Why do they kill horses with a broken leg?
Note to readers: I have so many looking for help for their horse’s injured leg that I’ve updated the info in here. I want all the horses to get better!
When I saw the picture of Eight Belles on the ground, of course I immediately thought of Barbaro. Like so many, I cried when they finally put him down, after real efforts to save him. That’s the first horse with a broken leg I’ve ever read about that anyone tried to save. If only the LA Times had gone a big step further in their Special Report to answer…
Why do they kill a horse with a broken leg?
When I’ve looked online before to find out why they shoot horses, I found answers like, oh, horses just have to be free, they have very delicate bones, they need all 4 legs, etc. These are pretty stupid answers. I read dozens of other answers, including one that said horses are more sensitive to pain than other animals…Oh, really? That makes Mother Nature sound very cruel to our grassland friends. What purpose would that serve them in evolution?
How horses use their legs
But I think I found an answer that I can accept. Here’s the best medical answer, what I believe is the definitive answer from a commenter at Ron Mexico’s blog. And I also need to link to the wonderful commenter himself, who wrote this:
A horse has to stand or they start getting fluid build up in thier lungs (among other complications like kidney failure). They are also dependent on movement to assist in moving food through thier digestive tract. A horse has ove 120 feet of gut so intestinal blockage (severe constipation) is a major – often terminal – thing. So bedrest is out.
They can (and have) cast the leg to prevent it from bending. But the long pastern bone (which is actually analagous to the bone of your middle finger that is nearest your palm) is in over 20 pieces. An average horse weighs in the vicinity of 1000 lbs, Barbaro is probably closer to 1200 lbs. Even with the cast for lateral support, the broken (or shattered) bone still has to have the columnar strength to support 300 or more pounds. Sometimes the solution is to actually build an exoskeleton of steel starting at the shoe and screw it into the upper bones.
Just as you would not likely bleed to death from a severed finger, a horse has somewhat restricted blood supply in the lower part of its legs. With a traumatic ingury the flow is further restricted. One problem this creates is a susceptability to infection or necrosis of the damaged tissues. It is fairly well impossible to keep a horses leg completely sterile, so they are subject to some doosies of antibiotic resistant infections.
Finally she mentioned laminitis. A horse’s hoof is esentially a massive finger nail. They stand on the end of the middle finger with thier weight on the edge of the nail. The nail (called the hoof wall) is attached to the last finger bone (called the coffin bone) by a tissue layer called the lamina. If this layer becomes badly inflamed – and this can be from infection, trauma, systemic toxins, or several other issues not so much related to this case – the hoof wall begins to separate from the coffin bone and the weight of the animal drives the wedge shaped coffin bone through the sole of the foot.
Horses are really quite well designed for thier natuaral state, just as a car is well designed for road travel. Usually when a horse has an injury it is in the nature of a flat tire or even a bad bearing – with proper management they can be treated and fixed (sometimes, like our Miss Blue, they can’t be treated and the horse dies).
Equisearch talks about how horses can sleep standing up, which indicates again that horses do need to be on all four feet most of the time.
Not every horse falls asleep waiting around at a show, but all horses can sleep standing up. Your horse has a sort of internal hammock-a system of tendons and ligaments called the stay apparatus. This system lets him lock his legs in position so (unlike you) he can relax his muscles and doze off without keeling over. Even when he’s not sleeping, he uses the stay apparatus to rest muscles and reduce fatigue. Being able to sleep standing up is a great advantage for a prey animal.
(Birds have the same kind of lock-in, which is why they sleep on one leg, resting the other one.)
Some opinions from veterinarians
I am disgusted by this vet from South Africa, Dr Rob Gatley, who sounds like a happy hangman. He decides within seconds whether a horse should live or die. He shoots it immediately. He doesn’t believe in anesthesia.
And here’s an unfortunate example of why Slate thinks it’s such a great investigative journal, but really isn’t: the author interviewed 2 vets, and yet doesn’t give any explanation at all! One, a vet at Cornell explains: “a horse is not Humpty Dumpty.” There’s some great journalism for you.
Here’s a great photo of the worst kind of foolishness.From Bestweekever.tv, whatever that is. These animals are natural enemies. The horse looks too small to be carrying anything that size, and the bear is terrified.
Glenn Robertson-Smith, a vet from Australia, has an exceptionally clear explanation, and is much more positive than some of the race track vets.
…more recently metal plates, pins and screws have been used.
These implants can restore strength to the broken bone and allow horses to move about and, to some degree, use a broken limb during the healing process.
In most circumstances, a broken bone will heal and regain its strength in 12-16 weeks, but other variables such as infection or movement can slow or delay healing.
…in practical terms, the surgery or operating time should not exceed three to four hours and immediately after surgery, the horse must wake up from the anaesthetic and be able to use the repaired broken leg to stand and walk.
This requirement puts extraordinary demands on the repair and the implants and all equine surgeons have experienced the frustration and disappointment when, after hours of intricate surgery, the horse smashes its broken leg again and bends the metal implants when struggling to stand after the anaesthetic.
To try to prevent this, strong fibreglass casts are often used to help horses waking up from an anaesthetic. Nonetheless, everyone breathes a sigh of relief when it stands, as one hurdle has been passed.
Wiki is not at all helpful, but adds:
The huge costs involved to surgically repair a fracture and then rehabilitate the horse mean that it is financial suicide to attempt to save a horse with a fracture if you are not extremely wealthy.
That’s the saddest answer of all.
In another article, the Times interviews Dr. Larry Bramlage, who treated all of these (dead) thoroughbreds:
“I think we are approaching crisis on two levels,” he said. “One, a crisis in public confidence in racing. And two, I do believe we’ve disregarded durability long enough that it has become a crisis.” (I love the way he refers to the sport first, and then the horse as a commodity. Would you trust him with your horse?)
“Saving horses to be put in the field is not practical. With horse abuse and . . . human slaughter, there comes a place where you have to say the best alternative is euthanasia. If we save him, there is no one to feed him.” (What the hell is human slaughter? And are we surprised that he mentions money again? Get the hell out of my paper.)
