Racehorse fatalities

I thought this was an interesting study, though a few points to consider:

The study was conducted over only one year

What about career-ending injuries versus deaths? Or on-track versus off-track euthanasias? Or soft-tissue injuries in general?

Track conditions

In addition to drugs used to 'enhance' (or in some cases, just to enable) performance during training, what about the practise of freezing legs, either with legal liniments (1,2,3 or others) and ice boots (sometimes for hours pre-race) prior to racing a horse?

What about joint injections?

I think there are even larger factors to consider, such as the different mindsets between horseracing in Europe and horseracing in Canada or the US. For example, European racehorses seem to be trained for average riding throughout their racing careers - they might be ridden through town or taken out on hacks on the trails after a good morning training gallop or on a day off. Thusly, they command a higher resale price after their racing careers as riding horses (etc). Also, in Europe there seem to be more options for the retired racehorse - steeplechasing, for one. Bute is apparently not used as much as it is over here, and smaller races are made more visible for betting, the latter making for a healthier industry. Perhaps it is time to look at how Europe does it? Is what they do, their mindset, their way of racing, transferrable to Canada and the US?

Just some points to consider as we continue to study racing and ways to improve it!


For future reference, please find the article I linked to above, here below:

Study Finds Racehorses Dying at Faster Rates
By JOE DRAPE
Published: March 23, 2010

The first comprehensive analysis of thoroughbred injury data in the United States and Canada shows that racehorses die at the rate of 2.04 per 1,000 starts, a rate twice as deadly as in any other country.

The figure was released on Tuesday by the Jockey Club, which compiled the data over a one-year period beginning Nov. 1, 2008. The information was submitted by 73 racetracks and accounted for 378,864 starts. A start is each time a horse competes in a race. The analysis was performed by Dr. Tim Parkin, a veterinarian and epidemiologist from the University of Glasgow, who serves as a consultant on the project.

“Data collected from a broad cross section of racetracks in the United States and Canada will serve as an important tool for racetracks seeking benchmarks concerning the safety of racehorses,” Parkin said. “Over time, as data continues to be added, the database should yield numerous trends and factors associated with racing injuries and lead to strategies for their prevention.”

Matt Iuliano, executive vice president and executive director of the Jockey Club, said the fatality figure was a starting point, and that Parkin was taking a “deeper dive into the statistics.”

The prime areas of study will be whether synthetic tracks are safer than dirt tracks, and whether medications have an impact on the thoroughbred mortality rate.

Last fall, Rick Arthur, equine medical director for the California Horse Racing Board, released data showing that the number of thoroughbreds in California that had fatal breakdowns had fallen by 40 percent since tracks in the state switched from dirt to synthetic surfaces.

The California numbers also showed that the fatality rates did not decrease during training hours, when there are no medication regulations, supporting a contention among many veterinarians that the legal and illegal use of drugs has contributed to the high rate.

In Europe and other countries where racing is conducted less often, and mainly on turf and under more stringent rules about the use of medication, deaths of racehorses are far less frequent. In England, for example, the average risk of fatality ranges from 0.8 to 0.9 per 1,000 starts. In Victoria, Australia, studies reported the risk of fatality from 1989 to 2004 at 0.44 per 1,000 starts.

“We are going to look at everything, and measure everything,” Iuliano said. “And decide how best to proceed to make the sport safer.”

OTTB's: Solutions?

When I worked on the track, I was privy to observing a lot of what I would consider to be horrors – things practiced that were in the interest of human greed rather than the horse’s best interests. One of the things that hit me was how many of these very talented (and often sound and sane) horses met the meat man after their career. I can recall one horse in particular who really struck me as a talented individual. He was a good 17 hands as a 3yo and had been started late – rather than starting him on the track as a 2yo, as most individuals do, his owners and breeders had instead opted to start him as a 3yo (as they did all their horses). He was very striking – tall, handsome, huge bone, great conformation, flashy colour. Unfortunately he did not run as well as his owners had hoped, so they eventually sold him (completely sound throughout his career) to his trainer. Who later traded him to the meat man. This was a horse worth a good $5,000 or more (with further training) at the time, a horse for whom a lot of jumpers had expressed interest. He was eventually sold to the meat man.

