Athlete dies after being forced to compete

An athlete that had no choice to compete was killed after being injured at a competetion that made several people wealthy from wagering on the outcome.

Apparantly this athlete was whipped and had it's manager on his back the entire time. No one really cared whether she was hurt or not. The celebration for the winner was not held back, nor was any moment of silence held.

In fact, no one really seemed that shocked, as this type of thing happens often in this "sport".

These has to be the work of criminals, right? They have be hiding far underground, doing this "sport" away from the civilized world. Multiple law enforcement officials and governments are searching high and low for these evil people who treat living beings with such disregard.


Nah... just another day at the track.

I too was saddened by this...

I'm not a screaming animal rights activisist, but this was borderline even to my sensabilities. Remember Vick and his dog fighting? Whats the diff?

In horse racing (especially long track), you only put up the most proven candidates. In a stupid blunder, they took a young mare and tossed her in with the stallions, just for the publicity. The worst thing is that she ran her *** off and came in second.

I actually shed a tear. It would have been better if the jockey broke both his ankles and had to be put down on the spot.

Is there an actual story about this? It was a real event?
If so, I missed it...

Ohms - Yesterdays Kentucky Derby. The 2nd place finisher broke both her ankles on the cool down trot. They surrounded the horse with loads of trucks so we couldnt see and then put her down. Then they glorified the occasion with triumph and ugly teenagers chewing gum (did anyone else get annoyed by this) and pretended it didnt happen. It is a blood sport though, and always has been.

ah... i don't follow horse racing at all, so I didn't even know they were running the Kentucky Derby.

Who does follow it? It is the largest single sporting event outside of the super bowl for TV viewers. Also, a great excuse for a party.

Actually, I know a couple of people who really follow horse racing...

That's very sad. Horse racing is wildly popular over here. Occasionally horses are euthanised after a bad fall over jumps, but I never heard of that in a flat race. Something not right there.

Its not uncommon for horses to be euthinised on the track or shortly there after. Horses cannot stay still or lay down for long periods of times or it causes serious complications with there circular and digestive systems and get thier extremities get easily infected.

As it is Race Horses are raised and trained to be extremely amazing physical animals, but they pay the price in their fragility. Eight Belles suffered a very unusual injury simply giving out on the cool down trot. She broke both of her front legs to the extent that bone had pierced the skin and wasnt even able to be put in a splint.

There's a huge difference between this occurrence and Micheal Vick. These horses are cared for better than most humans.

They race, they are born for it and it is in their blood. They are not bread to inflict pain and kill other animals. Sadly, horses are very fragile animals. The injuries sustained here was significant enough to where the medics and owners determined it was unable to live without great pain or sacrifice. Unlike humans, horses cannot be put into wheel chairs and live a normal life.

I'm not a big racing fan.....and i'm not a big horse fan.....but it's kind of rediculous to question the motives of those involved in the top end of this sport where horses are treated like kings and worth hundreds of thousands. It's even more ludicrous to compare it to Micheal Vick's and dog fighting.

Sure, it is a shotty way to end a huge spectators event....but don't make more of it than it is.

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Originally Posted by grasshopper

Who does follow it? It is the largest single sporting event outside of the super bowl for TV viewers. Also, a great excuse for a party.

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In america yes.....in the world, believe it or not just the 'selection show' for the World Cup pairings draws millions more than the Super Bowl. I hate soccer, but the numbers are stagering.

I don't understand why horses are killed after injuries, while people just rehab.

You'd never see a headline that says:
"Ryan Zimmerman Put Down after Torn ACL"

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Originally Posted by metsguy234

I don't understand why horses are killed after injuries, while people just rehab.

You'd never see a headline that says:
"Ryan Zimmerman Put Down after Torn ACL"

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I can only speculate, but a horse isn't going to lay down and 'recover' for 6 months and then ease into another 6 months of rehab. A horse isn't going to take crutches or a wheel chair to graze while recovering. I would guesstimate that many injuries to legs and feet of horses would simply never heal and leave the horse in great pain. Of course, they could simply tie the horse down for a year until it's fully healed, keeping it drugged.....but then i'm sure that would cause greater harm and damage.

