Ok im going to be totally honest.......I hate horse racing....I used to be interested in this guy whos father used to train horses,he owned like 8.......I went to a few track meetings in the mornings because i did once love horse racing...Im a huge horse lover.........To me i find that most trainers/owners whoever has the main voice in making choices are money hungry...Of course,i mean why else would most do it.....I cant see how making a horse run,having to whip them and then them in the end probably going for dog food is much of a life...Saying that i do not mean all people,there are very caring,loving horse people in the racing scene,people who really treat them good and i love people like that........I talking about what and who i have seen and known........I have seen more mean people than good......I just dont like it........I hope people dont think that is harsh but its how i feel......So i do not attend or watch horse racing anymore incase i see something that will make me hurt...*huggles*

Tamara :o)

Thanks, guys.  I thought about what you all said last night/this morning.  Karlene, you're right--I know that they love to run (you can see it when they're running!), and that there aren't many ways left in the world for them to do that other than racing.  And yes, she died doing what she no doubt loved--it just bothers me that (as with a baby) there's no way to explain to an animal why something painful has to happen to them.  (I think about my son when he was 16 months old and in the hospital, and I had no way to tell him that all the needles and tests were to help make him better--for him, people were just coming in to hurt him all the time!).  I guess I am empathic in that way--it's as if I can feel the fear and non-understanding in the pit of my stomach.

And I'm sure that there are a lot of both heartless and compassionate horse-owners (hey--how many times did I read "Black Beauty" as a kid?!!).  I AM at least thinking at the moment that for the thoroughbreds who are in the "public eye" so much, there's a lot less of a chance that abuse would occur.  Farm animals, etc., might not be so lucky.

I guess the thought of people making HUGE amounts of money at the risk of the lives of such beautiful creatures with no choice in the matter just bothers me, and somehow I felt "complicit" yesterday in Eight Belles' death.  Yuck.

Doe

sweetie here is a huge hug...i love animals and that was terrible to see i hated seeing that also...much love and huggies

Ok, Soul Flower and Doe, Don't hate me please!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Before I get to my confession-----------

Doe, unfortunatley you are right, this is the only way they get to run.

After watching the news 2 days later when I had time, they are going
to look into breedeing. ( this I did not know, in my defense). They are breeding
bigger and faster hourses together, ( I thought this was an inbred problem, i was wrong).
I do not believe in in-breeding in any animal speicies( this causes a lot of problems)!!!!
I put my dog down for this reason.

They said the breeding of bigger animals with the faster smaller animals would make the money.
I guess this is what happened. They said her speed was to much for her weight. This is what caused the damage in her ankles.
They couldn't save her 'cuz they were both the front legs, so she couldn't stand.
Horses, if you didn't know, can't lay down a lot. They will collic. If she had broken 1 front and 1 back leg, she could have stood and had a slight chance of surviving.

I read some posts that they would love to have horses. They have never owened them, a lot of work. They are great fun to ride, but what you have to do before and after isn't.

My prayers go to her and her owners that did love her for being a horse.

I know what owning horses means. I know the work, and I know the unconditional love they bring.

Now my confession. PLEASE DO NOT HATE ME Tamara and Doe.
I bought into 1 horse to make money on the track, or to take the tax-right off for the failure if he didn't win.
he fell and hurt his back on the ice before we got im home. He was from great stock, so he would make me the all mighty buck, to help my kids. He didn't. We put him through all of the therapies you can imagine. Very expensive. I couldn't afford this, but we did it. He never saw a race track. Money down the drain for my kids. But in fairness, my kids rode him bare-back around the pasture. I paid money I didn't have to feed him. But everytime i went out, he was there to greet me. He made me feel like I was someone special.

Now to my next race horse. She was a filly(girl). most are studs(fixed males). She was from the same family as my  guy.
She was the fastest hore on the track. She didn't like anyone behind her. This is good for owners, they run away.
NOT HER, she let them all pass so no one was behind her.

All that you have to pay in track fees, workmans comp, and union dues, isn't worth it. She joined the stallion in my yard. They were both pature-potatoes. But very loved. I donated them to a camp that city kids can go to and learn respect for an animal, that they will never have for a human.

The whips never touch the animals, unless the jockey is crewl. It's the noise that makes them run.

Tamara and Doe, i hope you don't hate me. I do love the horses very much. I was looking for the quick buck. I did get the tax right off. So I did get the quick buck, but i did put them before me. The quick buck was 5 years later, and a lot of kids are reaping the rewards to this day.

The male with the back problem stops when he hurts. NO ONE makes him fight through it, they just wait until he is ready to walk again.

Lots of love to you all.

Karlene

Yup, Karlene--all I feel for you is just hate hate hate!  My hair stands on end whenever I see your signature here and know that I'm about to read one of your mean, vicious, cruel posts...PUH-LEEZE!!!

It would be obvious to anyone here that you wouldn't treat your horses with anything but kindness.  I've often thought how wonderful it would be to own a horse, or even a racehorse (I even wanted to be a jockey when I was a little--not little enough!--kid!).  And, as I said, I've always loved to watch horses race.

I just got freaked out about what happened to Barbaro and Eight Belles (especially since right before the Derby began I prayed for everyone to be safe--indicating that I KNEW that it was dangerous, and maybe shouldn't have been watching).  And the breeding thing is very disturbing.

Well, at least, if any "good" comes out of this, it will get people thinking about how to make sure that the horses are made safe, and about how any possible abuses can be done away with.  It IS a beautiful thing to watch the horses run, and it's obvious that they love it.  But there must be a better way.

Hate you my a%#!!

Doe