Our own OTTB’s were headed to similar fates when we purchased them. My own OTTB was headed towards a possible career as an allowance or stakes horse when, in his 4yo year, he started to run poorly. He would return to the barn after a race (having kept up with the pack) without hardly a drop of sweat and hardly breathing hard – it was like he was not even trying out there. This is a highly competitive horse with a lot of energy who had previously been very successful. So the owner started running him once a week, thinking the horse was perhaps too hyped up by the time he raced every two weeks that he was not running well. Didn’t work. The trainer suggested the horse see the chiropractor who made regular rounds through the barns. The owner refused for financial reasons (this is the same - very well off - owner who ignored a hairline fracture in a mare’s knee in the interest of continuing to run her – he refused to even x-ray her for the longest time, because it was “too expensive” to do so). So, the horse continued to run and run, until he hit bottoms at the A track. So the owner took him home, with the intentions of running him later at the B track (by that time, the horse had a bad case of ringworm). I noticed his absence immediately and called his owner with an offer. I knew if the horse went to the B track, he was likely to break down and at the rate he was performing, he was headed for the meat man soon. Finally we negotiated a deal and we brought Link home (waaay way over-priced, by the way…). First thing we did was have a chiropractor out, who determined his pelvis to be terribly misaligned and likely the cause for his poor runs. She put him back into place and immediately (literally, that day - I had a lot of trouble holding him back after that, where before I had had to encourage him forward into a canter even) his desire to run and effort in doing so had returned – because he no longer hurt! Link has turned out to be a fabulous horse, though working with him has not been without its challenges, as he came from the track with a lot of emotional “baggage”. My mom’s horse we purchased as a 3yo who just did not have the desire to run, so he returned home to his (multi-billionaire) breeders and owners. I received a call a month or so later from his trainer, who told me that Sonny was being shipped off soon. Sonny reminded me a lot of a horse we used to have and had a look similar to my mom’s previous Thoroughbred, so I took her along with me with the intentions of showing her the horse for her own purposes. The minute she set eyes on him, she fell in love. The owners told us that if we wanted him, we had to come by and pick him up prior to the next auction else he would be in said auction. They were well aware he would be going for meat and so only requested meat price for him. This is a horse who is now 5 and who is teaching a fearful older re-rider, like a perfect gentleman (with very very little re-training). In fact, he is also currently being ridden by two intermediate riders, one being a 10yo girl whom he really responds to. He is a gorgeous horse with nearly flawless conformation and with the potential to attain high levels in the hunter or dressage arenas (particularly the latter, he has got fabulous movement).

Link at the track (top) and recently (bottom)

Sonny (above), off the track for a year at the time of these photos

The above stories are far from unique. I can list off so many more, just off the top of my head. So many of these horses are never given a second chance, despite having the potential and talent to continue on in a second career. I have personally seen at least half a dozen horses since auctioned off for meat by the same multi-billionaire breeders who owned and bred Sonny; all horses with similar bloodlines and thus similar minds and potential to him. Nevermind the thousands out there I am not even aware of! The money is often there but for whatever reason, the incentive is not. It is really too bad because a great deal of these horses (most, if not all), have the talent and ability to go on to some sort of second career. So here is my short list of possible solutions to the problem of talented off-track Thoroughbreds being sent to auction and meeting the Mexican-bound truck. Any more thoughts on the issue?

