i absolutely adore racing. Watch it a lot and I have to say watching Pharoah win the Triple crown was one of the best moments of my life. But I also have this inner struggle sometimes like with irap and coal front. Two young horses shot down and now I know atleast irap will have a permanently fused fetlock. Anyone else get these feelings of doubt?
No.
Um, they were not shot down. Yes racing does have the highest of highs which comes with the occasional lowest of lows much like life in general.
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yes. Racing has a lot of these incidents; it’s just the big names that we hear about and the big names who actually get a second chance and this type of care. There are plenty of people in the racing industry who care deeply for the horses they own, breed, race and train. And there are plenty of dirtbags who simply view the horses as a vehicle to success; a business, and when they are no longer useful to their business model; to put it simply, they are culled.
The same could be said for a lot of other equine businesses out there; not just the racing industry (Quarter Horses for one)
But yes, it Is an internal struggle that I have issues with as well. Sure; horses break down in other sports but they are very rare and very far between. Whereas; the racing industry has long lists of fatal and serious breakdowns by the month.
For me it is not just the breakdowns that I struggle with, the enlarged ankles, tendon injuries, serious bone chips, etc that show up on these track horses; but also the industry In it’s entirety. 20,000+ foals born every year. How many find themselves on a one way trip to the meat packer within a few short years; many slip right under the radar at these lower ranking tracks. Sure; the glory of the sport is the KY Derby, the boutique meets at Belmont and Saratoga, the Breeders Cup, Ascot, just to name a few. But the horses that make it to that level are such a small % of the thousands born every year. The majority are in the claiming ranks plugging away at sub par tracks under sub par care and trainers owned by owners who just want a shot at the winners circle. How many horses go on a one-way trip to Pueto Rico or the island slum racetracks only to die when they are no longer useful. I don’t really know how some can sleep at night knowing their horse they just sold there is never coming back (unless an agreement was made to bring it back which is very few)
The industry has made leaps and bounds in recent years, thanks to social media, for better care, better after-care, better chance at 2nd homes. But it still has a long way to go. There are plenty of uneducated trainers at these lower ranking tracks, plenty of overran horses, plenty of preventable injuries. If you don’t think so; one walk of the backside can be an eye opener. While I never did see any horse that was underfed or under-cared for. There were plenty with sub par care in regards to legs and proper knowledge on adequate care/race planning to optimize leg/tendon health and soundness.
There are hoards of excellent 2nd career horses out there available off the track. Many who just simply were never going to be racehorses. But with those; there are hundreds of thousands with issues and if you are going to buy; its your job to go over them with a fine toothed comb. They are, after all, rejects of their industry and many of those issues can be soundness issues that were never fully investigated or cared for. I struggle with the fact that the care of these horses when their racing days are over; has fallen on those willing to take the chance to give them a shot. Many breeders do not answer when one of their horses end up at a kill lot, etc. But there are few out there who will stand up and take responsibility and help.
Those dressage, hunters, eventers, etc folks are the ones being the street sweepers and in many cases; the horse’s only chance at a 2nd career. Many of the horses you look at for 2nd careers are sound, healthy, great prospects. but there are also many who are very body sore, bucked shins, enlarged ankles, arthritic at 5 years old, bowed tendons, bone chips. Absolutely NOT trying to turn anyone off from OTTB shopping but the industry still has long way to go in terms of care, soundness, second careers and optimizing health of the horses in their care to ensure they are able to move on to do great things when they no longer want to race. The idea of breeding these horses for race and caring for them to race needs to extend outwards beyond just racing. We need to be breeding horses for long term soundness, caring and racing horses for long term soundness to ensure they can move on to valuable 2nd careers. We need to take the blinkers off and view beyond the very short few years a horse spends at the track
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Yes, Country Girl, but you know what happens to lots of school horses, or even some unfortunate private home horses when they become unsound or old? They often get sent off to the . . . The thing is, you don’t see it on TV, though, so less in the public eye, less uproar about it but still horrific.
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Snaffle, I for one was doing horse rescue and rehoming long before social media existed. Please don’t dismiss the hard work as something we were shamed into doing because that couldn’t be further from the truth. You just didn’t know about it, doesn’t mean it wasn’t happening.
