Dr. Merlwyn Belcher, a Turfway veterinarian.

A shadowy twilight of dawn seeps through the windows of Turfway Park's track kitchen.

Day breaks early on the back-side of a racetrack. And especially early on Beam Day.

Owners, trainer s and backstretch help sip coffee while deliberating the intricacies of workouts published in the morning racing form. They religiously recount each step of a horse's conditioning.

“They all come early on Beam Day,” said Dee Schatz, chief cook at the trackside eatery. “They get their work done really early, put on clean clothes and come back.”

The Jim Beam Stakes, with its' $600,000 purse and growing reputation for producing Triple Crown winners, is the biggest show of the year at the Florence track. The excitement carries to the backside, where a supporting cast of more than a thousand readies for show time.

Dad, studying the Racing Form, and son enjoy Beam Day at Turfway Park.

“By first post it's disaster,” said Schatz, who has worked in the kitchen since it was rebuilt four years ago. “Wall to wall people. You can't hear yourself think.”

“But just before the Beam goes off, it gets really, really quiet.”

The track, normally closed for training at 11:00 a.m., shuts its gates at 9 a.m. on Beam Day.

Standard post time for the first race Saturdays is 1p.m. But on this day, the rally to bring "em over for the first resonates through the barn area two hours early.

Meanwhile chauffer-driven celebrities are recovering from midnight champagne toasts in Turfway Park"s gala Homestretch Room. They dribble into the VIP tent during the first few races, warm-ups for the big races on the card.

The tent, which holds 2,000 people, is the largest sit-down tent in the United States, said Turfway Park, said Turfway proprietor Jerry Carroll.

The people in the tent are in a different world than the people with the horses, said mutual clerk Jim Barnes, who holds down one of five mutual windows in the track kitchen. The VIPs bet $2 across. The more money they have, the tighter they are, Barnes said.

A groom leads his charge back to the barn after the race is over.

But the crowd in the tent isn't at Turfway to garner a fortune through the windows. They are celebrating the premier springtime event in Northern Kentucky.

“I go back many years with racehorses, back when The Beam was the Spiral Stakes,” said Wayne Carlisle of Carlilse Construction and a former member of the racing commission.

“The race wasn't recognized by anybody. Today I entertain a lot of clients. The number one event they love is Turfway Park. I'll buy 11 tables in the tent. My customers, if they don't get asked back, call to ask me if they've done something wrong.”

Racing was dead five years ago, Carlisle said.

“Jerry Carroll has pulled it out of the mud.”

Most on the backside would agree.

“Turfway is a much more user friendly track,” said Ken McPeek, who cut his teeth on the old Latonia Backside. “I remember when the barns were covered in plastic to keep the cold out.”

It was very difficult to work under those conditions.

McPeek, the meet's second leading trainer, was runner-up in last year's Beam with Tejano Run, which went on to win a second place finish in the Kentucky Derby. His stable horseshoer, a vital member of Team McPeek, reminisces about earlier days while checking the shoes on a quiet bay.

“I got my first license in 1967,” said Errol Bradford.

In the early 89s, a trainer named Cadillac Jack stuffed four horses in the blacksmith's workshop,

The jockey and his horse are in the saddling paddock. The pair is ready to enter the Post Parade for The Jim Beam Stakes.

“The quality of horse and owners has improved drastically since then,” Bradford said.

Track veterinarians report similar scenarios.

“Jerry Carroll has done a service for the horsemen,” said Dr. Meriwyn Belcher. “ Money is going in the owners' pockets, and it's helped everybody.”

“I don't think the horses have changed all that much. But the vets take it a whole lot more seriously. All the vets used to be gone by 9 p.m. Now they stay until the last race is over.”

“Increased purse money hasn't really changed public perception, Belcher said. “It's such a volatile business that they are an economic risk. People still have mud on their feet and smell like horses.”

The outrider is a skilled horseman. He watches for loose horses and for jockeys

that fall from their mounts. They are critical for the safety of riders, horses and racing fans.