- Make permanent notes on these horses’ registration papers – grooms, trainers, breeders can make a permanent note (with name and number/other) on the horse’s registration paper that expresses their interest in purchasing the horse after its career on the track. Of course this could leave said people open to extortion (the owner could ask for a higher price knowing the horse is wanted rather than sending it out for meat price) though, but hopefully the best interests of the horse could be placed above all. This could allow owners an outlet and good home for their horse after its career though, with little effort on the owner’s part.
- Registration fees, a portion of bets, a portion of a horse’s winnings, could be placed in a fund directed towards rescues, that particular horse, an association that governs the placement of these horses after their career, whatever may be, but ultimately a way of providing a financial means of re-homing these horses after their career at the track. The money could be used toward re-training, care until a new home is found, etc.
- What if these horses were started on the track as 3yo’s rather than 2yo’s? Perhaps less would retire unsound, thus allowing these horses a better chance at finding a suitable career after the track.
- Incentives for rescues/rehab – I am not sure what type of incentives, but perhaps rescues/rehabs themselves could obtain some sort of (association/governmental) incentive(s) for taking on retired racehorses and re-homing them. The owners/breeders of said horse could also receive some type of award/incentive if they choose to re-home a horse successfully rather than sending it straight to the auction.
- Track bans (and enforced!!) to those who choose to auction off a racehorse or sell it privately to the meat man (I can recall of numerous horses who met the meat man without a middle-man, without leaving the track – they were dealt directly to the meat man for whatever reason, without even the auction or such chance in between).
- Regulatory bodies established (or branches of the current bodies) that check in on a re-homed racehorse after specific time periods, to ensure the horse is truly re-homed (this occurs already in places in Great Britain, so it is obviously possible).
- Promotion of good breeding and training (through incentives, education, and enforcement).
- Exposure – a body or such that exposes available retired racehorses to the general via some sort of medium, such as a website.
- EDUCATION!! A great many horsemen do not even realize so many of these talented horses are going to slaughter, what their care/re-training all entails, or their suitability to various careers.

It is pretty sad we have to provide incentives for people to take proper care and responsibility for their horses, but I suppose that is how the world operates unfortunately. I think ultimately we need to look at what works in other countries and industries; there are some extremely successful situations in other countries whereby they have entirely eliminated retired racehorses being sent to slaughter. It is not that I do not see the importance or necessity of horse slaughter, however most of these talented horses certainly deserve a second chance after serving our own uses and benefits!

Racing aged equines

It's Churchill Downs, not the wheelchair races!
Holy cow, you guys haven't taken this one too far now, have you?

Just real quick, but I thought I would post the following comment as an example of some sanity:

Painted Hill says:
November 24, 2009 at 12:47 am
Sorry Fugs, but I’ll have to disagree. 12 is not too old to run, especially without the wear and tear of constant training. She hasn’t been beat up and used up. Look at the Grand National horses, they race over much tougher courses often into their teens…(not that i am a fan of the GN, just sayin…). And yes, they are usually kept fit over their life, but horses don’t lose fitness like people do, you can bring them back if you do it right. As far as losing bone density with pregnancy, that’s usually from lactation, from her record, doesn’t look like she ever had a viable foal…. And yes, she would also lose bone density sitting around, but the wonderful thing about bone is that it responds to stress by remodeling. She’s in work and likely has had some remodeling going on. Do you have any evidence that physiologically speaking this is a bad idea? I’d love to see it. Is she fit? Maybe, you don’t know what kind of workouts she’s been getting. Maybe she is , maybe she isn’t. The track vet has watched her work and has pronounced her OK to race. trust me Dr Peckham didn’t dod that because he believed in the dream, in fact I’m sure he would have loved to find a reason for her not to race, but he did not find one. Will she win? probably not, but so what. If the mare loves to run and is sound and fit, why not let her…. As a former stakes horse (albiet a smaller one) she might have a chance against nickel claimers. And I’m sure the owner knows what a claiming race is, and I doubt anyone would claim this mare for 5K (other than someone trying to “save” her from racing). Anyone who knows anything about racing realizes that a fair number of horses you care about will be in the claiming ranks….just look at any race card, they aren’t full of stake and allowance races.
And there are two sides to every story, you assume the old owner is telling the truth (even though he himself changed his story…) He never said she could not race, only could not be bred. And trust me, that was NOT to protect the mare….. Now he doesn’t want her raced, but it’s not his mare. And did she get “fired” as you said, or laid off as is reported. There is a difference.
BTW, I’ve seen horses go back to the track and perform well after extended layoffs (many years), it is not impossible.
Oh and about that 17 year old, did you see why they brought him back? He was miserable being retired….He came back to life at the track. Wasn’t that a good thing? Yes, he now probably has a job that will keep him happier, he can stay at the track and not have to run…..
Maybe the owner is a little loopy, aand it’s probably not the smartest decision in the world, but you guys have gone over the edge on this one. People run horses on a dream all the time, you see at every track. As long as they aren’t hurting them, why not? Of course you all think this fragile grandma mare is gonna break down, but there really is no evidence for that….