Alternatives to help broken legs heal
To end on a positive note, Horse Health says:
Horses CAN recover from a broken leg. But because of the lack of ability to pull weight off of the leg, it is very difficult.
If you can afford slinging the horse for several months, that is one option.
The second is to basically wrap it and let it heal as is. The school did this with a horse many years ago. Has his hock shattered. They turned the hrose out for a year, brought the horse back in, horse was sound as can be! Vets can pin some fractures back together if you got the funds too.
Biggest thing it boils down to….HOw much money do you got to spend on the horse.
Well, Larry Jones, Eight Belles’ trainer, has $400,000 from her win coming in second at the Derby. Would that have been enough to save her? We’ll never know, will we.
Important books on horses’s legs and treatments
Found some books that might be helpful:
How to Use Leg Wraps, Bandages and Boots: Supportive Leg Care for Your Horse
Seems like this would be worth trying in many cases, doesn’t it?
Understanding the Horse’s Legs The author gives great details on how horses use and depend on their legs.
At the ABA I found a book that is a true story about a pony who lives with an artificial leg. I think it was a children’s book, but the publisher was too cheap, and didn’t send me a review copy of the book, and now I can’t find it.. . Found it, 3 years later! Molly the Pony: A True Story is about a pony with a fake leg, who does quite fine with her new one! I’m going to put this one on my Wish List.
The beautiful photo above of the horse on the beach is from the Animal Liberation Front, who has this photo in a much bigger format, and many more, from Hedweb.
Donna Barstow
Griffith Park is the 2nd biggest park in the US, and I'm just the person to investigate it! I've lived here for over 25 years. I was part of the PROS Committee in Griffith Park Neighborhood Council and am on the Housing & Tenants Rights Committee in the Silver Lake NC. I'm in the LA Press Club, and you can find some of my articles in the LA Weekly and the Los Feliz Ledger. I'm a cartoonist for Parade Magazine, The New Yorker, LA Times, Slate, & most major media. Questions and contacts welcome.
86 Comments
jade
it is horrible that they do this to horses if were the owners i would kill the people who were doing this to the horses.horses are eligant and loving why put a loving animal down
Horse Owner
The issue of why they put a horse down with a broken leg is never cut and dry. Some breaks are so horrendous that putting the animal is the most humane choice. Also you have to consider the quality of life for the animal if after all the time, tears and money (yes money while it isn’t something anyone likes to think about…it is a real consideration for most people in horse sport) are spent will the horse be able to spend its days without pain. I’ve seen horses that are horribly injured, treated and then sold on after they are pasture sound to be a ‘companion’ animal. Often they end up negelected, ignored and passed on time and again.
We owe more to these beautiful animals that we love with all our hearts. Sometimes there is no good choice. Barbaro was a case in point of what happens when we fight and lose that battle. If you’d seen the pictures when they took him outside to graze when they removed the cast….I cried for him. There comes a point when you have to say enough.
Sarah
They jail people for dogfighting because it hurts or kills the dogs. Shouldnt it be the same for horseracing?
Donna Barstow
Sarah,
I agree with you. But sports always have mafia-type financing with all the betting. It takes a lot of work to fight that. But I’m ready!
M jalal khan
hello dear how r u ? i like horses n i have 4 horses, 2 horses are verry smal just one year old white n black, n two r 4 n 5 years old they also white n black, the white is 4 yeras old n black r 5 years old . i m 21 years old. ok bye GOD bless u .
noone
omg i dont get that pic!
Amanda
i think we are being somewhat sentimental. Surely it is worse to subject a horse to months of suffering in the attempt to mend a break. It is ridiculously difficult to operate on a horse. The operation itself is easy compared to the prep & recovery. Horse’s cannot lie down for more than 20 mins without causing muscle or lung damage, so it is very hard to keep the limb stable for long enough. Painlessly putting a horse to sleep may be heartbreaking for the owners but it is often kinder for the horse. Barbaro was an amazing animal but he had to endure months of procedures, box rest and muscle wastage. It was admirable of his owners to try to mend the leg but in hindsight, it was misguided.
Racing is an industry, the horse’s welfare is paramount to the sport but it is still a business for the people involved, owners very rarely make any money from racing but have to pay a huge amount just for the privilage and thrill of owning a horse. When a horse breaks a leg it’s racing career is over, owners do not normally buy racehorses with the view to keeping them as pets after their career is over. This is not a sad thing, the horses are still cherished and adored – the racehorses I know have a life of luxury. They are active, fit animals, a sendentary life would not suit them. Owners have to be sensible, if a successful stallion or mare breaks a leg then it may be able to retire to stud but only if it is a very simple break.
We need to remember that although racehorses are bred to raced, they are cared for and loved. It is always devastating for everyone involved with the horse when they are destroyed but is nearly always the kindest thing.
Angela
The real reason most people kill horses with a broken leg is because the vet bill is to high so they kill their horse so it doesn’t have to suffer any more
Angela
racing horses is not a bad sport as long as the riders don ‘t hurt one anothers horses
adell
horses are my favorite animals
katie
I LOVE HORSES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! i have three and i love them all
peter
where can i by this picture
Anil
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOHHHHHH…..I LOVE HORSES A LOT AND I FEEL LOVED TOO BY THEM…..BUT NOW I AM A POOR MAN AND AM AFRAID……I WANT TO STAKE MONEY ON HORSES…NAH NAH NAH….NOT WILLINGLY BUT THRU SHEER NECESSITY TO BE ABLE TO FEED MY SELF AND MY LOVING FAMILY…..OH OHO OHO OHO OHHHH AHHHH………..I HAVE TRIED IT A LITTLE 25 YEARS BACK…..WANT TO KNOW IF ANY THING THAT WILL HELP TO WORK…..
