You are probably correct about the bone density and strenght with young horses but I have seen blown out knees and places like CANTER have a lists of horses that can only do light riding.  Lots of them are on pasture duty since they have had to be operated on.  The vet at the track said there have been lots of studies and given the amount of running there (time trails and the race itself) not all horses are broken down or sore, they are athletics.  During the time trails the owners of Barbaro have another horse (forgot it name) that has a 50/50 chance of living the same type of injury different leg.  PETA is trying to accuse the jockey about what happened to Eight Belles.  Take away the money, the honor, that to me takes away everything she accomplished.    Here is what PETA is trying to do. This is on PETA.org incase I messed up.  

"Eight Belles" Should Sound the End of Racetrack Betting

How would you feel if this was you?  I do not agree with PETA but the industry does need something.  The track was as good as it could be. 

Take Immediate Action Now to Prevent Future Tragedies

Following Eight Belles' breakdown and euthanasia at the Kentucky Derby on May 3, I urge you to immediately take the following steps to prevent such tragedies in the future.

1. Delay training and racing until after a horse's third birthday. Before reaching this age, the animals' legs are not fully developed, which increases the chances for injury.

2. Eliminate racing on dirt surfaces. Synthetic track surfaces - such as the surfaces used at Keeneland and all California race courses - are safer for horses and have led to dramatic decreases in breakdowns.

3. Limit the number of races per season. Even Triple Crown racers who have light schedules leading up the Derby break down under the strain. Horses who race on smaller tracks are often run so frequently that strains and breaks are inevitable.

4. Ban whipping. Injured horses who are mercilessly whipped by jockeys will keep going until their legs shatter completely.

5. Immediately suspend the trainer and jockey who, through excessive force and neglect, allowed this tragic death to happen.
                 
These changes won't stop all the cruelty of horseracing - only an end to the "sport of kings" will do that - but they will stop a great deal of suffering. Please take action today.

Accidents happen in any sport and that includes sports with horses. Do we want want people like PETA dictating the terms of how we own,raise,train and show horses too? I do not. 8 Belles was a tragdy despite the best of care in her training,conditioning,feeding...everything. We don't need people like PETA, who are probably the dumbest pieces of radical animal worshippers to walk the earth,making the rules.They are not horsemen,they dont' care about your horses but they do care about the cheap and easy pubilicty they can get,the donations idiots will send in and the power they love.

Gone- you really are gone. PETA is radical animal right group with nothing mroe than a logo and a fax machine. Where were they before the derby? They pop up only when they can get the most bang then they go away. People within the racing industry are the ones who are trying to make the changes,the research,the recommendations, the work.

Trainers and owners are the people who should be in charge of the care and health of their horses. next time your horse is injured or sick, image someone, who has no knowlege of horses, will step in and dictate what you can and cannot do for its welfare...then lets talk.

1. Delay training and racing until after a horse's third birthday. Before reaching this age, the animals' legs are not fully developed, which increases the chances for injury. So if older horses still break down then what? delay until 4? 5? 6?

2. Eliminate racing on dirt surfaces. Synthetic track surfaces - such as the surfaces used at Keeneland and all California race courses - are safer for horses and have led to dramatic decreases in breakdowns. Initial studies have found fewer breakdowns on synthetic surfaces but its very early to determine if they are, in fact, safer. Synthetic tracks have been supproted by horsemen long before PETA got into the act and horsemen will be far more concerned well after PETA has moved on to something else.

3. Limit the number of races per season. Even Triple Crown racers who have light schedules leading up the Derby break down under the strain. Horses who race on smaller tracks are often run so frequently that strains and breaks are inevitable. So if a horse is injured after 5 races a season, do we drop down to 4? To 3? Who determines the number of races anyway? How about the owners and trainers who know the horse best?

4. Ban whipping. Injured horses who are mercilessly whipped by jockeys will keep going until their legs shatter completely. Name one case this has been based on? The whip has several purposes one of which is to guide the horse away from the rail ( bad to hit the rail) or other horses ( bad to run into another horse) What happens if a horse breaks down if the jockey isn't whipping? Who do we blame then?

5. Immediately suspend the trainer and jockey who, through excessive force and neglect, allowed this tragic death to happen. Please give some evidence of this...don't waste your time- there is no evidence 8 belles was whipped until she broke down. Nobody who invests millions of dollars into a race horse allows tragic deaths to happen.
                 
These changes won't stop all the cruelty of horseracing - only an end to the "sport of kings" will do that - but they will stop a great deal of suffering. Please take action today. This is it in a nut shell folks- PETA wants to eliminate horse racing not make it safer. So all of you who ride a horse in any manner, PETA will come after you next. Any kind of human interaction with horses can result in suffering. PETA is an extreme animal rights group with a simple agenda- power and control over you.

You know, Farmbabe, Gone is entitled to his/her opinion just as you are.  Is it really necessary for you to be rude to someone just because they don't agree with you?  Isn't it opposing view points that make for good discussion.  If this forum was comprised of sycophantic parrots it would loose it's educational and informative value.