I'd love to see some evidence too, because if I honestly believed this mare would break down - as evidenced by studies and facts, then I would have to agree that racing her were dangerous. Fact of the matter is, I don't think anyone knows whether or not this mare can be successful on the track, or whether or not she will break down. However I highly doubt that she runs a higher risk than those 2 and 3yo's of breaking down, when in condition. Everyone seems to be acting like this mare was taken from the pasture then run the next day when that most certainly was not the case. As far as this woman's age and apparent lack of experience - how do you know what she does or does not know? Or who is supporting and helping her train this mare? Horses do race into their double-digits, Grand Prix jumpers are considered young to be jumping in international competition at 9 and jump well into their late teens - 12 is not old for a horse and that mare is definitely still in her prime. If the track vets pass her, her works are approved, and she is sound and fit - why can't she race? Because we don't think so? We're not even there! How can we purport to know the situation!!

Now, on the other hand, a horse who gets "higher and higher" when ridden, as this mare's owner claims, just needs development - it does not necessarily mean she wants to race. However, I know one of our Thoroughbreds would absolutely love to return to the track. He is highly competitive, absolutely loves to run, and is excited just at the sight of a track. If it is not hurting the mare, well, then, so be it. Who are we to judge. Cathy, your posts lately have just been one bash after another - education? Where? My stomach turned when I read your sick excitement in the comment section at someone mentioning it possible to post this mare's owner's alleged comments from another board. How low can you sink? *sigh*

Too young?

Are we starting our horses too young?

Cheval (a filly I groomed on the track - a 3yo at the time) and I in the paddock

Who?
Throughout the horse industry it seems we are working horses younger and younger. TWH’s are being ridden – sored, on stacks, and wearing huge curbs, as “well-broke” two-year-olds. Racehorses are usually started as yearlings (heck, I’ve seen videos of yearlings living on the track in Kentucky!) and some owners/trainers race their two-year-olds hard and heavy. Recently, I stumbled on an ad for a very nice 2yo gelding. He had 180 days on him already and was very well started. It isn’t just professionals competing within the industry that are partaking in this, it’s also your every-day owners and trainers who want their horse to have an edge on the sale industry. I just sold a 5yo mare who I considered green (all her dressage basics and even packing around green riders at a w/t/c, etc) – she had had 60 days on her last year (when I started her), then had about 90 days put on her this year, but spread out due to my work schedule. I had a number of people come in, impressed with where she was at, but I also had a lot of people come in expecting a lot more out of her. Her eventual buyers came in initially expecting her to fully collect, neck rein, and be all sorts of robot-like perfect. I had to gently explain to them that this was a young horse and that I don’t start young horses the way they had obviously expected me to. There is a lot of general industry pressure, I think in particular from individuals not realizing what it takes to make a solid, lasting horse. They see horses like the 2yo mentioned above and expect all horses they see thereafter to also be at that level. Of course then trainers and sellers are pressured into producing such horses!