CHEERS
tiffany
that pic looks so rong cant beleve its on here
Donna Barstow
I don’t understand you, tiffany.
siyamadi
Beautifulll horses
emma
ok, the horse -pony- is not too small to carry sumthng tht size. the bear probly wieghs….. wat? 200 ponds? MAYBE 250…..tht pony weighs about 750-850….a horse tht size can hold about 850-1000 depending on their weight….. and can pull up to twice their body weight,..,.so the size fo the bear is not important. this is a 100% inhumane worng peicee of shyt tht dumb ppl do who have no lives and will go to hell. the bear looks TERRIFIED and the horse looks twice tht bad. this is wrong. it makes me want to but mad bears on these ppl’s backs. -emma a 7th grader in w.i. who loves horse and has been riding since 3 y.o., and training professionally since age 9. thnx plz dnt hate, ?
emma
and for sarah wayyy at the top: gambling is a sin, sins r forgiven. only bad trainers r inhmane to their racehorses….. 40% of race trainers have never used illegal drugs or practise of any sort on thier or anyone elses horses. i have riding around 14 racehorse in my 13 years….. and 4 of them had bad trainers. but the other 10 were loved and pampered, not mistreated or hurt…….the most pain theyv gone through is a bite or kick from an ornery horse in a paddock, or MBYE thrush….half the ppl commentdnt knw wat tht is tho. ITS NT THE KIND PPL GET, K? email me w ur opinions or questions…ik alot bout the situation: ermajean2445@hotmail.com
emma
and wow amanda i couldnt of sayd it any better! who says less is more?! tell it how it is!
meriam.neri
I LOVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVEEEEEEEEEEEE HORSEEESSS THEY ARE THE BEST…………………………………………..I LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOVVVVVVVVVVEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE YUO HORSEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEETYYYYYYYYYYYY
Josie
I <3 LOVE HORSES! I don't really know why, but THEY SHOULD STOP!
Josie
I THINK THEY SHOULD STOP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I <3 HORSES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Josie
I LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE HORSES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
blythe
hey this is so torcher
Karim
I’ve never been around a horse before, but I do have pets and I do care about animals.
IMO prolonging the life of a horse to die in old age if it’s highly probably or certain that it would never have the quality of life it deserves is inhuman for the horse.
Any animal if it becomes sevely injured and receives a broke leg, whether it is a buffalo or a wild horse will be exposed to predators and would almost certainly die.
Horses are running animals, and a horse who cannot run will almost certainly have one of it’s primary purpose in life taken away from him. I support the euthanisation of an animal in this case.
Kaylie
I love horses ….
Donna Barstow
Karim,
Where to begin?
I’m curious: do you also advocate euthanization of people if they are old and not able to walk well? We are primarily running animals, too. However, both our purpose and a horse’s purpose is not to run, it’s to survive and do well unto others and express love. All animals, ALL animals want to survive more than anything. I feel sure of this.
Anonymous
it is not far to kill a horse with a brocken leg if u just put something on it so they cant bened it and keep them in a stabble of some waer drie where they dont really hav to move to get food or water
so thhat is what i think of what u should do with a brocken leg
A.D
amberley
i lov horses i hav a breed wich most peoole say i hav not herd of she is a quarab
Anonymous
I love my horses and this is great
Sydney
I love horses as well and agree that there are many problems in the racing industry. Speaking on the problem of broken legs, though, I disagree with some of your conclusions that people should always try to save their badly injured horse. Though not all broken legs are fatal, some are just too bad for the horse to survive, and keeping them alive would only extend their suffering. Horses are surprisingly delicate animals, despite their size and strength…and I’ve known several horses that were put down because of severe injury; though the owner was sobbing and holding the animal till the end, they knew it was the right thing to do. Sometimes it is better to give them a kind death, than to draw out what will only be agonizingly painful to no end. If my horse was injured and I believed there was not really a chance for recovery, I would ask them to put him down, and I would be by his side as he died…sad because I would miss him, but that its better than him living a few weeks or a month longer in terrible pain, isn’t it?
Angie
Okay, to everyone who wasted their time by simply typing that you love horses, I’m sure that many people do. Which is why we have to choose to put them out of their misery. When a horse injures it’s leg, it’s freedom to move around are taken from it. The right thing to do in this situation is dependant entirely on the specific case.
To Donna Barstow:
Humans and Horses are hardly comparable, but since you wish to catagorize them together, very well. Many people consider horses as their children, and if your child were say in a coma, with no hope of ever leading a pain-free life again (whether physical, phsycological, or emotional pain), many people have had to pull the plug on them. A horse who doesn’t have the ability to move around is often susceptable to other complications and diseases, but they might as well be in a coma for the rest of their life, for they usually are unable to run, jump, or be ridden ever again. Neither one of these choices are easy to make, and neither one is taken lightly.
So, I support the euthanization of horses with broken legs, WHEN the case calls for it. I do NOT agree with putting down an animal simply because of financial problems, nor do I condone shutting down racetracks simply because horses have been injured during races. To move this logic to another feild, should we ban all sports, and physical activities, because of the risk of injuring yourself? if that were the case, nobody would be able to cook, eat, sleep, use electricity, take baths, or ride a bike, because you could: get burnt, suffocate on your pillow, get electricuted/catch fire, drown, or get hit by a car.
Just a thought.
Bhargav Visave
like hourse riding
Genevieve
Sarah and Donna Barstow, dog fighting isn’t a good analogy to use against horse racing. In dog fighting, the very point is to see as much violence as possible. The reason why horse racing sees so many injured animals these days is because people are just bad at breeding animals. Mother nature is the best breeder in the world. Wild animals are made to survive and they are made STURDY. Look at any mustang, brumby, or wild ass and you will see stout bodies with short, thick legs, sturdy joints, and great big feet that are hard as rocks.
Thoroughbred breeders, however, breed for a light frame that won’t bog the horse down while running, and powerful muscles that will carry the horse past the finish line much faster than any horse in nature. The thing is, race horses are being bred much more powerful than their slender frames and weak feet can handle. An animal should never just shatter a leg from running in a straight line on flat turf. In the wild you might see a horse break a limb by taking a bad fall or getting it caught in something, but never from natural movement on solid ground. Yet it’s such a common thing in racing.
