The video on YouTube that shows him running is not him 3 days before death. He could barely walk by that time. The video is a little confusing as it flashes back to him at a healthier time in his life. He was being handgrazed only in the last days of his life due to laminitis.
There are no conspiracies here; no one wanted Secretariat to die. Laminitis is a horrible disease and in 1989 much less was known about it.
My friend has a Gone West son who seems to have inherited Secretariat’s metabolism. No signs of cushings yet, but I do worry about him as he ages.
[QUOTE=Shopgirl;8261275]
I’ve never heard about Secretariat having Cushing’s, but anything is possible. I know the articles I have read about his heart say it was perfect, just larger than most. I’m wondering if any of Secretariat’s offspring have Cushing’s? I know it’s not necessarily genetic, but can be passed on. I always wondered why he was put down, when he seemed, at least to the outsiders, to be in descent condition. The reporter who visited the farm 3 days before his death shows Secretariat looking, in my opinion, far from death. I’ve always felt there was something missing about his health. Something we didn’t know. I know Penny loved him dearly and wouldn’t put him down pointlessly. This Cushing’s disease could be the reason. It’s just the first I’ve heard of it. Regardless of what killed him, he was the best, most beloved racehorse in history. I just visited Claiborne Farms July 27th, 2015. It’s a beautiful farm and has wonderful staff. It was part of my Anniversary present from my husband. Definitely recommend it to anyone who’s close enough to make the trip.[/QUOTE]
This is an 8 1/2 year old thread that was briefly resurrected 3 years ago. There have been many advances in both diagnostics and treatment options since that horse died, what, 30 years ago. There was probably lots they didn’t know then that they might know today.
Not sure PC would have had any management authority or control after he was syndicated.
[QUOTE=caryledee;8261355]
The video on YouTube that shows him running is not him 3 days before death. He could barely walk by that time. The video is a little confusing as it flashes back to him at a healthier time in his life. He was being handgrazed only in the last days of his life due to laminitis.
There are no conspiracies here; no one wanted Secretariat to die. Laminitis is a horrible disease and in 1989 much less was known about it.
My friend has a Gone West son who seems to have inherited Secretariat’s metabolism. No signs of cushings yet, but I do worry about him as he ages.[/QUOTE]
You are right but the hand grazing portion of the video was timeline current. The first time I watched it I to took a moment of pause and thought " For a horse with laminitis he seems really sound. " His feet weren’t wrapped up and he’s certainly not posturing like a lamanitic horse.
I’m so very grateful that so many advances against such a horrible condition have been made.
When I watched the video, my observation is that there is really no footage of him actually walking. When he takes a few steps as they line him up behind the kids he looks very uncomfortable to me - ears out sideways, head down, right front way outside.
I think he crashed pretty quickly. He looks pretty good in that video but they can go from looking like that to agony in a short time. As to whether Cushings is hereditary I don’t know, certainly the TENDENCY is inherited though and Secretariat’s body type must be dominant because you can pick one of his family out 3-4 generations down the line. And yes many get IR and Cushings. His first generation get tended to be easy keepers also. Great great granddaughter (you should see her neck now she is mature! =( ) http://s173.photobucket.com/user/LarryTheLegend/media/sierra/13Sep09O.jpg.html?sort=6&o=81
I visited Secretariat in 1986 and he was overweight. He had a big crest, too, and I thought it was only because he was a stallion, but in retrospect I think he was too fat.
[QUOTE=srfotog;8675081]
I visited Secretariat in 1986 and he was overweight. He had a big crest, too, and I thought it was only because he was a stallion, but in retrospect I think he was too fat.[/QUOTE]
Secretariat was always an atypical looking TB. In Raymond Woolf’s book there a great many pictures to compare. Big Red died at 19. As I recall his sire died ar 17 but Bold Ruler suffered from cancer. The average life expectancy is 20. Seattle Slew beat that by a number years. He was ridden daily during his stud career. Maybe are expectations for the life span of these great horses are unrealistic.
I have an IR horse and he is by no means “overweight” by glancing at him and he is 16. He has the “lumpy” version of IR and I have to watch him carefully. He has never tested positive yet for Cushings. I have an older horse who has never tested positive for Cushings but I started giving her the drug this year for it and it has helped her considerably so I am convinced that she must have Cushings even though the tests say she is normal. If you know your horses well, the signs are there.
I never scored high enough on the blood sugar screens to be diabetic, either, but I sure as shit felt a whole lot better after I went low carb, high fat with intermittent fasting and regular exercise.
metabolic disorders, by their very nature, are not only on a grand scale, but an individual one as well.
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Why do we even have Bárbaro in the same article with secretariat. Though secretariat was the love of my life he was only 4 months shy of 20. Barbero was a baby. so was ruffian and as far as the extra weight that he put on which, as people get older and animals, get older, they do put on Riva Ridge put on weight and died at 16 from the heart attack so extra weight and a stallion can kill you, and he had put on extra weight, though he was not obese.
You just … bumped a 16 year old thread up because … ?
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Guessing they did not note the dates? Maybe it popped up as a related topic in a search for something else?
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I did not see this 16 years ago.
I owned a Secretariat related gelding. Fantastic conformation who could take the weight behind and yes a big boy and like Secretariat much better physically if worked daily.
Sadly the good die young.
Umm … brand new poster didn’t notice the dates? Anyway the previous post was only 6 years old when the new COTHer apparently read it.
Share some suspicion but will go with simple mistake. For now anyway.
