Please don’t run Rachel Alexandra in the Belmont. If you don’t follow horse racing, that request if meaningless. If you do, you know that the Belmont is the third race in the Triple Crown, the be-all and-end of American Thoroughbred horse racing. You also know that “fillies” rarely win horse races (could we call her a mare, please?) and that Rachel’s win yesterday in the 2nd leg of the Triple Crown was historic.
What you may or may not know is the depth of controversies that currently runs rampant (pun intended) in the world of horse racing about the welfare of the horses involved. My knowledge of the arguments for and against horse racing have recently been enriched by the term papers written in the class I teach at UW- Madison. Each student has to write two papers about the biological and philosophical aspects of a current controversy regarding our relationships with animals. (Which would you have chosen? Pick from: 1)Horse Racing, 2) De-Listing or Not De-Listing Wolves from the Endangered Species Act, 3) Gestation and Farrowing Crates for Hogs, 4) Wind Turbines (“green energy” which some say kills large numbers of bats and hawks) and 5) Purpose-Bred Injurious Mutations in Rodents in Bio-medical research)???
One of the many great things about the class is that I get to learn so much. One of the unfortunate things about the class is that I get to learn so much. Two years ago one of the topics was a comparison of farm-raised versus wild-caught shrimp. Now I don’t eat either kind, after learning about the ecological devastation of both methods. And I did love shrimp, truly I did.
I loved horse racing too. While other little girls had dolls, I painstakingly cut out tiny pieces of leather to create bridles and saddles for the plastic horses that sat on my dresser. I drew horses in my sleep, and sobbed for hours when Tim Tam broke a sesamoid bone and lost the Triple Crown. And so I couldn’t resist watching the Preakness. Sexist colors flying, I cheered so passionately for Rachel to win the race that Jim and Willie ran into the house, frowns of worry on their faces, to see what was wrong.
I cheered for Rachel knowing that thousands of horses who don’t make the grade are sent to unregulated slaughter houses in Mexico. That the use of steroids and bizarre cocktails of drugs have been used for decades to mask injuries or pump up muscle where muscle shouldn’t be. (The big tracks have finally banned steroid the use of steroids.) Perhaps worst of all, the driving force behind racing is no longer breeding and training horses that win a lot of money. Rather, the money is in the stud fees (at $25,000 to $200,000 a pop, a mature stallion can ‘cover’ at least a mare a day .. you do the math). So if you want to make a lot of money in horse racing, you breed horses who have muscles like weight-lifters and legs as light and thin as a glass icicle. That makes them really, really fast, and some argue, really, really fragile. Decades ago owners wanted sound horses who could win a lot of races, who brought in a lot of money from the purses. Now the focus is on winning a couple of big races, pulling their valuable merchandise off the track, letting boys be boys and collecting their money.
Is the focus on too much muscle the reason that the brilliant mare, Eight Belles, died last year, in front of god and gazillion people, when her forelegs exploded after the Kentucky Derby? Is that why more and more “fillies” are leaving the gate as large and muscled up as the boys? No one knows, but there are plenty of people in the industry who are just as concerned as animal rights activists are about the welfare of race horses. (My student’s papers advocated banning horse racing completely by a two to one margin. Industry take note.)
So, please don’t run Rachel in three weeks. She ran a huge race three weeks ago in the Kentucky Oaks (she won by 20 lengths). She ran a huge race yesterday on a sloppy, difficult track (her own jockey said she was struggling). Three big races only three weeks apart each is too much for any horse. People are calling Rachel Alexandra one of the greatest horses of the year. Of the decade. I don’t care how she is rated years from now. I just couldn’t stand to watch her legs explode.
If she runs, I don’t think I’ll watch.
Meanwhile, back at the farm: In some ways, spring holds the same mix of emotions for me as horse racing. I love it and dread it. It’s gorgeous here dear readers, breathtakingly gorgeous. The lilac bush is in full bloom, the emerald green grass looks lit from within and the warblers flit like crazed jewels in the tiny, new leaves unfurling above our heads. And the high pasture needs fertiziling by hand, the flower beds are rife with weeds, the brush pile needs burning, the flock needs worming, the water tanks need cleaning out…. etc. I won’t bore you. Spring is an astoundingly busy time on a farm, even a little one like mine. I’m behind at work, I’m behind on campus and I’m behind in just about anything else you can imagine.
