# US racetrack Santa Anita - horse deaths



## Meowy Catkin (14 March 2019)

Can anyone shed any light on what is actually going on there? Is it really as simple as just too much rain on a dirt track?


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## popsdosh (15 March 2019)

Dirt tracks and rain are the worse you can get, hence none in UK as we dont have the climate for them. Theyu are not used to rain out there.


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## hobo (15 March 2019)

Yes I think they have been caught out by how much rain they have had this winter. My sister lives in CA and though she knows that rain is always needed she is fed up with it.


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## hopscotch bandit (15 March 2019)

Faracat said:



			Can anyone shed any light on what is actually going on there? Is it really as simple as just too much rain on a dirt track?
		
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We lose an average of 2.3 horses every day in the UK according to statistics but those statistics covers over 80 plus racetracks, so the Santa Anita thing is very strange.  I would have thought that out of 19 horses not all of them died as a result of injury, I would have thought that some would have died from heart attack so the figures may actually be less than that.  But it is still a huge amount of horses to lose and it looks like they are taking investigative measures .  In the United States, there are 1.5 fatal accidents for every 1,000 starts and in Britain according to the AHT the rate is 0.65 per 1,000 starts.

At Santa Anita they have also brought in a ban on medication on race days (thought that would be a given tbh) and they are banning the use of whips during the race. 

Also its my understanding that horses tend to break down on uneven surfaces.  By that I mean a track surface which is varied in its consistency, i.e wet in places, dry in others so maybe they need to look at their watering system.  Or maybe as others have said its due to too much rainfall.


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## ester (15 March 2019)

HB re. stats you need to remember that our horses only go to the track to race. Horses are kept and trained at the San Anita track, so some are breaking down doing relatively slow work/not racing.

I do wonder why they stick with the dirt so much, I don't know if it's just what people are used to that it's downfalls are more accepted?

The letter they released clarifies the meds situation
https://www.santaanita.com/press-re...oroughbred-racing-in-california/#.XIttyLinycx


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## hopscotch bandit (15 March 2019)

ester said:



			HB re. stats you need to remember that our horses only go to the track to race. Horses are kept and trained at the San Anita track, so some are breaking down doing relatively slow work/not racing.
		
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Thanks for clarifying that Ester, I didn't realise that was the case.


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## ester (15 March 2019)

someone put a nice easy summary on chrono of the horse. on the 4th March so not totally up to date but interesting.

https://www.chronofhorse.com/forum/...-santa-anita-do-you-think-somethings-up/page2

12 fatalities during racing; 7 on the main track and 5 on turf.
8 fatalities during training, one of which was 'sudden death' by CHRB (not related to musculoskeletal)
None of the fatalities have occurred on the training track.

I think +1 on the 5th on the main track - catastrophic injury
+1 yesterday also on the main (improved) track

1800 horses based there.


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## Meowy Catkin (15 March 2019)

I posted this thread after the 22nd horse broke down at the track.







https://www.paulickreport.com/news/...ing-at-santa-anita-22nd-fatality-at-the-meet/




			Afleet fan â€¢ 9 hours ago
Iâ€™ve seen break downs up close and personal, sadly. But seeing the video of this poor filly standing calmly on her 2 stumps for front legs, waiting to be put down, brought tears to my eyes and it will be something Iâ€™ll bever forget again. Poor sweet little girl.
		
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The forum I'm on with US members makes me feel very uncomfortable (as a non American) when discussing animal welfare, so I'd thought I'd ask here. 

I also have an ex jockey acquaintance who has always criticized the amount of drugs that US racehorses are given before racing. Again I don't feel that it can be discussed in a calm manner on the US forum. Could these drugs be contributing to the issue?


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## ester (15 March 2019)

Absolutely, I suspect it's a combination of the medical and surface side. A bit perfect storm. 

It's interesting that the relatively low No. over here is mentioned, but our way of keeping/training/racing is so different it's going to be very hard to narrow down why.


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## Meowy Catkin (15 March 2019)

Yes. The racehorses where I used to live were hacked along the roads to the gallops (which were undulating), trained and then hacked back to the stables. How many US racehorses hack to their gallops? Do they normally have flat gallops in the US?

There are lots of little things that could add up to a tiny difference here and a tiny difference there.


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## ester (15 March 2019)

I don't think any do, they go out on the track then passed to a hot walker. 

Did you see the video of aiden o'brians out there, and how baffling they found the concept of a 'string'? It was really interesting.


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## Meowy Catkin (15 March 2019)

No, I'd love to watch it if you have a link?


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## Elf On A Shelf (15 March 2019)

I saw the Aiden O'Brien video - its on youtube under his breeders cup string. I will see if I can find the link in a minute. He had nearly 30 horses out for a jog. All jogging either next to one of by itself but all within a couple of lengths of each other. He explained that he figured out the herd mentality and the braver/not fussed horses that liked being up front went and set the pace, those that didnt like being penned in didnt have a partner, those that need company got a pal, those that needed plenty of cover got buried deep in the pack etc. They had 4 or 5 ponies accompanying them. Just jogging round the outside of the track whilst other horses worked the inner. All riders leg long but standing up out of the saddle for every step of the way. Horses all very relaxed and happy.


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## ester (15 March 2019)

It just seems so normal to us but the commentary stressed how not normal it was to them.

This is the short version, there is a 20 min one
https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=479350389252142

skip to 1.08 



__ https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=245247766345732


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## Meowy Catkin (15 March 2019)

Thank you.


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## DD (17 March 2019)

the place needs shutting down https://www.league.org.uk/news/inju...Sn8YYcep6hOPClc1CU1-wxFuKoYm0eDABYPLyshvVdbV4


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## ester (17 March 2019)

Right... that seems likely. 

I'll pass on following a LACS link.


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## Elf On A Shelf (17 March 2019)

Downton Dame said:



			the place needs shutting down https://www.league.org.uk/news/inju...Sn8YYcep6hOPClc1CU1-wxFuKoYm0eDABYPLyshvVdbV4

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Also did you see the last race of the day on Friday at Cheltenham? 

Mount Mews planted at the start and refused to race. So yeah! We are really forcing half a tonne of adrenaline fueled muscle with a brain of its own to race against it's will! Mad Moose, Battlegroup and KingJonsCastle are 3 others that point blank refused to set off with everyone else at big meetings and made the headlines. Along with plenty of others on a normal days racing that say enough is enough.


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## hopscotch bandit (18 March 2019)

Faracat said:



			I posted this thread after the 22nd horse broke down at the track.







https://www.paulickreport.com/news/...ing-at-santa-anita-22nd-fatality-at-the-meet/



The forum I'm on with US members makes me feel very uncomfortable (as a non American) when discussing animal welfare, so I'd thought I'd ask here.

I also have an ex jockey acquaintance who has always criticized the amount of drugs that US racehorses are given before racing. Again I don't feel that it can be discussed in a calm manner on the US forum. Could these drugs be contributing to the issue?
		