Putting the horse down makes full sense to me. I'm quite sure they'd prefer to keep a horse worth hundreds of thousands vs. putting it down if they had an option.

Read this article, compared to what Eight Belles suffered this wasn't all that bad, and the vets thought the horse had a 10-15% survival rate after surgery.

http://tcm.bloodhorse.com/article/6788.htm

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Originally Posted by gRYFYN1

Read this article, compared to what Eight Belles suffered this wasn't all that bad, and the vets thought the horse had a 10-15% survival rate after surgery.

http://tcm.bloodhorse.com/article/6788.htm

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Guess it depends upon who you listen to and which article you read. CNNSI had a video clip of doctors discussing how the horse had two broken front legs which is always terminal for these horses as this horse couldn't even be braced and limp to the ambulance.

So i'd say compared with what Eight Belles had suffered, there's no comparison. Eight Belles had one injured leg, this horse had two.

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Originally Posted by dickay

Guess it depends upon who you listen to and which article you read. CNNSI had a video clip of doctors discussing how the horse had two broken front legs which is always terminal for these horses as this horse couldn't even be braced and limp to the ambulance.

So i'd say compared with what Eight Belles had suffered, there's no comparison. Eight Belles had one injured leg, this horse had two.

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Huh, Eight Belles (the horse from Saturday Derby) had two broken front legs, one extremely so. Nureyev (the horse from the article, injuried in 1986) Had one broken hind leg.

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Originally Posted by metsguy234

I don't understand why horses are killed after injuries, while people just rehab.

You'd never see a headline that says:
"Ryan Zimmerman Put Down after Torn ACL"

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I always figured it's because you can't put horses legs in a cast like you can with humans. They spend most of their life standing and the bone just won't heal. Not that I'm an expert.
I did find myself, many years ago, working at a stable (despite knowing nothing about horses). A stallion tried to jump out of his stall to get at the mares. He broke a leg and the horse was just shot there and then. Not pleasant but, apparently, the only option.

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Originally Posted by gRYFYN1

Huh, Eight Belles (the horse from Saturday Derby) had two broken front legs, one extremely so. Nureyev (the horse from the article, injuried in 1986) Had one broken hind leg.

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Ahhh, I see. I didn't know the name of the horse in the race, thought the article was about a horse named eight belles and you were making an argument that the horse 'shouldn't' have been euthanized.

My bad, we are on the same page I see.

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Originally Posted by metsguy234

I don't understand why horses are killed after injuries, while people just rehab.

You'd never see a headline that says:
"Ryan Zimmerman Put Down after Torn ACL"

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Just a few of the issues :

Horse weigh alot and have very thin bones, they must distribute their weight evenly or they have repeated stress fractures to other legs.

Horse have very thin legs (especially racing horses, from years on inbreeding) even small break or stress fractures can interrupt the blood flow and cause the foot/leg to die.

Horse CANNOT take being immobilized, by nature they like to run and wind up causing more damage to themselves, horses that are immobilized for long periods of time will literally "give up" and stop eating.

Horses can easily get Laminitis (http://www.animalherbcompany.com/articles/laminitis.htm) a brutally painfully disease, from compensating for an injured leg

They can develop colic, colitis, or respritory infection because horse use movemnt to help regulate their there digestion and breathing.

For what it's worth, I think as long as a vet (or a team of vets) makes the decision... they know more than I do.

I do wonder about the wisdom of racing her in the derby though. A few people here have made it sound as though this was nothing more than a publicity stunt. As the owner of a multi-million dollar asset, why would you want to risk that for a publicity stunt anyway? Make a quick buck instead of having the asset long term? I don't know, this whole thing (what little I know about it) just confuses me.

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Originally Posted by ohms_law

For what it's worth, I think as long as a vet (or a team of vets) makes the decision... they know more than I do.