Oh. I guess I’d better get to work then, hey? I’ll tell you next time about Willie and Redford and the January lamb. We had a bit of an adventure earlier. Willie is okay, the lamb is okay, the fence is okay, but Redford has a bad bruise on his head and a cut on his shoulder. I’m hoping it’s minor, but he’s lying down now and he’s not chewing his cud. Cross your paws. More soon.
Here’s Redford on the left under the tree, relaxing after a hard morning eating grass…
funder says
I hope nobody wrote about farrowing crates – if you learn too much about confinement hog farming, you’ll never be able to eat mass produced pork again. I can’t 🙁 I’m really lucky to have a small-scale local pork farmer who sells at the farmer’s market, and I feel ethically ok eating his pigs.
There’s a lot of tragedy in the horse world. My focus is on TWHs, who are routinely tortured to win breed shows. 🙁 There’s a lot more TBs who go to bad ends, I suppose. I watched the race on Youtube – I figure if I don’t watch it on TV, no one can profit from me seeing it.
Horse racing reminds me of Olympic gymnastics – baby horses and baby humans being pushed SO FAR physically, when neither competitor has the capacity to choose to train that hard. And most of them end up injured. Sad stuff.
herenowe says
People genuinely value and appreciate their animals whether pets, food animals, or sports animals, but people being human can get caught up in something and lose perspective. We all do it sometime. We lose balance. Examples are now of people who religiously believed work was their salvation but find themselves out of work and trying to regain balance in their lives. “I didn’t have time for my family, but now I do, so I’m going to get to know them again…” they say. Nations are no different. We’ve watched our country move from fiscal conservancy and prosperity to nearly a lawless policy on free markets that has landed us where we are today–and we’re watching our new government struggle to regain balance in a new place and time.
Horse racing is in a shake-up that is different from the past, probably because of the Internet. Happenings are instant, and events that before might be outside our view, are sitting on our desks. Insider happenings are not “inside” anymore. As racing culture shifts focus from the game alone to the athletes (horses and jockeys) we hope to see breeders, owners and trainers become more responsible for the welfare of both groups.
[You mentioned the frailty of Eight Belles, but remember she was likely the only horse in that race who was not on drugs. And her trainer said she had a habit of crossing her legs as she slowed down. It is possible after her extreme effort she was overtired and crossed those legs in a way that broke both ankles. She tripped on herself. ]
The strength of the 2009 TC races has been to watch a group of well bred racers running pretty much drug free. (though I just read a bit about snake venom used to numb pain and is non-detectable in blood or urine tests that is a worry) But you noticed how many horses were pulled before the KD, and how many of the boys are going to the farm to rest up after the Preakness. Notice too, how many racers were “retired” last fall after the no-drug rules went into place at most of the remaining large tracks. Management of celebrity horses has changed a bit because of the spotlight they need for the survival of the sport, but worry about. A bit of transparency can be a good thing.
Last fall RA suffered an ankle bone chip significant enough IEAH walked away from buying her for $1.2 million. I am no sports injury vet, but it worries me when a young animal (she would have been 2) has bones breaking in her ankles only six months before she’s asked to run so hard in the past month. Railbirds claim it isn’t a problem, but if she were my horse, I’d want to know she was 100% and like you, I would not ask her again so soon. I’d go with her original trainer, Wiggins’ plan for her, and bring her ready to run against the equally lovely Zenyatta, and perhaps Stardom Bound if she recovers after she changed trainers.
[Question for you Trisha, how important do you think it is for these horses to have the same people around them–so long as everything is good? I read where Secretariat had the same rider and groom for his career. It seems like it would be important, but perhaps not. What do you think?]
Now that little Mine That Bird–there’s the hero horse. Only 15.1 hands high his body matches his bone. RA is 16.1 hands though she is not over bulked like Curlin who looked more like a Hereford steer coming down the line. (and he was on performance enhancing steroids admitted by his owner.)
An interview on NBC’s Today Show of Asmussen and Borel was a study in body language. Asmussen might have felt a twinge given he had little at all to do with bringing RA along to this time, (Wiggins should have been interviewed too) and as for Borel–well he expected to win by lengths and he almost lost to the horse he gave up riding (I’m guessing he had an offer he could not refuse and that’s okay–work is work). But here is a little gelding who is drug free, running like the wind–without the benefit of natural testosterone the colts have. His closing fractions were 18.41 compared to RA with 19.26 and Musket Man with 18.83.
