Congress and Breakdowns

[arkansasman]

http://news.bloodhorse.com/article/45380.htm

Oh Great - I am sure they will screw this up!!!

[kenwoodallpromos]

They understand timing and token action.

[DeanT]

I am not too quick to pass judgment on this. If there are a couple people on there worried about horse welfare (which is never a bad thing) we might end up seeing more Curlin's and less of the one and out retiree's half way thru their three year old year.

A Street Sense, Curlin, Hard Spun, Big Brown 2008 BC Classic anyone?

[Shenanigans]

Told you this wouldn't "fizzle out".

[beenacoach]

I must be missing something. How does retiring a horse early effect his welfare negatively?


I totally understand wanting to see them keep running. I want to see the best square off against one another as much as anyone else. But how in the world does it harm the horse to retire him halfway through his three year old year?

If an animal is healthy and retired to a good place it does him no harm at all. If he is not healthy he is better served by being retired than by pushing him to keep running. The only ones being "harmed" in any way is the humans that want to see them run.

[toetoe]

Byrd's breakdown begs the question: shall we humanely destroy him ? :D

[Cangamble]

I must be missing something. How does retiring a horse early effect his welfare negatively?


I totally understand wanting to see them keep running. I want to see the best square off against one another as much as anyone else. But how in the world does it harm the horse to retire him halfway through his three year old year?

If an animal is healthy and retired to a good place it does him no harm at all. If he is not healthy he is better served by being retired than by pushing him to keep running. The only ones being "harmed" in any way is the humans that want to see them run.
Horses have retired early close to healthy without showing whether they were able to last 4 or more years on a racetrack. The ones that retire to breeding due to seriously injury have proven thta they can't.
What this selective breeding does is diminish the chances that the offsprings can last for 4 or more years on the racetrack.

For example, a horse who retires sound at 5 and a mare who retires sound at 5 is most likely to produce a horse who will last long and be sound versus the offspring of a filly who retired at 3 due to ailments and a colt who retired at 3 due to minor ailments.