I was reading an old thread when I ran across a doper’s retelling of Go For Wand’s breakdown.
For those who don’t know, Go For Wand was a racehorse who fell on the track and suffered an absolutely horrific break to her ankle. Apparently, she was later put down on the field.
It was a pretty bad break, but isn’t that sort of thing generally fixable now? My mother shattered her kneecap and is still able to walk thanks to orthopedic surgery. When dogs break bones in accidents, they are able to fix them too. So what’s so special about a horse that vets are unable to fix broken bones?
In any case, this is a good summary of the problems inherent with horse injuries. The very short version: Horse legs are about the same thickness as human legs, but they support an 1100 pound animal going in excess of 35 mph. The injuries are more like a car wheel breaking in half than anything that could happen to a human or dog.
Horses resist confinement strenuously – Ruffian, the champion filly of the 1970s, kicked her cast off four times before they put her down, each time making the damage worse. They suspended Alydar in a sling and drugged him up - each time he came to he thrashed, causing himself more injury.
Horses require motion for their circulatory system to function - the hoof is a pump - without the hoof bearing weight the internal hoof structure becomes inflamed, then dies. No hoof, no horse.
Horses’ digestive systems are delicate - intensive, prolonged tranquilizers and painkillers can have repercussions on the digestive system which are fatal in themselves.
They have tried heroic measures with some very valuable horses but the best care money can buy is not always sucessful.
A broken leg is considerably more devastating to a horse than a dog or person.
Yes, it is possible to repair some broken legs in horses. However, it is a lengthy and expensive process with unclear success (horses like standing…keeping them off a broken leg is not easy). Most owners rarely deem the effort/expense worthwhile. For a race horse it is probably the end of the horse’s career on the track. In some cases there is a public spotlight on the owners so they work to save the animal or the horse my retain value for breeding purposes and occasionally the horse provided such good service/made the owners so much money they feel compelled to help it. More often than not though it is probably the end of the horse.
Well, obviously I know that. I was asking why if we can rebuild it, we have the technology, then why don’t we? In other words, why is it possible for other animals and humans, but not for horses?
I understand now. It’s not a matter of not being able to, but that a horse’s nature prevents successful recovery. Thank you everyone.
And yes, It’s Not Rocket Surgery!, it was your post I read.
Come to think of it, she hasn’t been able to run since the accident, and she often complains that it’s stiff or sore.
A very, very few horses have been persuaded to wear a prosthetic but they have all the problems of prosthetics for humans - pressure points, skin breakdown, pain, etc. - but enormously magnified due to the weight of the horse, the size of the weight bearing area (relatively small), and the fact horses spend almost all their time standing up. While a horse can rest on three legs with its weight off the fourth they can only do that for short periods of time - prolonged posture of that sort results in the healthy feet/hooves breaking down (in the end, that’s what killed Barbaro who was in other respects extremely tolerant of wearing a cast on his broken leg).
Also, don’t broken legs in horses tend to be very nasty, complex breaks? Not so much like the clean break of a celery stalk but more like a longitudinal compression that explodes in a complex mess?
True, but if the horse is a champion and therefore has major value as a stallion it will be done.
The best example I know of is Mill Reef who, in 1971, won the Epsom Derby, the Eclipse Stakes at Sandown, the King George VI & Queen Elizabeth Stakes at Ascot, and the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe at Longchamps, all highly prestigious Grade 1 races. After two more wins in Grade 1 company the following season at the age of 4, he shattered a foreleg. It was decided to operate to save the animal for stallion duties. Mill Reef subsequently sired the winners of two Epsom Derbies and a French Derby among other notable horses. I forget his syndication value but he wasn’t cheap.
I agree (albeit without the specifics). Note I said: "In some cases there is a public spotlight on the owners so they work to save the animal or the horse my retain value for breeding purposes…
As has been noted in other horsey threads here, thoroughbred breeding must be accomplished by live cover. An injured stallion would need to be able to mount a mare. An injured mare would need to be strong enough to have a stallion mount her and carry a foal to term. If that can’t happen, there is no value for breeding purposes.
All horses have that problem, but some horses are more prone to getting the worst injuries due to their work and training.
Many horses have what they call “fissure fractures” and other relatively minor, close fractures. Sometimes the fractured pieces can be removed (if they’re in a joint), or the animal can recover with some rest in training. Sometimes animals can even get a couple of implants, provided the fracture, again, is not so bad…
I haven’t heard of three legged foals being born, but I’ve seen and learned about foals being born with other skeletal abnormalities. In some cases, they can be treated (with pins, plates, and other surgeries), but if the defects are too bad, then they have to be euthanized.
