Filly Eight Belles is 2nd, but suffers fatal injury

human greed at the terrible expense of a weaker kind.... it's been the history of man

Intrepid wrote:

Another beautiful horse killed by man's greed...There is absolutely no need for any horse racing or dog racing in this world. Circuses either. Folks should be just as outraged over horse racing as they are about dog fighting.. it's the same. Greedy, greedy, unethical people making money on the backs of animals... These people are no better than the other scumbags in the world that exploit animals.. because no matter how fancy the trappings, it's still exploitation.
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Well said, Intrepid, animals are too often victimized, and it is always about money. Seeing people making a big deal about wearing hats and partying so they can bet money on horses that can die to entertain money grubbers is really sickening. We have never gotten over what happened to Barbaro, who was raced too young because the owners couldn't wait to race him, and now this beautiful filly who raced her heart out for her owners to win, and her valient race ended in her excruciating pain and death. There is no excuse for this.

What happened to this wonderful filly to cause two broken ankles? Before the race someone was saying that one of the other owners was cited in the past for illegal activities. We have to hope nothing was done to this beautiful horse with such a courageous heart in order to keep her from winning.

I'm sorry I watched that race, and I am sorry that human beings are so uncivilized and so barbaric that they run horses to death for entertainment. Party on conscienceless fiends.

Humans torture dogs by making them run a distance of from NYC to Miami on ice and snow in the outrageous Itidarod, where animals die torturous deaths. Dogs are forced by criminals to kill other dogs in dog fights. It is unforgivable to cause the death of any helpless animal for the entertainment of mindless people who have neither conscience nor spiritual value.

Goodbye Eight Belles, you were beautiful, and we will never forget you or your heinous death.

that's really sad

I have been watching horse racing since I was a little girl, but now I have given up on it as of yesterday. My heart breaks each time a beautiful animal has to be put down. My thoughts and prayers go out to the owners, trainers, horse. Eight Belles run peacefully now with Barbaro and all the rest...........

I visited the Ky. horse farm once and was just floored at how well they treat old racing horses. These horses are set for life and coddled like a favorite pet..I would say a pasture horse would LOVE the chance to be a racing horse. I was shocked that she was put down without first asking the owners though...is this a normal procedure. Also, the jockey keeps saying that he stood up and THEN felt the horse run funny. Could the sudden movement of the jockey have caused the horse to lose its balance and then when the jockey "pulled up" on him it fractured them even worse. Could it have been jockey error? It just seemed to quick to euthanize her so quickly..couldn't thye have first moved her off the track, sedated her and x-rayed her before putting her down? I don't have a problem with horse racing. the horses are treated much better than the animals in dog racing..probably because it is more lucrative-but I still do not think it inhumane. Horses run-it's natural. I do wish some of the above questions about this particular incident were answered though. I keep thinking could something else have been done, but I know nothing about horses, so I don't know. I once took a trip with a PETA group to DC many years back and vowed never to go near a group like that again! It went BEYOND normal concern for animals to obsession and elevation of an animal to almost godlike status! Just silly stuff! These people spent a whole busride through 3 states sharing gruesome pictures of animals being abused and griping about it..I thought the whole bus was crazy! Yes, no one should abuse animals and it should stop but do I look at disgusting, revolting pics like an obsessed weirdo for 3 hours--uhhh NO! Anyway, I've always looked upon PETA people a being a little crazy after that...jsut read on, they will jump on this one too!

Intrepid wrote:

Another beautiful horse killed by man's greed...There is absolutely no need for any horse racing or dog racing in this world. Circuses either. Folks should be just as outraged over horse racing as they are about dog fighting.. it's the same. Greedy, greedy, unethical people making money on the backs of animals... These people are no better than the other scumbags in the world that exploit animals.. because no matter how fancy the trappings, it's still exploitation.

Great post! I will never go to any "sporting" event that forces animals to perform for the benefit a bunch of gambling humans.