Chicken today and feathers tomorrow has been a standard credo for anyone in the racehorse game. On Beam Day, it's chicken across the board. Picnic tables stationed around the barn welcome passers-by to taste a variety of culinary specialties.

It's a warm day. The track is in tip-top shape for the showcase of 3-yr-old super stars.

And the No.2 horse just paid $10 to place.

Life doesn't get much better than that.

Dr. Merlwyn Belcher, a Turfway veterinarian.

A shadowy twilight of dawn seeps through the windows of Turfway Park's track kitchen.

Day breaks early on the back-side of a racetrack. And especially early on Beam Day.

Owners, trainer s and backstretch help sip coffee while deliberating the intricacies of workouts published in the morning racing form. They religiously recount each step of a horse's conditioning.

“They all come early on Beam Day,” said Dee Schatz, chief cook at the trackside eatery. “They get their work done really early, put on clean clothes and come back.”

The Jim Beam Stakes, with its' $600,000 purse and growing reputation for producing Triple Crown winners, is the biggest show of the year at the Florence track. The excitement carries to the backside, where a supporting cast of more than a thousand readies for show time.

“By first post it's disaster,” said Schatz, who has worked in the kitchen since it was rebuilt four years ago. “Wall to wall people. You can't hear yourself think.”

“But just before the Beam goes off, it gets really, really quiet.”

The track, normally closed for training at 11:00 a.m., shuts its gates at 9 a.m. on Beam Day.

Standard post time for the first race Saturdays is 1p.m. But on this day, the rally to bring "em over for the first resonates through the barn area two hours early.

Meanwhile chauffer-driven celebrities are recovering from midnight champagne toasts in Turfway Park"s gala Homestretch Room. They dribble into the VIP tent during the first few races, warm-ups for the big races on the card.

The tent, which holds 2,000 people, is the largest sit-down tent in the United States, said Turfway Park, said Turfway proprietor Jerry Carroll.

The people in the tent are in a different world than the people with the horses, said mutual clerk Jim Barnes, who holds down one of five mutual windows in the track kitchen. The VIPs bet $2 across. The more money they have, the tighter they are, Barnes said.

But the crowd in the tent isn't at Turfway to garner a fortune through the windows. They are celebrating the premier springtime event in Northern Kentucky.

“I go back many years with racehorses, back when The Beam was the Spiral Stakes,” said Wayne Carlisle of Carlilse Construction and a former member of the racing commission.

“The race wasn't recognized by anybody. Today I entertain a lot of clients. The number one event they love is Turfway Park. I'll buy 11 tables in the tent. My customers, if they don't get asked back, call to ask me if they've done something wrong.”

Racing was dead five years ago, Carlisle said.

“Jerry Carroll has pulled it out of the mud.”

Most on the backside would agree.

“Turfway is a much more user friendly track,” said Ken McPeek, who cut his teeth on the old Latonia Backside. “I remember when the barns were covered in plastic to keep the cold out.”

It was very difficult to work under those conditions.

McPeek, the meet's second leading trainer, was runner-up in last year's Beam with Tejano Run, which went on to win a second place finish in the Kentucky Derby. His stable horseshoer, a vital member of Team McPeek, reminisces about earlier days while checking the shoes on a quiet bay.

“I got my first license in 1967,” said Errol Bradford.

In the early 89s, a trainer named Cadillac Jack stuffed four horses in the blacksmith's workshop,

“The quality of horse and owners has improved drastically since then,” Bradford said.

Track veterinarians report similar scenarios.

“Jerry Carroll has done a service for the horsemen,” said Dr. Meriwyn Belcher. “ Money is going in the owners' pockets, and it's helped everybody.”

“I don't think the horses have changed all that much. But the vets take it a whole lot more seriously. All the vets used to be gone by 9 p.m. Now they stay until the last race is over.”

“Increased purse money hasn't really changed public perception, Belcher said. “It's such a volatile business that they are an economic risk. People still have mud on their feet and smell like horses.”

Chicken today and feathers tomorrow has been a standard credo for anyone in the racehorse game. On Beam Day, it's chicken across the board. Picnic tables stationed around the barn welcome passers-by to taste a variety of culinary specialties.