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No.
As long as the industry continues to track the incidents and continue to work to make racing as safe as possible for all participants, I’m satisfied. Not sure that other industries in the horse world try as hard as the TB industry (IMO only).
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Laurierace; rescues have been going on for a very long time. Social media just enabled them to reach more people both for awareness and for potential buyers. that is what I meant.
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@snaffle1987 I’m going to have to exclude most of the track horsemen I know from your rant. They know way more than most people involved in other disciplines, and care just as much as the rest of us. You can speak for yourself.
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@Palm Beach that is fine. Like I said; there are many great horsemen on the track but when you start walking the backside at some of the lower levels; you can come across some interesting scenarios. Just because they have a trainers license does not mean they are great at horse care. No part of the horse industry is a poster child in any way, shape or form. But for the sake of this discussion; the racing industry as a whole has a long way to go. In my adventures I had “trainers” trying to hand horses off to me that were no longer useful to them. They didn’t care what happened to the horse once it left the track; they just didn’t want it to be a burden in their barn anymore. The Bob Bafferts and Todd Pletchers in the game are on an entirely different level but the 2000+ horses in their training programs; how many get claimed away, fall to the bottom level quickly, and then what happens? The very highest of highs of the sport is a lot of fun but the lowest of lows can sure put a damper on ones’ spirit.
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@snaffle1987 - It’s usually the owner that says, “Get rid of the horse, just give him away” and it becomes the trainers responsibility to find the horse a home. Most trainers I know work 6-7 days a week, 5 AM to 6 PM. Sure, plenty of time to find a horse a good home. If it bothers you so much, volunteer for a rescue and show us all how it’s done. But don’t paint “the racing industry as a whole” with your skinny little paintbrush. There are many many horsemen involved in racing who do care and want to find horses a good home. And there are plenty of people in other disciplines who only care about winning and are quick to unload a horse that is not meeting expectations. And go read the horse care forum for some “interesting scenarios” about horse care. At least the race horse trainers are required to be licensed, any other type of horse trainer just hangs a shingle and shazam, she or he is a horse trainer.
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was that not what I said in my posts above? As I have said more than once; there are plenty of good people in the racing industry and plenty of bad apples as well; no different than any other equine business out there in the world. many owners in racing are only interested in the racing, saying they own a racehorse. they do not give two cents what happens to that animal when it is no longer useful to them. that in itself is a hard pill to swallow for most “fans” of the sport.
I guess what I don’t understand is you claim there are “plenty of good people” in the racing industry as well as yes, bad apples, just as in any industry, but, to me, it seems like you don’t loose a chance to take a dig at the TB industry. The posts always seem to come across more negative than positive about racing.
Overall, IMO, the racing industry is better than many other aspects of the equine world. As long as the racing industry continues to work to reduce musculo-skeletal injuries in race horses, training and racing, I think that is all that can be asked. As long as tracks continue to work toward not supporting trainers/owners who send their no longer competitive horses to auctions (not talking Keeneland or Fasig-Tipton here) I’m satisfied.
In all areas of life, things can be improved but continuing to focus on the negative rather than the positive can often be counter-productive.
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There are plenty of WB and other non racers with big ankles or career limiting issues too, many as young as 3. But they aren’t famous and nobody tracked them so it looks like only racers suffer them. Friend just lost her 2yo to a broken leg, kicked by another colt in the pasture. Another friend with a 5 year old Reiner (started late, not a Futurity horse) blew a DDFT, might make a Horsemanship or Trail horseafter at least a year off, done Reining.
Hunters and Jumpers suffer limiting injuries in their careers. Western horses suffer limiting injuries. Means they are working horses, nothing more, and they aren’t at JC regulated tracks getting hurt in public so nobody keeps any statistical records.
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My vet used to alternate between working at Arlington Park and going on farm/stable calls. He said there were always a lot more catastrophic injuries on the farms.
When I was a kid, I saw a polo pony have a bad breakdown during a polo match.
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I think that the Quarter Horse industry has a lot more to answer for than the Thoroughbreds. Many more foals churned out, AI and embryo transfers are okay… and how many of them are started as 2 year olds (with no weight limits) and doing futurities at the big shows? And yet somehow only Thoroughbred racing gets all the hysterical fingers pointed at it (nor referring to you, snaffle1987) and gets all the public’s angst and hatred.
