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Horses that run fast but break

Discussion in 'Chit Chat' started by F.D., Nov 18, 2011.

  1. F.D.

    F.D. Top Dog

    If you follow horse racing, you will know that some of the top horses have broken thier bones merely by running. It has been suggested that these horses have been the victims of a selective breeding for speed which has meant high power but lightweight skeletons that can't take the forces exerted on them.

    Examples: Barbaro and Eight Belles. Both incredible performers, but both snapped their own bones.
     
  2. I barrel race, so personally when I choose my breeding in a horse I will cross a thicked boned cow horse with a finer boned hot horse an I end up with nice workin animals that dont blow up an can hold up to the pressure.I know this aint much on topic of horse racing, the one ex race horse I bought broke down very quickly for his age an I was lucky to get rid of him...
     
  3. benthere

    benthere CH Dog Staff Member

    I believe it has more to do with American dirt racing and the way US horses are trained than it does with breeding. Why don't horses from the same bloodlines breakdown as often on turf in Europe?
     
  4. doubletap

    doubletap Banned

    very true benthere,the only breaks i know of anywhere in europe were caused by the fence jumps/bad landings,and any animal running at those types of speed will easily break bones.
     
  5. benthere

    benthere CH Dog Staff Member

    breakdowns don't make the news unless the 'average joe' sees one on TV, like in the 8 belles case.
    horses are fragile animals, shit happens on and off the track and not just to TB's.
    St.Liam who won the classic and was horse of the year flipped over on the way to the breeding shed and had a fatal accident,
    nobody blamed his breeding.
    the only people that "blame the breeding" are the handwringers looking for fault on the TV and in the papers, the same do-gooders who got rid of dirt racing in california.
     
  6. art

    art Big Dog

    i think it do to inbreeding

    i work with some nice ones work for frank lee bothers for 8 years

    then went off on my own train a few nice ones

    pupit was gr1 winner brock down at a young age

    hes full sis was just nutz

    one's i train was cross stayed pretty sound thicker bone's

    had lil better head on them to
     
  7. F.D.

    F.D. Top Dog

    I don't claim to know much about horses. But it does seem that if a horse could run faster with slighter bones yet a robust musculature, there could be danger of breaking those bones. The physics of a 1,000 lb animal moving that fast must create incredible forces.

    Art and Bluediamondgirl, you seem to think there is some truth in the soundness of horses having something to do with injuries.

    If you google something like, thoroughbred bones too thin, you will find a lot of people making that claim.

    I made a previous post about how the closing of USDA-approved horse slaughterhouses was a bad move. http://www.game-dog.com/showthread.php?t=54020&highlight=horse+slaughter

    I just think animal husbandry and breeding for competition is interesting. The fact that game dogs are the product of competition and culling, etc., is, imo, what has made them the vigorous and healthy animals they are.
     
  8. art

    art Big Dog

    ya there a lot to do with soundness
     
  9. Without good legs u got no horse an ppl nowdays will breed anything, an that's another thing that has all these horses starvin, that, the economy, an the slaughterhouse shutdown, it pisses me off to see 8 year old piece of shit that has never been proven an has not hand a hand laid on him but yet it ok for him to continue to breed... Don't even get me started
     
  10. art

    art Big Dog

    blue aman.....................................................................................
     
  11. Cadibuck

    Cadibuck Big Dog

    Hey Ben I agree with you but wanted to get your take on something.
    I feel that the main reason for horses breaking down is immaturity. They run these horses at the highest level at 2 years of age. Ed sweat, Secretariat's groom said that as great as Big Red was when he competed, he was far better at the age of 4. He said that Big Red would blast around the paddock so fast making turns where his shoulder would nearly touch the ground and he would power out of these turns with ease. I know that there is huge money involved but do you feel that break downs would be less common if the horses started racing at 3 or 4?
     
  12. benthere

    benthere CH Dog Staff Member

    Horses as well as dogs are at their best between 3-5 years old. If you use them up before they are 3 you will never see the best out of them. That is not to say that I think that 2 year olds shouldn't race. One problem with horse racing is people need to recoup their investment asap and a horse that doesn't race until it is 3 is a huge money pit. Another problem with horse racing is breeding for the sale. Very few people actually breed to race(same with dogs). The breed could probably be advanced if some one with a long range vision and deep pockets could breed with the 3-4th generation in mind and not have to worry about getting their money back out of the first generation.
     
  13. AGame

    AGame CH Dog

    Let me let you in on a little secret these folks do when they bred a horse there is a stud report made for said horse stating he bred this mare and the colt was foaled on so and so date a lot of these so called "2 year old" horses are in all actuality 3 year old horses they fudge around on the paperwork to get another year out of the horse it is an old trick they have been doing for years to get the one up on the competition, but also yes i do think that they go really hard on these young horses and it may have a lot to do with that as well a horse grows up until the age of 5 so most haven't even hit there prime and are already retired Secretariat being a very good example of that i could only imagine what he could have done if they had continued to race him but hey he had already done what a lot thought to be impossible so why not retire him stud him out and make a fortune.
     
  14. This is very true about the fugdin around on the actual age of the horse, but horse racing is a classic an it won't change.but, on the other hand, you can put a horse in a padded stall an it will get hurt last year was at a barrel race the horse turned the 2nd barrel came back to the alley way an fell down dead from a heart attack it was very sad, yes but horses are fragile.
     
  15. AGame

    AGame CH Dog


    I do not think i would go as far as to say horses are fragile animals i have been around Tennessee Walkers breeding raising training and i have seen them do some cruel shit to these horses to get them to "hit that lick" sure i have seen a many lamed up but a lot has to do with training of the horse people try way to hard to expect something out of a young horse they haven't even developed yet i just find it hard to believe that the breeding is what causes a horse to break its leg
     
  16. art

    art Big Dog

    it all on the owner i leard 2 year old sould not have no more then 3 starts
     
  17. Cadibuck

    Cadibuck Big Dog

    Shit I wouldnt have thought they did that. I'm by no means a horse racing expert at all but I wouldve thought with all the money involved they would have a system in place that would have the playing field level. A DNA database or something. I wouldnt want my honest 2 year old racing at a disadvantage..business as usual I suppose. Thanks for the input AGame..I learned something new today.
    Thanks Benthere..this is an interesting topic.
     
  18. Tigerlines

    Tigerlines Banned

    [video=youtube_share;5K6GAB9jH9A]http://youtu.be/5K6GAB9jH9A[/video]
     
  19. Cadibuck

    Cadibuck Big Dog

    Thanks or sharing that Tigerlines.
     

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