I must be cold and callous
05 May 2008
I think I’ve said before on this blog that I don’t like racing. Love TBs, would like nothing more than to buy an OTTB and retrain her, but don’t like racing. I never have—in high school, it baffled my friends that I was so horsey and yet couldn’t say when the Kentucky Derby was being run, much less who was in it.
However, my head is not entirely in the sand, so of course I heard about Eight Belles. Of course I’ve seen the hand-wringing going on across the internet about the evils of racing and how, now, everyone is going to stop supporting racing and oh my god isn’t it heartbreaking and blah blah blah.
Of course it’s heartbreaking. What I don’t understand is why people come out in such droves over Eight Belles, or Barbaro, and the rest of the time apparently don’t think about it. Breakdowns happen at the track. Frequently. Go to any website of any organization that deals with rehoming TBs and look at how many of those horses are injured at age three and four. Fortunately for most of them, the injuries aren’t catastrophic, but that doesn’t mean catastrophic injuries don’t happen. They do.
I just get so frustrated with the “oh god, this particular horse got injured, and now I’m going to get up in arms over racing because now I remember all the evil things about racing that I’ve been trying to forget, and now I’m boycotting racing forever” attitude that comes out at times like this.
And then in a year or two, I bet most of these people will be back to watching racing. You know why I think this? Because half the comments are “I watched Ruffian, and said I wouldn’t watch racing ever again. Then I watched Go For Wand and said I was through with racing. Then the same thing with Barbaro. And now Eight Belles is gone. And this time, I really mean it! This time, I’m boycotting racing forever!” Yeah, right. I’m too cynical to believe that.
I suspect that one of the reasons the racing injury goes on much as it has before is that experience has shown that all the churning fury will die down, and in a couple years people will be back watching, cheering on the favorite of the day, and betting again.
And what I love most, I guess, are the people saying, “I’m going to donate money to such-and-such rescue organization in Eight Belle’s name. That’ll show the racing industry!” Show them what, exactly? I think it’s a great thing to do—I think if Eight Belle’s connections find out about money being donated in their filly’s name, they’ll be extremely touched. I think helping legitimate rescues is always a good idea. Donating to a rescue is not, however, going to do a thing to change the problems at the heart of the racing industry.
Clearly, I’m a cold and callous person, because I have not been bawling my eyes out over Eight Belles. Since I didn’t pay attention to the media hype pre-Derby, I didn’t know a filly was even running in it. Had no idea who the favorite was. Didn’t even know it was happening this weekend. I don’t feel her death is any more tragic than any other Thoroughbred’s death on the track. I think it was just more public.
The real tragedy, as far as I’m concerned, is that all the froth and bubbling angst surrounding her death is going to turn out, as it has before, to have no substance underneath. People will donate to some rescues, sign some petitions, and wait for the next tragedy to come along so they can wring their hands and wonder why the racing industry hasn’t changed.
Comments
3 Comments. Add yours.
What’s frustrating me is that the media is focusing on dirt versus synthetic footing. Many are trying to say that synthetic is more cushioning and might have prevented the injury. But the root of the problem is that these horses are being raced and having an incredibly amount of stress put on their joints and bones at 3 years old - when they won’t even reach full physical maturity for another 3-4 years. That, I think, is the main problem with racing and injuries.
I look at the CANTER web site pretty often, and it’s pretty hard to stomach. Lame horses, one-eyed horses, skinny horses, all for sale b/c they’ve outlived their usefulness.
It’s the ultimate irony that we, the public, LOVE these horses for what they do--their bravery, talent, and spirit. But we don’t see fit to be good stewards of their welfare. We don’t protect them.
I admire the organizations that try to place these animals.
The photos of the falls at Rolex were awful, and the front page photo of Eight Belles was heart-breaking. Unlike many, I think these photos should be plastered everywhere. People need to see plainly what happens to these beautiful animals for the sake of our entertainment.
The racing industry also needs to pay more attention to breeding. If so many of a sire or dam’s offspring break down on the track, that sire or dam needs to be yanked from books. And/or there should be an incentive for horses whose offspring have longer/sounder careers.
Eventing is having a tough time, too, but I think it would be much easier to implement safety changes in that sport than it would be to turn the racing industry around. And I have a feeling eventing is much more likely to take action from the inside, whereas the racing industry is much slower to react.