You know what? I dont' give a rat's arse about any of you horse racers who want to give the same old excuses.. "oh, they lived a better life than you.. oh, a horse can go across the field and break an ankle".. Cretins- I know that! But, a horse is running at a race for one reason and one reason only.. to make money for the owners. I dont' care which end of a turd you pick up, it's still a turd. So, make all the excuses you want... I'm not a PETA person, but I will stand alongside of them on horse racing and dog racing....A horse may run across a field and get hurt, but racing puts them out on unnatural turf, running alongside other horses..oh, and let's not forget all the drugs injected into them.. Anyone in the horse racing industry in my opinion suck period. So, go ahead... race those magnificent animals.. let more of them get hurt and make any excuse to yourself that you want. My conscience is clear at night- I'm not an animal abuser and don't expect my animals to perform like circus monkeys. Shrugs. ANd, I don't give a p*ss what you say to me about it or how nasty you get... Oh, and I do feel bad for the animals going to the packing plant.. it's just as reprehensible. Do you think I like any animal abuse?

horselover wrote:

<quoted text>Like I said before, I love my horses and if it was all about money I would not be living pay check to pay check. I buy suppliments for my horses (as most do) to build their bones. I broke my knee cap by just slipping and falling 30 years ago. Because that accident happened does that mean someone did not care for me?

How many furlongs did someone ride and whip you before you went down?

Oh, and I"ve been around folks who used to be in the racing world and they've told me the stories about drugs and what the owners, perhaps with a blind eye to appear innocent, let happen to the horses...

BR Bean Counter wrote:

<quoted text>
How many furlongs did someone ride and whip you before you went down?

You're so funny ha ha ha....accidents happen!

BR Bean Counter wrote:

<quoted text>
How many furlongs did someone ride and whip you before you went down?

And I forgot to add...why don't you just go and count your beans? bean counter.........

horselover wrote:

<quoted text>And I forgot to add...why don't you just go and count your beans? bean counter.........

Snappy comeback! I guess that deserves a reply about your pants down to your ankles. Eh Horse Lover?

The owners should be euthanized.

Blame this on her Trainer Larry Jones. I've been a proffesional horseman for forty years, and I would never train a horse by letting a two hundred pound man ( Jones) on the poor girls back, even galloping the horse during that training ritual, what happens is, the horse gets a false sense of weight distribution, and can lead to the unbalancing of the horse when in real time racing conditions, let alone, racing a mile and a quarter distance, against the best horses in the country, this is a bad practice, USE A JOCKEY! Mike Matz should be kicked out of racing also, you cannot train horses on an Uphill training facility, its not natural for a race horse, especially a dirt horse,on the trainer of Big Brown, his father was a great trainer, I knew him Richard Dutrow Sr., his sons train as you know, but Dutrow Jr. is not like the father, he's a crooked fat basterd, trust me, I know,another is Wayne Lucas, bigtime gambler,too,real big.

I saw a horse euthanized on the track @ River Downs in Cincinnati a few years ago. I used to enjoy watching horse racing because the animals are just so graceful and beautiful, but after watching a horse go down the reality of the "sport" hit me. What other "sport" can the athlete be put to death on the playing field? It's not fun for me to watch anymore when I know horses break bones all the time running for our pleasure.

Intrepid wrote:

You know what? I dont' give a rat's arse about any of you horse racers who want to give the same old excuses.. "oh, they lived a better life than you.. oh, a horse can go across the field and break an ankle".. Cretins- I know that! But, a horse is running at a race for one reason and one reason only.. to make money for the owners. I dont' care which end of a turd you pick up, it's still a turd. So, make all the excuses you want... I'm not a PETA person, but I will stand alongside of them on horse racing and dog racing....A horse may run across a field and get hurt, but racing puts them out on unnatural turf, running alongside other horses..oh, and let's not forget all the drugs injected into them.. Anyone in the horse racing industry in my opinion suck period. So, go ahead... race those magnificent animals.. let more of them get hurt and make any excuse to yourself that you want. My conscience is clear at night- I'm not an animal abuser and don't expect my animals to perform like circus monkeys. Shrugs. ANd, I don't give a p*ss what you say to me about it or how nasty you get... Oh, and I do feel bad for the animals going to the packing plant.. it's just as reprehensible. Do you think I like any animal abuse?