As for terms, female horses are considered “fillies” and males “colts” until they are 4 years old. It shows how juvenile these young animals are– but then top competitive sports and performance dance have traditionally focused on youth, not geezers:)) Even Tiger Woods has lost his edge as he matures and recovers from knee surgery.
Kerry L. says
I couldn’t agree more about current Thoroughbred horse breeding practices. Where are the horses who’ve been bred to stay sound over the long haul? I also strongly believe that 2 and 3 year old horses are still babies and should not race.
nan says
You folks have said it well I can only raise my hand and say me too. I love the horses and hope to see responsible horse breeding and sport continue in our lives but these races run so close together are more than young horses, and perhaps any horses, can safely handle. Yes the community is feeling some pressure to be more responsible but they are far from achieving good safe practices.
nan says
an after thought. We see this in the dog sports as well. I adopted a 6 and 1/2 year old rough collie who stands almost 30 inches at the shoulder and spent his life confined mostly under a deck so he did not have athletic conditioning. He has come to life and among other things learned to love agility and obedience. After he got his CD at 9 and 1/2 everyone was eager for me to continue competing with him at higher levels. He would have to jump almost his height–I said no we’d compete in rally and do sports for fun where I could set the jumps low. He does agility but with low jumps and no A frame or dog walk at this point (although he did them for a while). A frightening number of people said oh just train him low and then throw him at the high jumps and obstacles in competition he’d probably be fine. My responsibility to him is to keep him fit and strong for as many years as possible, that includes not overtasking his aging bones and muscles in order to get some ribbons and letters. That responsibility is all the greater because he’d do it if I asked as these horses do.
Rhomylly Forbes says
I completely agree about the horse racing. I grew up in Lexington, KY in the 1970s and these issues were a problem *then*. And, having had a horse myself, I know all too well that a mare (or filly) will, literally, kill herself to beat the boys.
Tragic. Absolutely tragic. I’ve been considering boycotting the races I’ve watched religously since childhood (and I’m old enough to remember Secretariat).
Holly says
there is another storm coming in the TB racing industry.
Many of the tracks are closing. Where are all the horses going to go? How many will adopt them?
If you want heartwarming and heart rending news…..visit Joe at TBFriends
http://www.tbfriends.com/
he keeps no archives but he had a thumb on the pulse of the California racing industry, he has connections with the slaughter buyers and takes those they are willing to let go. He rescues those he can. I am sure he’ d also appreciate any donations you might wish to send. Joe is a true good guy and generous heart.
How do I feel about racing? I think there are good trainers and less good trainers. I think there are those who take good care of their charges and those that don’t care.
There is the story of Lord Gabriel, a colt who broke his coffin bone in a race at age 3. Another race trainer saw the accident and decided to buy him and rehab him after finding out the owner planned to send him to auction. They rehabbed him successfully and he made a successful return to racing before retiring.
and of course there are those trainers who don’t do that.
Robin Campbell says
The race horse industry has always been a tragic, overlooked business where 80% of the horses started break down before they ever step on a track (and why not since they are ridden at a year and a half). Probably 99% of all racehorses eventually end up at the slaughter house, and now that horse slaughter is no longer allowed in this country who knows what those poor crippled horses suffer.
What is most tragic is that the public, knowing nothing about horses except what the press tells them, cheer on things like Barbaro’s “recovery”, when in fact that horse should have been put down on the track and went through a long agony until he finally was euthanized. Horses are not people. They cannot function as cripples, and he certainly never could have been bred from the moment it happened, so why did the owners go through all that? To make him suffer? That’s all they accomplished. He never had a chance for quality of life after he broke his leg.
I am a horse owner of many years and I will never watch horse racing again. Like anything where animals and competition get together, the animals loose.
Mary Beth says
I used to groom Standardbreds. If you look at the Standardbred stakes, all the big races are for 3 and 4 year olds. These great horses go on to race until the limit…14 years old. These horses love to go go go on the track, and I don’t see anything wrong with racing them once a week as long as you keep up conditioning and soundness and continue wtih heavy drug testing. I think the travesty is racing them so young.
Some horses really bond with their caretakers. Some don’t. I had a filly no one else could hardly handle. I taught her to take a bow and drink from the hose and all sorts of games. I went to visit her at the broodmare farm about 4 years later and whistled her cue to bow and she did it. They were shocked at how sweet she was with me (she didn’t really like her caretakers there).
