If everyone who is upset about Barbaro, Eight Belles...

[freshman]

and breakdowns in general would donate just ONE dollar to research, then these injuries would not be fatal. Not just industry people, but the general public that is outraged or whatnot. They should put their money where their mouth is and do some real good.

[going4stamina]

...or if the industry itself decided to clean up its act, cradle to grave, maybe there wouldn't be a need for fans to be critical.

I have no known issues with the connections of either of these two horses, but there is plenty that can be enacted by every person within the TB industry to improve the sport's image.

And I am a lifelong fan, but I was at a Derby party with "civilians" and it was not "pretty" after the race. Mainstream America was turned OFF and mad. Each of us should be asking, "what can I do to improve the image of racing?"--and stop giving the same old lip service. There has been too much denial and skirting around the drugs, cheating, backstretch living conditions, unsound breeding, low-level claiming, slaughter, etc. I would like to see the sport survive, if "you" care, real solutions to all these issues and more need to be addressed. Start with a national Commissioner with real authority and enact national standards for all of these issues.

[freshman]

...or if the industry itself decided to clean up its act, cradle to grave, maybe there wouldn't be a need for fans to be critical.

With appropriate reseach, in reality meaning the influx of millions of research dollars, these injuries would be treatable.

Breakdowns are not new to the racing industry; the public inquiry to them is new and can or will make and break the sport. Again, making these injuries survivable is the only thing that, in the end, will help horses. Ending horse racing is the easy way out, not the best or most educated way to making the issue go away.

With research, both horses and horse racing can survive.

[Toccet02]

But why the emphasis on fixing injuries? Rather let's try to prevent them from happening in the first place.
I think breeders need to carefully consider the skeletal structure and known faults of the stallion and mare.
Or maybe research on nutritional supplements to improve bone density, training methods that can build up bone (I'm a gymnastics-raised kid and I'm a brick; scale heavy even when thin), etc.
Of course, let's treat injuries with more success. But the sport would look a lot better to "civillians", as was said by somebody here, if they didn't happen.

[Mahubah]

Racing had better get moving on these issues before Congress does, unless the racing powers that be like the idea of being saddled with a load of Federal nonsense and oversight put together by people who for the most part are completely ignorant of racing. Nothing better that bunch likes than emotionally-laden sideshows where they can play out how much they "care" in front of the public eye while ducking having to make tough decisions about matters more germane to most of the American public -- decisions with which no one is going to be 100% satisfied. They've already spent how much time and taxpayers' money trying to do the baseball commissioner's job by committee?

[going4stamina]

fresh,
I'm not for banning racing and never said that. I am for EVERY person who cares about TB horses and the sport stepping up to enact a major turnaround of the sport's image--and not through a PR campaign, but by real action!

I'm all for learning more about treating injuries. However, nobody wants to see them happen in the first place. It was divine providence that the accident happened after the wire. I can't imagine the horror of that happening in front of 18 other horses racing at full speed.

It's not just the accidents though...it is the cheating--both caught and suspicions of, the mere wrist slaps for that cheating, the allowance of drugs that don't benefit the breed or the individual horse in the long run, the knowledge of "used-up" racers going to slaughter, the seamy side of lower class tracks and a few of the low-lifes running former stakes winners until they drop or are only worth $400 to ride with a broken knee on a long haul trip to hell. It is low level tracks strong-arming horsemen to race their horse--damn the soundness--or lose stalls, it is tracks and vets letting the horse that has DNFed or finished last in it's last 4 starts race again and again until it drops. Claiming rules can and should be in place at every track to protect horsemen that have allowed a claimer rest and recovery so that the horse cannot be claimed first out. These issues are just the tip of the iceberg. To survive, racing needs a revolution-- to protect honest horse-people, the horses, backside help, and the scorn of the whole industry, the bettor.

Yes, more can be done to "fix" injuries, but more importantly, racing needs to fix itself!

[going4stamina]

Absolutely, Mahubah.

[Dave C]

The public really doesn't care what happens to the horses as long as it happens out of sight where they don't have to witness it. There are far fewer problems with mistreated horses than there are with abused, neglected, abandoned household pets. The general public however doesn't have to see those problems so they don't raise a stink. Every year we have get a handful of abandoned pets wander into our farm yard, because people got tired of caring for them and lacked the courage to humanely put them down. The humane societies around the world are full of pets that people gave away because they were inconvenient. If the 'public' can so easily dispose of pets with which they shared their homes, it is difficult to believe that they really care about the fate of race horses except to the superficial degree to which on track breakdowns and tv coverage forces them to be a witness.

