Comments on: Fantastic finish, tragic ending

By: sporto

sporto — Thu, 21 Aug 2008 01:06:23 +0000

nice topic

thank you

By: breed horses

breed horses — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 01:07:58 +0000

breed horses…

Sounds interesting but not for every one….

By: Marian Horton

Marian Horton — Wed, 21 May 2008 21:48:12 +0000

My heart ripped for Ruffian, Barbaro and now, Eight Belles. I won’t watch horse racing anymore until something significant is done to prevent these tragedies. These magnificant creatures deserve better. God Bless them all.

By: Denise

Denise — Wed, 14 May 2008 02:23:41 +0000

I really think that the industry should get with a company like Professional Choice to come up with some type of leg supports for the horses. It may not stop all breakdowns but any support would help the leg. My daughter barrel races and does speed events. She don’t race without her professional choice leg wraps on front and back of the horses legs. Most of the equine sports, horses have something on their legs. Also, I think the line breeding hurts too. The genetics are to close and pass on bad genes. Breed for soundness not speed. The horses from yesteryear ran a heck of alot more races in a short time frame then they due now. My heart goes out to all involved with Eight Belles. I watched the Derby and cried like a baby.I knew it wasn’t good seeing a horse down on its side. These animals give us their all and when something happens, they still want to give more. I seen Ruffian and Go For Wand’s breakdowns. Even though they were hurt and had only three legs, They still wanted to keep going.

By: Kris

Kris — Tue, 13 May 2008 05:18:20 +0000

I think a change needs to be made in the horse racing world. They work these poor youngsters way too hard to fast. They are racing before the age of 2, which is unbelievable since most horses grow until the age of at least 5. Their bones do not even have a chance to develop correctly and they are forced to run on the hard ground on the tracks. Yes, there are risks in any sport, but we as humans need to take the responsibility to make sure that these animals are given every chance they need to grow up and succeed, and live a safe, sound life! Why should it be OK to run a horse at the age of 2, why can’t some changes be made so that horses can’t be raced until after a certain age. People only seem to care about the money that is involved and not the life of the horse! These accidents happen much more than most people know to the everyday run of the mill race horses, it is just that now that we are seeing it on the television, with much well known horses, such as Barbaro and Eight Belles I am praying that people will now step up and do what is right for God’s most noble creature… the horse!

By: May 4 - 10, 2008 Week in Pictures | Heraldleaderphoto.com

May 4 - 10, 2008 Week in Pictures | Heraldleaderphoto.com — Mon, 12 May 2008 01:15:34 +0000

[…] rain, Habitat held its Women Build, college and high school teams hit the diamond and the issue of Eight Belles’ collapse continued to be the focus of the horse racing world. Share This 2 […]

By: nancy dearing

nancy dearing — Mon, 12 May 2008 00:01:04 +0000

I am glad the photographs were taken of Eight Belles. Her legacy will be the improvements made in the horse racing industry. That alone will make her the most famous and beloved filly of all time! Everything will be examined and, if her voice is heard, things will change from breeding to medications, tracks, etc. No one can stop her now!

By: Allison

Allison — Fri, 09 May 2008 10:18:58 +0000

I would definitely have to disagree with those who say that this is no different than any other athlete collapsing after an event. As it has been stated in other posts, human athletes make the choices to compete and can voice when they are hurting, not feeling well etc. One thing I
have not heard mentioned yet, is that these horses are being trained at very very young ages. You should not begin to break a horse to ride until their knees close up. The larger the breed of horse, i.e. quarter horse, thoroughbred, the older they are when their knees close.
Typically 2-2 1/2 years old is the average age to start breaking one of these types of horses. But these horses are already being raced at these ages and ridden extremely hard so at what age did someone start riding them? One? An age that is too young for their bones to handle the stress of such vigorous riding and training. No wonder so many suffer fatal injuries during races. I once heard that one horse in every 20 races dies or is injured to the extent that it can’t finish a race. That seems like a hell of a lot more than the one person who said more horses get hurt on farms than on the race track. For those who think the whip is more of an annoyance to the horse and doesn’t hurt them, does this make sense? Horses are super sensitive
creatures, they don’t have a thick hide, so how could it not hurt them? I use a riding crop as well on my horse to “tap” it to cue it to side over etc. These race horses are not being “tapped” by any means. They are being hit hard, of course it hurts. As far as the person who says
that horses don’t speak English, or French or German etc. so we have to have some way of communicating with them and the crop helps do that, well I’d like to point out that they do understand verbal cues. When I am lunging my horse and I want her to slow down from a canter to a trot,
I tell her to trot and she does. I tell her to walk and she does. Just like teaching a dog what the word sit means. Dogs don’t “speak” English as well but we don’t whip them to cue them to do something. I enjoy going to horse races. I love being right next to the track and
feeling the ground shake and hearing their hooves as they go
thundering by. I just think that the age in which horses are trained and race should be raised.

By: DonMiami

DonMiami — Fri, 09 May 2008 06:19:10 +0000

This should have never happened. Horses are the greatest athletes, and they do not know when to quit, and will keep going until something like this happens. A good trainer pushes the horse to it’s threshold to get the best from the horse, and this is the risk.

Bottom line, the horse was overtrained, and again, it should have never happened.

By: Paul

Paul — Thu, 08 May 2008 12:37:19 +0000

I live directly ajacent to Fairhill Training Center in Fairhill Maryland it is where Barboro lived some or the time when he was alive and Eight Belles was on her way here if it wasent for this unfortunate accident my grandfather raised owned and traind thoroughbred race horses and I personally know the owner or Eight Belles Son Scott. The Porter family and her trainer Larry Jones were truly saddend by the death or there horse they considered her as one of the family. And for someone to think little smack on the side with a crop that weights all of about 3 or 4 ounces by a jockey that is all of a 110 pounds is cruel to a horse is pathetic and I can also say when a thoroughbred horse is turned loose there ears go up and they are wanting to run the jockeys have to hold them back most of the time if they didnt want to run they would not run crop or not. Horse Racing is a wonderfull sport the crop doesnt hurt the animal one bit all this PETA cruelity crap is a plot to raise money for there cause sometimes good but this time it is totally uncalled for so let us just say she was a Great Horse and a superb athelete and god rest her soul and My condolences go out to the Porter Family, Larry Jones and The Hundreds of others that where touched by beuty and grace this wonderful animal.