« Decisions....24 or Game 7 | Main | Bring me a Swamp Cooler »
Tired of happy news about Barbaro
May 24, 2006I'll admit it. It's a horrible truth.
There is a part of me that wouldn't have minded seeing Kentucky Derby winner Barbaro put down on the track during the Preakness after breaking his leg.
Not because I wanted it...or I thought that the horse deserved it.
But because the horrible and ugly truth about horse racing needs to be shown with full brutality to the general public for them to understand what on earth they're cheering for.
Winning a horse race is difficult. Trying to win three in five weeks can be fatal. But you don't see ESPN running stories about death in the industry. I hadn't seen a story like this in years.
The San Antonio Express News ran an article on Sunday that outlined the dangers and told personal stories of horse injuries and deaths on the five Texas race tracks. The numbers are somewhat staggering, even if they've declined in the last five years.
In 2005....roughly every seven days, a horse was put down on the track. 49 in 2005, down from 60 in 2000. 112 horses seriously injured or killed.
That's just Texas. Not even the most popular state for horse racing.
It's an ugly side of the industry that you don't see. We get to see it in virtually every other sport, on national television. Nascar injuries or deaths. Football injuries that end careers. Baseball players (pitchers typically) struck by line drives. Hockey players bleeding and convulsing on the ice.
It's a shocking and brutal wakeup call that usually sparks people to try and solve the problems. What can be done to curb the dangers of horse racing? Less races perhaps. Stress on the horses bodies are the number one cause of injuries. Too many races in too short a time.
Here's the link to the story, I suggest you read it. It may open your eyes, especially with the last leg of the major races around the corner.
Life and Death on the Racetrack
Posted by Jason Palmer at 12:59 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)
Comments
Someone had to say it. It is all true... it is all about the money, which is the motivation to keep him alive no matter what so they can stud him out...
Excellent blog!!!
It made me do some serious thinking and I am sure some others will do the same.
Great work...keep it up!
