Blog

Eight Belles, May 8

Horseracing—Is it cruel?

By Shelley Mickle

Horseracing is once again on the hot seat. And that makes me crazy. You see, I both love and hate horseracing. I am addicted to watching the poetry of horses in motion and yet hate the physical risk of racing. And nothing has recently brought the issue home like the recent Kentucky Derby, when we watched the death of the beautiful filly Eight Belles on the race track. I admit, just thinking about Eight Belles today makes me still feel sick. And I force myself to ask over and over again, is horseracing cruel?

But, is it realistic to think we humans would ever give up contests of speed? I don’t think so. No doubt in the time of the Romans, if two men met at a crossroads on horseback, one would say, “Bet mine’s faster than yours.” Frankly, witnessing the speed and power of a horse racing at ground-thundering speed is heart-pumping exciting. Feel that once and you want to feel it again. It’s actually like being in the presence of one of the earth’s greatest mysteries. There’s something primeval and awe-inspiring about it. Some people climb mountains. Others watch horses race. There’s nothing wrong with that. In fact, I think experiences such as this remind us of our own size and limitations.

And to understand how much thoroughbreds themselves love speed, just stand beside a pasture and watch a couple of youngsters go at it. And, I’ve never seen a foal come out of a pasture without a scar of some kind. They will run and wrestle and race without any encouragement from us.

So okay, contests of speed are here to stay and are natural. And from this desire, the horseracing industry has grown to include thousands of people. Complicate the love of sport with that other undeniable human interest: money and betting, and you’ve got the whole human show. I don’t think it’s going to go away.

Now, let’s say that horseracing is cruel and fraught with greed. That horse owners are all sitting on the board of fat-cat corporations, that they play for the prestige and the excitement and care nothing about their athlete. Let’s say that jockeys whip their horses into potentially tragic efforts and that the horses are made to run with existing injuries at too-young an age in bad weather, on drugs, and all for the sake of the almighty dollar. Oh, how I wish I could say all that, because it would make the answer so easy.

But from what I have seen from doing research on the sport for a book I wrote, the answer depends on how open you are to looking at the whole canvas. There are as many different people in the horseracing industry as there are in the phone book. Believe me, the trainer of Eight Belles personally ran each of his hands carefully all over her everyday, and especially on the morning of the Derby, looking for heat or any sign of a injury. He rode her himself to feel her mood and to listen to her own messages of well-being. He and most others at that level of the sport would gladly donate the prize money to have her back. My only question would be, was she really fit enough to last the length of the Derby? ABC news reported that her breeding included relatives with leg problems. This accusation needs serious research. And this is where the owners come in. They could fund this study. She had run 9 races, won 5, and most by great margins. So running her in the Derby was not likely a matter of her owner’s ego or impatience. But I hope they will use this tragedy to work toward the answers.

As for the jockey whipping Eight Belles to a deadly injury, I can say that most likely that was definitely not the case. From knowing the nature of an Alpha mare, I’m sure Eight Belles would have done everything to overtake the stallion in the lead with or without a jockey. A jockey’s whip, if the horse has been trained properly, is like a pointer in a power point presentation. It’s to point out what is important. And believe it or not, horses running together are sending signals to each other in their own language. A reminder from a jockey to keep an eye on the goalpost is usually the purpose of the whip, and also to protect their mount from injury if they are about to bump the rail or another competitor. Simply, horses try to intimidate each other when one tries to pass.

Synthetic track surfaces? Some say the surface might be the answer. Yet, the synthetic surface holds the foot longer than dirt, somewhat like Astroturf, which might result in different sorts of injuries. Run later at older ages? Some say two-year-olds build bone by galloping early, similar to us humans strengthening our bones with weight lifting. Oh, how I wish there were one answer and a clear way to prevent all tragedies. Somehow blaming one or two practices makes us feel better, but it doesn’t solve problems.

The industry itself and the breeders need to conduct solid, scientific research to see if track surfaces, two-year-old bones, or any other variables can limit the injuries. That’s where the money should go. As long as we sit in our living rooms as weekend jockeys and horse owners, the answers are short-sighted and fraught with anthropomorphism. I’m hoping horseracing itself, which I both love and hate, races toward the answers.