Do you think it is cruel when race horses are euthanized due to a leg injury that can't be fixed?

Question

I think it is very mean. Couldn't these horses be happy not racing? Maybe they just want to be out in the pasture and eat grass, or flirt with the other horses. It was not their choice to be a race horse. They would probably just rather chill in the barn.

Jeez. Go nuts why don't you. I thought that the horses just weren't able to run. I didn't know that they couldn't stand either.

Answer 1

The veterinarians went above and beyond the call of duty to save Barbaro. Barbaro couldn't even stand and had infections that left the horse in constant pain. Most horses that are euthanized due to a leg injury are euthenized because the horse would otherwise be in serious pain and misery the rest of its life and it would probably die soon anyhow. If the horse is going to die soon anyhow, why continue to make it suffer?

For most race horse, veterinarians will go way out of their way to save the horse because millions of dollars are normally invested in that horse, especially if the horse is a Kentucky Derby winner. The veterinarians have to put a harness on the horse that lifts it in the air to keep weight of the legs till it hopefully heals. And they even will often take them swimming in pools to help strengthen the legs. However, because so much weight and impact occurs on their legs it makes them very hard to heal, beacuse normally the bone shatters into a bunch of little pieces. And normally after so long an infection occurs that can't be stopped.

The owners and veterinarians don't want to euthanize the horse anymore than you would. In fact the owners and trainers, normally get very attached to them. But they try doing the more humane thing by putting the animal out of it's misery when there is basically no hope of the horse recovering and it is in serious pain.

Barbaro had infection in both of its front legs and one of it's back legs and the infections were taking a tole on its body. People that raise livestock can often tell when an animal has pretty much given up on life by looking at their eyes. Normally, they eyes are bright and reflective and alive. But when they appear dull and kind of clouded over, like they described Barbaro's was. Then the animal is very near death and won't recover no matter how hard you try saving it.

Yes, there are a lot of people on Yahoo answers that haven't grown up on farms and know little about animals, who make statements out of good intentioned but uninformed means. But unlike some others, I don't think it is appropriate to call the person an idiot or bleeding heart. The person is just uninformed. And that is what Yahoo Answers is about, informing people and helping them to understand.

Answer 2

Fixing a broken leg on a horse is not as easy as you might think.

When a person breaks a leg, bed rest and immobility follows as part of the recupertion. Horses stand when resting and they need all four legs to support their weight. When laying down, they need all four legs to do so and all four to get up again. That would put undue stress on a leg that is pinned, in a cast or otherwise immobilized.

While dogs and cats can do well on three legs, and people can get by without either leg, horses cannot adapt to the loss of even a single limb.

Horses don't understand broken bones. They will try to shake the pain off as if it were something attached to the leg or an animal biting them. In doing so, they do more harm to themselves than the actual break. This is common even in horses with a torn ligament without the complication of broken bones to go with it.

The only humane thing to do is euthanize them.

Answer 3

Horses cannot live a normal, pain free life after a severe injury to the leg or foot. Think about how tiny the legs are compared to the rest of their body and how much weight they support. The strain to the other supporting legs often causes even more complications. Horses do not like chilling in the barn either. Horses were designed to constantly move around in a herd situation....look at horses in the wild, they never stay in the same place, so a horse living in a barn everyday would be very unhappy. Not to mention, a life of isolation (to protect the recovering injuries) can make a horse very depressed. When an injury to any part of the horse causes extreme pain and suffering, it is unfair to the horse to make him live under those circumstances. Since humans domesticated horses, and horses cannot make life or death decisions for themselves, it is up to us to do what we feel is best for the horse, whether it is rehab or euthanasia. Often, you can tell by watching the horse if he is still fighting to survive or has given up. It is only fair to the horse who has given up to peacefully relieve him of his pain and suffering.

Answer 4

Unfortunately, horses are way too heavy to successfully survive on 3 legs. They can not balance their body weight on 3 legs, not to mention the extra strain on the single leg (either front or back). Putting them in a sling to support the body weight comprimises their digestion and puts extra pressure on other organs (heart, lungs, etc.) They are prone to falling (even "chilling in the barn") and further injury.
Actually, Barbaro's health was severely compromised by the stress put on his GOOD back leg. Not the broken one! He developed infection and circulation problems from the extra weight put on the unbroken leg. This is common with this type of injury. It's not the broken leg that compromises the health... it's all the complications that come afterwards. They are also not known as the kind of animal that lays around getting petted... they need to run and move around (again, for the sake of their digestion and good health).
They did the right thing putting that horse down... I'm just wondering if the reason they put it off so long was so they had time to harvest his sperm for AI... just to make more money off him. Wonder if we'll see "Barbaro colts" on the track in the next few years?

Answer 5

It is a sad thing to do, but sometimes it must be done. I know that these horses have the best care and the best veterinarians around. I am sure the decision to put any racing horse down is a tough one, but done with love and much thought. It is the same with a dog or cat, if their quality of life is not there anymore, and they are in pain, it has to be done. It is the humane thing to do with any animal. I may have to put my cat down soon, and it is a hard thing to do. I pray to God that I make the right decision.

Answer 6

This is actually the msot humane thing to do. Unfortunately horses need all 4 legs to live a normal, "happy" life since they spend most of their time standing up. The fact that the owners of Barbero went to such great lengths to try and help him is a little disconcerting to me. They said it was all about the horse when, to me anyway, it looked like they wanted to save the horse so they could get the royalties from studding him.

Answer 7

Horses can not make it with only 3 good legs. They need 4 strong healthy legs to get around. They spend most of their time standing. Dogs can get by with 3 legs, but a horse can't. I have even seen pictures of dogs walking around with only 2 legs. Amazing how adaptible they are.

Answer 8

good lord, will you bleeding heart morons QUIT ALREADY????

Now listen closely, I'll explain it again.

obviously you know NOTHING ABOUT HORSES. Horses can not live as happy, well adjusted, PAIN FREE horses on 3 legs. It is not physically, or psychologically possible. Barbaro would have had to live the rest of his life in a sling. Horses are meant to run around & play. He would also have to be heavily medicated. That itself could develop other complications.

Now, before you (pardon the pun) get on your high horse & think "obviously this is not an animal lover", I have 2 cats, 1 dog, & until last February 15, 2005 at 11:30 pm Pacific time, I was the owner of a Thouroughbred gelding, whom I had to make the MOST difficult choice in my life, by putting to sleep. He coliced really badly for the 2nd time, & because his first surgery was so hard on HIM, I swore I would never put my best friend through that ever again.

Had I selfishly tried to keep him alive, the rest of his life he would have been in constant danger of the same thing happening again, not to mention the pain & misery that he would have felt.


HORSES DO NOT CHILL IN THE BARN. THEY NEED TO BE ABLE TO RUN & PLAY IN THE PASTURE WITH THEIR BUDDIES, NOT COOPED UP IN A SLING IN A STALL FOR THEIR LIVES, & ON DRUGS.

QUIT BEING STUPID.

Answer 9

Geesh, I knew I would read about that horse today. Yes, sorry they had to put the horse down. But it is an animal who was sick, an expensive horse, but none the less, still a horse. The reporters should move on to something more important.

Answer 10

It isn't cruel, it is humane to put him out of his pain. He would just be miserable and get worse. Unfortunately horses and cows have the slimmest chances of survival with a bad leg injury. It is still sad if you think about it - just remember he is not in pain any longer.