Horse Injury Critics Need to Wake Up
June 28, 2008–By Kimberly Rinker
This past Spring the media has had a field day with the Triple Crown races and the magnificent thoroughbred Big Brown.
The Richard Dutrow pupil who captured the first two legs (Kentucky Derby & Preakness) in fine style and then failed to fire in the Belmont Stakes, has been the subject of controversy–both for his loss in the final Triple Crown leg and because of the debate of steroids, racetrack surfaces and the catastrophic breakdown of the filly Eight Belles in the Derby.
As a one-time supporter of the animal rights group PETA, I was mortified by the tactics they used to garner public interest and disdain for horse racing. To say that PETA used a high school mentality is an understatement.
While in the past I’ve supported PETA’s effort in their work against animal testing and cruelty cases, in this instance, they were criticizing a sport and the animals involved in a way that showed blatant ignorance.
Plain and simple–horses are big, athletic animals–and as athletes, are prone to injuries just like any other athlete. Those involved with horses on any level know that a horse can break a leg in the field just having fun.
There have been instances where horses have jumped up playfully in a paddock, landed wrong, shattered an ankle and had to be destroyed. A horse I once owned suffered this fate. He wasn’t racing, he wasn’t being asked to do anything–he was simply being playful. Hence the term “accident.”
Does anyone in their right mind really believe that the connections of Eight Belles didn’t love and cherish their filly and were devastated by her horrific injury after she gave such a brilliant performance? And to blame the jockey, the trainer and the owner is just another sign of ignorance.
As well, look to the outstanding 3-Day event pony Theodore O’Connor who recently had to be humanely destroyed after he spooked in his own barn area. “Teddy” wasn’t competing–he was simply walking on his way back to his stall after a workout, was frightened, and sustained an injury that necessitated him being destroyed. Everyone in the eventing world was shocked and saddened by his demise, and horse lovers everywhere can only share sympathy with his rider Karen O’Connor who surely bore the burden heavier than the rest of us.
The bottom line is: horse racing doesn’t deserve the harsh criticism it has gotten lately. Injuries and accidents occur in every aspect of life, and to think that horses would be immune–whether they’re standing, walking, trotting or galloping–is simply preposterous.
