In Memory Of
Yesterday’s Kentucky Derby was filled with excitement and anticipation. Unfortunately, that excitement turned into tragedy when the three year old filly Eight Belles, who finished in second place, suffered two broken legs and was euthanized on the track.
.
Horses are beautiful magnificent creatures, but unfortunately they are poorly designed by nature. They have giant bodies and tooth picks for legs. And while it seems like fixing a broken leg would be as simple as putting a cast on it, resting, and four months later it would be as good as new, it’s not the same for horses.
For horses, a broken leg is far more complicated. The problem is horses can’t just sit still. They want to run and kick which makes it next to impossible to heal. Added to which the chances that the broken leg will cause a serious infection that will kill the horse is also high. So trying to save a horse that’s suffered an injury like Eight Belles would be subjecting her to months of enduring pain with a very slim survival rate. Which means that the only humane thing to do is to euthanize her.
Eight Belles was a great horse and unfortunatly her death, like Barbero’s death before her highlighted the sad dark side to horse racing.
