Kentucky Derby

[patandchickens]

You know, in my experience (mainly doing h/j, dressage and eventing), Thoroughbreds are NOT fragile at all.

Their legs may look thin and spindly to some, but the weight-to-surface-area ratio on their joints is actually far more favorable than that of heavier-built horses like older style warmbloods or draft types. (Because although TBs legs may look light, they also have a whole lot less body weight on 'em).

This is borne out by the observation that in three day eventing (which involves a lot of long fast galloping crosscountry) and in foxhunting (especially with fast packs), TBs on average seem to stay sounder longer better than warmbloods or other heavier legged type horses. Longer and better than *most* horses, in fact. (I only like eventing up to a point, btw, and do not get me started on what happened at Rolex KY this year

)

I agree that in the last twenty or thirty years, emphasis has been probalby too much on precocious speed and not enough on classic-type breeding with the accompanying emphasis on decent leg conformation. However I do not personally think that has nearly as much to do with the rate of breakdowns as just the basic fact that horses, who have NO WAY of knowing the consequences of their actions, are being urged to run as fast as they possibly can no matter what it may do to them. Liking to run -- and believe me, horses that do not enjoy running do not stay at the track that long -- is not the same as informed consent to the risks.

Pat, great admirer of TBs btw with two in the back paddock right now

 

[Wynette]

I can't even watch horse racing any longer. Putting a rider on a horse at 15 moths of age is just crazy! My current horse vet (who pioneered several surgical procedures at Michigan State University) used to work at a race track early in his career, and the horror stories he told me...awful. These horses are pushed way harder than they ought to be - regardless of whether they love doing it, human being are their caretakers and should know they're not ready.

I blame the industry. Even in pleasure horses, the almighty futurity horse is pushed so darn hard; and I've seen more than one horse who not only is unready physically for that hard of a push, but also psychologically - to bad long-term consequence. JMO.

 

[gritsar]

An interesting fact that I learned this morning...Barbaro and Eight Belles were related; and they were both descendants of a race horse from the late 50s (I think it was the 50s) who also suffered a devastating bone injury. Just FYI.

 

[patandchickens]

Actually gritsar, *most* racehorses are related if you go back to that time period in their pedigrees...

Just because there have been a certain number of VERY influential/popular sires, like Northern Dancer etc.

(although I should add that at least one study, I forget whether it was with TBs or Standardbreds, found no indication that inbreeding per se seemed detrimental, at least to speed. So other than reduced genetic diversity it's really not clear that this has particular bad effects; it is just the way TBs are.)

(I know someone with an off-the-track TB whose last 3 generations of his pedigree only involved something like 5 different horses total, though. Now *that's* inbreeding <g>)

Pat

 

[gritsar]

Actually the report where I learned the information was questioning whether the inbreeding that goes on was such a great idea.
Actually there were three schools of thought included: One was the inbreeding, one was questioning the jockey's handling (which I don't feel had anything to do with it) and the third was the track surface. Both injuries occured on dirt tracks. There's a push to using only synthetic tracks, but those tracks are slower than dirt; so there's some resistance to that idea.

 

[GwenFarms]

There is no question that line breeding strengthens the breed. Line breeding strengthens all breeds of livestock, includin chickens. Its a very complicated issue to explain if you have no experience with a breeding program, there has never been any question about the benefits to line breeding.

Inbreeding generally refers to the backyard breeder allowing sire to mate with offspring, or dame with offspring...you catch my drift, this is not what line breeding is. You will not find this in any professional facility.

I have a friend who breeds foundation quater horses, for example. He breeds "Hancock" horses. This means that all of his horses, including any new stock, can be traced back to the foundation stud Hancock. This is line breeding and it is what you see in the thoroughbred industry as well. It is a way of enhancing disireable features in an animal.

Inbreeding, however, is very undesirable and is not practiced on any reputable farm, much less in the million dollar race horse industry.

 

[greentree]

How many times on one pedigree do they go back to Hancock?

Nancy

 

[GwenFarms]

Some of them you can see Hancock lineage on their papers several times. You have to realize that your talking about a horse that dates back to the '20s and, while you may be thinking, thats not even a hundred years ago. These horses and their off spring were bred and then bred some more to build the AQHA, so the blood that is mingled is not closely relative, even though it is cross bred many times.

As I said it is relatively the same with thoroughbreds, as far as I know. I will admit to having only owned one thoroughbred in my life and she was a retired track horse. I have followed racing for years and found it a testament to good knowledgable breeding and training.

 

[knynrstylvr222]

Quote:
Im in college as a pre-vet student for small animal science with a minor in equine, and unfortunately since the fractures were compound and it was two legs, it would have been selfish to think they could have saved her. If it was a colt, they would have collected semen, froze it and still put the horse down. One broken leg is possible but a horse on 2 broken legs is not. I cried sooo bad too on Sunday, I had picked her as my favorite long before the race started. She was beautiful and had great potential.

 

[greentree]

Quote:
That's why I asked.... because the '20's was a long time ago, and even several times on a pedigree is VERY diluted....

Nancy