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The fact is that this horse had raced as a 2 year old in Feb and she was 3 years and 3 days old when she lost her life.  Its tragic, most horses of that age haven't even seen a saddle, let alone been ridden for a few months.  It was her 2nd race.  In our country most sensible people don't start backing horses until they are in their 4th year as there has been so much research into growth plates and the detrimental effect that backing horses and doing to much can have, especially in later life. But the sad fact of the matter is that racehorses are seen as commodities to be exploited for monetary gain.  No one thinks of the welfare, nobody cares that that poor filly was sat pathetically on her stumps waiting to be PTS.  No one there cared.  When that one's gone there will be another replacement waiting in the wings.  Another innocent trusting life.  Makes me cry, it honestly does.


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## Meowy Catkin (22 March 2019)

An interesting and frankly horrific article re bisphosphonate use in young US thoroughbreds. https://www.paulickreport.com/news/...h-pole-take-action-now-on-bisphosphonate-use/


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## ycbm (22 March 2019)

as there has been so much research into growth plates and the detrimental effect that backing horses and doing to much can have, especially in later life.
		
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HB, I don't think there has. I've never seen any.


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## Ambers Echo (22 March 2019)

There is Deb Bennet's research that was posted on the Sir Erec thread. But not sure what else. I would be interested to see it if you have any links HB as I think the one positive change that is easy (if expensive) is to raise the age horses can race.


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## ycbm (22 March 2019)

Ambers Echo said:



			There is Deb Bennet's research that was posted on the Sir Erec thread. But not sure what else. I would be interested to see it if you have any links HB as I think the one positive change that is easy (if expensive) is to raise the age horses can race.
		
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That's not research into outcomes later in life, though, I don't think?  That's the stuff we are all waiting for, what age is the right age to back for a long working life.


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## Ambers Echo (22 March 2019)

No it isn't you're right.  It is just looking at the developing musculo-skeletal system and making educated guesses about the impact of full racing and training on yearlings/2 year olds based on knowledge of those processes. But those educated guesses need backing up with evidence. I keep reading references to 'research' but as was pointed out on the other thread no-one ever seems to be able to provide the links to original research.


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## Goldenstar (22 March 2019)

Thereâ€™s an FEI ban on Tilden etc coming thy have no idea what the withdrawal period will be so they have announced it a year in advance .


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## Meowy Catkin (22 March 2019)

Apparently it potentially has a very long half life (actual figure not yet known I think), so the withdrawal period could end up being very long indeed.


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## Goldenstar (22 March 2019)

It may make effectively impossible to use such drugs on affiliated competition horses


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## Meowy Catkin (22 March 2019)

I'm sure I read somewhere (possibly on chronicle of the horse forum) that a horse that had been given it took 14 months approx to not fully heal a fracture that should have taken two months to heal. It really does seem to compromise the bone healing process for a long time. I'm sure that an old, retired horse with osteoarthritis gets a benefit from it that outweighs the negative... but for a working horse?


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## Elf On A Shelf (22 March 2019)

Im not a fan of tildren at all. Never had a good experience of it.


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## Meowy Catkin (22 March 2019)

Any colic cases with it? I have also read that that is an issue with the dug (and kidney issues too).


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## Goldenstar (22 March 2019)

No I have never seen colic but I have seen the excessive drinking side effect three times


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## Mule (22 March 2019)

It seems a no brainer not to use it for racehorses or sporthorses.


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## honetpot (22 March 2019)

There is some research on TBs comparing development against different types of exercise. If you google it you should find it.


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## Meowy Catkin (25 March 2019)

OK, in regards to the Lasix ban at Santa Anita, it has been mentioned a few times that in Europe/Uk horses are left without water for many hours to dehydrate them that way.




			In Europe they will pull water 18 hours before a race etc to dehydrate them. Great, huh?
		
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https://www.chronofhorse.com/forum/...u-think-somethings-up?p=10360551#post10360551




			How is it managed where no Lasix is allowed?
		
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			The easiest method (from the trainer's point of view, not the horse's) is to withhold water for 12-18 hours before a race.
		
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			Is that what is done to U.S. horses running races in countries where lasix is not allowed, or is that common practice in the UK ?
		
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https://www.chronofhorse.com/forum/...u-think-somethings-up?p=10355008#post10355008

I'm just wondering how true or common this is?


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## bonny (25 March 2019)

In my experience water is withheld for a few hours before a race, 12 to 18 would affect a horses performance and I canâ€™t imagine anyone doing that


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## Elf On A Shelf (25 March 2019)

We never remove water from the horses before they race. Some people take it away an 1-2 hours before they race but I have never seen a horse at the races that has none at all any stage before they run.


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## Clodagh (25 March 2019)

When you see the two year old American horses that race at Ascot they make ours look like foals. The fillies look like 4 year old entires! I don't understand though how the UK ban on steroids doesn't catch them out? They MUST have had them, surely, to be so advanced, physically? Yet apparently we even test hair samples.


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## bonny (25 March 2019)

Iâ€™m not sure anyone believes they are not reared on steroids !


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## Clodagh (25 March 2019)

bonny said:



			Iâ€™m not sure anyone believes they are not reared on steroids !
		
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No, but how do they get round the ban to run them here?


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## bonny (25 March 2019)

Clodagh said:



			No, but how do they get round the ban to run them here?
		
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I think as long as they havenâ€™t had them recently itâ€™s ok, thatâ€™s how black caviar and other Australian horses could run here


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## Elf On A Shelf (25 March 2019)

So long as it is outwith the withdrawal period (I cant remember how long that is but I have a feeling it's 4 months) then they can run in Britain having previously been on steroids.


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## Clodagh (25 March 2019)

EKW said:



			So long as it is outwith the withdrawal period (I cant remember how long that is but I have a feeling it's 4 months) then they can run in Britain having previously been on steroids.
		
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I thought I read that we were banning it in the production of youngstock, and that mane and tail hair would be tested to ensure it never had been used. Perhaps that was an idea that was discussed and not implemented.


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## bonny (25 March 2019)

Clodagh said:



			I thought I read that we were banning it in the production of youngstock, and that mane and tail hair would be tested to ensure it never had been used. Perhaps that was an idea that was discussed and not implemented.
		
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You only have to look at some two year olds to see how they have been brought up !


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## Meowy Catkin (25 March 2019)

Thanks for that. 

I hadn't even considered that the US (and Australian?) horses were on steroids. I feel so naive.


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## Elf On A Shelf (25 March 2019)

Clodagh said:



			I thought I read that we were banning it in the production of youngstock, and that mane and tail hair would be tested to ensure it never had been used. Perhaps that was an idea that was discussed and not implemented.
		