So if you’re going to fight something, fight the bad breeding practices that many racehorse farms use. No animal anywhere should be bred like that. I would also fight the age at which they race horses. Many are started under saddle before they turn two years old and they begin racing a few months before their second birthday. Horses are not fully developed until they’re 4-6 years old and extensive riding and work before that age can cause permanent damage.
If you were to successfully ban horse racing throughout the country or even one state, here are the results you might see: horse racing farms all over would lose money and they would be forced to get rid of most or all of their animals. These horses would go up for sale but because race-bred Thoroughbreds are a dime a dozen in America and tend to be much more high-strung and prone to injury than just about any other horse breed, most of the animals would either end up going to auction where they would probably get sold to slaughter, or they would just go straight to a slaughterhouse in Canada.
Fix the industry, but don’t get rid of it. Many horses whose lives depend on the success of their owners’ business will thank you.
Danielle
In owning a horse for some time, I can understand the conclusion that some make that all horses should be saved…. regardless of injury.
But, to the people making that comment… you obviously don’t understand horses that well.
As strong and powerful as they are… they can become fragile in a heartbeat.
They were born to be on four legs…
Four working legs. I’ve seen one horse (A smaller one mind you… survive with just three legs)
If you saw a video of Eight Belles… crashing to the ground… and what the leg looked like after wards….
And, had owned a horse at any time….
You wouldn’t agree to keeping the animal alive. Sometimes you have to think with your head… not your heart.
And people aren’t the same as horses. We can get around fine with wheelchairs, canes…. *ell, no legs at all.
How you can make a comparison between the two is beyond me.
A person you can talk to after they wake up from surgery… they understand human…
The horse wakes up… and all *ell can break lose.
I fully support putting the animal down…. over trying all heroic measures for an injury that will most likely never heal properly.
The bigger solution is to do away with horse racing… or to have higher standards when breeding racing horses.
Hailey
well i love horses i have 2 about to get another one. The are great animals that have a right to live just like we do. Im going to be a vet when i get older and when they arnt that hurt and they say put them down i wont ill buy it from the people and ill keep it and save it. They are beautiful beautiful animal that I LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE TO DEATH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Hailey
Danielle how could you say that if you treat the hurt part right then it will be ok i HATE HATE HATE PEOPLE WHO SAY PUT THE HORSE DOWN ITS SO MEAN WHAT IS I WAS HURT OR U WERE HURT WOULD YOU WANT THEM TO KILL YOU IF YOU WERE A HORSE!!!!!!!
Vanessa Breaux
On August 15, 2010 (Sunday 6:55am)
One of the Herd & Family’s closest horse was in a car accident. We believe it was foul play, as we approached the crime scene of our beloved young mare of 5 years young. A young horse full of life and love, lay there still and cold. After crying herself sick, of the horrid situation…hands bloody and distraught the Cowgirl Mom frantically retraced any and all footsteps.
The horses were reported to have kicked the boards down. All three of them that were tightly secured with nails and screws on each end. No trace of hoof marks from any of our 16h.h. 1500lb horses. What a coincidence that they lay one on top of the other.
Searching on we found a bail of hay that had been “pulled down by the horses”. The Bails were stacked 6 high one on top of each, and couldn’t have possibly been dragged 6ft in front. Why were our hay hooks on the ground, out of place from our visit last night? Why is there a hammer slightly hidden under hay shavings.
The road is about 100 yards away from the main horse gate. And why is there fresh hay led to the road?
A speeding driver on a road that permits only 35mph struck a well fed 1600lb beloved mare. Leaving the vehicle, as it was towed..and getting a ride from a friend he was released from a CHP.
The CHP had shot the horse as soon as he arrived on scene. Without contacting the Cowgirl. Without knocking on the door which was right infront of him. Dragged our horse…our family member..and then contacted us. Accident occured around 6a.m….Cowgirl contacted at 7:30. Still no word from the suspicious driver.
>>>WHAT DO WE DO?!?! IS THERE A CASE HERE?!?! <<<<<<Aside from the sentimental value of our little mare, she was 5 y.o. and could have easily been sold for over $10,000. Papers, genetics, and all.
>It’s not his decision to shoot our horse
>Was this a set-up?
>Is the driver allowed to be released?
Our mare had road rash..and one clean broken tibia of her rear right leg…
RIP LITTLE BIT
Any helpful information please contact me
aqureus07@comcast.net
mads
i luv horses
paddyeagle
i have 6 hoarse and i love them all x.
p.s
i would tell u what they all l;ook like but i cba
happyface
they shouldn’t do anything but help them. but, sometimes it puts the horse out of it’s misery.
Horse Researcher
Jade, at the beginning of this list, I don’t think you would want to kill those people who are killing the horses. You may not be aware of it, but, they are putting those horses out of their misery. Horses with broken legs either lay there dying slowly and painfully. So, the people put the horses out of their misery by shooting them. Horses can’t do anything but lay there when they have a broken leg. Sometimes, things are for the best intentions.
Equine science Student
Im totally amazed at how thought less and uneducated the high majority of comments on here are!!
You are happy to prolong the pain of a suffering animal, that’s cruel and for what, you own self righteousness, happiness,Love, Compassion, you feel like you are saving a creature from its end?!
In modern society we treat animals like humans a broken leg for an equine in many cases is fatal ( they dont usually break like a human leg, they snap, clean in half), even if left to heal for a considerable length of time the likely hood of it re breaking is extremely high, the horses fore limb bone structure and position means that how they stand naturally is the equivalent to us walking around on our tip toes their 1st lateral digits ie our toes is their hoof, all their weight is forced down through the legs on to a small Surface area,this great weight is rarely able to be held by a bone after a break.
So can you please explain to me how your going to then prevent your horse, who has a healed broken leg from trotting and cantering around and re breaking its leg?? Oh Stable it or keep it in a small fenced paddock… i hear you say… what a lovely full life that will be, A HORSE IS ‘A HORSE’, IF IT CAN NO LONGER BE A HORSE,what quality of life does it have. If a vet says its the end.. its true, they are not going to put it down unnecessarily!! they are there to be level headed and do whats right for the animal in question!
