Horse racing - they killed the horse

[ludothedog]

On Saturday I attended a day at the races. Great day but... one of the horses and rider fell. The horse was hurt. They killed it. There and then. On the race course. No trip to the vet to see if it could be saved, no second chance.

WTF!

I had no idea it was so ruthless. Everyone carried on with their day out like it was no big deal, like it happens all the time. It just felt so wrong but it seems like no one else was bothered.

Any horse owners out there - is this normal?

What is it about then? It's about breeding a winner as far as he was concerned.
Saggital I get you.

Does it matter whether they do it for financial or entirely different reasons?

You either disagree with racing or you don't. I don't see how the motivation of the people involved matters...

Yep it is normal. I think people don't realise and just think it's a fun day out.

A lot of breeds of domesticated animals are dying out because they have no economic value. Rare breeds of sheep, pigs, cows, horses. What use would thoroughbreds be without racing, who would want one? Seems to me like race horses are mostly mollycoddled.

Lol, only somebody with absolutely no idea what they're talking about would suggest you coin it in off a competition horse. Hilarious. They cost an absolute fuck tonne of money to keep. Our competition horse cost more to keep per month than our house! Yes you'll see some impressive prize money at the very top but if you think that's just going in some big money pile you needed do more homework.

If your concern is genuinely for equine welfare then cast your eyes beyond the racetrack because there are far more serious welfare issues among the two for £50 at the sales types. Don't worry too much about the pampered Princes, they're very well looked after. The little coloured colts dumped in ditches not so much.

Those of us who have actual knowledge and experience know that euthanasia as quickly as possible is essential when dealing with a limb fracture. The most distressing thing I've ever had to deal with was a compound fracture of the nearside foreleg in a young event horse. He'd knocked the wall down in his stable and fractured his leg, I found him like that at breakfast. The wait for the vet to euthanase him was the longest and most awful thing. Nobody who lives horses wants them to suffer so we do what is kindest even if that is death. They break limbs just being alive, it's not just the speedy twig legged ones.

It’s not that they’re no good for racing after a broken leg, it’s that they don’t recover from a badly broken leg. Hairline fractures maybe but not a proper break. The weight of a thoroughbred horse (approximately 400-550kg) cannot be supported by a broken limb, you can’t tell a horse to not weight bear or not move.

Also, horses don’t get injured every time they fall. The majority get up fine.

A vet would’ve been with that horse within a minute (vets, doctors and an ambulance follow races as they are run so they’re on hand immediately if necessary). So if that horse was badly injured they are put down quickly they avoid prolonged distress. Moving a horse with a broken leg is very very difficult and very distressing. No point moving them just to put them down somewhere less visible. That’s part of (but not the only) the reason that racecourses use green screens when a horse falls or is injured.

A lot of breeds of domesticated animals are dying out because they have no economic value. Rare breeds of sheep, pigs, cows, horses. What use would thoroughbreds be without racing, who would want one? Seems to me like race horses are mostly mollycoddled. You've never been at agricultural shows. People devote their lives to rare breed animals. I salute them.

They will have a vet on the course to assess there and then. If there is no chance of saving it he will order it to be killed to save it suffering further. However - this isn't done lightly at all, they are worth too much money!

They break limbs just being alive, it's not just the speedy twig legged ones.

They're all fucking twig legged...

And prone to eating things they really should not eat. Even if strangers throw it on the pasture!

I had to have a horse shot due to a broken leg and pelvis.

He was hit from behind out hacking on a quiet road by a speeding car! And managed to gallop the 50 or so Metres to his field gate before collapsing.

His rider sustained a broken back that’s now pinned.

Do all of you who hate racing take time and care to pass horses safely on the roads?

God yes, it's tragic but horses (barring the heavy type) are fragile limbed.

I've known horses have field accidents and break limbs, requiring euthanasia.

They can't be fixed unless it's very minor break and even then it's unlikely to be successful.

Horses effectively run on the last joint in our toes. The hind knee joint (the stifle) is at the top of the leg.

The balance is so fine and fragile.

What a lovely story Alberta

Do all of you who hate racing take time and care to pass horses safely on the roads?
Yes, of course. I slow done or stop. I'll then try to see how the horse and rider act (does it seem to be nervous? Is the rider signalling something?)