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Yeah then the Arabs got involved! They steroid everything! We got a 2yo filly from Godolphin - too big to race as a 2yo so she was sold - she was the size of a middleweight ridden show hunter! At the age of 2! Over the next 6 months she gradually turned into a bit of a wreck - steroid withdrawal. She was just turned away with us and didn't come right til the end of her 3yo year. Over a year on from being bought and given no more steroids. 

You can't race on steroids in any country. But you can use them during training so long as they are outwith the withdrawal period on race day.

When Godolphin got done for it their horse that won the St Ledger tested positive in the yard. Sadly for St Nicholas Abbey he tested clean on the day of the race which denied him winning the British Triple Crown.


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## Clodagh (25 March 2019)

EKW said:



			When Godolphin got done for it their horse that won the St Ledger tested positive in the yard. Sadly for St Nicholas Abbey he tested clean on the day of the race which denied him winning the British Triple Crown.
		
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I remember that, it was such an unbelievable shame for St Nicholas Abbey.


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## druid (25 March 2019)

It was Camelot denied a Triple Crown by the steroid positive Encke, not St.Nic


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## bonny (25 March 2019)

druid said:



			It was Camelot denied a Triple Crown by the steroid positive Encke, not St.Nic
		
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St Nicholas abbey was a stayer


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## Clodagh (25 March 2019)

druid said:



			It was Camelot denied a Triple Crown by the steroid positive Encke, not St.Nic
		
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Ah! No flat person me, that sounds more like it, now you say it.  Anyway, a Coolmore horse missed out due to a Godolphin horse being on drugs.


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## bonny (25 March 2019)

I donâ€™t think you can compete in flat racing without a helping hand with your youngsters, all the two year olds are just too mature for any other explanation


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## Clodagh (25 March 2019)

bonny said:



			I donâ€™t think you can compete in flat racing without a helping hand with your youngsters, all the two year olds are just too mature for any other explanation
		
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I rather trustingly hope that the 'nice' starters just feed them loads of concentrates and put them on a horse walker for hours. :-(


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## Mule (25 March 2019)

EKW said:



			Yeah then the Arabs got involved! They steroid everything! We got a 2yo filly from Godolphin - too big to race as a 2yo so she was sold - she was the size of a middleweight ridden show hunter! At the age of 2! Over the next 6 months she gradually turned into a bit of a wreck - steroid withdrawal. She was just turned away with us and didn't come right til the end of her 3yo year. Over a year on from being bought and given no more steroids. 

You can't race on steroids in any country. But you can use them during training so long as they are outwith the withdrawal period on race day.

When Godolphin got done for it their horse that won the St Ledger tested positive in the yard. Sadly for St Nicholas Abbey he tested clean on the day of the race which denied him winning the British Triple Crown.
		
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I was looking up my horse's sire out of curiosity. He was owned by the eldest son of one of the Saudi Kings. He was a flat racer. I know nothing about racing and I know you work in it so I was wondering what his stats mean.

The horse won 2 out of 9 races and only raced for 4 months. Do you know why he would have retired so early? Do they just retire them if they aren't good enough? This was in 2000 and AFAIK he's still alive. He was kept for breeding.


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## bonny (25 March 2019)

mule said:



			I was looking up my horse's sire out of curiosity. He was owned by the eldest son of one of the Saudi Kings. He was a flat racer. I know nothing about racing and I know you work in it so I was wondering what his stats mean.

The horse won 2 out of 9 races and only raced for 4 months. Do you know why he would have retired so early? Do they just retire them if they aren't good enough? This was in 2000 and AFAIK he's still alive. He was kept for breeding.
		
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Whatâ€™s his name ?


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## Mule (25 March 2019)

bonny said:



			Whatâ€™s his name ?
		
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Shareef. His sire was Shareef Dancer and his sire was Northern Dancer.


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## bonny (25 March 2019)

mule said:



			Shareef. His sire was Shareef Dancer and his sire was Northern Dancer.
		
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He wasnâ€™t good enough for them to keep in training, 4 races was enough to show that so he was sold


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## Mule (25 March 2019)

bonny said:



			He wasnâ€™t good enough for them to keep in training, 4 races was enough to show that so he was sold
		
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Ah well I'm glad he was used for breeding or I wouldn't have the beast ðŸ˜Š


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## bonny (25 March 2019)

mule said:



			Ah well I'm glad he was used for breeding or I wouldn't have the beast ðŸ˜Š
		
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Is your horse a registered tb ?


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## Mule (25 March 2019)

bonny said:



			Is your horse a registered tb ?
		
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No he's an ish. His background is a bit odd actually. His dam was brought in to a rescue centre when she was in foal with him. She was a full Irish draught. She had some sort of injury and died when my horse was 6 weeks old. He was blood typed so his parentage is definitely correct. It just seems odd to pay to get a mare in foal to a TB in another country (I'm in Ireland, the sire is in the UK) and then neglect the mare to the point that she ends up dying.


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## bonny (25 March 2019)

I thought he wasnâ€™t tb as there is no record of him siring tbs, sad start for your horse and his dam


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## Mule (25 March 2019)

bonny said:



			I thought he wasnâ€™t tb as there is no record of him siring tbs, sad start for your horse and his dam
		
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It was a sad start, you'd never know it by him though. He's turned out great. He has the TB athleticism and the draught temperament ( and appetite)
  Would the reason for his sire not siring tbs be because he wasn't a good racer?


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## bonny (25 March 2019)

mule said:



			It was a sad start, you'd never know it by him though. He's turned out great. He has the TB athleticism and the draught temperament ( and appetite)
  Would the reason for his sire not siring tbs be because he wasn't a good racer?
		
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Yes, he just wasnâ€™t good enough


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## ycbm (26 March 2019)

Faracat said:



			I'm sure I read somewhere (possibly on chronicle of the horse forum) that a horse that had been given it took 14 months approx to not fully heal a fracture that should have taken two months to heal. It really does seem to compromise the bone healing process for a long time. I'm sure that an old, retired horse with osteoarthritis gets a benefit from it that outweighs the negative... but for a working horse?
		
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I read some research the other day that it appears to compromise fracture repair for the rest of the horse's lfe. I'll bet I can't find it now.   I wouldn't give it to anything but a very old horse or as an absolute last resort to keep a younger one alive.


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## ycbm (26 March 2019)

bonny said:



			I donâ€™t think you can compete in flat racing without a helping hand with your youngsters, all the two year olds are just too mature for any other explanation
		
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What a telling choice of words. 'A helping hand'. You mean drugging them, I take it?  Is it unfair to infer from your choice of words that you don't have any problem with that?


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## Orangehorse (26 March 2019)

According to Dr. Deb, the bones develop from the foot upwards, so the legs (athough not the feet which continue to grow if not constricted by constant shoeing) are the first to mature and what is last is the back and neck.