I LOVEE HORSES i lovee horses I LOVE HORSES,NEVER PUT THEM DOWN…
BECAUSE I WANT IT TO BE IN PAIN,HOBBLE ROUND FOR THE REST OF ITS LIFE, UNABLE TO SOCIALISE IN CASE IT GETS INJURED BY ANOTHER HORSE…UNABLE TO TROT AROUND ITS PADDOCK, UNABLE TO ENJOY ITS LIFE..because it will make me feel better… The naivety of people ..SICKENING!
And to all those ‘horsey’ people who look at the poor pony carrying the bear.. that horse isnt scared, look in its eyes, there’s no fear..there’s nothing..not even an emotion, its dead on the inside!!
Love horses but dont put their welfare after your own sentimentality and feelings!!
Donna Barstow
You sound like a person who’s already given up, Equine Science Student. I hope you don’t graduate to be a vet with that bad attitude.
Miracles happen every day.
Genevieve
No, Donna. Equine Science Student has had experience in the real world. That’s the difference. Those who don’t have that experience with the very things we’re talking about are the ones giving unrealistic anecdotes.
HorseExpert
When horses break their leg they don’t always get put down like a horse at my yard broke his leg and didn’t get put down because if they break their leg below a bit higher than the knee they don’t get put down but above, well, they have a small chance because of all the ligerments and muscles…
HorseExpert
Equine student, I look deep in the eyes and you know what i see RED IN THE EYES the horse is looking behind at the bear and has white and red behind the pupils and don’t say i’m wrong i’m a horse whisperer i can tell i’ve been working at vets as a horse whisperer for 20 years so longer than you studying…
Mary P
I have wondered if they could build the 3 good legs up like putting thick shoes on the hooves of the good legs and then put a support frame on the broken leg somehow attached around and under the chest and shoulders that could keep the leg off the ground but support the weight of the body while the leg is mending in it’s cast or bandages. I do not know much about horses but surely some YOUNG PERSON could invent a way to save all these horses from being destroyed.
I found the article about MOLLY when I just typed in…Horses with broken legs or something like that and there were several articles.
COPIED from online….Summary of the eRumor:
‘Pictures and a story of Molly, a horse that survived hurricane Katrina in Louisiana but lost a leg to infection after a dog attack. It’s a story of survival and Molly is now being used as a source of inspiration to people in shelters and hospitals.’
The Truth:
According to media reports, including an article in the New York times from May 16, 2006, this is true.
Now this is just from me…
Our son as a youngster used to ride bareback near the motorcamp we used to stay at and he could RIDE LIKE THE WIND and his longish hair (those days) streaming out behind…and the poem is how I could see the horse too .
AND my Poem Dedicated to these beautiful Creatures/Animals/Beasts/Horses.
‘A Stallions’ Song’
With a toss of his head and a shrilling neigh
Into the dawn he’s out and away.
Thundering hooves on the watcher’s ear.
Rush of the wind through his flowing mane,
He shrills excited…out on the terrain.
Then stretches wide, his magnificent stride.
Snorting nostrils steam the air,
Moisture gleaming his rippling skin.
Naught this morn to reign him in.
He’s free as the breeze
That whisps through the trees
And the gulls that cry
To the endless sky.
With the sun just rising to paint the horizon.
Does this Colt shrill a Stallion’s song
As he gallops and gallops and gallops along?
Mary Louise Patterson December 2006
Mary P
http://www.truthorfiction.com/rumors/m/molly.htm
here’s the site with pictures about Molly the Horse AND her artificial leg !!!
horselover
I LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE everything that has to do with HORSES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!=):)=)
Taylor and Autumn
We absolutely loved your wonderful photo of the bear and the horse!!!!! we couldn’t stop laughing :D it is FUNNY :D Where did you find the photo and how the heck bear get on the horse???!!!!! :)
Taylor and Autumn
URRG YOU ARE SUPPOSED TO PUT OUR THINGY MAJIGER ON THE HORSE PHOTO WEBSITE!!!!
Taylor and Autumn
We are so sorry! WE were messing around on the typing area and we accidentily typed that. By the way love horses i have 5 of them right now
mckayla
why are people so cruel cant there be a law about hurting horse
Donna Barstow
Good point, HorseExpert.
KERRY
Not all horses are put down because of a broken leg. I read an article that said if the fracture is not straight across i.e. a spiral fracture like in skiing, there is bone on each side to pin to the overlapping other side. Straight across fractures are unpromising. It will heal in approximately six weeks and then you need to recondition the animal’s muscles and re-stretch the tendons via use just like a human.
The temperament is important. Some horses will tolerate a sling during initial healing, others go crazy although many are kept drugged to keep them calm until they learn.
The horse is strong and healthy when it happened so he is less likely to colic.
The owner has the money and access to a hospital or has someone to help with home care while the horse is suspended from a very strong barn beam with the proper sling in a stall.
equisearch.com/horses_care/health/illnesses_injuries/equinebones_111505/
And Japanese researchers have discovered that injecting specially designed “microspheres” containing basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) directly into the fetlock joints of horses with defects in their distal cannon bones results in enhanced bone regeneration and healing. The microspheres served as biodegradable drug carriers, designed to continuously release bFGF, which is known to enhance bone metabolism and induce vascularization and bone regeneration.” the healing time might be even shorter.
The vet actually knows this has been done already.
KERRY
P.S. Turns out even the horizontal fractures can now be fixed by putting an internal stabilizing into the bone such as a rod until the bone knits again. Amazing.
Press
Eight Belles couldn’t be saved. She broke BOTH of her front legs.
Welcome
I just ran across the photo of the bear on the back of the horse while searching for something horse related. I just wanted to point out that if you look closely to the bear you will see that there is a large “piercing” in its nose as well as a rope hanging from it. Also, all teeth are missing from the bears mouth. All this is done when the bear is young and taken from the mother. A hot poker is rammed through the bears nostril and all the teeth are ripped from its mouth with no sort of anesthesia. Also, often times there nails/claws are removed (also done with no anesthesia). Bears are then used for horrific “entertainment” such as the picture you have posted as well as a practice called “bear dancing” which is when the rope is pulled and causes discomfort and therefore makes the bear standup. This practice is generally done in villages in India. Another practice that is done in Pakistan to these helpless bears is called “bear baiting” where the bears are tethered to the ground and trained fighting dogs are unleashed to attack and mutilate the bears as hundreds of people stand around to watch.
