Why are horses put down after spills on the track

[ilzho]

Hello:

I have been a huge fan of this sport ever since the early 1970's.

One thing that I hate to see is when there are spills and falls during training or a race all too often the horse is immediately put down.
Yes, I do have a soft heart and I realize that this is a dangerous sport.
I also donate to PDJF, yearly.

I think it's an owners decision?, but not sure.
Most of the time it's usually clipping heels with another horse or just a slip, nothing hereditary.

With today's advancement in medical technology, it seems that there could be help for the injury, screws and plates or a prosthetic?.
Too many are 'just put down' for a fractured leg, etc...

This is my first post, so go easy on me.....

[Clocker]

Explanation here (http://www.theguardian.com/sport/blog/2011/sep/23/claims-five-broken-leg-horse)

[wiffleball whizz]

In my years of watching races I think horses being put down due to general spills isn't too common.......ie clip heels stumble or just fall

It's the breakdowns that are brutal......

Think it's cheaper to put horse down then too try and fix

Barbaro was the rare exception

[ilzho]

Thanks for the link.

I just think that with advancements in medicine that we could have an artificial leg on the market. I realize that they weigh 1200 lbs and are not easily moveable.

I met this weekend 2 retired race horses, one with laminitis and one with 26 screws and few plates after a breakdown.
The horse with laminitis has some vets that come out every 6-8 weeks and adjust the hoof and attached a special shoe to help alleviate the pain.

The one with the screws and plates obviously doesn't race anymore but is enjoying retirement.

It breaks my heart to see them being put down as I enjoy this sport and I realize that most others hate to see it as well.

[JustRalph]

watch what you say...................

[ilzho]

I'm sorry, what did I say?
Didn't mean to offend anyone.....

[Jeff P]

I recall being on a phone conversation with members of a computer syndicate based in Australia shortly after Barbaro's injury in the 2006 Preakness. Somehow the topic of conversation turned from computer algorithms to welfare of the horse. One of their team members turned out to be a retired veterinarian. I was kind of shocked when he suggested Barbaro might have been a candidate for amputation.

I'm a bettor/computer programmer not a vet. But I wanted to learn more. I recall poking abound the web after that call and stumbled across a handful of articles like this one:
http://www.thehorse.com/articles/13751/leg-amputation

The ideal candidate for amputation is a young horse with catastrophic laceration and/or fracture of the hind limb, where the injury is no more than four weeks old, Redden said. Horses seem to handle hind limb amputation better than fore limb amputation "possibly due to weight distribution and the constant twisting load placed on the front end that is not imposed on the rear limb," he added.



-jp

.

[JustRalph]

I'm sorry, what did I say?
Didn't mean to offend anyone.....

I don't mean to imply that you offended anyone............

There are certain elements out there that are very interested in this subject for reasons that are not friendly to the game. You have 2 posts. I am the suspicious type. Maybe after a while, we get to know you, etc.......I won't be suspicious.

This is a great little community........ wouldn't want comments ending up on television or in a video somewhere.......

[affirmedny]

Thanks for the link.

I just think that with advancements in medicine that we could have an artificial leg on the market. I realize that they weigh 1200 lbs and are not easily moveable.


Dr. Gerard was the first to create an artificial horse leg, saving the life of Spanish Riddle, whose racing career ended with a shattered leg, his sister said.

http://articles.sun-sentinel.com/2011-06-21/news/fl-gerard-secretariat-vet-obit-20110621_1_secretariat-greatest-horse-polo-player

[Cratos]

Explanation here (http://www.theguardian.com/sport/blog/2011/sep/23/claims-five-broken-leg-horse)
Thanks for a very good explanatory post on the reasons to put down an injured horse.

[VeryOldMan]

Thanks for a very good explanatory post on the reasons to put down an injured horse.

Amen - thanks Clocker. An owner friend of mind has ended up on the bad side of this equation with a horse suffering a catastrophic breakdown. The physiology of a thoroughbred's legs leaves little margin for error.

OP - welcome to the board. If you've followed the sport since the early 1970s you've seen some of the greatest horses of all time but have also seen tragic breakdowns of some great horses (Ruffian, Eight Belles, Barbaro, etc.). The horses you've seen with metal plates and/or recovering from laminitis are the exception, alas.