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## tristar (26 March 2019)

i bred a tb from an american stallion, and it was a filly, she was like a 4 yr old colt at two years and never went near a steroid!, so you could be caught out with that one, she also had a neck a stallion would be proud of 

i thought is was well known that tb often grow rapidly, i hate to say mature quicker because i don`t believe they do, but just look more mature, well some do, it comes down to stud management and correct feeding of mare and foal


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## Orangehorse (27 March 2019)

Well that has to be down to selective breeding, choosing the stallions that show early speed and development.


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## Carrottom (27 March 2019)

I have asked pinhookers how they produce such forward yearlings. These are people who buy foals to raise ans bring on to sell as yearlings. Typically they feed the best quality forage, gradually increase hard feed, gradually increase time on the walker then in hand walking to develop the best possible walk as this is mainly what the buyer will judge them on.
This is combined with turn out in same sex groups which encourages play and activity. They are taught to lunge before going to the sales as I think they have to canter on the lunge to check their wind.


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## Mariposa (27 March 2019)

Carrottom said:



			I have asked pinhookers how they produce such forward yearlings. These are people who buy foals to raise ans bring on to sell as yearlings. Typically they feed the best quality forage, gradually increase hard feed, gradually increase time on the walker then in hand walking to develop the best possible walk as this is mainly what the buyer will judge them on.
This is combined with turn out in same sex groups which encourages play and activity. They are taught to lunge before going to the sales as I think they have to canter on the lunge to check their wind.
		
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Yes, I think this is really accurate. You can get yearlings looking big and strong naturally. I worked (albeit briefly!) at a stud doing yearling prep and we just walked them in hand, they were long reined, fed very well, strapped - they looked amazing ( but IMHO were fed too much, some of them were utter pains to handle!)


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## ycbm (27 March 2019)

I want to win the euro lottery and finance a long term study into the effect of early work on longevity, among several other pieces of research. I need to buy a ticket!


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## Clodagh (27 March 2019)

ycbm said:



			I want to win the euro lottery and finance a long term study into the effect of early work on longevity, among several other pieces of research. I need to buy a ticket!
		
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Longevity is financially irrelevant in the racing industry. Particularly on the flat where a sire that doesn't produce precocious two year olds will soon be dropping his stud fee.


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## ycbm (27 March 2019)

Clodagh said:



			Longevity is financially irrelevant in the racing industry. Particularly on the flat where a sire that doesn't produce precocious two year olds will soon be dropping his stud fee.
		
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I wasn't meaning  racing, but if a study proved that early racing was good or bad for longevity than that would be very interesting. And if bad, might, in the climate that exists now, be the death of two year old racing in this country. 

I think we can all agree it's a piece of research that is sorely lacking? I really, really want to know if I am doing the right thing backing a three year old.


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## splashgirl45 (28 March 2019)

i think backing a 3 year old who is not weak is fine,  by backing i mean having a sit on and a bit of walking to establish the signals to move forward and stop...very little or no lunging and then turned away and restart in their 4th year and begin to hack out if safe enough...ycbm your horse doesnt look weak so sounds like you are doing the right thing at the moment.


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## tristar (28 March 2019)

ycbm said:



			I want to win the euro lottery and finance a long term study into the effect of early work on longevity, among several other pieces of research. I need to buy a ticket!
		
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i want to win the lotto to fund not competing horses till they are 6 years old, banning all forms of bad training, breaking of yearlings, racing of 2 yr olds, , i certainly would not be putting any horse through and experiment where its welfare would be compromised, ie breaking horses too young in an experiment, because  i already am happy to believe that its a very bad thing.

then a ministry for animal welfare,  educating people on how to care for all animals from pet rabbits to horses and everything in between, strict regs for comp and racehorses,  ie the over boiling of dressage horses, maximum time for warmups etc,  making as certain a is poss that a horse like sir erec`s horrible end can be learned from at least, ie when a horse is reshod immediately before a race it is inspected by a vet and trotted up on a hard surface to ensure it is fit to race, [i would do that if i was hacking] 
take some responsibility for the awful abandonment and neglect that is so in front of your face the government is definitely aware yet turns away, yes looks the other way.

and that would only be the start.

off to buy lotto ticket, well i think i might buy two, one for me and one for our rescue, warrior


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## Meowy Catkin (28 March 2019)

This was posted on a different forum, but I thought that I would post it here. 
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/03/27/opinion/racehorses-santa-anita-deaths.html

'MAISONS-LAFFITTE, France â€” Thereâ€™s so much I could say about the crisis shaking horse racing in America, and as a racehorse trainer, Iâ€™ve been saying it for years.

Racehorses in the United States break down, which means they are catastrophically injured and then euthanized, at a rate double or triple that seen in the rest of the world. The spotlight is now on the Santa Anita track in California, where 22 horses have been killed since late December, but Del Mar, near San Diego, and Aqueduct in Queens have had similar spates of fatalities in recent years.

Every time a streak like this happens, it provokes much hand-wringing, outrage, calls for change, various committee meetings and pledges to do better and then, nothing. More of the same. Then another high-profile streak. And still nothing.

One thing is changing, though, and that is every time this happens, the calls to ban racing get louder and stronger. Animal rights activists, some of whom have never been within sniffing distance of a horse, are feeding on racingâ€™s inability to right its wrongs. At the moment, theyâ€™re having a proper feast, with the Los Angeles district attorney investigating the Santa Anita deaths at the urging of racing foes.

American racing can pull itself from the cross hairs, but there needs to be a huge overall change, and fast. The major difference between American racing and the sport in the rest of the world, including here in France, is the excessive use of medications, practically from birth.

Breeders need to get the highest price possible for a yearling, so in addition to corrective surgery to fix defective legs, they use steroids to add bulk and sheen, and bisphosphonates to stabilize the bone structure. But these bisphosphonates also limit new bone growth, impairing the young horseâ€™s ability to adapt to the stresses of training and racing.

Once the horse has fetched that high price, there is huge pressure on American trainers to get it racing as soon as possible to cover the costs of the purchase and training fees. That means the young racehorse is treated with endless rounds of so-called therapeutic medications: phenylbutazone, known as bute, to help with the aches and pain; clenbuterol to keep the lungs clear (plus thereâ€™s that added steroidlike side effect, which keeps them eating and keeps the weight on); and the diuretic Lasix every time before fast workouts and races, ostensibly to prevent bleeding in the lungs. There is little science that says Lasix actually does that job, but quite a lot of science identifying Lasix as a performance-enhancing drug.

American trainers and veterinarians instantly bristle at the accusation that horses are overmedicated. Weâ€™re helping them cope with the rigors of training, just like any other athlete, they say. Itâ€™s like you they say. Without Lasix, horses will drown in their own blood, and nobody wants that, right? Except that somehow, in the rest of the world, horses race medication-free. Theyâ€™re not hobbling from pain or drowning in their own blood.

