I can see the dilemma. I wish more upper level owners, who have the means, would retire their horses from racing when they see them start going bad, instead of dropping them lower to try to make one last dollar on them.
[QUOTE=saratoga;7870964]
I think sometimes the vets at the lower level tracks have it rough too because if they don’t allow the horses to race, they know they will end up at slaughter so maybe they figure its better just to let them run. I think racetrack vets in general have serious ethical issues, but I can see the dilemma. I wish more upper level owners, who have the means, would retire their horses from racing when they see them start going bad, instead of dropping them lower to try to make one last dollar on them.[/QUOTE]
They know they will end up at slaughter? Not hardly. Racing at a low level is not a death sentence. I’m so tired of seeing the uneducated stereotyping.
[QUOTE=vineyridge;7870897]then I guess the problem is that racing has so many irresponsible individuals. There’s a “feel good” story on Haskin’s Blood Horse blog about a black type winner who ended up with shredded ankles and knees who was run in a $3,000 claimer and claimed by a non-racing individual . There’s a telling quote by two official vets who thanked the person for getting the horse out of racing.
There is only ONE official track vet. The rest are simply vets who base their practices on the backside. The official track vet only sees the horses on for pre race exams, working off the list, and in the paddock and post parade before races. He is not their regular vet.
If the official vets can’t force connections not to race broken horses, who can?
The official track vet CAN force the horse to be scratched if it is visibly unsound. Giving anyone else the power to FORCE the only people that truly know the horse to do anything is ridiculous and would not be in the best interest of the horse.
To me the Haskin’s take at the end is just plain wrong. It’s up to racing, not non-racing individuals, to see that their horses are not raced to death.
http://cs.bloodhorse.com/blogs/horse-racing-steve-haskin/archive/2014/11/21/jj-and-anna-and-their-long-journey-together.aspx[/QUOTE]
How many horses were at that auction where this horse was purchased at? How many of those were racehorses? How many were backyard breds? Racing has no more irresponsible individuals than any other part of the horse world, it’s just more socially acceptable to bash racing since the majority of people in the horse world have no hands on experience in it.
I am VERY hesitant to let any horse in my care go to a show home after they are done racing because the majority of people from that background that come to me wanting an OTTB are seriously lacking in the horsemanship department. They may have a popular local lesson program or be successful at the lower to mid levels, but overall are still very naive. It is scary how far you can get in the show world knowing so little about basic horse care. The general level of discomfort so many of their horses are used to is saddening, though I doubt they are living a life of agony, I still can’t stand the lax attitude towards horse care that is accepted.
It is not so easy to get away with that kind of thing at the track. If you don’t show up to feed till noon, or barely bed your stalls and only clean them when you feel like it, or have a visibly lame horse and do nothing for it, someone will see it and the track will check up on it. It is very easy to lose your stalls for failing to care for your animals properly. I dislike comparing disciplines, and in no way am I trying to say one is better than the others, but it IS much harder to get away with half assing your horses’ care in racing than it is in so many other disciplines. Trainers DO get fined for having unsound or unhealthy horses, but unless you are at the track you simply don’t hear about it.
A walk through a shedrow at a track would be a great eye opener for so many here.
[QUOTE=vineyridge;7870216]
Those pictures are appalling. Thistledown never should have let that poor horse race. I would send those pictures to the Ohio Racing Commission along with his tattoo numbers and the dates of his last race and ask how he was allowed to start.
Horse Racing has gotten to the point that it would not exist were it not for gambling. The tracks only care about attracting gamblers. The very basis of racing anything is that my whatever is faster than your whatever.[/QUOTE]
Horse racing has always been at the point where it would not exist without gambling.
For every bad horse person, there is a good one. And it is not limited to horse racing. Just look at Craig’s List, low level horse auctions or some of the horror stories posted on Rate My Horse Pro. How many times have we seem posts where someone has seen an ex Grand Prix jumper at an auction.
To the OP, kudos to you for saving Malcolm!
And before you all bash the racing industry, my trainer has just received her 3rd OTTB this month for retraining for another job. The owners are picking up the tab (it’s a not an unlimited budget mind you, but they are trying by taking some responsibility). It’s only 3 this month but this makes it a total of 8 she has received this year. A drop in the bucket for sure. But at least some owners are trying.
I think a lot of the responsibility for racehorse welfare lies with the trainers. A lot of owners couldn’t put a halter on if you paid them. A lot of times there are horses running on issues that the owner is completely unaware of, unless they think to ask why their vet bills are so high every month or if it is normal for a horse to get a knee injected every 4 weeks. If an owner is dumb enough to claim a horse that looks suspicious on paper (suspiciously dropping in company, spotty racing timeline) without consulting the trainer and the trainer gets the horse and sees that the horse is really broken, do they tell the owner that they have to eat the $50k they just spent claiming the horse (and then do what with it?) or keep the owner happy and try to get the horse back out there to dump on someone else?