The Effects
As much as I am about not judging others, I am also about the welfare of the horse. And a horse’s growth plates do not finish fusing until approximately 6 years of age (some horses may appear to mature prior to 6, but they are not finished maturing). Here is an interesting article. Obviously starting a horse young can have the short-term advantages such as a sale edge over others (unstarted) its age or the potential as a money earner in its designated discipline. However these horses are often eventually losing out. Their hocks start needing to be injected within a few years, fractures occur, tendons bow, hooves start breaking down – the horse breaks down in general. Sometimes the break-down occurs right away (as in, the first year), sometimes the damage does not become obvious until years later, maybe when the horse is in his teens. The horse loses out when he becomes unusable, a pasture ornament. Horses are expensive luxuries to most people, and feeding a pasture ornament is not always an option, so the horse moves from home to home until he likely eventually winds up in a feedlot. While it is important to note that exercise - which might include lightly starting a young horse under-saddle at the age of say 3 or maybe even as a late 2yo - can be advantageous to a young horse, the issue is that (in my opinion) many young horses are worked and pushed too hard at such an early age, before their bodies are capable of such work. Light work and lots of exercise (such as in a large pasture with herdmates) will build, develop, and strengthen ligaments, tendons, muscles, and even affect bone density positively. However it is very easy to cross the line into negatively impacting the horse and, in my opinion, such is done often. Personally, I much prefer extensive groundwork and other extensive exercise (ie, ponying, large pasture with playmates) to applying weight to a young horse's back potentially too early. By applying weight to a young horse's back too early (and "too early" is subject to that individual horse), you create a habit of tension. This is because when the young horse does not possess the strength to carry the weight of a rider, he must tense his back to support his rider. Since everything - ligaments, tendons, muscles, bone - are interconnected within the horse's body, tension in one area creates tension and stress in other areas. This eventually creates wear and tear which can affect longevity. When we create a habit of tension as opposed to a habit of relaxation, we potentially cause damage to the horse physically.

Why?
I can understand a lot of people might start a horse young out of lack of knowledge (in which case education is the answer, not condemnation), while others do it out of greed or impatience. For the latter case, I think industry standards are the key – racetracks should move their big races up a year, eliminating 2yo races. Or offer incentives for an owner/trainer choosing to forego 2yo races. In fact, the same could be done across the board in the horse industry – stop offering incentives (either directly or inadvertently) to start horses so young. I think we as participants of the horse industry though need to take a stand on starting horses. Educate those around us, set a good example by waiting to start our own horses (slowly) until they are more mature, and refuse to bow to the pressure of a client requesting you start a horse you deem too young. Personally, the youngest I start a client horse is at a full 3 years of age. Most of the horses I have started thus far have gone on to be lightly ridden enough that I do not think it was harmful to them. In fact, starting them at this age was likely greatly beneficial in a number of ways. As a trainer however, I might start a youngster only lightly but how am I supposed to regulate what an owner does with their horse after it has been started, in a responsible fashion? Of our own homebred horses, I started one (very lightly) as a 3yo and the other as 4yo. Both, now at nine and fourteen, remain sound. Knowing what I do now, I wouldn’t actually start anything of my own under-saddle until they were four. In fact, I am casually looking for a mare to train alongside our Thoroughbred, as a jumper, and am looking at unstarted 3yo’s. There is so much you can do until then, to make the youngster a better future partner under-saddle, anyway!

The Mental Aspect
Just as a brief sidenote, I wanted to point out that while some horses might be physically mature enough to deal with being lightly started, they might not be mentally mature yet! Mental and emotional fitness and maturity definitely reflects in a horse's body - his relaxation, suppleness, etc, and can obviously then play a role in both his short-term and his long-term mental, emotional, and physical health. Most of the horses we had in our barn on the track were decently mature enough to handle the training, however I can recall this one gelding in particular, with a ton of potential, who was not even close to being mentally or emotionally mature yet. Though he was a 2yo, he looked like a 4 or 5yo. Had he been my horse, he would have been out on pasture for at least another year, if not more. On the other side of the fence, I recently sold a Warmblood mare who was not started until she was 4. She was then turned back out onto pasture and returned to me as a 5yo for another few months. I had dressage professionals come in and comment on how loose and supple she was, they couldn't believe it! Contrary to what happens much of the time in this industry, this mare was not started until she possessed the maturity - including mentally - to handle training. This resulted in a horse that was relaxed mentally and ready to learn - which reflected as a loose and relaxed horse physically. Starting a horse before he or she is mentally mature will reflect in his body as a tense horse and tension in the horse's body can be detrimental, especially if that tension becomes a habit. That tension will stress ligaments, tendons, muscles, and bones, and may contribute to future break-down.

I am of the personal belief that a horse should not be started until at least three years. Yearlings and 2yo’s are a no-go. For me, it is a matter of not only evaluating that individual horse, but also of ultimately simply playing it safe rather than sorry. What are your experiences or opinions?

