To counter that wild “statistic” here is reality:
According to Mike Gathagan, Pimlico’s vice president for communications, there were 199 races at the track since the spring meeting opened April 20. A horse broke down the first week of the meeting. One, that’s all. The second was the Kentucky Derby champion, the 6-1/2-length winner.
(factor on a very low average just 5 horses per field, although likely higher, that means 995 horses with two breakdowns or .2 % - just 1/5th of a single percent)
[QUOTE=LH]
Statistically, 40% of the 3 year olds who go to the track are destroyed by the end of May because of career-ending injuries. Yes, 40%. QUOTE]
Will you please point us to the studies that prove this
I own and operate a small lay-up farm for TB’s. and also do a lot of volunteer work placing horses into new careers when they are finished at the track.
My major client has over 120 horses racing at the track at any given moment during the year. Right now I have exactly 1- 3 yr. old here for rehab (sesamoiditis) and ZERO 2 yr. olds. Thus far this year from these 120 horses, he has had 1-4yr old filly who needed to find a new home (very slight bow), 1-3yr old filly with a knee fracture, and 1-9 yr old stakes winning stallion who has just been retired SOUND after some 55 starts.
Typically my “busy” season is November through February (we do not race in in IL during Jan and Feb). This is when my clients turn most of their horses out simply to rest and to be “horses”. Even then, when I am full and in fact overfull LOL, the vast majority of horses have no serious soundness issues.They are simply in need of some down time.
I certainly will be very interested in reviewing the proof of your statement, as this is certainly not been my experience of the past 25 years as a trainer on the racetrack or with the horses that come through my layup farm.
Think Smarty Jones.
I left my flamesuit at home
This statistic (maintained by the JC) was one that is part of the briefing that led, ultimately, to hearings regarding jockey health and welfare.
http://energycommerce.house.gov/108/Hearings/10182005hearing1679/hearing.htm
A colleague of mine represents the family of a jockey who died in a track accident and she shared with me the extensive documentation and statistics that she has obtained in the context of discovery obtained in litigation. The issue pursued in that case is track safety, the welfare of jockeys, and the lack of regulation for jockey welfare. And in the course of that investigation, she learned those unfortunate statistics regarding the horse injuries, and the irony is that statistics regarding jockey accident and mortality rates have not been maintained. That issue is not relevant to this topic.
I’m not sure why posting those statistics warrants the other posters comments, but that’s where that information comes from.
I’m not a fluffbunny, and come from a relatively long line of steeplechase folk.
If Polytrack proves to be safer, more tracks should install it. The thing that gets me is that they (the Omniscient They) KNOW that toe grabs cause injuries. Rim shoes are safer. Only Virginia bans toe grabs. How come?
(Knowing that toe grabs are implicated mainly in foreleg injuries and that they were HIGHLY unlikely to be implicated in Barbaro’s injury.)
True, but there have been some notable exceptions.
Seattle Slew wont he JC Gold Cup after breaking through the gate. Golden Missile won the Pimlico Special after doing the same. There was a filly a couple of years ago that won a G2 or 3 on the Turf, I think at Colonial, that broke through the gate, left her jockey behind in the gate (ironically enough, Edgar Prado!), ran ¼mile down the track before see was caught by outriders, reloaded and won the race.
Ok, let me clear this up…the reason Fox is reporting this is because the stupid vet (who has to stay emotionally detached or he would go insane trying to do his job) has made emotional cold statements such as “We are trying to salvage him as a breeding animal” and not just him, many of the spokespersons for the farm have made statements along those lines to.
This is at least a $25,000 surgery folks…would you pay for that for a dog? Most likely not, your horse? Hell yes! But we need to understand that most of the news ppl arent horse lovers like us (their thinking of Barbaro like a dog) so they dont have the compassionate “whatever it takes” attitude that we do, so Barbaro’s “value” as a breeding stud is the focal point of their thinking.
Lets also remember, the vet who did Barbaro’s surgery said this was the most complex break he had EVER worked on and that all the other owners who had horses this damaged had the horses destroyed, usually right there on the track, paddock, etc.
This makes it obvious that Barbaro is very special to Micheal. He believes in his horse, and he believes in 2nd chances, like he was given.
If you run into negative ppl who are making these “financial” comments, educate them that it isnt the owner, its the medical staff.
Hope this helps.