I'll pass the horse whilst leaving a considerable distance between car and animal. (If passing by seems advisable and it isn't an absolute emergency.) And obviously no intentional noise like honking, revving etc...

I just don't like racing. I don't actually want to harm horses or their riders!
I am sorry this happened to your friend and the horse!

I hate racing, it exists purely to make money and to entertain the mindless people who don’t mind horses being shot. Loads of racehorses don’t make the grade and are sold cheaply to people who sometimes don’t know how to handle them or end up in sales.

My horse broke his shoulder in the field, I’m guessing he was kicked by another horse, fairly typical accident, unfortunately. He was taken to horsepital but the operations didn’t work. I made the decision to have him put to sleep.

A horse with a broken leg normally has to be put down, to end its suffering. Sad but necessary. I do dislike horse racing though. Always have, even though my whole family are enthusiastic followers of the sport. I’m the only one that can actually ride and I prefer a slower safer pace.

I have spent my whole life around horses and ponies, and the sa fact is that yes if they break a leg they get shot, its heartbreaking.
I am a great fan and supporter of Horseracing, and have to say that it is the most awful thing for one to have to be shot. Its not just the owners and trainers it effects, but the stable lads/lasses the jockeys etc...
And those who say its not fair to race horses, have you ever watched a race, seen the jockey get dumped out the side door, and the loose horse then carrys on, often taking the lead, and very happily finishing the race.
You will also see jockeys pull horses up if they feel something is not right. Occasionally after riding down to the start, you shall see the jockey dismount, and get the Vet over to check the horse for lameness etc. No Jockey wants to see thier horse die.
Its not just horseracing that ends up with horses being shot, any competition could end in it, or even a hack down the lane, or as said above, a horse in a field.

I don't like horse racing - nor dog racing.

One of my rescued greyhounds was dumped because she'd broken her leg. She was one of four dogs in the same race that did. Most of them, if they are fortunate, are PTS by the vet. The less fortunate get a spade over the back of the head, or simply dumped and left to stray and starve.

She was one of the very lucky ones in that she was kept alive, taken back to the kennels and left without veterinary treatment for weeks, before she was handed into the rescue. Her hock had self-set and it looks like a lumpy explosive bony mess with scar tissue everywhere. Needless to say she didn't much like being poked and prodded, so going to the vet was an experience. She gets about on her leg OK and after 3 years of patience and TLC she can now go to the vet without being muzzled and going mental.

If that wasn't bad enough, spare a thought for the thousands of greyhound puppies that are bred every year but don't make the grade for racing. Many of them simply disappear...

Why do they shoot them though? Can't they be put down like a pet would be? Not bring pedantic genuinely asking.

Shooting(usually a bolt gun not a rifle) is instant. Why faff about with injections when the animal is pain? For sentimental reasons?

Rare breeds survival trust.. The Cleveland Bay horse is utterly magnificent.

Have 4 myself. Hate racing

Why do they shoot them though? Can't they be put down like a pet would be? Not bring pedantic genuinely asking.

Shooting is definitely quicker.

From here.
Injection would take ages & delay the next race being able to run.
Injection is more risky, more chance something go wrong, can even be more painful.
Injection is more expensive.
I don't object to horse-racing, but giving an injection to spare a sensitive crowd & delay relief for the animal is a bit pants. When the horse died as part of your entertainment, you should face up to it.

Shooting with a bolt gun is far quicker and much more effective than any drug.

Horses have tiny brains and you can destroy the whole lot instantly, and accurately. Death is in milliseconds with no pain.

The body of a horse is enormous and would require huge amounts of drug to euthanise. It would take a fair while to infuse. Pain at the injection site, the horse possibly fighting to get up. Add to that some horses have a contrary response to some sedatives and they can end up with initial stimulation. The whole thing would take ages and possibly be very distressing.

Shooting is the humane way to put a horse or any large animal down.

The euthanasia drugs don't work well in fired up animals either - hence racing using bullets, usually a free bullet from a silenced weapon rather than a bolt as the horse's sinus is quite large and brain is quite small!

Standard pts drug dose is 50mls (of the horse specific drug). Top ups with pentabarb are possible, 100ml. This takes a while to get into a vein, even with a catheter. Most vets have warning near miss stories of drug pts going or nearly going wrong for any number of reasons. A gun in the hands of a skilled slaughterman is much more reliable than anything reliant on individual pharmokinetics.