As an animal lover and extreme horse enthusiast myself, it absolutely appalls me that there would be such action that is done (bear on horses back) in this day and age, but it tears at my heart to know what is done to the bears. I’m sure this is a picture that was derived from Pakistan but to know that people look at this picture and think “oh, that’s hilarious!” or “that’s cool” is pretty sad.
Kym Lee
I appreciated your blog comments. The equine industry is so vast and amazing, and yet the animal is often misunderstood. It walks the line between domesticated pet and livestock – and not many realize the differences. There are good products that support the hoof capsule almost as an external fixator, that can allow a horse to bear weight on the foot while a leg is being treated. The horse needs to bear weight so the foot can act as a necessary pump to restore blood flow up the leg. There is a good animated video on the website for the Nolan Hoof Plate called “Why It Works” that explains how the hoof functions in a healthy and unhealthy state, and how the external fixation the product provides can help – non-invasively. If there was more awareness of a product like this Barbaro might still be with us!
Donna Barstow
Welcome, thank you for that info on bears. I did a bear cartoon about how they keep bears in cages in China for their WHOLE LIFE, with a shunt permanently inserted into its belly for this useless Chinese pretent medicine. The bear groans as the bile is pulled out. Will post a link here when I upload it.
No, I don’t think it’s hilarious or cool. I didn’t notice what you did, but thought it was a terrible example of 2 enemies together.
Donna Barstow
Kym, Thanks, will check that out. How wonderful that people are still working on this problem.
Raptor
Since dogs can survive with 3 legs, why not horses?
Kym Lee
I found your blog while stubling through google images last summer and replied to a post back in August. Since then, you along with a few of our customers, have inspired me to give back, so we started an equine rescue donation program to help save the 28,000+ horses that are euthanized each year in the US alone due to a condition of the hoof called laminitis. It is the ultimate killer of Barbaro. Once a horse gets laminitis in the hoof, they cannot bear weight and have to transfer the heavy load disporportionately to the other feet. This causes the delicate internal structures of the hoof to be disrupted, the coffin bone to rotate and the horse to no longer be able to stand (hence why you can’t have a three legged horse!). I hope you will share this video with your audience and encourage them to visit our rescue program under Nolan Hoof Plate on facebook. http://www.facebook.com/#!/TheNolanHoofPlate?sk=app_214914035235331
Thanks for the inspiration!
Kym
http://youtu.be/Wap2oyijcFg
Micah
Obviously you are just a bunch of tree huggers and no nothing about horses. It is much to expensive to TRY and save a horse with a broken leg. Even if it can be fixed they will never be the same. Stick to things you know about.
Jabert
Completely agree with Micah there. Seriously I thought I was reading a 12-year horse lover kid whining who would sacrifice half the world’s starving human population to save any cute animal from dying and would believe it’s the right thing to do to torture an animal for years by making it hobble around injured in pain because someone think it’s too cute to be put out of its misery after a serious injury.
Emma C.
All of the information is totally helpful. I new that horses needed to stand but what I didn’t know was the certain reason and you just told me right here. About the fluid build up in the lungs and the kidney failure too.
Donna Barstow
There will always be people like Micah, who say it’s too expensive. What is the cutoff amount, Micah? Do you pay anything to buy your horse, or do you steal it? Do you only give him a little bit to eat, because it costs too much?
Donna Barstow
Jabert, what does cute have to do with it? You adopt an animal, you better as hell be responsible for its health, and LIFE.
Also, if you had a broken leg, would you be in pain for the rest of your life? Or should we just execute you?
Bill Frich
@Raptor
Since people can survive with no legs, why not horses?
Realist
Been around many horses that have suffered the fractures which shatter their legs, lady?
Do you understand AT ALL the pain that these animals go through between the time when the joints within their limbs are destroyed almost completely and the time when they are put out of their misery?
Go and hunt down a few genuine scans of legs that belong to those animals whose owners, or scumbag benefactors, actually DID try, out of stupidity, misplaced affection for their ‘pet’, or predatory financial concern over their expensive investment, to save – and i use the term for want of something better – the horse in question.
If you were genuinely capable of comprehending the suffering they endure after the violence and destruction which ensues both during and after a breakage, you would remove not only most of the drivel you have written heretofore but would, as someone who may, and again i must use the term loosely, MAY, then be considered to be a genuine lover of animals and horses in particular.
I very much doubt this, to be quite frank, as you sound like some kind of moron. May God save horses from humans, but moreover, may he or she rescue them from misinformed idiots such as you.
Taylor and Autumn are Retards
You can tell from the way they talk and spam.
why can’t we kill these morons instead of the innocent horses? there’d at least be less dumbasses in the world…
Cellie
Cost: $5000 for surgery, $5000 for aftercare for a major break.
Yes, it’s possible horses can go back even to full work after a fracture. A full break is a lot more difficult and painful. There are great drugs to help with the pain. There are even artificial limbs for horses, but there are many factors to consider, including the temperment and size of the horse, as well as where the break is (must be lower limb).
The only real answer is there are no simple answers.
Sanam.hoese
Hi I love horses and im fram iran-tehran
I heit kill horses
Sanam.horse
I love horses and i heit killllll horses vely
Im fram teran- iran
Sanam.horse
Why they kill horses its toooo sade poor horses
anyone
Too me it depends on what the owner of the horse wants to do with THERE animal if they want to fix the injury they can fix it if they want to put it out of it’s misery they can. The people who want to put the animal out of it’s misery might no want to take created if the horse is in pain all the time and a horse on drugs to stop the pain isn’t normal for it’s life and they might not want to live with a horse that is always in pain or needs drugs regularly. They also might not have 10,000 dollars just laying around to save there horse witch is completely fine because NOT every one is made out of money, and yes it’s very sad that the horse has to be put down but some times it’s for the best.