This may be TL;DR for some…
The worst breakdown I ever saw on the track was in Alberta - so not the A level… where some might think that people care less away from the spotlight and the BNTs…
I even remember the horse’s name - Papacito Sam - as I loved to watch that little guy race and come flying on the outside to try and catch the leaders at the wire - Zenyatta style. He was a character in the paddock with way too much personality… and on the short side - maybe 15.1?
It was a chilly evening - and as the field came off of the last turn, Sam started his usual rush - 5 or 6 wide. I was at the rail just before the finish line and a bunch of grooms and trainers were waiting in the nearby winner’s circle. There was a loud POP like a gunshot - and Sam cartwheeled forward, his jockey flying ahead of him and managing to avoid the flailing horse. Sam’s RF was shattered just below his knee… it was flopping and there was blood and bone showing as Sam struggled to his feet in front of a hushed grandstand. His young groom rushed onto the track, screaming his name and crying, clutching his cooler, halter and lead shank to her chest. The trainer outsprinted her to Sam - and with the help of an outrider, pulled Sam over into his left side. The grandstand was hushed. The groom cried and wailed, trying to console her charge, stroking his neck and hugging him. Everyone knew the outcome as the horse ambulance came up. It all played out in front of the crowd… similar to Go For Wand… but on a small track on a crisp evening in a lower level claiming race to a nondescript little bay colt with a star, a snip and a big heart - where nobody is supposed to care, right?
Whenever I hear someone say how evil racing is… and how it is just a business and the horses are just tools and nobody - especially at lower levels - gives a damn… I am transported back to that night. Sam laying on the track - just short of his goal… his trainer and groom devastated and crying, stroking him and soothing him. The jock kneeling at his head. Outriders solemnly standing by. Other grooms tearfully collecting their horses as they came back and giving the tragic scene a wide berth as they headed back to the barn. The winner untacking as the trainer and owner waved off any photos and got him out of the way and back to his stall. Tears all around me from all those terrible horse players who are never supposed to care.
His groom spread his cooler over him… and hugged him as the vet helped send Sam on to the finish line… no time for screens or PR… the comfort of the horse came first.
That scenario still haunts me. And as the screens that really hide nothing came up so Sam could be winched into the trailer, the grandstand stood as one in silence. And then applauded in salute to a game little horse as the trailer left the track.
That was likely 30 years ago… and yet it is still as clear as if it was yesterday. There are hundreds of Sams out there and hundreds of people who love them and care for them…
ETA:
I found him on Equibase. It was the seventh race at Northlands Park on June 1, 1981.
DNF. 
36 years ago. But still so clear…
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smoofox… what a tragic memory. {{}} yes, many sams out there who are loved by many… owners, trainers, jocks, exercise riders, grooms, spectators… they don’t have to be a big name at a name track to be loved.
I know that I’ve seen some nasty breakdowns in the QH racing from Los Alamitos that is broadcast. Don’t remember ages but most of the races were the chute down the front (short enough no turn even involved).
No solace I am sure but I sometimes think that the racehorses are in a slightly better position… there is a vet present and if there is a catastrophic breakdown, the horse is sent across the bridge quickly instead of suffering in a stall or pasture until someone discovers it. Do I think this means we don’t stop trying, no.
I would also agree that overall QHs have more to answer for than TBs.
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The single thing that American racing could do to help racehorses would be to get rid of claiming races and go a full handicap system–but it won’t. That would too radical a change for today’s trackers to accept. It’s hard enough to get them to accept new rules on drugs, which they are fighting tooth and nail.
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BS. The most important thing that could be done to improve racing would be a National Governing Body so we then had uniform regulations. Until then trainers are going to shop races for certain horses based upon what is allowed where. Claiming has nothing to do with it.
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As a self-professed thoroughbred lover, I’m really surprised you would suggest this. Do you have any idea how much would be lost? You might as well kiss any genetic diversity goodbye.
Nor would eliminating claiming races help the horses that spurred this thread, seeing as how neither started in a claiming race in their careers.
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