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Agreed.

I also heard on Sportscenter that her legs were so broken that the bones were literally showing through her skin and all...seems kind of harsh to put the horse through that much pain....

I trust the vets that made the decision over everything else at this point.

I have no doubt that the horse had to be put down. The only thing I have a problem with was the reason it had to be put down

These horses are cared for better than most humans.

Most educated slave owners took great care of their slaves. The better the health, the more money and work could be done.

I'm not sure if you are referring to race horses specifically, but horses in general are born to do what all animals are born to do; live, breed, protect their young. The only time animals are meant to fight or compete against other animals is if they feel they are in danger, competing over a mate, or over food or territory.

Besides if they are so happy to be racing as they all like to say, why the need to whip them?

BTW, PETA's on them now:

PETA wants Eight Belles jockey suspended

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BTW, PETA's on them now:

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Gee, there's a shocker

That's beacue PETA take a good idea ( ethical treating of animals) and has made thier organization into a shameless headline seeking joke.

Eight Belles certianly could compete, as shown by her 2nd place finish, She only cane in 2nd due to an amazing run by Big Brown, However she was competeing slightly over her head by running such a long race, which she want accustom to.

People have their opinions on Horse racing, generally based on the 2 minutes they see out of a horses life, but truth is, the horse are treated exceptionally well, far better than most animals. Owners do what they can for them (Barbaro's owner last years spend close to 1 million dollars try to save him from a broken leg )

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Most educated slave owners took great care of their slaves. The better the health, the more money and work could be done.

I'm not sure if you are referring to race horses specifically, but horses in general are born to do what all animals are born to do; live, breed, protect their young. The only time animals are meant to fight or compete against other animals is if they feel they are in danger, competing over a mate, or over food or territory.

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Really rediculous, lets get real. I guess dogs, cats, fish, and any other pet should be released into the wild since being in a house or fish bowl isn't what they were 'born to do'.

I would venture a guess that there are no serious horse owners in PETA. I've never owned a horse, and i'm sure there are some who treat them horrifically, but then again there are those who treat any animals as well as people horrifically and our laws address them. Most horse owners treat these animals very well. Your slave analogy just doesn't work. Most rationale humans see a difference between a human and an animal for starters. Are you one of the extremests that won't eat meat because a cow was slaughtered????? At least those who go that far aren't hipocrites.

I agree.

By the way, I don't think that there's any serious anything in PITA...
lol

I like spiced lamb with a dill-lemon yogurt sauce and some roma tomatoes, greek olives, and feta cheese in my pita. A little crumbled bacon is nice too.

That said, I don't see how the euthanasia of the horse can be an ethical question. It was in an extreme amount of pain that it would never understand, and it was extremely unlikely to get better soon (or ever). Funny thing about animal abuse, in Georgia, at a point in the 1970s (not sure how far this goes before or after that time), you could get sentenced to the chain gang for three things: rape, murder, and animal abuse. Animal abuse is taken seriously, but what defines abuse is what is at question. Not too long ago, PETA went after dog sledding and veterinarian groups, AKC, and I believe the SPCA basically told them they were wrong because the dogs loved doing it, had been doing it for centuries, had been bred to do it for centuries, and that it would actually be crueler to not let them sled.

What my point was is that when you say animals were "born" to do something, in fact no they weren't, we just tamed them into doing what we want them to do.

I have no problem with people having pets and the like, as long as they are treated well and aren't whipped and forced into competing.

Most rationale humans see a difference between a human and an animal for starters.

I do and I accept that animals are a part of the food chain that we (in most cases) are on top of. My analogy was made to say that even though some slave owners treated their slaves well, it doesn't make what they did any less wrong.

No matter how well they treat the horses, they still force them to compete and torture the animal to get him/her to do so. How can you not see that as anything but cruelty?

And yes. PETA has become a joke. Anyone who compares Tyson's to Nazis loses all credibility with me.