It's a warm day. The track is in tip-top shape for the showcase of 3-yr-old super stars.

And the No.2 horse just paid $10 to place.

Life doesn't get much better than that.

Peruvian Paso

Peruvian Paso performing the Paso Llano, a smooth four beat gait, the photo is from Wikimedia. These horses are beautiful to watch or ride. They are incredible smooth and have great endurance. They travel in a way that involves swinging their lower front legs out and around. This would be a severe fault in another breed. They are not huge horses, nor are they considered high strung, making them a suitable mount for anyone.

Icelandic Horse

Icelandics are an ancient breed of horses who have lived in Iceland for thousands of years, as such they are considered very pure. In fact if an Icelandic horse leaves Iceland, he, or she, cannot return. Although they are small and could easily be called ponies, they are to be considered as horses. Their special gait is the "Tolt" which involves the same foot sequence as the walk, but is more exaggerated and incredibly smooth. They horse performing the Tolt, photo from Wikimedia.

Tennessee Walking Horse

This Tennessee Walking horse is performing the running walk naturally. You may have seen pictures of them with even more extreme leg lifting, sadly many owners resorted to cruel methods of attaining this action, including making the bottoms of their feet so sore, they ache when they are placed down. Some methods are legal, such as putting light weight chains on their feet, or adding pads to the bottoms of their feet. They are known for many gaits, the running walk being one of them. The photo is from Wikimedia.

Standardbred

These are the horses you often see at the race tracks pulling the carts. They are sometimes raced while performing the trot, but some horses in the breed exhibit a special gait, called the Pace. Where as the trot is a two beat gait involving opposite legs moving at the same time, the pace involves the legs on the same side moving the same way at the same time. Standardbreds are not the only breed who can perform this gait, but they are one who excell at it in terms of speed. The "Standard" is a horses abilitiy to pace the mile in two minutes or less. For many of these horses, the pace is a gait they can travel at for long distances. You can see in the photo that these Standardbreds are performing the Pace. The picture is from Wikimedia.

Mangalarga Marchador

This is a more uncommon breed, the Mangalarga Marchador. They are from Brazil, and are noted for their unusual four beat gait, in which, just for a split second, three feet touch the ground at a time. The gait is referred to as the "Marcha". Other naturally gaited breeds include the American Saddlebred, Paso Fino and the Rocky Mountain Horse. The Picture is from Wikimedia.

Andalusian

Some breeds, like this Andalusian, can be taught unnatural ways of traveling, such as this horse performing the Spanish Walk. Often in higher levels of dressage horses are taught such moves, or how to exaggerate any of the other natural gaits. The photo is from Wikimedia. Other breeds who excel at performing specialty steps are the Lipizzaner, while Warmblood breeds like the Hanoverian, do very well in higher levels of Dressage.

A sore back means the experience of being ridden is a negative one and will make your horse unhappy and difficul to ride.  by making sure the saddle fits properly you can help ensure your horse will go better and have a more positive attitude towards his work.  Here are some tips to help you check your saddle.

First,  make sure there is enough clearance at the withers and that the saddle does not come in contact with any part of the horse's spine.  One way to check this is to put the saddle on the horse's back without a saddle pad and see if you can see all the way through from front to the back.  Make sure there is plenty of room because the space will compress with your weight in the saddle. 

There should also be no pinching at the shoulders.  They should be able to move freely without being blocked or binding.

If you run your hand under the length of the saddle while it is on your horse's back, the pressure between the saddle and the horese's body should feel smooth and even, not tight in spots and loose in others.

Also check your girth,  It should not pinch or bind.  An ill fitting girth can contribute to saddle sores.

Remember, one of the best things you can do for your horse is have a professional come out and check how the saddle fits.  Often times even a saddle that fits poorly can be custom-fitted to your house by a professional saddle fitter for a very reasonable amount of money.  Spending $50-150 on getting your saddle fitted is still much cheaper than a new saddle or an unhappy unproductive horse.

Happy trails!