In defense of the medication proponents, they are merely adapting to a system of racing that isnâ€™t particularly horse-friendly. Courses in the United States are generally quite small, uniformly oval and flat with a dirt surface that favors speed above all else. Horses are typically trained and raced on the same surface, and always in one direction: counterclockwise. Most races are over short distances, a mile or less. There is some racing on natural turf, but only when the ground is firm. Most tracks move turf races to the dirt if it rains.In Europe, the bulk of racing is done on turf, regardless of whether it rains. Racecourses are laid out to be run clockwise, counterclockwise or in a straight line, often over rolling terrain. Any â€œdirtâ€ racing is done on synthetic tracks, a blend of sand and fibers that is kinder to a horseâ€™s legs than a dirt surface. There is a full program of racing at longer distances to balance out the sprint program. For the most part, horses are trained off-track, in training centers or on farms.

But the most important difference is this: Horses in Europe race medication-free. There is no tolerance for pharmaceuticals on race day, and horses in training are routinely tested out of competition. A horse with a problem can be treated, but the drugs must be out of its system before a race.

What could America do to end the medication culture and make life a little more natural for the horse? Belinda Stronach, the head of the company that owns Santa Anita, tried her best by declaring a ban on race-day medication and was immediately shot down by trainers. Generations of trainers in America have never trained without medication, and most of them firmly believe it would be inhumane and cruel to the horses to try. So when Santa Anita resumes races on Friday, it will largely be business as usual.

What, then, can be done to save racing in America? Clearly, ripping up most tracks to build varied, European-style courses isnâ€™t going to happen. But there are some doable solutions that could make the sport safer for horses.

First, get rid of individual state authority over racing and get a national governing body that lays down the rules and does the drug testing across the country. A bill just introduced in Congress would be a first step toward nationwide governance for the sport.

Second, alternate directions for training horses so that they gallop both clockwise and counterclockwise. Consistent drilling of horses around a tight turn in the same direction is asking for trouble.

Third, add more races at longer distances to racing programs, decreasing the emphasis on all-out sprints.


Fourth, replace dirt surfaces with synthetics for racing, but keep a natural dirt surface available for training.

These four steps would set up an environment for the most important step of all to be possible: the elimination of all race-day medication, including Lasix.

If racing in America canâ€™t take these steps and end strings of fatalities like the one at Santa Anita, the animal-rights activists will shut the sport down, ultimately condemning the horses they want to protect to, at best, a forced retirement. What they donâ€™t realize is that without a job to do, the racehorse will become nothing more than a fantasy character in childrenâ€™s books.'

Gina Rarick (@ginararick) trains racehorses.


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## Clodagh (28 March 2019)

That is excellent, Faracat. Thank you for sharing it.


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## splashgirl45 (28 March 2019)

tristar said:



			i want to win the lotto to fund not competing horses till they are 6 years old, banning all forms of bad training, breaking of yearlings, racing of 2 yr olds, , i certainly would not be putting any horse through and experiment where its welfare would be compromised, ie breaking horses too young in an experiment, because  i already am happy to believe that its a very bad thing.

then a ministry for animal welfare,  educating people on how to care for all animals from pet rabbits to horses and everything in between, strict regs for comp and racehorses,  ie the over boiling of dressage horses, maximum time for warmups etc,  making as certain a is poss that a horse like sir erec`s horrible end can be learned from at least, ie when a horse is reshod immediately before a race it is inspected by a vet and trotted up on a hard surface to ensure it is fit to race, [i would do that if i was hacking]
take some responsibility for the awful abandonment and neglect that is so in front of your face the government is definitely aware yet turns away, yes looks the other way.

and that would only be the start.

off to buy lotto ticket, well i think i might buy two, one for me and one for our rescue, warrior
		
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agree with most of this, but sir erec was trotted up after being shod, i know not a hard surface but he was sound, so he was checked before racing.  i noticed he had a very long stride so maybe struck into himself causing the break, we will never know but although it is horrible to see , at least the racehorses are dealt with speedily when they have bad injuries and i feel it is worse for the hundreds of horses in this country who are left to die of starvation which takes many many months, or the sick ones who are dumped while still just alive, and also the horses who are transported for hundreds of miles with no thought to their welfare and then killed, many not humanely at the end....there is so much that needs doing,


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## Mule (28 March 2019)

splashgirl45 said:



			agree with most of this, but sir erec was trotted up after being shod, i know not a hard surface but he was sound, so he was checked before racing.  i noticed he had a very long stride so maybe struck into himself causing the break, we will never know but although it is horrible to see , at least the racehorses are dealt with speedily when they have bad injuries and i feel it is worse for the hundreds of horses in this country who are left to die of starvation which takes many many months, or the sick ones who are dumped while still just alive, and also the horses who are transported for hundreds of miles with no thought to their welfare and then killed, many not humanely at the end....there is so much that needs doing,
		
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Imo it's very wrong that live transport for slaughter still exists (not just for horses either).


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## Elf On A Shelf (28 March 2019)

mule said:



			Imo it's very wrong that live transport for slaughter still exists (not just for horses either).
		
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This is what annoys me the most. Animals can be packed in with no thought to welfare given, transported goodness knows how far before being bumped off. I have nothing against horses going for meat but I do have issue with the way they are transported and how far they have to go before they meet their end.


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## Mule (28 March 2019)

EKW said:



			This is what annoys me the most. Animals can be packed in with no thought to welfare given, transported goodness knows how far before being bumped off. I have nothing against horses going for meat but I do have issue with the way they are transported and how far they have to go before they meet their end.
		
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I agree, I'm not against exporting horse meat, it's live exports that bothers me.

 I live in Ireland and believe it or not Ireland exports live cattle all the way to Egypt! I don't even want to imagine what they go through on such a long journey ðŸ˜ž


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## Mule (29 March 2019)

The US jockey club has called for an overall on drugs usage and testing between races. They are also calling for a change in track surfaces. They want it written in to federal law. Sounds good 
Link here: https://www.horsetalk.co.nz/2019/03/29/racing-drastic-reforms-horse-deaths/


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## splashgirl45 (29 March 2019)

mule said:



			I agree, I'm not against exporting horse meat, it's live exports that bothers me.

I live in Ireland and believe it or not Ireland exports live cattle all the way to Egypt! I don't even want to imagine what they go through on such a long journey ðŸ˜ž
		
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what i cant understand is why, with all the ability to freeze meat , any animals have to endure long journeys to be slaughtered in other countries who do not treat the animals humanely at the end of their lives...  why cant we buy british meat from animals who are born here rather than from other countries.  i always buy british and usually use sainsburys but was passing tesco's last week so popped in to pick up some cooked chicken as i didnt have time to cook myself.  their cooked chicken breasts said packaged in the uk using chicken from the eu and usa....needless to say i didnt have chicken and bought some ham which was from pigs reared outside and slaughtered in the uk...i would rather pay more for home bred meat...