Now the people who want to save there horse that is also fine i mean they love there horse and horses can be pets too. If they have the money to pay for the horse to get fixed then they can i mean they can work something out for paying off the money. I guess what i’m trying to say is the owner can fix the horses leg or they can put it down it’s there chose. We can say way did you put down your horse you could have fixed it’s leg or You have to put it down because it’s got a broken leg. Say as much as it you like. but it’s there life and there horse.
Donna Barstow
We also have the choice to put down people who spend their lives on meds or have broken legs. Most of the time we choose not to. Choice should be ethical, not based on ignorance or cheapness.
Mokrane
Very nice.
Mokrane
Horse rider for life
I don’t get why people are soooooo cruel it makes me mad that people would do that to the horses…. I have 2 horses and don’t think I would be anywhere without them they are my whole world!!!
roslyne wyllie
Not a reply but as you have such wonderful horse photos I just wanted to ask:
I’m an artist who loves painting horse.
Can I paint your black beauty please….. I feel I need permission for this and would appreciate it.
Thank you
Kind regards
Roz
Horse Owner
I realize this may not be popular knowledge but when we had a sick foal, just ill, no broken bones, it would have been $7,500 for 10 days of hospital care. We got it down to $5,000 because we did the 24 hour care with him. Removing and reataching his oxygen and IV. when needed and syringe feeding him.
This wasn’t cheap but we love our horses so we did it.
Now a broken leg? For a foal the prognosise is possible because of the lighter weight but you are still looking at maybe $5,000 surgery then hospital time. This could be many weeks, say it was by some miracle without complications? I saw somewhere about 14 to 16 weeks to heal, we bring the weekly rate down to $2,500 X 10 weeks till we can take him home, $25,000, plus atibiotics, pain killers and vet care, say another $10,000 in that time.
$40,000 dollars is a low estimate with no complications. The horse will have to stand on it’s broken leg the entire time and at the end there is no guaruntee it will survive.
I don’t honestly know what I would do in this situation if I had a vet telling me the horse would be suffering in great pain and probably die anyway, I love my horses and it would be a terrible choice to make.
As a last thing, for the horse to have the weight off the foot on one side it has to have the weight on the other, I challenge you to stand with your weight on the one leg for a few hours and then think about doing that for weeks.
Donna Barstow
Absolutely, Roz! And if you’d like, I’ll include it in this post, when you’re done.
Donna Barstow
Thanks for this, horse owner. I’m going to write a new post: Horse owners aren’t always horse lovers. I’ve seen a lot of what you say on Facebook. But everyone knows vets cost a lot – I’m sure you thought about that when you bought each of your horses.
Of course, the treatment would have to be carefully considered, as well as the price – you’re right, some treatments don’t seem to have good recovery at all. Others are better.
Btw, I’m not a horse. Think about a bird on 2 legs for its whole life, except for a few minutes of flying. It sleeps on one leg. Many animals stand all day long – makes me tired just thinking about it. And the loss of one leg temporarily to a 4 legged animal would be different than one to a 2-legged – math, and all that.
Romosmummy9
I was faced with the decision of what to do with my horse last year when he fractured his pastern bone. He was a 2 year old TB who just had a “Bad step” when he was galloping out after his timed work. He was bred and raised to be a racehorse, and in one unlucky moment his life, let alone his career, was suddenly in serious danger. I had a 50% partner at the time, and the email I received that day (I was out of town on a vacation when his injury occurred) basically said “Vet’s say prognosis for recovery is poor even with surgery. Best thing is to put him down now rather than just having to put him down after the surgery.”
Needless to say that was a heartless and devastating message to receive for someone as emotional and quick to get attached to animals as I tend to be. This injury came two months into a very uncomfortable situation with the partner that was initiated by their absolutely horrible unethical action regarding another horse they owned in partnership with a very good friend of mine. They tried to remove our co-owned horse from his trainer’s barn without my knowledge or consent, and this was just days after asking me to give them a buyout offer for their share. I had no intention of letting my horse go, and so I dug in my heels and kept him where he was, safe as he could possibly have been. Now he was injured in a no-fault bad luck accident.
Fortunately I had already heard the news of the injury in a much kinder way when my friend who trained and groomed him had called me to inform me. I spoke to her, I spoke to the vets, and I shed many tears trying to come to the decision that would be right for the horse. Yes, the prognosis was poor, he may not survive surgery, he may panic when he work from the anesthetic and re-injure himself, meaning he’d end up being euthanized anyway, he may live his days in pain, leading me to have to make a choice later on whether his quality of life was worth continuing. There were many things that could happen that would be bad, and a few that would be good, but the likelihood of his being a riding horse let alone a racehorse was in serious doubt. Still I knew he was young, he was strong, and he had the potential to live three decades of life. I didn’t feel like I could live with myself if I didn’t at least try to give him that. I had taken the responsibility of his life and welfare, and I didn’t feel like I would have done right by him just to not even try.
He was shipped out to the Equine Veterinarian that day, and several Vets, including one of the track Vets, performed the surgery to insert three screws into the fractured bone. I later went in and got a digital copy of the xrays from before, during and after the surgery and learned that it had actually been a double fracture. One was a hairline fracture down the centre of the pastern bone, the other was an angled full break that went almost to the edge of the bone. He came within less than an inch of having that wedge-shaped chunk of bone separate from the rest. I don’t know what could have been done had it separated completely, but I am most thankful it didn’t.
After having the surgery done he spent the next 5 days at the Veterinary barn being monitored 24 hours a day. When I visited him on the Monday after his injury (which had occurred on a Wednesday) he was already able to lie down and stand up. The next day he went to my friend`s home to spend the next several months recovering. After about 10 days the track Vet came to remove the cast and check the leg. He said he wouldn’t have believed the horse had suffered the injury he had if he hadn’t seen it himself. He advised that after about 2-3 months of absolute stall rest we could allow turnout in a small paddock.