I compete in darn near every dog sport. Like the horses, its a tragedy for the dog who is pushed and pushed to excel, instead of being allowed to compete in harmony with an owner who its bonded with. All the awful stress behaviors you see!
Holly says
I should have read what I wrote closer.
it should have read made the change to eventing before retiring.
Galadriel says
A horse with thin legs can have sturdy bones, if those bones are dense. However racing horses stand in a 12×12 cell 24 hours a day–except when he’s removed to exercise, many days lightly. Not only the bone density, but also the ligament and the tendon strength, are seriously compromised by this confinement.
Imagine a human sprinter who stood in a telephone booth except for the hour a day he left to exercise: most days, to walk and do a little jogging. Since he didn’t do enough long slow exercising, or enough preparatory exercise at speed, his body would not be prepared. He would be prone to fractures, to pulling ligaments, to tearing tendons. He might have decent muscle strength, but the muscles would be strong all out of proportion to his bone structure and tendon/ligament support.
Now imagine he started his training and serious racing as a pre-adolescent, before his skeleton had fully matured. He’d be putting huge stresses on immature bones and joints, and setting himself up for nasty early arthritis.
Now imagine that he eats the equivalent of a high-sugar diet, one that leaves him bouncing off the walls all of the time. When he gets out of his telephone booth, he’s going to bolt and run around like a madman, but that’s not exactly good for him. He needs to be calm enough to warm up slowly and stretch, not to run the instant he’s no longer confined.
Imagine, too, that he is forced to run in unevenly-cleated clown shoes…the equivalent of the “long toe low heel” trim that racehorses typically receive, and the racing shoe that has a spike designed to grip the ground in a turn to the left…but the horse, of course ,wears all day every day.
Furthermore, the half-tree used in exercise and racing saddles is a horrible contraption, one that destroys many of the muscles in a horse’s back by the him he’s finished his training. Even if he never races, his back will never be the same. In the horse industry people usually assume the narrow (“shark fin”) wither is a Thoroughbred thing, but the wither is narrow because the muscles around it are destroyed and atrophied.
Trisha says
Thanks to all of your for your very interesting comments, and thanks for putting up with my rant. I should be clear that I have known many kind, wonderful people who loved horses who were involved in racing and have actually defended the good parts of racing for many a year. That said, the number of problems that are coming to light and the vast sums of money that some people make from horses is clearly starting to get to me. I appreciate all your comments, but especially those of herenowe who reminds us all that everyone who becomes enmeshed in a performance activity can lose perspective, as well as the insider information about RA’s bone chip, all the horses who ‘retired’ once the drug rules began being enforced and the well-proportioned Mine That Bird. ( Do people in the industry think he would’ve won if Borel had been riding him? He clearly got stuck behind a wall of horses and had to be pulled up to get around them on the outside, and I’ve heard that Borel is brilliant at moving through the pack. It seemed to me that Mine That Bird would’ve won if the race had been just a few furlongs longer… anyone agree? Any word on who is running in the Belmont? I’m afraid to watch…
Another question: is it true that most race horses spend most of their time in stalls? That’s what I”ve seen on the tracks I’ve visited, but I’ve also seen stables who let the horses out to pasture once a day. That might be rare… herenowe, any comments on what Galadriel had to say?
Mary Beth says
Trisha, that would depend on the trainer and the groom. I used to hand walk my horses nearly every day and give them a half hour or so to graze on the wee bit of grass around the track. Some tracks had small turn out paddocks where we could put the horses to play for a bit. Even better, some training farms have turnout for all the horses racing from there. Some horses get goats, cats and other friends for environmental enrichment. Some get more hay to eat to keep them busy. Some get stall toys.
And some race horses get absolutely positively nothing except for the brief highlight of their day…their workout.
Jude says
stopped watching any racing after eight belles. Just can’t take it anymore. Animals just don’t fare well when money is the big prize.
What did you name your podcast?
Question for the podcast- Can you talk about neonatal enrichment studies on puppies? Would love to learn more about that topic.
Jude
Kait B. Roe says
Just saw a headline saying R. Alexandra is not running in the Belmont… Don’t know why, but am very happy to hear it.
ajax google apis says
Today, I went to the beach with my kids. I found a
sea shell and gave it to my 4 year old daughter and said “You can hear the ocean if you put this to your ear.” She
put the shell to her ear and screamed. There was a hermit crab inside and it pinched her ear.
She never wants to go back! LoL I know this is completely off topic but I had to tell someone!