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## Brownmare (29 March 2019)

splashgirl45 said:



			what i cant understand is why, with all the ability to freeze meat , any animals have to endure long journeys to be slaughtered in other countries who do not treat the animals humanely at the end of their lives...  why cant we buy british meat from animals who are born here rather than from other countries.  i always buy british and usually use sainsburys but was passing tesco's last week so popped in to pick up some cooked chicken as i didnt have time to cook myself.  their cooked chicken breasts said packaged in the uk using chicken from the eu and usa....needless to say i didnt have chicken and bought some ham which was from pigs reared outside and slaughtered in the uk...i would rather pay more for home bred meat...
		
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As a UK livestock farmer I would like to say a huge thank you. We need people like you who put their money where their mouth is instead of preaching about welfare standards then buying whatever is cheapest when they actually get to a shop! I really despair when people say they can't afford to buy quality food yet, as a proportion of household expenditure, food is cheaper than it has ever been!


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## splashgirl45 (29 March 2019)

brownmare,  i do my best to support our country and therefore our animals.... its about time the supermarkets put the british produce at eye level ,  although sainsburys is pretty good with their selection of british meat they put danish bacon at eye level and the british bacon on the bottom shelf out of sight, and i know danish farming standards for pigs are well below ours....


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## ester (29 March 2019)

It's cheaper to ship livestock than deadstock essentially.


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## splashgirl45 (29 March 2019)

if british people always bought british and yes, paid a little more, perhaps our farmers wouldnt have to ship them out...seems so wrong for us to transport thousands of sheep etc and import the same animal, then sell it cheaply in our stores.  IMO it is still morally wrong to subject animals to such long arduous journeys when it is not necessary...


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## tristar (29 March 2019)

150 years ago there was some talk of american tb s not having authentic pedigrees, this could account in some way for the size and heaviness about some american horses.

and having bred from horses like this with an aim to sell, mainly, they maybe concentrated on the fastest and earliest maturing, well horses who look mature due to their more impressive body structure that comes from dubious lineage in the past, ie. not quite full tb


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## bonny (29 March 2019)

tristar said:



			150 years ago there was some talk of american tb s not having authentic pedigrees, this could account in some way for the size and heaviness about some american horses.

and having bred from horses like this with an aim to sell, mainly, they maybe concentrated on the fastest and earliest maturing, well horses who look mature due to their more impressive body structure that comes from dubious lineage in the past, ie. not quite full tb
		
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150 years ago !


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## Meowy Catkin (29 March 2019)

I know that he counted as an Irish horse, but Istabraq's (what a super horse) pedigree was largely US breeding. He was even out of a Secretariat daughter I believe. So US bloodlines can stay, they can jump and they can have longevity of career (and not be retired at four). This does seem to point at the problem being how they are managed in the US to me.


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## bonny (29 March 2019)

I donâ€™t think one horse tells us anything at all and of course American horses can stay, nowadays so many horses travel that the bloodlines are all mixed up, coolmore in particular is interested in the American sires.


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## splashgirl45 (29 March 2019)

i was under the impression that lots of the american horses are on steroids which explains their big muscles and bodies compared to ours..also americans can use medication so may be masking problems which leads to horses breaking down when pushed hard as they may be having the beginnings of a problem and be lame but not show as they are on pain relief..


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## bonny (29 March 2019)

splashgirl45 said:



			i was under the impression that lots of the american horses are on steroids which explains their big muscles and bodies compared to ours..also americans can use medication so may be masking problems which leads to horses breaking down when pushed hard as they may be having the beginnings of a problem and be lame but not show as they are on pain relief..
		
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I think this is where this thread began !


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## tristar (29 March 2019)

bonny said:



			150 years ago ![/QUOT

all modern horses show heredity traits from previous generation?
		
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## Carrottom (29 March 2019)

bonny said:



			I donâ€™t think one horse tells us anything at all and of course American horses can stay, nowadays so many horses travel that the bloodlines are all mixed up, coolmore in particular is interested in the American sires.
		
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Northern dancer (Canadian bred) raced in the US and was at stud in Canada and then US is believed to be in approx 75% of current tb lineage.


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## bonny (30 March 2019)

I was watching the racing today and thinking about the welfare comments on here and this is what I thought was relevant to this thread ! A whole variety of racing today, the first day of the flat from Doncaster, some underwhelming jump racing and then the serious blue bloods racing for millions in Dubai so everything was covered. They had the new rubber hurdles in action, which look very easy to jump and I saw no fallers over them. What was sad was the first 2 year old race of the season, 17 of them of varying degrees of maturity and one who was 2 minths shy of her birthday broke a leg, maybe 2 year olds shouldnt race till later in the year, I thought. Saw the new Japanese superstar mare in action in Dubai who looks huge for a 4 year old, not that Iâ€™m suggesting anything by that ! Looking forward to Aintree next week where the real racing will be back !


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## ycbm (31 March 2019)

bonny said:



			150 years ago !
		
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Speed gene from one horse 300 years ago.

Http://www.google.co.uk/url?q=https...fC6QQFggSMAM&usg=AOvVaw1hEfRHVx8E5-M-KM6TF1EL

Virtually entire world TB population descended from 28 ancestors from the 17 and 1800s

http://www.google.co.uk/url?q=https...fC6QQFggdMAc&usg=AOvVaw2s5MqMoQU_UcOM1SpEp0dd


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## Elf On A Shelf (31 March 2019)

ycbm said:



			Speed gene from one horse 300 years ago.

Http://www.google.co.uk/url?q=https...fC6QQFggSMAM&usg=AOvVaw1hEfRHVx8E5-M-KM6TF1EL

Virtually entire world TB population descended from 28 ancestors from the 17 and 1800s

http://www.google.co.uk/url?q=https...fC6QQFggdMAc&usg=AOvVaw2s5MqMoQU_UcOM1SpEp0dd

Click to expand...


Pft and twaddle! The speed was reintroduced by the shetland pony ðŸ˜ðŸ˜‚







Acknowledgements 'The Sunday Times' 31-01-2012 
All of us who have witnessed the 0-20 mph acceleration of a Shetland pony will happily, and now it's scientifically proven, go along with the following. And no, it's not April 1st!! ~
SHETLAND PONY GAVE HORSES GIFT OF SPEED 
(Robin Henry Sunday Times 29th January 2012)
Next time you back a winner at the races, youâ€™ll have a squat Shetland pony that lived in Britain 300 years ago to thank. Scientists believe they have traced the â€œspeed geneâ€ that propels modern racehorses to a single 17th- century mare.
History has long credited Arabian stallions imported from the Middle East in the 1680â€™s as the predecessors of modern thoroughbreds. However, the genetic predisposition for sprinting in reality came from a Shetland mare chosen for them to mate with, the researchers say.
As with humans, horse sprinters are born with fast-twitch muscle fibres, which are suited to explosive bursts of activity. A team led by Emmeline Hill, an equine geneticist at University College Dublin, identified the speed-gene variant that drives this muscle development.
â€œWe found an unusually high frequency of the C â€“ variant in modern thoroughbreds best suited to sprint racing,â€ said Hill, whose findings are published in Nature Communications. Her team analysed DNA from 593 modern horses and museum specimens from 12 historically famous stallions.
They discovered that, while the speed gene was prevalent among modern sprinters, it was rare in top racehorses before the 20th century. Before then, long distance stamina had been favoured. The team then looked further back in history. â€œThoroughbred stallions were brought over from the Middle East and bred with native British mares and our results suggest there was a single one of these Shetland ponies who passed on the variant we see in modern sprinters,â€ said Hill.