Often when people talk about their horse, they say it goes English or western, but generally all this means is what kind of saddle has been put on its back. In reality they need to consider their horses way of traveling, an English horse, for the most part, picks its feet up higher, covers more ground with each step, and holds its head higher. Also what kind of bridle is the horse used to, a snaffle, a curb, bosal, a double bridle, and so on.

Some breeds lend themselves more to being a true English Pleasure horse than do others, these breeds include Arabians (as in the photo), Saddlebreds, Morgans, and Andalusians, for example.

image source

You will see in the photograph the horses head is up, and well above its withers. The bridle being used is a double bridle, horses who are young may be shown it snaffles but once they are adults (age may differ in each breed) they must be shown in double bridles. The rider holds his or her hands higher than in most other English disciplines, and certainly higher than the western riders. They use a saddle called a “cut back” saddle that seats them further back on their horse. At shows they wear an outfit called a “Saddle Suit” and a bowler hat.

Typically, at horse shows, the English pleasure class starts with horses entering the ring at a trot. The specialty of this class is when the judge calls for a “strong trot”. Depending on the breed, this generally means their knee is lifted nearly as high, or as high, as their elbow. A true sight to see. The crowds roar and cheer the horses on.

I have seen problems occur at some Open shows where they do not distinguish the difference between a hunter type and a pleasure type of horse. Judges who are used to seeing only quarter horses are quite taken aback when a Saddlebred comes trotting into the ring at an open show. Judging the two against each other is nearly impossible, and I wish that open shows would distinguish between the classes better, perhaps have an English Pleasure class, and a Hunter Hack class, and not allow horses to cross enter into both.

Most people, who are not horse people, will not be familiar with English Pleasure horses, they are not often on television, in fact, hunters are not often on television either. Usually what you see are “Jumpers”, horses going over high fences at fast speeds. If you ever get a change to attend a horse show for a breed like those I mentioned earlier, be sure you look for the English Pleasure class, a true sight to see, and please roar loudly when your favorite horse preforms the strong trot and is directly in front of the judge.

Camel Racing

Arab Nations have a rich history of camel racing but after world-wide condemnation towards their use of small young boys as young as 4 years old to be the jockeys, Dubai switched to using small robots as the Jockey.

Miniature Chariot Horse Racing
Miniature horses hooked to miniature chariots with a miniature jockey in a young kid. Kids racing miniature horses and chariots. To see some pics of Kids racing miniature horses and miniature chariots check out this page.

This picture is of a miniature horse and chariot during a parade in Jerome Idaho 2007.

Image Source

Lawnmower racing

 

Lawnmower racing is so popular it even has it's own video game.

The stock classes are pretty darn slow but in the modified classes these riding lawnmowers can get some speed. To learn more about the U.S. Lawn Mower Racing Association or to find a listing of sanctioned events check out the U.S. Lawn Mower Racing Association web page.

Unicycle Racing

With a wide range of events including a 10 kilometer marathon Unicyclist racers have to be crazy. As if riding a unicycle is easy much less adding a competitive flair to the sport by a multitude of racing events. Check out the official USA Unicycling Racing Web Site.

Semi Truck Drifting

You've seen the movie Fast and The Furious:Tokyo Drift. You know that drifting is a lot of fun to watch. You know that drifting makes a lot of money for the Goodyear tire company. Did you know a few people drift semi trucks. Its got to be expensive on the tires and gas.

Antique Tractor Pulls

With events held all over the United States with many different associations there is bound to be an antique tractor pull near you. Antique tractor pull associations generally sanction and promote events:

• To help preserve a piece of history
• To have a fun time
• To raise Money for Charities

Trailer races

At circle tracks around the country promoters are turning to trailer races to help get new spectators to the race track. After all the racing is done for the evening they pull out the trailers and hook them onto cars. Camp trailers,boat trailers,horse trailers and any other toe of trailer they can come up with.

The cars with the attached trailers begin racing around the track. Generally the rule is to knock the crap out of your opponents trailer. Last trailer standing wins. Who actually cares who wins. Spectators just want to see the destruction.

The trailer race is the last race of the night. It may take 3-4 days just to pick up the mess around the track.