[QUOTE=LH]
This statistic (maintained by the JC) was one that is part of the briefing that led, ultimately, to hearings regarding jockey health and welfare.
http://energycommerce.house.gov/108/Hearings/10182005hearing1679/hearing.htm
QUOTE]
DH,
Could you please point me to document you are referencing? In looking throught the index of materials supplied for the hearing, I dont see anything from the Jockey Club. The information listed here seems to all be relative to the Jockey’s Guild and jockey insurance issues.
If the info is not listed here, perhaps you can point me to the Jockey Club stats.
Thanks!
So several thousand 3 year olds die at the tracks BEFORE the end of May:eek: That’s 100 per track meeting, at least-1 a day carted off dead.
I guess I’ve been lucky then, all the afternoons I watch and don’t see but the occaisional one…like once a year
My, my, I wonder what has boosted the statistics up so high…used to be about 3-5% of all horses in training on the major California Tracks.
Thank you. I like the idea of banning toe grabs everywhere. And zero tolerance for some medication used to block pain, such as DMSO. Padded gates, excellent, safety rail, great, polytrack(we’ll see, heard some bad too).
As far as 2 yr olds, if a responsible trainer has them it helps. These are not like other breeds. A trainer hates nothing more than a 4 yr old coming into the barn that sat in a pasture until 3 months ago with it was broke. Most horses don’t need to run until at least very late as two year olds, but training develops the bone. Despite whatever you may hear or think, until you have had a lot of experience with both.(Racehorses that did nothing until 4 or 5, or racehorses trained as 2 yr olds.) You realize how much it helps them.
Responsibility and moderation is the key to any horses soundness. Sometimes bad luck occurs.
And I’ll bet no shoes are safer still.
Cost of Barbaro’s Surgery
I have to believe that the cost of Barbaro’s surgery and rehab is going to be 6 figures or very nearly. Many racehorses just aren’t worth that much, many owners don’t have that much. Barbaro is lucky and we are lucky that he had this surgery because the more it’s done the more they learn and hopefully the price goes down.
I suspect that the owners made a very emotional decision to do whatever is possible to save Barbaro’s life. I would do the same thing in that situation if I could. They didn’t look like youngsters to me. What else are they going to do with their money? At some level it is like a donation to charity to let the surgeons and researchers at New Bolton see if they can be successful in this circumstance. And so far from the sound of Barbaro’s disposition thus far he isn’t suffering.
But lets be honest none of those guys want to talk about the money. No matter what you say it is no win. Spend $100k on saving a horse’s life when there are people who needs healthcare? No matter how you spin the story it could be made to look bad.
F_ck the critics as far as I am concerned. I want Barbaro to make it, I want those guys to spend whatever it takes for him to make it, and then I am going to send my rescue mare, Abi Normal (formerly Watrals Abiskipper) to him for breeding. That is if I can come up with a way to pay the stud fee. Maybe they will offer a special COTH rate.
Where did you get this stat from. By that reconing nearly half of the male population of each crop doesn’t survive 'til 3. I find that hard to fathom.
The fact is that the Jackasons announced last week that stud plans for Barbaro would be announced after the Belmont Stakes. That tells me that negotiations were underway to sell him (or some % of him) for breeding. I’ll assume that a present value was established, subject to rise or fall with his success in the Triple Crown. I’ll also assume that he was insured, though probably for an amount smaller than present value (which had been established after the Derby) at the time of injury.
I hate to inject $$$ into the equation but I’m sure that it factors into most decisions of this type. Barbaro is probably worth more as a stud prospect that is current insurance would pay. That is NOT to say that money was the ONLY factor here. I’d like to think that the Jacksons would be doing the same for Barbaro if he were a gelding. I’m guessing that any deals that might have been pending are off the table. Right now they have to save his life and determine if he’ll be able to bear enough weight to cover mares.
Most race horses are not insured. It’s simply not cost effective for most horses. If a stud colt is likley to have residual value for breeding it would be insane not to insure him for mortality. Mr Jackson is a successful businessman and I’m guessing that they are insured but really want to do what’s best for Barbaro. If he takes a bad turn or is in pain they will do what most good animal owners do, euthanize him. Unlike most owners who make that choice, they will get a hefty check. (Not that this is a bad thing, they paid huge premiums and are therefore entitled.)
Keep in mind Barbaro also won to date about $2M in purse money (less jockey fees, etc) so lets just say they can take it out of his savings account. Also Roy Jackson’s maternal grandfather was William G. Rockefeller, treasurer of Standard Oil and they sold George Washington as a yearing for $2.05 million US at Tattersalls. So in this case the tough decisions with money didn’t have to be made.