Which would explain why when you rattle a bucket of food or you try to catch the buggers they are gone in a split second!


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## Clodagh (31 March 2019)

bonny said:



			I was watching the racing today and thinking about the welfare comments on here and this is what I thought was relevant to this thread ! A whole variety of racing today, the first day of the flat from Doncaster, some underwhelming jump racing and then the serious blue bloods racing for millions in Dubai so everything was covered. They had the new rubber hurdles in action, which look very easy to jump and I saw no fallers over them. What was sad was the first 2 year old race of the season, 17 of them of varying degrees of maturity and one who was 2 minths shy of her birthday broke a leg, maybe 2 year olds shouldnt race till later in the year, I thought. Saw the new Japanese superstar mare in action in Dubai who looks huge for a 4 year old, not that Iâ€™m suggesting anything by that ! Looking forward to Aintree next week where the real racing will be back !
		
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I didn't know 2 year olds did run this early. That's very sad. I know very little about flat racing.


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## Elf On A Shelf (31 March 2019)

Clodagh said:



			I didn't know 2 year olds did run this early. That's very sad. I know very little about flat racing.
		
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It was the first British 2yo this year yesterday. The first one in Ireland was Thursday or Friday. They can't run on the beach donkey derby tracks as a 2yo until the start of the turf season either. 

I personally would rather they couldn't run until July 1st as a 2yo as you are never going to stop it. At least then they would have attained their actual 2nd birthday.


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## tristar (31 March 2019)

nasrullah and nijinsky were special horses, not easy, i have a horse with both these bloodlines and is ``special`` too, so much like those stallions it gives me goose bumps, nij`s strength and willfulness and nas`s independent ways,   not easy


so interesting to see the potency of the best and most influential stallions and how they live on through so many generations dominating all others.


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## Mule (31 March 2019)

EKW said:



			Pft and twaddle! The speed was reintroduced by the shetland pony ðŸ˜ðŸ˜‚







Acknowledgements 'The Sunday Times' 31-01-2012
All of us who have witnessed the 0-20 mph acceleration of a Shetland pony will happily, and now it's scientifically proven, go along with the following. And no, it's not April 1st!! ~
SHETLAND PONY GAVE HORSES GIFT OF SPEED
(Robin Henry Sunday Times 29th January 2012)
Next time you back a winner at the races, youâ€™ll have a squat Shetland pony that lived in Britain 300 years ago to thank. Scientists believe they have traced the â€œspeed geneâ€ that propels modern racehorses to a single 17th- century mare.
History has long credited Arabian stallions imported from the Middle East in the 1680â€™s as the predecessors of modern thoroughbreds. However, the genetic predisposition for sprinting in reality came from a Shetland mare chosen for them to mate with, the researchers say.
As with humans, horse sprinters are born with fast-twitch muscle fibres, which are suited to explosive bursts of activity. A team led by Emmeline Hill, an equine geneticist at University College Dublin, identified the speed-gene variant that drives this muscle development.
â€œWe found an unusually high frequency of the C â€“ variant in modern thoroughbreds best suited to sprint racing,â€ said Hill, whose findings are published in Nature Communications. Her team analysed DNA from 593 modern horses and museum specimens from 12 historically famous stallions.
They discovered that, while the speed gene was prevalent among modern sprinters, it was rare in top racehorses before the 20th century. Before then, long distance stamina had been favoured. The team then looked further back in history. â€œThoroughbred stallions were brought over from the Middle East and bred with native British mares and our results suggest there was a single one of these Shetland ponies who passed on the variant we see in modern sprinters,â€ said Hill.


Which would explain why when you rattle a bucket of food or you try to catch the buggers they are gone in a split second!
		
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I love that ðŸ˜‚


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## Meowy Catkin (1 April 2019)

https://bleacherreport.com/articles...to-die-since-dec-26-at-santa-anita-race-track


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## molar roller (3 April 2019)

statistic shows that :

for 1000 races:

santa anita 2009 fatal injury rate :0,59 (polytrack)
santa anita 2016 fatal injury rate :3,13 (dirt)
santa anita 2017 fatal injury rate: 2,38 (dirt)

As you know most American racetrack traditionally has a dirt surface but Santa Anita park switched to ''polytrack'' (a kind of synthetic dirt) surface at 2008 because which is more safely. But at 2008 two european turf horses* Raven's PAss* and *Henrythenavigator * leave *Curlin *behind at Breeders cup Classic. Curlin was a huge favorite.
Also some of  horses imported from EU (imported as a foal years ago) have good results when surface turn to polytrack.
That situation was a real disaster, finally race industry people understand that polytrack surface is so close to turf and this is a threat for American breeders,  horse owners and trainers because EU based horses can dominate Santa Anita. They press to panic button and turn to dirt again. Actually all of them know that Poly is safer but who cares.

I have spend couple years in North American racetracks,   and I'd like to say where money is so important. still lasix is legal in some of US states and Canadian provinces.
Rest of the World, people  know  just high class American racehorses like Arrogate, A.Pharoah, Justify and has a perception like that _''North American Racing industry is leader in the World, best trainers and the best horses are in North America''_
I'd like to say rest of the World just sees the dining table. Kitchen is terrible. I'm not just talking about injections. Training methods, feeding, grooming are terrible in %95 of North American TB industry.


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## Meowy Catkin (3 April 2019)

''North American Racing industry is leader in the World, best trainers and the best horses are in North America''
		
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Does anyone really think that? It's not something that I have ever thought or heard anyone say who isn't American.


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## bonny (3 April 2019)

I imagine only the Americans would say that !


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## molar roller (3 April 2019)

Literally I say rest of the World. I know a lot of TB people thinking like that, Asians, South Americans... I have no idea about the reason.


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## Meowy Catkin (3 April 2019)

Ahh, OK. Thanks for clarifying.


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## tristar (3 April 2019)

well i would not chose  to use a modern north american stallion, i would use english french and irish only although they it is impossible to escape entirely from the  bloodlines, i just feel the breeders here have more skill at producing good sires


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## molar roller (3 April 2019)

tristar said:



			well i would not chose  to use a modern north american stallion, i would use english french and irish only although they it is impossible to escape entirely from the  bloodlines, i just feel the breeders here have more skill at producing good sires
		
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it depends on the what you have as a broodmare lineâ€¦doesn't?
if you have a Dynaformer I can say some US sire lines to mate her.you will get better results if she is a good one.
but if you have a Selkirk definitely you may find tons of UK /IRE lines. like pivotal, singspiel or maybe Japanese deep impact/Sunday silence line.

