My Problem with Horse Racing

Today, Eight Belles finished second in the Kentucky Derby, fell after the race with two broken front ankles, and was euthanized.

On June 5, 1993, after finishing second in the Kentucky Derby and winning the Preakness Stakes, Prairie Bayou fell during the Belmont Stakes with compound fractures in his left front leg. He was euthanized that same day.

On April 8, 1991, Bill Shoemaker, who at the time held the record for most wins as a horse racing jockey, was paralyzed from the neck down as a result of a car accident while drinking and driving. Shoemaker lived for more than 12 more years, before dying in his sleep on October 12, 2003.

Many people know of the case of Barbaro, the 2006 Kentucky Derby winner, who was injured in the Preakness Stakes that year and garnered significant media coverage as his owners chose not to euthanize him upon the injury and instead attempted to repair the injury (though, in the end, Barbaro was euthanized, too, following various surgeries and complications). Barbaro was the exception, not the rule, for these kinds of injuries in American thoroughbred horse racing—something that was brought to attention once again today when Eight Belles was killed. Of no particular choice of their own, these horses are bred and raised to become race horses at a young age, they are made to endure significant strain on their bodies as they race, and they are made to parade around and race each other for spectacle and for profit. Then, when these injuries occur, the practice of euthanizing them is justified as something that “had” to be done and as “humane” because it is saving them significant pain.

Some statements from the Associated Press story titled “Runner-up Eight Belles breaks front ankles, euthanized on track” that appeared on espn.com are particularly telling along these lines:

• Trainer Larry Jones voiced the sentiment that killing the horse was necessary when he said, “There was no way to save her. She couldn't stand.”
• Veterinarian Larry Bramlage, who attended to the horse after her injury, concurred, stating, “There was no possible way to save her. She broke both front ankles. That's a bad injury.”
• Bramlage also said of the injury, “Horses really tire. They are taking a lot of load on their skeleton because their muscles are fatigued. The difficult thing to explain with her is it's so far after the wire, and she was easing down like you'd like to see a horse slow down by that point.” This description conveys the kind of physical stress that these horses are forced to endure.
• And why are they asked to endure this physical stress? A comment by jockey Kent Desormeaux, whose horse, Big Brown, won the race, pretty much says it all: “This horse [Big Brown] showed you his heart and Eight Belles showed you her life for our enjoyment today.”

The answer to “why” is quite simple, indeed. Eight Belles died for our enjoyment—for the spectacle and thrill that humans derive from thoroughbred horse racing.

So … Bill Shoemaker made the choice to drink and drive, severely injured himself in an accident, and was granted another 12 years of life, despite the fact that I’m sure plenty of pain, discomfort, and misery accompanied his life after the accident. Eight Belles, Prairie Bayou, and tons of other horses have been forced to endure significant physical stress as they race for human entertainment. They have then been killed when they were injured and the killing has been characterized as “humane” because the horses would not have to endure significant pain, discomfort, and misery. I’m not saying Shoemaker should have been euthanized. I am saying much more consideration should go into saving the lives of these horses … or horse racing, as a practice, should be seriously reconsidered.

The practice of racing and then euthanizing these horses like this isn’t my version of humane treatment. It isn’t my version of enjoyment. And it isn’t my version of sport.