[aardvark]

They've already spent how much time and taxpayers' money trying to do the baseball commissioner's job by committee?

Racing is set up to be entirely unaccountable. At least you know that they are trying to do the baseball commissioner's job. If Congress does step in they will be filling a much needed void in racing even though they will screw it up. I'll take my chances with screwing it up over doing nothing.

[kezeli]

As far as the suggestion to get people to contribute $1, it's a wonderful idea but the puplic at large belives the PETA propaganda campane and belives those of us who work in research are a bunch of sadists and love to torcher our patients. Horses break down in the field so no matter what we do we'll never get to the point of zero breakdowns, as nice as it would be to be able too. Unfortunatly the money pits that be will be the hard sells in the biggest problem IMHO, to stop the unsound breeding. I noticed on derby day that these horses have no bone anylonger.

[Linda_d]

fresh,
I'm not for banning racing and never said that. I am for EVERY person who cares about TB horses and the sport stepping up to enact a major turnaround of the sport's image--and not through a PR campaign, but by real action!

I'm all for learning more about treating injuries. However, nobody wants to see them happen in the first place. It was divine providence that the accident happened after the wire. I can't imagine the horror of that happening in front of 18 other horses racing at full speed.

It's not just the accidents though...it is the cheating--both caught and suspicions of, the mere wrist slaps for that cheating, the allowance of drugs that don't benefit the breed or the individual horse in the long run, the knowledge of "used-up" racers going to slaughter, the seamy side of lower class tracks and a few of the low-lifes running former stakes winners until they drop or are only worth $400 to ride with a broken knee on a long haul trip to hell. It is low level tracks strong-arming horsemen to race their horse--damn the soundness--or lose stalls, it is tracks and vets letting the horse that has DNFed or finished last in it's last 4 starts race again and again until it drops. Claiming rules can and should be in place at every track to protect horsemen that have allowed a claimer rest and recovery so that the horse cannot be claimed first out. These issues are just the tip of the iceberg. To survive, racing needs a revolution-- to protect honest horse-people, the horses, backside help, and the scorn of the whole industry, the bettor.

Yes, more can be done to "fix" injuries, but more importantly, racing needs to fix itself!

Well said. Racing needs to fix itself before Congress does it for it.

[Equipoise28]

Well said. Racing needs to fix itself before Congress does it for it.

Amen.

[joe horn]

If they are that f***ing concerned why wait till now to go off? what about that $3200.00 claimer that broke down yesterday or one that had to be put down last week or the week before? In a few days they will have fogotten about it like it never happen! racing has been here long before they got here and will be around long after they've gone

[surprisewind]

The entire continent was outraged by Barbaro and was never again going to watch the Derby. I didn't see ratings go down in 07 or 08. hmm.

It's interesting to read the comments from people on various msg boards. The same people who put $$ on Eight Belles to win were the ones spouting the most vitriolic crap about the racing industry when she died. Hypocrisy much?

And I love the comments and "disturbation" from the ones who know NOTHING about equine anatomy, racing, breeding, training... but they done read a book once and saw something on youtube.

Someone KNOWLEDGEABLE needs to hold a press conference and take questions from the public. And Big Brown needs to take the triple crown, fiberglass hooves and all, for some decent publicity.

I don't race. I have a See's Candy Assortment of off track beasties. But my take is this: the racing industry is responsible for LESS inhumane treatment, LESS slaughter, and FEWER unwanted horses than the backyard morons/assbreaths that pump out a bajiggetymillion crap foals ever year - the ones that have NO hope of a first career, let alone a second, and are handled just enough to get to auction as weanlings. So there. Phoo.

[freshman]

I think it is more feasible to come up with a way treat these injuries than to prevent them by modifying the breeding industry. That's just not going to happen, and it would take years to see any difference even if there were a way to regulate that aspect--racing will be better or dead on its own by then. A crackdown on drugs and medications--including steriods--needs to happen NOW.

It's going to take more than one thing to "fix" racing for the horses, the horsemen, and the public. It just frustrating to see the medical aspect of the issue so constantly overlooked; again, with many reseach dollars and a little time, these injuries can be made treatable. People are just accepting that these are dead horses. It doesn't do them or racing any good. So stop beating the dead horses and try to fix them.