In Usa breeders do not need any skill to produce a sire   if a horse wins 5 consecutive races between 5 and 7 furlongs who retires and turns to a perfect(!) stallion. Because the owner can advertise as  ''undefeated son of PULPIT'' and ask 50K


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## Orangehorse (4 April 2019)

I knew that certain medications are allowed in USA racing, but not so many and not all the time, its shocking. That is very sad for the horses and it does see to make them expendable.  Odd that vets are happy to go along with this - but then some go along with Big Lick in Tennasse Walking Horse showing - and that is a whole different story.


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## Mule (4 April 2019)

I read more articles about Tildren and another bisphosphonate that's used. Apparently there could still be problems down the road because it lasts so long in the horse's systems.
The fear is, even if it's banned in very young horses, a generation will be racing who have already had it. So those horse and their jockeys could be in danger whenever they race ðŸ˜²


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## Orangehorse (16 April 2019)

www.espn.com.au/sports/horse/triplecrown08/columns/story?columnist=nack_bill&id=3399004


Read this!  Inbred horses, unsound stallions.


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## Mule (16 April 2019)

That's very sad. Sometimes I think the saying that money is the route of all evil is true. I'd add ambition to that.
At any rate, as a species we have done so much damage to animals who have the same right to exist as we do. *mini rant over


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## CorvusCorax (16 April 2019)

William Nack died a year ago on Saturday  what a writer he was, and what an advocate for race horses.


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## Mule (16 April 2019)

Here's another thing that sounds helpful. It looks like there are people putting in a lot of work to improve things. 
https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2...-to-be-fitted-with-life-savingfitness-sensors


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## tristar (16 April 2019)

Orangehorse said:



www.espn.com.au/sports/horse/triplecrown08/columns/story?columnist=nack_bill&id=3399004


Read this!  Inbred horses, unsound stallions.
		
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they have been breeding unsound horses before native dancer,  and knew they were unsound, its just got worse, to the detriment of the breed.


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## Elf On A Shelf (18 April 2019)

Big changes are afoot in America! They are finally doing something about the drug situation! And to include the Triple Crown really will upset trainers but it will make them train properly rather than rely on Lasix!

https://www.racingpost.com/news/int...se-out-use-of-anti-bleeding-drug-lasix/376462


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## ycbm (18 April 2019)

EKW said:



			Big changes are afoot in America! They are finally doing something about the drug situation! And to include the Triple Crown really will upset trainers but it will make them train properly rather than rely on Lasix!

https://www.racingpost.com/news/int...se-out-use-of-anti-bleeding-drug-lasix/376462

Click to expand...


What great news!


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## splashgirl45 (18 April 2019)

good news EKW


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## molar roller (19 April 2019)

yes good news, I hope one day they understand that money is uneatable.
drugs, lasix, dirt tracks or inbreeding, theese are parts of puzzle. Main problem is ignorance and empire of Money.
horses get tranquilizer too on racedays. an this is legal in North America. (acepromazine)
If you visit an US/Canadian racetrack, you can not see any warm-up or cool-down process, a groom saddle up the horse and horse goes to track directly!

- between barn and track distance is nearly 100 yards (it depends on the barn location)
when the horse arrives to track ;

- first one furlongs trot
- 1Â½ or 2 laps Canter
- coming back to his barn
- groom washes his legs
- then horse goes into the stall !!

yes! he horse still hot, sweaty and has 3 digits heart rate and his groom leaves him to the stall, no one lead this horse to cool-down, no one put him to the hotwalker tools . Americans/canadians just use the hotwalker tools after race or work out (work-out is galopping as American Eng) because an average US racetrack has only 15-20 hotwalker tools and each one for max 4 horses, whereas 1000 horses live in an average racetrack. Even this situation can explain why a lot of horses die.
Trainers want to save Money so one groom cares nearly 6 to 10 horses. You can do this in a breeding farm but if you try this in a racetrack, no time to even mucking out or bandaging properly.
by the way I'm talking about %95 of North American TB industry. no idea about other %5 (Santa Anita, Aquaduct, Saratoga, Keenland,Churchill Downs etc)


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## splashgirl45 (19 April 2019)

its very sad how they are not being treated properly and all because of money


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## tristar (19 April 2019)

molar roller said:



			yes good news, I hope one day they understand that money is uneatable.
drugs, lasix, dirt tracks or inbreeding, theese are parts of puzzle. Main problem is ignorance and empire of Money.
horses get tranquilizer too on racedays. an this is legal in North America. (acepromazine)
If you visit an US/Canadian racetrack, you can not see any warm-up or cool-down process, a groom saddle up the horse and horse goes to track directly!

- between barn and track distance is nearly 100 yards (it depends on the barn location)
when the horse arrives to track ;

- first one furlongs trot
- 1Â½ or 2 laps Canter
- coming back to his barn
- groom washes his legs
- then horse goes into the stall !!

yes! he horse still hot, sweaty and has 3 digits heart rate and his groom leaves him to the stall, no one lead this horse to cool-down, no one put him to the hotwalker tools . Americans/canadians just use the hotwalker tools after race or work out (work-out is galopping as American Eng) because an average US racetrack has only 15-20 hotwalker tools and each one for max 4 horses, whereas 1000 horses live in an average racetrack. Even this situation can explain why a lot of horses die.
Trainers want to save Money so one groom cares nearly 6 to 10 horses. You can do this in a breeding farm but if you try this in a racetrack, no time to even mucking out or bandaging properly.
by the way I'm talking about %95 of North American TB industry. no idea about other %5 (Santa Anita, Aquaduct, Saratoga, Keenland,Churchill Downs etc)
		
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well i take 15 20 minutes to warm up, and 10 minutes warming down, plus washing down, to clean and cool off, then turn out to roll,  that`s with no  sweating and no panting with fit horses.


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## Elf On A Shelf (19 April 2019)

tristar said:



			well i take 15 20 minutes to warm up, and 10 minutes warming down, plus washing down, to clean and cool off, then turn out to roll,  that`s with no  sweating and no panting with fit horses.
		
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On a raceday over here the horses are lead out in walk for 25minutes before the race, jockeys on and canter down torhe start then some more walking about til race time. Back in wash down straight away then walk for another good 20-25 minutes. 

At home the horses at one yard are on the horse walker for 25mins before we get on, trot for 5mins or so then canter. Back in, wash down and on the walker for another 20mins. At the other yard we go out straight from the box. We walk with bits of trot the 1.5 miles to the gallop, work then walk home, wash off then another 10mins on the walker to dry off. After they usually get some time in the field in rotation. 

We have much higher standards of animal welfare in Britain than they do in America.


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