JMHO.
Agreed with all of the above regarding the bad side of the back side.
So here’s a happier story to start your weekend with:
I’m on the board of the Thoroughbred Rehab Center, Inc., a 501©(3), in southern California. In 2007, we received We All Love Aleyna, after a 4-year career in which he won nearly a half million dollars. And his owner also donated $5,000 to care for him (he was kind of difficult at the track) until he found a home. Of course, this isn’t as usual and he really did earn enough to pay for his retirement many times over.
I just wanted to lighten the mood a little since it’s such a nice day here and I see him standing with his buddy in the paddock.
Cindywilson yeah he might of made a decent amount running but trainers, farriers, and vets don’t work for free. You should really look into how much it costs to get a horse to the track and have a lucrative career. Plus if the owners have a farm, part of that money is used to keep that place running. It’s not a cheap sport.
Spotted Draft–I know you’re right about that. But we still don’t get many owners who donate a horse AND some cash to support it while we try to find a home.
[QUOTE=CrowneDragon;7868262]
Horses have to pass a pre-race vet exam the day that they race. I don’t remember everything and it may vary from one state to the next, but generally at minimum the vet will check the horse’s tattoo to confirm the horses identity, palpate and flex their legs, and watch them trot up and back. The vet can scratch any horse that they feel isn’t sound enough, and that happens every day. [/QUOTE]
Not entirely accurate–while it might happen some places, I’ve never seen a horse touched by a State vet.
And not every track has a pre-race veterinary inspection.
[QUOTE=FairWeather;7871591]
Not entirely accurate–while it might happen some places, I’ve never seen a horse touched by a State vet.
And not every track has a pre-race veterinary inspection.[/QUOTE]
Pre-race inspections and holding barn procedures are regulated by each state’s racing board, and I have no idea what things are like in Ohio where this horse ran.
OP, this year you are who I am most thankful for. What you are doing for Malcolm is beyond words. I really hope he is able to make enough of a recovery to have a happy life. He’s got such a sweet face and he must have a heart of gold to still have been trying to run with that severe an injury. Fingers crossed for his recovery.
I’ve never seen a local barn with as many broken down, half lame, underweight, etc horses as the Bowie training track and last time I was at Penn it wasn’t much better. Don’t get me started on the weekend a horse died at Bowie and they left it in the parking lot under a tarp until someone would come get it Monday…
I agree that recently there’s been huge hype with OTTBs and many people maybe bite off more than they can chew, but having a clean stall doesn’t mean the horse is well cared for. I’d rather a horse stand in a bit of poo than be running day after day on bad legs.
I’m not a trainer nor do I consider myself an OTTB specialist. I currently have 2 (one straight from Penn and the other I got while he was laid up) and I’ve owned or ridden quite a few more. My best friend has her assistant license and works for a well known trainer at Fair Hill. I do love the racing industry, but it does have an ugly under belly. Uglier than the under belly of show barns.
[QUOTE=Angelico;7870987]
They know they will end up at slaughter? Not hardly. Racing at a low level is not a death sentence. I’m so tired of seeing the uneducated stereotyping.
How many horses were at that auction where this horse was purchased at? How many of those were racehorses? How many were backyard breds? Racing has no more irresponsible individuals than any other part of the horse world, it’s just more socially acceptable to bash racing since the majority of people in the horse world have no hands on experience in it.
I am VERY hesitant to let any horse in my care go to a show home after they are done racing because the majority of people from that background that come to me wanting an OTTB are seriously lacking in the horsemanship department. They may have a popular local lesson program or be successful at the lower to mid levels, but overall are still very naive. It is scary how far you can get in the show world knowing so little about basic horse care. The general level of discomfort so many of their horses are used to is saddening, though I doubt they are living a life of agony, I still can’t stand the lax attitude towards horse care that is accepted.
It is not so easy to get away with that kind of thing at the track. If you don’t show up to feed till noon, or barely bed your stalls and only clean them when you feel like it, or have a visibly lame horse and do nothing for it, someone will see it and the track will check up on it. It is very easy to lose your stalls for failing to care for your animals properly. I dislike comparing disciplines, and in no way am I trying to say one is better than the others, but it IS much harder to get away with half assing your horses’ care in racing than it is in so many other disciplines. Trainers DO get fined for having unsound or unhealthy horses, but unless you are at the track you simply don’t hear about it.
A walk through a shedrow at a track would be a great eye opener for so many here.[/QUOTE]