It was about 2 months before he was first allowed any real freedom from his stall. My friend took the extra precaution of spending the next month walking him by hand in a small paddock. She wanted to ensure that he was kept safe and didn’t go too crazy with his first taste of freedom after spending two months bored in his stall. The vet kind of laughed and rolled his eyes when he heard what she’d done, but at the end of month three he again commented how amazingly well the horse was progressing and said he should be put in another stall with a small narrow paddock and he should have the freedom to come and go from his stall as he chose.
Watching him jumping, bucking, kicking and squealing was enough to make my heart stop on several occasions. I was so terrified he would have another misstep, or slip, or do something to reinjure himself. But he (and I) managed to survive and continue to improve over the next several months. The magic number we were told by the vet would be six months. At that point we could re-X-ray and figure out how he’d healed and what his future would hold.
It actually ended up being more like 8 months before we got the vet out again to check on our boy. He came out, did the x-rays, and delivered the results to the trainer the next morning. The X-rays were absolutely clear, with no sign of either fracture, no joint issues, no arthritis, and the only way to know anything had happened was the presence of the screws. We put the horse in for training/conditioning with a woman who had worked with several other racehorses, and then a bit over a month later he was back at the track. This was around Mid-May.
He’s been back at the track now for about six weeks, and he is absolutely thriving. He loves having a “job” again, and he is just thrilled to be able to get out there and run. He has done several official works now, and on the last two he had the fastest recorded time. He went in company and left the other horses behind with little to no effort. He is extremely proud of himself, and thinks he’s got to be about the best boy ever.
Now we’re not talking about some million dollar stud, or even a one-hundred thousand dollar bloodline. He was bought for $2000 at the yearling sale, and he was gelded about two months before his injury. (Which is actually what set off the drama and bs with the other owner) He was just my baby. The personable little gelding who worked his way into my heart and made me defy reason, logic, and probably common sense just to give him a chance to live. I stood up to the pressure of his other owners when they tried to manipulate me into selling him to them. I stood in the face of their rudeness, arrogance, and condescension, and I dug in my heels and refused to let them win. Whether they stayed as half-owners or eventually gave into me and sold their share, I refused to let them beat me. And I refused to let the reality of what often happens to injured horses stop me from following my heart and taking a chance.
It just so happens that in this situation I won. Or perhaps I should say *he* won. He had the strength to survive and endure, and even thrive. He is more mature, and I believe much stronger than he was last year, both physically and mentally. Because of the work of the vets, and of my friends and everyone involved in the barn, he was given the chance to make it. And make it he has. Now the possibility of a race in a month or two is there. We always said we were not going to rush him, we were going to give him as much time as he ended up needing to get him back safely and with as much strength and as much of a chance of being successful as we could give him. Turns out he didn’t need as much time as we thought he might.
I’m not offering this up saying every injured horse, or even every injured racehorse, should be given the same chance. There are so many variables to every situation, and each one has to be taken individually.
With Barbaro his people did so much to try to save his life, and in the end they had to make the horrible decision to end it when his quality of life was declining. With Eight Belles suffering such severe injury to both her legs it would likely have been extremely painful and cruel to put her through surgery and attempt to keep her alive.
In 1975 an amazing three year old filly named Ruffian suffered an injury to her right leg. From Wikipedia – “Ruffian was in front by half a length when both sesamoid bones in her right foreleg snapped. Vasquez tried to pull her up, but the filly wouldn’t stop. She went on running, pulverizing her sesamoids, ripping the skin of her fetlock and tearing her ligaments until her hoof was flopping uselessly. Vasquez said it was impossible for him to stop her. She still tried to run and finish the race.” She was immediately tended by vet staff, they performed the surgery to repair her leg, and put on a cast to protect it. When she woke from the anesthetic she thrashed around on the floor in a panicked state, as prey animals often do, and ended up shattering her other “elbow” as well as reinjuring the right leg. (Full description is on her Wiki page, but it is quite graphic and disturbing.)
So even when horses are not immediately “destroyed” after suffering a leg break there are so many dangers in the situation that it is hard to make the choice to attempt to save, or to end their suffering quickly. There are people out there at every level of racing, and in every type of horse ownership, from pleasure, to racing, to show, and so on, that do everything and anything they can to preserve a horse’s life if it is at all possible. But when they make the horrible, difficult choice to end a life I can assure you that it is not likely a choice they made lightly. And even if it may seem like they look, say “broken leg, kill it”, and move on, that is really not likely the case.
The opinions of Micah and Jabert are disturbing to me. To reduce the value of an animal to strictly dollars and cents is unthinkable to me. I accept that it’s done, but I believe it is to the detriment of people with that attitude. Animals in general are so much more than what they can give you financially. Pets give us nothing but bills, so if we’re talking about cost vs. payoff, I guess nobody should have dogs, cats, or any strict pet, as it’s too costly to care for them through their lives with no chance of payback? I hope I never come to think that way…. And no, of course nobody wants to put their horse through pain and suffering, hobbling around, and so on. But the mindset of “it’s a broken leg, there’s nothing you can do it’ll never be pain free again” is wildly inaccurate. I believe it’s also what the author of this article was trying to speak against.
Although I guess I do have to admit that Micah was right. My boy is not the same as he was pre-injury. He’s better. He came through an awful situation and is stronger mentally than he was before. He endured a lot of turmoil, but he has overcome his challenge and is now happy, healthy, and absolutely pain-free. He was bored and impatient when he was going through his recovery. He wanted to be doing *something*, and once he finally had a “job” to do he blossomed and is just thrilled with his life, and thrilled with himself.
I do apologize for going on so long here. I just wanted to share my personal story, show that not everyone is all about business in the racing world in particular, even when the horse isn’t some million dollar champion. And to offer my opinion that even when it may seem like people make “rash” decisions or give up too soon, it may just be that they are more informed of the details of the injury, the nature of their particular horse, and the risks of pursuing the option to save than an outsider. Thanks for the article Donna. :)
Donna Barstow
Wow, what an incredible success story, Romosmummy9! I love it! Thank you so much for sharing!
It took courage, patience, and trust in God to let this horse heal.