JacciB

You can be passionate and fired up about issues without being rude.  IMO

Farmbabe,

I did not say you are a sycophantic parrot.  I said if those type of people made up this forum it would lose it's educational and informative value.   I did, however, say you were rude.  Perhaps better wording is that you come across rude. 

JacciB 

I believe Gone is actually speaking some truth, if you "do" look at the article as a whole and yes sometimes it may take some "radicals" to get things done. I liked Gone's statement, very well put.

I don't agree with PETA as a whole on their ways, but it may take them unfortunately to get something done. Especially the age, that is way to young to race horses. I hate racing and always have and don't watch it because of how they use the young horses. When I read about this in the paper and saw it on the news, I thought...."something needs to be done soon!" and maybe as I said previous, unfortunately it may take PETA to roll some heads. It will be interesting to see what happens in the near future........

OK folks here is my last posts on this subject- I will always trust the judgement of trainer,owners and vets on the well being of their horses over loud mouth,know nothing groups like PETA. After PETA destroys the racing indurty ( with most of your help) they won't stop there. next you folks who jump horses, then cutters and reiners, then show horse folks and then trail people. All of these activity puts stress and strain on a horse( increasing the chance of injuries) and god forbid we do that.

I have pretty good idea that none of you folks have ever been involved in racing,training or owning TB's on the track yet you seem to have so much holier than thou knowlege. I don't have a clue as to the nature of this sport and I am not about to pass judgement. but let me say this PETA never gets it right- this radical front has protested hog growers,cattlemen,chicken farmers, you name it, if it invoves aniamls being used my humans for food or money, they are against it.

Here is a story published on the Bloodhorse.com online..sums it all up people.

The Eight Belles Tragedy: Stop Placing Blame

Having worked backside at Great Lakes Downs in Muskegon, MI as a pony rider and as a groom I can tell you from experience these horses are xrayed BEFORE a 125 pound or LESS rider is put on their back when they are first started.  They are NOT worked hard prior to turning two, compared to other breeds.  Also the thoroughbreds are specifically bred for more dense bone structure than other breeds, and also for faster maturation.   When started, these horses work a whopping ten minutes at most on the track, then they are hosed, and hot walked for a good half hour to hour pending on how they are blowing.    Each horse is checked before they are put up, their legs are felt, and wrapped, put in standing bandages with poultice.

These horses are babied far more than any show horse I have been around.  They will not run them if they show any signs of lameness.  Each horse is checked by the track vet prior to running, they also do random pulls after the races. 

You will have bad trainers in any discipline you deal with.  

A typical workout for a young horse is a slow jog twice around the track, then you may go to a slow canter.  These horses are NOT worked fast from the get go, you have to build up their wind and they ALWAYS are watching the legs.  As soon as that horse is done with its workout the first thing is done back at the shedrow is check for any signs of heat in those legs. 

Those who blast the industry definitely do not have any insight to what really goes on with the training.  Ignorance always spawns misinformation.

I have seen yearlings in AQHA and APHA worked far more harder than a thoroughbred.  For me it is more stressful on the joints to be longed in a small tight circle than a horse does being able to extend their legs in a natural manner.

I don't think it is fair for folks to badmouth an industry unless you have worked there, sweated there, and knew what you were talking about.

As I said, you will always have bad trainers/owners/riders in ANY discipline. 

Lets just keep our negative comments to ourselves, because you sure as heck don't want me started on endurance riding, eventing, reining, cutting, barrels, walkers (soring or weights). 

I was raised on a show farm, my father was into showing Quarters.  I have a yearling paint being shown in yearling longeline.  So I guess I am just as bad as those who start the TB's at 18 mos.  Of which they typically slow work them a month, then hold off for another 3-5 months and then continue training in the spring.  Also the riders are typically 125 pounds or less with a 3 pound saddle   vs a 160+ pound full grown man with a heavy 40 pound western saddle.

Spooler, that is my whole point.  I was just pointing out that there is alot of misinformation floating out there.  People can jump to alot of conclusions before getting accurate facts.

I am not bashing any other breed, etc.  But if folks want to bash the racing industry, I sure as heck can jump in and point out some other things that go on in other industries, that are just as bad, if not worse. I have been involved in Tennesee Walker showing, Quarter Horse showing, Paint Showing, have a friend that trains endurance horses.  I have seen the good, the bad, and downright ugly in a plethera of disciplines.

I think alot of folks like to just jump in and judge without getting background info straight from a source

I am just as guilty because I used to own a racehorse, I now am into showing a Paint yearling in longeline class.  So I guess I am a bad owner....get the rope!!!!

 Bunk, she was significantly fetlock varus on both front legs. This contributes DIRECTLY to the type of fractures she sustained. Couple that with fatigue and the way the horses are brought down, jogging left and right with the outriders the forces compound. She was NOT selected for conformation. If she was she never would have been run.

Interesting......If this is accurate then I would think she shouldn't have been raced but what do I know. Horses aren't perfect as we all know, but the type of conformation fault along with its' severity determines what the best "job" would be for that particular horse. If you step out of that realm the outcome is inevitable. I'm sorry but a true horse person would understand and make an effort to abide but I honestly don't believe that everyone involved with horses are "true" horse people...........It is what it is.

Eight Belles had some grit though didn't she?........What a shame.