Umm, SkipMagic, I think you missed one…
Not having spoken with Barbaro to get his opinion on whether he loved to run I can’t really comment on that aspect, however, my point lies in the “bred and born to run” bit. I understand that he was bred and born to run and it is breeding horses (and other animals) for the sole purpose of running that I object to. I object to breeding animals for the purpose of exploiting them, whether it’s for food or sport.
It’s not just sad, it’s needless. As this website says, the story is being pitched as an unexpected accident that shocked the country, but the truth is that Barbaro’s tragedy is a very public reminder of the ongoing plight of racehorses used for our “entertainment”.
One of the many wonderful things about being part of horse racing is that it has taught me to not be so judgmental of others and the things they are a part of. I realize now that a certain part of a group might be presented to the public but that one part may not accurately represent the whole.
I know that horse racing looks very different to outsiders than it really is. I can understand how those who are not involved might only see the bad side. They hear of the breakdowns in big races that make news. They hear of the bad treatment of horses. They hear of the betting scandals that make headlines. I can see how people who really don’t have first hand knowledge might think racing is bad and should be abolished. I just wish they would take the time to find out what it is they are so quick to condemn. I think with some research they would find out that the bad parts are the exception, not the rule.
There are many times it works out just as it should. There are many horses who from the time they are foaled, are given the best of treatment. They are bred, raced, then retired and start a new career that they are well suited for. They are loved, doted on, and sadly missed when at an old age they pass on. But the general public never hears of these horses, just the ones that meet a very bad ending.
The media often focuses on the negative, that seems to sell. But there is another side of racing, perhaps only seen when you are part of it. Like many groups it is only when bad things happen that the rest of the world takes notice of us. ETF hits on one of the misconceptions.
I have had people tell me that horse racing is bad because horses don’t really like to run. They know this because it takes a jockey to whip them to make them go. Now I guess it might look like that to some, but trust me, there is no way a little 110 lb guy is going to make a 1,000 lb horse do something he doesn’t want to do just by using a thin little whip. A horse can toss that jock off right off his back anytime he wants, and the horse knows it. Have you ever seen a racing saddle? It is barely a pad. The jocks can only ride because the horses let them. The horses run because they love to run. They learn to take cues from the jockeys, and the whip is part of that, but they aren’t being forced to do something they don’t want to do by being beaten with a whip. The whip is used to keep them focused and to let them know when they can run all out. The last thing you as an owner or trainer wants is to have your horse experience pain while racing. A horse experiencing pain stops running. If a jock is found to use the whip to cause pain, he won’t be used. Sometimes a jock gets caught up in the moment and he uses the whip too much. He gets fined, if not suspended for that. The whip really has nothing to do with why the horses run.
I love bringing folks out to the farm in the spring when the foals are a few months old. Once they can stray a bit from mama’s side, the first thing they do is race each other across the pasture. No one is forcing them to do that, their breeding comes out and it is natural for them. And it is such a joy to watch. One foal will show himself to be the early bloomer and can always beat the rest. He loves that and gets to be leader of the rest of the young ones. But a few weeks later another finds his feet and he is the new leader. Every few weeks it changes, challenging them all to be the best they can be. It isn’t anthropomorophising, it is part of their nature. You can see the same thing in wild herds.
Another thrill is to have a horse who has run a few times and been beaten each time finally figure it out. Sometimes it is because they learn to listen to the jockey and then can make their move at the right time. Sometimes it is because the trainer tries them on a new surface or distance that better fits the horse. Sometimes you don’t know what it is, but something just clicked for the horse. He beats everyone else to the finish line, and knows he won. There is no mistaking it. He struts and snorts. He is happy. He goes back to the barn and lets everyone there know he just beat the others. Everyone back at the barn is happy with him, he feels it, he knows it, he wants to do it again. If you don’t see this first hand, you might not think a horse ever knows when he wins. But he does.
I remember one horse we had was a real puzzle. He loved to work in the morning, he would go all out and had great times. Then come time to race, he would sit just off the pace, in perfect position to make a great stretch run. He would make that run, but then always finish second. His regular trainer left the area so we gave him to a new trainer. This trainer studied the replays of his races, and figured it out. Once pointed out to us, we could see it very clearly. What happened was our horse would run well, be in position to take over the lead. But when our horse got even with the lead horse, the lead horse would look him in the eye, and our horse would slow down, letting the other stay in front. Our new trainer fixed that right quick with blinkers. After that, our horse did what he always did, but when even with the lead horse, was not able to get “the eye” from the leader, and he won! You can’t tell me now that horses don’t want to run and win when you learn about how horses will try “the evil eye” on each other to try to intimidate the competition into bowing out. They want to run and win and will do what they can to make that happen.
I give these as examples as to why I believe horse racing in not inherently bad.
The reality of racing today is far from perfect, but how many things are perfect? When a horse breaks down, a lot of second guessing goes on. But the reality is that horses take bad steps and suffer the type of injury Barbaro had even when they are out in an open field playing. They are fragile animals. Those thin legs have to support a lot weight.