Take your meds.

Intrepid wrote:

Another beautiful horse killed by man's greed...There is absolutely no need for any horse racing or dog racing in this world. Circuses either. Folks should be just as outraged over horse racing as they are about dog fighting.. it's the same. Greedy, greedy, unethical people making money on the backs of animals... These people are no better than the other scumbags in the world that exploit animals.. because no matter how fancy the trappings, it's still exploitation.

Just wondering, exactly how man dogfights have you seen, any way?
Also, what are your thoughts on dog and cat shows? People do make money from them. Is that animal exploitation? If not, why not?
What are we supposed to do with animals, besides just look at them? What do you approve of?

real American wrote:

Blame this on her Trainer Larry Jones. I've been a proffesional horseman for forty years, and I would never train a horse by letting a two hundred pound man ( Jones) on the poor girls back, even galloping the horse during that training ritual, what happens is, the horse gets a false sense of weight distribution, and can lead to the unbalancing of the horse when in real time racing conditions, let alone, racing a mile and a quarter distance, against the best horses in the country, this is a bad practice, USE A JOCKEY! Mike Matz should be kicked out of racing also, you cannot train horses on an Uphill training facility, its not natural for a race horse, especially a dirt horse,on the trainer of Big Brown, his father was a great trainer, I knew him Richard Dutrow Sr., his sons train as you know, but Dutrow Jr. is not like the father, he's a crooked fat basterd, trust me, I know,another is Wayne Lucas, bigtime gambler,too,real big.

You might be on to something.

huhh wrote:

I visited the Ky. horse farm once and was just floored at how well they treat old racing horses. These horses are set for life and coddled like a favorite pet..I would say a pasture horse would LOVE the chance to be a racing horse. I was shocked that she was put down without first asking the owners though...is this a normal procedure. Also, the jockey keeps saying that he stood up and THEN felt the horse run funny. Could the sudden movement of the jockey have caused the horse to lose its balance and then when the jockey "pulled up" on him it fractured them even worse. Could it have been jockey error? It just seemed to quick to euthanize her so quickly..couldn't thye have first moved her off the track, sedated her and x-rayed her before putting her down? I don't have a problem with horse racing. the horses are treated much better than the animals in dog racing..probably because it is more lucrative-but I still do not think it inhumane. Horses run-it's natural. I do wish some of the above questions about this particular incident were answered though. I keep thinking could something else have been done, but I know nothing about horses, so I don't know. I once took a trip with a PETA group to DC many years back and vowed never to go near a group like that again! It went BEYOND normal concern for animals to obsession and elevation of an animal to almost godlike status! Just silly stuff! These people spent a whole busride through 3 states sharing gruesome pictures of animals being abused and griping about it..I thought the whole bus was crazy! Yes, no one should abuse animals and it should stop but do I look at disgusting, revolting pics like an obsessed weirdo for 3 hours--uhhh NO! Anyway, I've always looked upon PETA people a being a little crazy after that...jsut read on, they will jump on this one too!

You are so right about PETA. You can just go to their website and read their own stuff to see that. Ingrid Newkirk, who heads the group, equates eating meat with cannibalism and has requested that when she dies her body is to be cooked, and apparently eaten. She is a definite sicko!
And they are not the only one. HSUS has adopted the strategy of comparing everything to dogfighting. To them, if you catch a fish or eat a hamburger than you are equal to Micheal Vick.
Both groups are just crazed fanatics who really have no grip on the natural world of how animals really live. They spend half their time eating each other. Nature is not a Disney movie. But they think it is.

Eight Belles had such a heart! It's so sad she lost her life after such a terrific showing.

I always thought horses loved to run! Ok, maybe it's not natural for them on a dirt track or synthetic turf, but if you watch them, they usually run just seemingly for the joy of it.