Porcupine Races

I can't make this up.
Council Idahos 4th of July celebration feature A Porcupine Races to raise money for charity. Don;t worry no porcupines are harmed. Can't make that promise for the people involved though. An occasional stray porcupine can send the audience running.

Pics Of Porcupine Racing

Bus Demolition Derby

Take a racetrack. Take a lot of buses and then have them crash into each other as they race around. Hell Yeah!
Youtube Videos Of Bus Demolition Derbys. The first video is of the circle track style bus demolition derby and the second video is of A traditional style bus demolition derby.

The horses and riders are put through a gruelling three-day competition that showcases physical ability as well as grace and poise. Dressage - or horse ballet as it is commonly called - is an event that can trace its roots to the renaissance period as well as ancient Greek periods. The event showcases a series of tests or movements the horse must perform while maintaining complete composure and appearing effortless.

Cross country day is an event that features the endurance, speed and jumping ability of the horse. It also exhibits a rider's familiarity of their horses pace and the ability to ride it “cross-country”. Show jumping is another event featuring the jumping ability of the horse, rewarding grace and style of the horse and rider combination.

Several of Australia's past Olympic competitors and world champion medalists will be there for personal meetings. Fun for the whole family there is plenty for children to do along with new experiences to be had. Visit Total Travel for more details.

If you aren't appalled by this headline, then you aren't paying attention. According to recent news reports, thousands of horses are being injured on the racetracks of America and have had to be euthanized in the last five years.

In my last horse racing article, Horse Racing: A Truly Green Sport, I questioned how this could continue to happen.

In this article I wrote,” A racing horse is truly an awesome and inspiring creature. They are massive beasts of both beauty and grace. Their large bodies effortlessly carried by four slim legs. But the legs of these magnificent beasts are most vulnerable. We witnessed this year at the Kentucky Derby, that the limbs of a race horse can be very fragile.”

One of the current racing investigations is supposedly centered on how a race horse is bred for speed and the bones in its legs are therefore more fragile. Fragile bones break and a horse with a broken bone have to be euthanized, as keeping it lying down for treatment impounds the problem. For if a horse lies down for too long they can get a condition called “laminitis” which is a hoof infection from inadequate blood flow in the

injured leg. The race horse Barbero had this condition and he eventually had to be euthanized in spite of the efforts made to rehabilitate him.

We all know that horse racing is a sport dominated by the very rich in our society. How many people out there can afford to even own a race horse? You may sit with your beach

chair in the infield to watch the race, but face it, you are not going to make the money off the ponies in the quantities that the owners do. You can stretch out in the cheap seats

and allow the booze to numb your senses but you are not even close to being in the winner's circle.

In my last article, “Horse Racing: A Truly Green Sport” I pointed out many of the concerns that are just now coming to light in the media and are finally gaining attention. The article was and still is my opinion. Interestingly enough, I was continually insulted by a “so called” horse racing fan when my piece was originally published. This cyber bully's goal was nothing but a coward's attempt to intimidate me and silence my voice on the inhuman aspects of horse racing. Have other voices been silenced?

What about the supposed “investigation” into horse racing after Eight Belles was euthanized at the Kentucky Derby? Did someone silence that too and now suddenly again it appears in the media after the loss of Big Brown last week at Belmont?

The Jockey Panel even got into the investigation act and surprise, surprise isn't revealing

much. The owners after all do sign the jockey's paycheck. What power do the jockeys even have? Isn't the money involved intimidation enough?

How about steroid use in race horses? We all know it enhances the feats of human athletes. Did it help Big Brown to win the Derby and the Preakness? Did it hinder Big Brown at the Belmont going without it?

One major reason why previous investigations never materialized with much more than a slap of a crop was due to the fact that horse racing is big business and makes a lot of money.

Sure other major sporting events make millions of dollars too like the World Series and the Super Bowl. The only difference is that no creature is being euthanized, nor would it be accepted as a normal part of the sport.

. Can you imagine the uproar and protests if any other professional sport allowed its players to be euthanized? Wouldn't it create more controversy than the “wardrobe malfunction” at the Super Bowl a few years ago?