Interesting. Every rescue group Ive heard of makes u sign a contact that u wont breed the horse.
Just a few thoughts for folks to consider.
I’m a horseman who has been heavily involved for years with OTTBs; rehabbing and working with them to find them good homes. So far I’ve had about 80 come through here and go on to new homes. All our personal horses are OTTBs and we are very active in the horse world.
I am not into TB racing, however I can count as friends several multi-generation TB trainers in KY who answer my questions and provide their own take on things.
If I were ever asked by the TB Industry for my recommendations (not likely!) I would have to tell them “Listen!” As society changes what is considered acceptable changes as well. TB racing has a HUGE image problem with alot of horsemen in general, and except for the gambling addicts or those hoping to witness a wreck like they saw on Saturday, with much of the general public.
The TB trainers I mentioned are disgusted with what they see as happening in “their” industry and 2 of them have since left racing. I don’t understand exactly what the main source of their discontent is since I’m not a part of their world. I only know they think horseracing has lost its emphasis on horsemanship.
Dismissing them or trying to deflect criticism hasn’t and won’t be effective. There’s a message that the industry needs to acknowledge and, if theres a way, respond to. Listen.
People (mainly horsepeople) like to vent to me about racing, assuming that I am involved with it is some way. The Number 1 vent is “You start the horses too young. They’re racing before they’re mature enough”. I think this single issue is one the industry might well consider to restore TB racing to the prominence it once had with the public.
Most of us horsemen realize that most any activity we undertake with our horses involve risk. My mare could break a leg stepping into a goher hole this afternoon on the trail. Eventers crash fences and break necks. Barrel horses fracture legs. But this argument comes down to the perception (reality?) that none of these other sports sanctions the use of young, immature horses. ie Eventers don’t have events for 2-yr olds only. And, like it or not, these other wrecks don’t happen on prime time TV.
Anyway, my $0.02 as a horseman. My heart goes out to Barbaro and I have been following this progress on this thread since I heard what happened Saturday night. I wish him only the best, as I do all the horses.
imiisvixen - I don’t see how the cost of this animal’s surgery has any relation to the lack of healthcare among some American citizens. It’s not as if the Medicare fund was raided or something. If the owners have the money and want to try and save him - that’s great. If they decide to euthanize - that’s fine too.
Besides - why shouldn’t animals benefit from the experiments we’ve done on them to advance human medicine? At some point - especially with orthopaedic injuries - animal studies were done. If the technology we gained from experiments makes it way back into verterinary medicine - great.
I do have a question though. I am wondering with the severity of this injury if this horse will ever be able to cover a mare. Breeding will place a lot of stress on that leg.
As far as the idiot television people go - did you hear Katie Couric ask if Barbaro will ever race again? Is she really that much of a dumb blonde or does she just play one on TV???
Well here is something from somewhat of an “outsider” as this is my first year really watching racing. I always avoided it do to how it got such a bad hype on being hard on the horses. I always had the image that the owners/trainers/etc were all in it just for the money. Horses were used to hard, to young, and then thrown away when no longer needed type thing - so no one really cared for them.
But I will tell you what. Watching their faces when they saw what happened to their horse, seeing the tears, the shock, etc - Those were NOT the faces of people that were dissapointed that they weren’t going to win another million or the tripple crown. These were the faces of people who just saw their beloved horse injured and possibly the end of his life was near. It was the same look I know I had when my horse died of colic, and I’m sure anyone out there who has lost a horse has had the same look.
I’m sure they will do what is right for Barbaro.
I have been training race horses for 11 years now. I have had to humanely euthanize ONE horse due to an injury. Not one percent, one horse, and he was seven not three. To say that 40% or even 4% of horses are euthanized due to injuries caused by racing at any age is ridiculous.
Now if you want to talk statistics, I just got a call from my friend Kelly who says the meat pen is overflowing with horses at New Holland as we speak. Many thoroughbreds with easily readable tattoos. She was able to arrange to rescue two of them, the rest are screwed. There’s your statistic.
Just to let you down gently, even if you came up with the full fare (hoping we get to that place), unless your mare has won a graded stake or produced a grade winner, I think you can pretty much count on not getting that date.
Top horses just enetering stud don’t just get bred to anybody with $$. There are standards to be maintained.
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