Cross Breeds

I don't understand why horses are put down after they break a leg.?

I have been reading about Ruffian, called the greatest racing filly in the history of horse racing. Her story is so tragic, and I just don't understand why anyone would put her down after she broke her leg. Why couldn't they have nursed her back to health and kept her on a farm? She could have been the mother of other great race horses, couldn't she? My heart breaks for her and I can't stop crying. She didn't deserve a fate like that.

Public Comments

1. horses cant walk with a splint and they need to move around to stay helthly + they have a slow heeling rate
2. That used to be common practice, but it isn't anymore. The feeling was, the horse will be permanently incapacitated and in pain, so euthanize them.
3. Thats the way the world is. There is no use for you, unless you serve some purpose. Who would feed, take care etc. of a no good animal. Maybe sell it in France to a butcher.
4. Lots of horses are put down or sold at auction to meat buyers because of leg injuries. Some of the could be treated, but often the cost is prohibitively expensive. In the United States, race horses are started on the track at 2 years of age. Their legs and tendons are not completely grown and strong by then, and occasionally a tendon will tear or a leg will break because of the extreme concussion of the racing pace. Horses in general are difficult to treat leg injuries with, because their weight makes it hard to keep the injured leg unweighted so they can heal. It also depends upon the severity and type of injury. Some horses are euthanized because of injuries that are not life threatening, but could heal given time. There are a variety of factors to consider, most usually the one being money.
5. Horses cannot lay down for extended periods. Or fluid gathers in their lungs, and they drown. If they break a leg they have trouble standing, walking and sleeping. Legs are prone to infection and are difficult to heal due to the postion of the break (on the leg) ad the fact that horses move. It cannot be really immobilized. the alternitive is being put down. it is sad I know, but nessecary for the horse, we don't want them to be in pain like that, there too dignified.
6. It depends on the break nowadays. I'm 100% certain that they would try to keep a vauable horse alive for breeding if it were possible, so it must not be possible in most cases.
7. i think vets try hard these days not to put horses down for broken legs but sometimes its the kindest thing to do. depends how serious the injury is.
8. I don't know either!!!!
9. I am not a horse exspert but i do ride every weekend and help @ my riding school i know that if they do go lame (broken leg) they are sometimes in alot of pain if they do break there leg it desent always mean they have to be put down. It just means they are not in pain. But it is not true they always hav 2 be put down the bit you dont get is why this is beacause sometimes it can heal sometimes it can't.
10. It's because normally when a horse breaks it's leg, it is very hard to heal. Healing is sometimes impossible, and vets know which choice to make, depending on the way the leg is broken. I know it's very sad, I wish they didn't break their legs either, but accidents happen. :(
11. Now it's easier to keep a horse alive if they break a leg but many put horses down for many different reasons when they break legs. Many show horses who break a leg are no longer much value to the owner/rider, which really is sad that people keep such a beautiful animal solely on showing purposes. Other times it may be in the animals best interest. Horses are dependent upon their legs because in the wild it's their best defense. It would be very hard to keep a horse off a broken limb. Do you wonder why horses sleep standing up????? They are so large and heavy that if they layed down to long they could crush themselves. horses can be saved but it doesn't allways happen for both good and bad reasons.
12. they do that because horses' body is too heavy. they'll be having a hard time standing in their legs.
13. it actually depends on where it broke it's leg most of the time though people have to put them down because it cant be fixed and there is no sense in letting them suffer
14. because horses are ment to run and play and they can't do that if they're injured. putting horses down after they break a leg is the most humane thing to do because it puts them out of their missery
15. It depends on the type of injury. Although veterinary medicine has come a long way and now euthanasia is not the only option, a severe fracture can be very difficult to treat. Repairing the fracture is possible, but many horses die from complications due to infection. I live in an area where there is a vet school, and even the university clinic will not repair very severe fractures in most cases. I agree it is very sad, but if the horses chances are so grim, it is better to let them go instead of putting them through an unsuccesful treatment.
16. i know its sad but horses can't stand on three legs for a long time. they can if you are shoeing them but they cant walk on three legs.
17. kris1au gave you a good response, but I would like to add my 2 cents worth. I remember watching that race on t.v. it was certainly a sad day in the horse racing world. During the race she had a very sever break in the front leg that required emmediate veterinary care. From my view at the time, it looked very much like she had literally ripped a front hoof off. anesthesia does carry some serious risks in itself, and ruffanian did not do very well under anesthesia. The team of vets and an orthopedic surgeon worked on repairing the injury. They had a great deal of trouble keeping her stablized and the surgery lasted 12 hours. Even tho the anesthesia was wearing off, she was still a bit dazed and confused and was in very, very much pain. In spite of the best efforts to ease her pain, she thrasted about causing so much more damage that any further attempts at surgery was useless and the descision was made to euthanize. <\__~ /< //