So your issue is the whip. If they take the whip away, it'll be something else. Some horses are work horses, these are race horses. Some dogs are used on the police force, some are used to help the blind. I guess these are not ok?? Or, because no whip is used they are OK??? I'm confused.

How bout the invisible fences?? Or bark collars?? I trained dogs in the past, and will tell you that the pinch collar I had to use was much much more humane than the regular collar I used as the dog was constantly pulling and hurting himself before the pinch collar taught him not to. I suppose I should have just let him off the leash as leash corrections are cruelty??

We can go further. How bout cats made to use a litter box??? Really, of course the cat doesn't like it, they try to bury it when their done. Many say it humiliates them. My old roommate fed crickets to his snake. OMG the torture.

Lets get real. These animals are very well cared for and loved at the top end of this sport at least. Today you gripe about the leash, tomorrow its because they are kept in stable and not allowed to roam.

First off, I only brought up the whole nature argument when you said that the horses were born to race, when clearly they weren't.

Police dogs help the police in situations that would be too dangerous for a human officer to be in. They are also used to assist the blind be able to "see" and be safe when they go out in public.

Racing horses are used to make people money. Great cause compared to the other two, huh?

Dogs are trained with collars so they won't run off and possibly be ran over or attack another dog or person (or from being attacked). That is for their own good; to protect them from something that they aren't aware could potentially be harmful to them.

I view training a dog in that matter as I do raising kids. Sometimes, discipline is required to teach them.

As for cats, they cover up their excrement because the odor is unpleasant (they try to cover it up no matter where they use it). I'm not sure how it could be humiliating, seeing as how my two cats from when they were able have used a litter box without being trained.

As I said before, the fact that these animals are cared well for doesn't change the fact that they are physically forced to race for the sole purpose of making their owners money.

I think that is wrong. You don't. No big deal.

Actually, seeing as performance enhancement has been such an issue in baseball (and, as a result, around here), take a look at the record of horse racing. It's deplorable! That's where I have an issue with the business. If Barry Bonds wants to treat himself like a drug lab, fine, HE decided that, and HE can live with the consequences...the horse doesn't get asked. They just get shot full of stimulants before a race, tranquilizers after, hormones all the time, and, often, growth hormone and animal steroids. ****, the guy who owns the horse that won the derby has been fined and suspended from the business TWICE for doing just that to horses in the past. The horse racing industry is a pretty dirty little business.

And, back to the topic of personal stupidity, I'll come completely clean. I once knew a guy who somehow got himself a bottle of horse stim. Anyway, one day, he and I are going to the gym, he takes his dose, I decide "What the ****!" and do the same (a few drops on the tongue with a dropper). After doing an hour and a half of hard cardio (which is an insane amount) and not really feeling winded, I ended up adding a good chunk of weight to every lift I did, AND did more reps. The next day, couldn't get out of bed.

Now, OBVIOUSLY, this was intensely stupid, but I was the only one hurt by it. Imagine what life is like for an animal that gets shot full of this **** DAILY, and they don't get a say.

What about gaurd dogs ?
Circus animals?
Zoo Animals?
Sea World ?
Disney?

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/us_w...sion_at_s.html

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Originally Posted by gRYFYN1

What about gaurd dogs ?
Circus animals?
Zoo Animals?
Sea World ?
Disney?

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/us_w...sion_at_s.html

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You mean Shamu wasn't bred to live in a tank and do flips with some lunatic human riding it while millions of paying customers watch? Oh the torture!! Even if they feed him/her (what is it) alot of fish, no different than those caring for slaves.

I don't want anyone to take this the wrong way or personally, but it's just another instance of "people" picking and choosing which fights they want to fight and when they want to put themselves in to the spotlight.

I find it amusing that this sort of thing has been happening for a long time in this sport and only now is anyone hearing about it because of where and how it happened. What about all the horses that don't perform and hurt themselves before they even see the race track? Do we track them all down and demand that they are suspended and that legal action is taken agains them? No we don't. We don't because we "really" don't care that much.