Sidenote: the horse in the photo above, Cheval, sustained a hairline fracture to one of her knees while training and racing as a 3yo.

The horse racing debate

Link's Secret (one of our OTTB's) and Silver Bonanza Bar (my pony horse) on the hotwalker at the Calgary Stampede track

Cheval, one of the fillies in our barn, going head-to-head

Cheval in the paddock. Note the lip chain she is wearing - this filly had a lot of dangerous behavioural issues. This filly, despite a lot of potential, would not run well. Turns out, when her owner finally put the money out to have her knees checked out, that she had bone chips in her knees. She returned home as a broodmare.

Over the past few years, the racehorse industry has been under critical scrutiny by the public. Scrutiny propelled by accidents such as the Eight Belles breakdown. I worked on the Calgary A-track for two seasons - 2007 and 2008, so here is my take on the matter:

Eight Belles

I used to defend the racehorse industry with lines like: "well the horses love to run!" and "they live a great life!"

By all appearances, these horses have the best homes possible. They are regularly exercised - they're some of the fittest athletes in the world. They're groomed daily and eat high-quality feeds that result in sleek coats. Most do love to run, and what better chance to do what they love, than to run on a track? Many receive chiropractic, massage, and/or acupuncture care, all receive regular farrier care as well as vet care, available 24/7.

But what about the mental and emotional side of things?

Let's take a look at various aspects of the racehorse's world. First...

The stall:

These horses are, as I mentioned, some of the fittest athletes in the world. They're also fed very large amounts of concentrates, high amounts of starchy feeds, so as to provide them with the energy essential to running. The high amounts of concentrates combined with the intense physical fitness results in one very high-energy horse. Locked in a stall. These horses can spend up to 23 hours 45 minutes inside their stall on a rainy day with a closed track, to 23 hours 30 minutes a day inside their stall on a day they are galloped. Horses in the wild will graze up to 16 hours per day and can travel up to 80km in a day. Here is an interesting article on horse behaviour, written by RIRDC Equine Research News on Dr.Paul McGreevy (DVM). Being cooped up in such a fashion, a racehorse often has little horse-to-horse interaction and experiences none of the playtime a horse in a more natural environment would. The restriction of a stall can create an unhealthy horse emotionally. The horse is hyped up from having nothing to do in a small box all day, daily, which creates vices such as weaving, stall-walking, cribbing, or general acting up. Then we reprimand the horses for doing so, as if it were their fault - crib-collars, a slap on the shoulder, stud chains, lip chains, twitches... Studies also prove the lack of exercise during stall time, the long periods of time standing in stalls in lieu of keeping muscles, ligaments, and tendons in motion, can be harmful and detrimental to a horse physically. Especially when that horse is then asked to perform at their peak, thereby placing those muscles, ligaments, and tendons under extreme stress, after such long periods of inactivity.

Your typical shedrow. This is one side of a long-barn at the Stampede A-track - about 25 stalls (just on the one side).

Your typical Thoroughbred stall. This is Link's Secret as a four-year-old, one of our OTTB's.

Wye Red, our successful stakes runner at the time

Lala Boom. He was trucked in from Phoenix, Arizona. He came to us abused beyond a doubt and never having had a break from training and racing the past few years. He blew both front tendons soon after we got him - turns out it wasn't his first blown tendon. Update: we later purchased Lala Boom (summer 2010) and have him at home.

The feeds:

Such high energy feeds create a high-energy horse that is then locked in a stall 24/7, detrimental to a horse's mental and emotional well-being. It's no wonder Thoroughbreds get the stereotype of being hot! Since the beginning of the digestive tract cannot handle more than a few pounds of grain, much of it is tossed to the hindgut. In the hindgut, the digestion of large amounts of starches results in lactic acid, which lowers the pH in the hindgut and produces toxins. Toxins that can (and do) result in colic or founder. Another effect of the grains fed to Thoroughbreds involves the high amounts of protein. Such high levels are excreted as ammonia (just take a whiff of one of these horse's stalls). The process of filtering so much protein is hard on the kidneys, not to mention the fact that breathing in that ammonia is not exactly optimal to the horse's lungs (who cannot escape the toxic fumes thanks to the stall, even when cleaned thoroughly and regularly).

