Was it my imagination - - or did the announcers seem unaffected by this horse's tragic end? Apparently it's getting to be pretty routine - nobody bats an eye anymore.
Liriope wrote: OK, point taken, although I do not agree. How about dog sled racing, for instants. Dogs die all the time in this sport and I do not believe any of the dogs signed up for this.
I don't know about race horses, but sled dogs do "sign up".
They live to pull sleds, they love it. When you start hooking the dogs up, you have to tie down the sled to keep the dogs from taking off. If you fall off the sled, you will be lucky to see your dogs again, they love pulling so much, they just keep going. Any dog that dies pulling a sled died happy.
That sounds more like looking to please their owner, who feeds them, than it does their "love" of pulling. And again, it's only your word for it that they "sign up" for it. If you fall off the sled and never see the dogs again I'd have to say it was the dogs who were lucky.
......I do bat an eye.......couldn't watch any of the coverage, probably never will again. The tragic story last year of Barbaro was too much for me.......
Mandrake
he ain't heavy..........he's my brother....
RRBob wrote: ....I don't know about race horses, but sled dogs do "sign up".
They live to pull sleds, they love it. When you start hooking the dogs up, you have to tie down the sled to keep the dogs from taking off. If you fall off the sled, you will be lucky to see your dogs again, they love pulling so much, they just keep going. Any dog that dies pulling a sled died happy.
Animals don't really have a choice about "signing up," do they?
Dogs love to run in the street, too.
Beagles love to run loose in the woods....and sometimes when they return, they are chewed up by a coyote, if they can make it back.
Greyhounds don't sign up either, yet they "love to chase that rabbit," until they are put down for not performing.
I guess that's okay, though...they die happy.
* This post was
edited 05/04/08 02:06pm by whimstock *
There is no doubt in my mind these big guys love to run. It is bred and born into them. However racing a filly or a colt this hard is like taking a still growing kid and allowing him to throw a baseball as hard as he can for several innings. He might not get hurt but odds are against him coming out without any injury. High bred horses can be genetically weak and more prone to these leg/ankle injuries than say a a grade colt or filly of the same age.
Thoroghbred's ankles are relatively small compared to the weight they carry and the stress/load they are put under.
I suspect it will never be changed due to the money, tradition and prestige involved, but they are not ready to race developmentally.
This filly had major potential.
Mandrake wrote: ......I do bat an eye.......couldn't watch any of the coverage, probably never will again. The tragic story last year of Barbaro was too much for me.......
The only consolation for me was that this poor young filly won't have to suffer like Barbero did.
I'm another one who believes that Thoroughbreds should race when they're 4; but as others have said - it's Big Business and there's plenty of horses that people are willing to sacrifice.
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