Cross Breeds

why do they put race horses to death after leg injury?

isn't that very cruel? cant they be kept as pets?

Public Comments

1. Most horses cannot survive very long after breaking a leg. Sometimes, keeping them alive in a painful situation is more cruel. Personally, I don't believe in horse racing as a sport. Many horses wind up in bad shape, dead, or with very poor quality of life. Barbaro's owners are an exception. They did everything they could to give that horse a pain free existence. However, if he had not been racing in the first place, I think he'd still be alive. I have seen first hand how race horses are treated when no longer needed or viewed as valuable. It is heart breaking to see the lives they lead. Only the best of the best are treated with dignity and respect. Very Sad.
2. They put almost all horses to death after a broken leg because it is very uncommon that the injury will heal properly. Also, even after the injury heals, the horse will most likely be in pain for the rest of its life.
3. Because with the horse being so large and heavy, keeping it off it's leg long enough to heal is very expensive, and often traumatic for the animal. If the horse isn't kept off the broken leg or leg injury then the injury won't heal properly. Yes it is cruel.
4. a horse's legs are so spindly and weak that it takes all 4, in perfect condition, to comfortably support its enormous weight. If even 1 leg is bad, the horse's weight cannot be adequately supported, and it lives in constant pain and discomfort.
5. Because when a race horse breaks it's leg it is impossible to fix it, so the horse is shot because of it's injury.
6. Its not just race horses. horses must be able to stand most of the time they are not built to be in any other position for long amounts of time if they didn't put them down they would just die slow.
7. they can be kept as pets but they would be useless.Horses are made to run. With leg injuries they never heal right nor will they be able to run as fast.
8. legs are very important on a horse; when they break, it's really curtains for a horse. they distribute their weight evenly on all four legs and cannot be taught to "favor" on leg over the rest. they did all they could humanly do for barbaros. Maybe you should ask "should they even race them"?
9. Some horses can be healed but others cannot. But they put them down if they can not be saved and to end their pain. Because you can just sit there and watch the horse die slowly and painfully. This way they can at least be a peace before they breathe for the last time.
10. Some may be able to be kept as pets, but a leg injury to a horse is much more serious than a leg injury to a cat or dog. I would hope that if the animal could lead a healthy and not be in a great amount of pain that someone could be given the oppurtunity just to offer the horse a good and loving home. Unfortunately, as much as it hurts, it is sometimes necessary to euthanize an animal to end its suffering
11. Yes, and they are.Severe injury is an exception. Horse racing is about money and status, they don't give a crap about the horse, if it can no longer race or stud. It is a possession to them, nothing more.
12. because it wouldn't be able to walk and horses like to run round and need to graze so they have to move round
13. It's due to the anatomy of the horse: it has a very heavy, muscular body supported by four very spindly legs, and if one of them is broken it forever alters the horse's quality of life, and thus its tempermant and disposition. Especially racehorses: they are bred to race and this effects their psyche. They are forever in pain after a break, and the imjury can actually make them go mad. It would be like us having a permanently broken back and intense pain, along with chronic depression, if our sole livelihood depended on using our back. Thus, it is actually more humane to painlessly put the animal down than subject it to a life of terminal agony.
14. Because a horse with a leg injury will often end up in excruciating pain in his feet because of other problems, such as laminitis. Imagine that you stood mainly on the nails of your fingers and toes, and then imagine that your nails ripped most of the way off... but you still had to stand on them even though they weren't well-connected to your fingers anymore. That's sort of what happens with laminitis. Horses can't lay down for extended periods of time - their bodies aren't set up for that. They MUST stand on their feet, and they MUST be able to distribute their weight evenly in order to keep blood circulating correctly and their internal organs working correctly. The biggest challenge of healing a leg injury is keeping the other legs sound while the bone heals. Barbaro's broken leg didn't kill him - in fact, the bones themselves had healed. They had to euthanize him because he developed laminitis in his other feet, and couldn't stand on them without being in long-term excruciating pain.
15. Because their just isn't that much of a market for a three legged horse ..... LOL
16. where else would you get your hamburger
17. Unlike dogs or cats, who can survive wonderfully on three legs, horses CAN'T. A horse can't hold its own weight on three legs like a dog or cat can. This goes for any horse. It is actually more humane to euthanize them, rather than letting be in pain or die slowly.
18. A horse that has broke it's let with most likely never ever be able to walk again. Not ALL race horses are treated badly after they stop racing alot of them are used for barrel racing, trail, and much more. We have had several that came off the track and they were great. Injuries are a hard thing to decide what to do..... we had the wind roll our trailer over and the horse broke its pelvic bone and e1 said he was done.... let me tell you that horse had more heart and will than I have ever seen. My daughter used him in 4-H and he was wonderful won lots of ribbons and even state.
19. no, they cannot adapt like cats and dogs do to three legs it's more cruel to keep them alive and in pain
20. No, it's not cruel. Most race horses cannot recover after broken bones, esspecially if it is their leg, because they have to stand all day on them! I think there is atually a way that you can help them, but they can never race again, and it probably cost a lot of time and money to recover them. It is sad, but everything has 2 die some day!!
21. well its not just race horses. Horses usually have a pretty bad life after an injury cause they dont have an ability to do much any more. If someone cares for them enough and has enough money they will pay for surgury, but they still will never get to really do much for the res tof their life
22. Horses are not always put to sleep after a leg injury. When I was growing up many years ago, I had a horse that had broken his leg and it heeled without much of a problem. The only time it bothered him was when the weather changed.
23. No, WHEN A HORSE IS IN PANE YOU HAVE TO PUT IT DOWN. If you where suffering u would want to die right? Thats what I thought.
24. -they put the horses with broken legs down because... they aren't able to heal properly, They may develop other complications, the horse may re injure itself, the owner does not have the money to pay for the risky surgery... They can't be kept as pets because even "pet" horse needs to be able to walk and live in comfort.......unlike other animals horses can't live on three legs because the legs can't handle the extra stress........ had barbaro lived, he was never going to race again. Instead he was going to become a "pet" and/or a stud....however, he had so many complications and pain that he could not even stand comfortably......... Now, if a race horse gets a broken leg, and someone pays to fix it, and then it heals completely, and then It can become a pet, but that doesn't really happen....