The track itself:

Many horses love to run, particularly those bred to do so. My Quarab comes from running horse bloodlines on the QH side and I can attest to his absolute love for running. On the other hand, we have one OTTB that is obsessed with running, and another who could care less. Another point to make is that these horses are forced to run, often regardless of weather conditions. It's not like when my Thoroughbred Link bombs around the pasture at Mach-9 - he is doing so by choice: when he wants, as fast as he wants, as hard as he wants, wherever he wants, and on whatever surface he wants. He runs when the ground is solid, but does not whenever the surface is too icy or slippery (instead, he insists on snorting and blowing around the arena, lol). When the weather is good, the track is great. However there was many a time I walked a horse over to the paddock on a hideous track - hard as concrete beneath pure slop as slippery as any skating rink. When the track surface was deemed "too bad", the track was closed, but how bad does it have to get before it is deemed in too bad condition to race? Some A-tracks, and especially many B-tracks, are particularly notorious for having poor surfaces that predispose horses to a breakdown. Some of these tracks are well-known to have an increased number of breakdowns every year, as compared to other tracks.

The Stampede track, sealed so as to maintain its integrity for tomorrow's races, after days of rain.

The breakdowns:

Not every breakdown is publicized. In fact, the vast majority are not. The Edmonton Northlands track could, some years, have one death during morning gallops every week. I can recall a number of times the Calgary Stampede track (also an A-rated track) was closed because we'd lost a horse. Never mind the breakdowns that did not involve euthanasia; bowed tendons and hairline fractures or bone chips are common, particularly at some barns. Some bowed tendons are recoverable, but most racehorse owners are not willing to put the time in and wait. The horse is thus either retired for breeding or sent to auction for slaughter. A few responsible owners step up and allow their horse to heal before finding an appropriate home for them.

After the track:

Proponents of the racehorse industry claim that most racehorses meet new careers after they leave the track - careers as dressage horses, eventers, jumpers - etc. While some do, many - even most - young, talented athletes instead meet another fate: the auction block. The auction is not a kind place to a Thoroughbred fresh off the track. Though these horses have been ridden under-saddle and are comfortable with a rider, they typically know virtually nothing else other than to run forward. It takes time, patience, and dedication to re-train them. In addition, some are emotionally and/or mentally wrecked horses thanks to the unnatural conditions they are kept in on the track and sometimes also due to mismanagement. This further sets them up for trouble after their track career because these horses might require a high level of re-training your average horse owner does not have the experience and knowledge to provide. Lastly, many of these horses are injured or have former injuries, and potential buyers are scared off by the fact of not knowing whether or not the horse has had a prior injury that could limit a future career. Owners further exacerbate the problem - most regard their horses solely as a financial investment, even the owners who bred and raised said horse. They take little to no responsibility for their horse once it leaves the track. We acquired one of our own OTTB's from his multi-billionaire owners because they could "no longer afford to feed him" if he wasn't running. No effort was put in to advertising him or retraining him (despite their grandsons, who ran the place, having full ability to do so and this horse being a very easy re-train). Instead, I got a call from his trainer, my former boss, asking me to call this horse's owners if we were interested. The owners told us to pick him up before September 15th, the date of the next local auction, or he would be in the sales ring that weekend. They were fully aware he would go for meat (just as their other horses had) and even sold him to us for meat price. I later ran across another filly bred by this farm who had almost met the meat man but had been purchased (for $350) by a caring individual. Nothing wrong with this horse, a very nice animal who would have been very easy to re-train. Her dam went to meat at that same auction. A little effort on the part of these horses' owners would have gone a long way to their having a successful second career elsewhere.