People care because it happened on TV. If it were just another race that wasn't televised then the community would say a few words for the horse and talk about how unfortunate it all was and that would be the end of it.

If using an animal for monetary gain is immoral then you have a heck of a lot of fighting to do around the world as a whole.

The fact that the horse died is a tragedy, but not one that needs to be all over the news. This is not an issue for PETA. What do you think the jockey could have really done to stop this? It was the cool down lap for god's sake, it wasn't like he was whipping the horse in the cool down lap.

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Originally Posted by jcbarr

I don't want anyone to take this the wrong way or personally, but it's just another instance of "people" picking and choosing which fights they want to fight and when they want to put themselves in to the spotlight.

I find it amusing that this sort of thing has been happening for a long time in this sport and only now is anyone hearing about it because of where and how it happened. What about all the horses that don't perform and hurt themselves before they even see the race track? Do we track them all down and demand that they are suspended and that legal action is taken agains them? No we don't. We don't because we "really" don't care that much.

People care because it happened on TV. If it were just another race that wasn't televised then the community would say a few words for the horse and talk about how unfortunate it all was and that would be the end of it.

If using an animal for monetary gain is immoral then you have a heck of a lot of fighting to do around the world as a whole.

The fact that the horse died is a tragedy, but not one that needs to be all over the news. This is not an issue for PETA. What do you think the jockey could have really done to stop this? It was the cool down lap for god's sake, it wasn't like he was whipping the horse in the cool down lap.

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well said. A horse is euthanized during races anyway once every 1000 starts. Doesn't seem like alot until you learn that there are approximately 6000 horse race starts per day in America. (i got this stuff from espn radio mike & mike in the morning). So that's 6 horses per day put down on the field.

You hit it on the head. These aren't new numbers......but now those looking for a fight are jumping on it. I can understand if they came to the table saying 6 per day is too many and this is what we can do to reduce the number.....but they complain and cry foul without any knowledge whatsoever about the sport? Whatever happened to having an open mind and researching? I couldn't tell you if 6 per day is too many, or if anything could be done. Sure it does sound like alot, and I have no problem with PETA or anyone investigating. But to make blatant allegations without research is pretty shotty.

Any time an animal is used and/ or abused for the sole purpose of making someone else profit, it is wrong in my opinion. Animals should only be trained and or used if by doing so it benefits society in some way. Fighting crime; benefits society. Helping the blind to "see"; helping society. Feeding people; benefits society. Making people money? Nope sorry, not good enough (for me anyway).

Some people here seem to say that I thought whipping and or mis-care caused this horse to be put down. That's not the case, as I am aware that the circumstances were as such that nothing else could be done.

What I am doing is to question the circumstances that put that horse in the position to be injured. I have always thought using animals for entertainment purposes is wrong.

But, yeah, lets ignore all my other points and say, "Durrrr... you said horse was a people!!!11!!! Duh, stoopid!!!111!!one!!"

What about gaurd dogs ?
Under certain circumstances, yes I would be fine with that.

Circus animals?
Zoo Animals?
Sea World ?
Disney?
Nope.

I didn't read your article, but if you are linking a story on the dolphin that dies a week or so ago, I found that as disgusting as I did this.

Doesn't entertainment help society, even if not in such an obvious way as crime-fighting or helping disabled people?

Entertainment at the expense of living beings is not something I find acceptable.

I've re-read through this topic and I think I can sum up my thoughts in a few lines.

Morally (speaking of course of my own morality) it is wrong to use animals in ways that would be considered cruel and unusual.

I do not find training dogs to be used to assist in the ways I've outlined previously cruel or unusual, as long as there is no pain involved (unless it is absolutely necessary).

I do not find using animals for food cruel or unusual as long as they are properly cared for and not injected with any drugs to make them bigger or other reasons.

I DO find it cruel, unusual, and the height of hubris to think that we as a civilized people have the right to use animals strictly for our entertainment.