I agree with ETF that some changes in how racing is done today are needed. After many years of research, it is looking like a new artificial surface is better for the horses who race and many tracks are switching over to it. I am optimistic that more needed changes will be made because like most industries, making money is the bottom line. And since horses are the stars in racing, having them get hurt, hurts racing. Keeping them healthy and happy is important. They are not looked at as a disposable part of racing. The media reports may make it look that way, but whether the owner is a billionaire who spent 6 million on a yearling, or like our group, a bunch of people who have pooled their money to spend $10,000 on a stud fee, the only way we will have success if our horses can stay healthy and race. Many of us work to to improve the sport. Things are much better now than a few years ago. And things will continue to improve as long as good people are involved. The worst thing that could happen now for the horses is for all the good people to bail, and leave racing to the bad ones. So we prepare for the negative stories, knowing we will get unjustifed negative press for a while.
You really can’t weather the ups and downs in racing unless you truly love horses. It just wouldn’t be worth it. The chance of making money is really so small we can only be in this because we love the beauty of the horses and the natural competition. I am sure anyone could find exceptions to this, and find people who are bad for racing, but I imagine whatever group or sport anyone is in, I could find examples of people who are bad there as well.
I know some people will pick on racing now, just because they can. They aren’t involved and don’t know what really goes on with the majority of horses. They just know the bad headlines. They don’t know about the groups who work to find retired race horses homes, or work to stop horses from being over medicated or abused. There are a lot of good people who would only be in racing if it wasn’t more good than bad. And they are working hard to try to improve it.
I would hope the others who are quick to criticize might realize they really don’t have all the facts. If they aren’t involved, they don’t know what those involved know. They might look at the sports or hobbies they enjoy that also get an undeserved bad rap from time to time and realize horse racing is not as bad as they have been told it is.
Wonderful post, Grits! In a way I’m also an outsider as merely a recreational owner/rider, not in the racing world. But a good friend of mine who owns Standardbreds, including a world-record-setting pacer, Cambest Prince,* would agree completely with you.
Amen. I’m about to go out now, at quarter to midnight, to bring a special grain feeding to an elderly horse at the barn where my TB lives, and to bring Ben himself two 5-gallon canisters of warm water so he won’t have to break the ice in his buckets for a drink. He’ll get an apple, a neck scratch, and an armful of hay, then I’ll head home to do more of the work that supports us both. Why go to such trouble? Because his eyes light up and he bellows a welcoming neigh whenever he sees me. Because he gives his all whenever I ask, whatever I ask for. Because he’s beautiful, affectionate, funny, and devoted to me. Because being around horses is like nothing else in this world.
Oh, and about that “evil eye” – it’s true! Ben’s paddock buddy can make Ben wheel away just by giving him a look that says “Beat it, punk.”
- Who’s recently been retired from racing and will live the life of Riley on her farm from now on.
Putting in the new artificial surface is costing the tracks millions of dollars, but they’re doing it for the welfare of the horses.
By the way, if you have any doubt that horses love to run and compete against other runners, consider this.
Good God, all four of his feet went bad in just the last few days. Poor baby. 
I still wonder if Barbaro’s fracture was related to Brother Derek coming over and cutting into his path shortly after the break. I noticed it as it happened and thought Barbaro clipped heels with BD, but BD’s jockey Alex Solis was adamant to the press and anyone else that later voiced similar speculations that it did not happen. I know Alex personally (albeit not very well), and he has given me every impression of being an honorable person. Alex did say he heard the sickening snap of Barbaro’s right hind, though. :::shudder::: It’s possible that Barbaro kind of checked, though, when Brother Derek came over, and though no contact was made, Barbaro twisted that hind leg funny in the scurrying and the fracture followed. Who knows. Doesn’t really matter, really.
As far as racing thoroughbreds too young: Absolutely it happens, and absolutely it is abused. Good lord, the horrors I have heard. :mad: But it is not the case with everyone or every horse. I am friends with a trainer who has had some very successful thoroughbreds in his nearly 50-year career, and he carefully schools them from babyhood. He buys them as yearlings and breaks them himself, using old school methodologies that show an understanding of horse behavior. He never claims a horse; he feels when you do that, you’re buying other people’s problems. He refuses to overrace his horses, to the annoyance of the press when he has a champion in his barn, and he refuses to use anything other than hay, oats, and water in their bloodstreams. As a result, he has lost precisely one–ONE–horse to a breakdown in 50 years, and that was a horse that he didn’t raise/break from babyhood, but one a new owner brought to his barn. He’s had horses die, certainly, of freakish circumstances, but not from breakdowns. Ever. His name is Bruce Headley. The Daily Racing Form and Bloodhorse online (and in print) have frequently verified this information.
As the owner of two (pet) horses, I have to say…they are very, very good at finding ways to severely injure themselves. They are fragile creatures in delicate balance–one leg injury can result in laminitis in another, and then it can quickly snowball into complete disaster. My 250lb miniature horse developed laminitis in her forefeet as a complication of pregnancy, of all things. She lost the foal, then had her diet changed and carefully monitored, and she’s fine. For now. She has a 14+ degree rotation in her coffin bone, a death sentence to her larger cousins. As long as we can keep that stable, she’ll be with us a long while.
Interesting that I went in so many directions with this post, but used little of it to actually discuss Barbaro. It breaks my heart, and I don’t know why. He’s “just a horse,” and he’s not even just my horse. Still, it made me tear up, and I have to confess…part of me is indeed a little heartbroken.
Thanks for that link ETF and all your information on horse breeding.
Anyone who saw Secretariat win the Belmont Stakes knows that some horses love racing.
“Like a tremendous machine!!” - I still get chills watching it.
Wow. Thank you for the link. I still tear up when I watch it.
I found this video tribute to Ruffian at YouTube and now I’m wiping away more tears.