Breeding:

Many of these horses are bred on the basis that they can run, on bloodlines, rather than correct conformation. We had one filly who, as a 3yo, wound up with a hairline fracture on a front knee. This filly had terrible conformation, down to no bone (it wasn't a wonder she broke down on us). Her owners continued to push her to train until it became evident even to their blind eyes she could run no longer. So she went home to breed, based purely on her bloodlines and the potential she had shown prior to the breakdown. This is the reason for the long backs, terrible feet, and other known Thoroughbred conformation faults. Faults that lead to breakdowns and unsuccessful careers in any industry. On another note, so many Thoroughbred foals are pumped out each year that we create a surplus of horses - a surplus that has nowhere to go but France, on a dinner plate.

Training:

Check out the latest Western Horseman issue for an article (Futurity Fallout) on the results of training horses at a young age. Training a horse (lightly!) at the age of two has actually been proven to result in a longer-lasting, healthier career for said horse; it has the benefit of strengthening muscle, bone, tendon, and ligament. Actually competing at that age however should be dependent upon the horse itself. Racing places a huge strain on a young horse, much moreso than simple training, and each two-year-old should be taken on a case-by-case basis - some horses are ready for it while others most certainly are not. Most trainers are willing to consider each youngster as an individual and adjust their program accordingly, but many owners - seeking that financial gain, are not. They will push the trainer, who is forced to push the horse, even entering the horse in races themselves when the trainer refuses to do so. The physical stress and strain of the training itself depends upon the trainer and the exercise rider, in addition to husbandry and track surface quality. Some trainers will take a horse along slowly, building up muscle and athleticism in a safe manner for the horse, but others do the exact opposite. Ultimately, the young horse, rather than being developed into a stronger athlete, becomes more prone to a breakdown. Many young horses are worked much too hard too fast.

Other:

Beyond the obvious, there are other inhumane occurrences that occur at the track. Horses legs being frozen via ice and chemical means just prior to a race so that they cannot feel their legs when they run, resulting in a faster time from said horse. These chemicals and of course the ice, are not banned substances. Chemical irritants being used to badly "blister" a horse's legs. The racetrack is fraught with tradition and superstition, and the horses are the ones to suffer from this lack of common sense.

The other side of the coin:

This is not to say that horse racing has to be the way it is - it can be done in a much more humane fashion. For example, starting these horses from the ground up at home, prior to the horse reaching the track, will only aid said horse at finding a suitable home after its racing career. It will also make for a better-rounded horse at the track, which makes for a horse that is easier to handle and so less likely to be handled roughly by grooms. Level of training and competition should be based more upon the horse itself than on financial gain. Owners need to recognize that their horse is an athlete that requires financial investment - we acquired our other OTTB when he ran increasingly poorer last year. Turns out he was running poorly because his pelvis was excruciating far out of alignment. His owner had refused chiropractic treatments for the horse when he was racing on the track. The 'before' and 'after' in this horse was unbelievable. Traditions also need to be replaced with common sense and practical, current veterinarian advice. Feed programs should be evaluated by nutritionists so that the horses are fed sufficiently yet not over-fed. Owners need to step up to the plate (most do not even know the head of a horse from a tail) and ensure their horse has the best chance at a second career after racing. Also, track conditions - I feel, need to be more rigidly assessed and owners and trainers need to be better prepared to scratch a horse due to poor track conditions, in the best interests of the horse. Training also needs to be assessed so that horses are brought along slower and gentler. Horses stalled all day need to be taken out more often and have the odd pasture break here and there throughout the year from racing. They need mental stimulation in their stalls - toys, licks, etc. There are a lot of corners that are being cut in the interest of financial gain, but this is not the way it has to be. Interestingly, when the horse's best interests are served, you create a healthier, happier athlete that will in turn perform better and thus produce better financial return.

Racing doesn't have to have the bad name it does. Sadly, it seems to greatly revolve around monetary gain and human greed rather than the best interests of the horse, but this is not a mandatory qualification. Trainers and owners can, however, take it upon themselves to be different - to treat their horses respectfully and humanely - to set the bar higher. So I have to say that the entire industry is not deserving of criticism, though a lot of it is. Save your criticism for the trainers and owners who actually deserve it, and - better yet, try to set a good example and/or make an impact on the industry where the best interests of the horses - rather than humans - are served.