Back then, Janet Jackson was exposed in her womanly form and the outcry was immense. No one was killed and yet it was worse somehow, we all viewed a female breast live at Super Bowl halftime!

Yet just last month, we witnessed Eight Belles being euthanized on the track at the Kentucky Derby and did anyone even bat an eyelash?

What kind of “investigation” is exactly being conducted here anyway? Will the findings be swept under the rug, go away for a while and then business will be conducted as usual? How long before this story too disappears from the headlines?

If you aren't disgusted and outraged by the now routine slaughter of these 5,000

magnificent racing horses in the last five years, then either you aren't paying attention or the sun and beer is permeating your brain as your lounge in your infield beach chair holding your bloodied ticket stub in your sunburned hand.

Location

Horse racing is different world wide. In the United States, and Canada, for example, horses are kept pretty much at one race track for an extended period of time. These race tracks are typically located in urban areas thus not allowing any pasture, or riding space other than the tract itself. Thus the horses are kept in their stalls for the greater part of the day, I will refer to this below.

In other countries such as England the horses are kept mostly at home, shipped to race meets which generally are around 2 weeks long. These tracks are in rural locations allowing areas for riding. The horses are often outdoors more of the time and have a generally better enjoyment of life. If you have attended a race meet in the United Kingdom you will notice right away that the riders are not "ponied" to the starting gate in the manner they are in North America. The riders seem to trust the horses a bit more, an indication that they are ridden more frequently and independently of racing and training.
The race tracks themselves are much more "humane" in the UK, being longer, no tight corners, they are often straight, or varying direction, grassy, and so forth. Whereas the typical North American track is always a counter clockwise oval.

Age

Race horse owners and the industry itself, push to get these guys on the track early. Regardless of actual date of birth they are all considered to all have the birth date of January 1st of the year they were born. So if a foal is born in June, it is considered to be 1 year of age in January. There are races for 2-year-olds. In an eager attempt to get these youngsters on the track they are saddled and ridden as yearlings, something not done in any other discipline. Many Warmbloods, horses commonly used for jumping, are not even ridden until four or five years of age, much less pushed to their maximum capacity.

The races for two year olds are short distance races. This is actually very hard on them because they are sprinting which is hard on a young horse.
One thing that is apparent, is that in North America horses do not have as long of a career as in England or other places. In England it is not uncommon to see active race horses over the age of 6, however, in North America these horses stand out and are often discounted because of age.

Stabling

This is a big point. The main problem here is that when a horse remains in a stall for a good part of the day, its bone density deteriorates, thus the bones become weaker. In my opinion this is probably the biggest reason for so many horses breaking down on the track. Yes, I would call this cruel, because we have predisposed the animal to being weaker and then ask it to run full out on weakened bones.

There are two main reasons why race horses are stabled for much of the day. One reason is space, race track stabling houses hundreds of horses, there is simply not enough space to have turn out pastures or pens for them in this situation. As I have stated, in North America, this means the horses are in their stalls for most of the day, for many months. The other, and more common reason, is that even if such spaces did exist, high energy horses would want to play, and playing is risky. Horse owners often do not want to risk their horse becoming injured, as such, the stall is a safer choice. Certainly more boring, but safer.

Race Horses are Not Pets

Race horses are not pets, they are status symbols and a tool to make money for their owner. Many race horse owners could not pick their horse out of a field, and it's probably just as well, since many wouldn't be able to put a halter on if they had to. The horse is a commodity to be used then sold. The horses are cared for by trainers and grooms.
It is a common misconception that race horses are treated like royalty. Very few are top dollar earners and those who are not, are flogged until they break down or are sold.

Thoroughbred vs Standardbred Racing

For the most part I do consider Standardbred racing to be much less risky to the horse in terms of stress and injury. Standardbreds are the ones that race with the carts behind them (not to be confused with Chuckwagon Racing). Thoroughbreds race at a horses top speed, the gallop, whereas Standardbreds race at a slower gait, the trot or pace. This means it is less stressful on the whole and as a result there are fewer injuries, even with the risks of legs being caught in the entanglement of the carts or collisions.
You must remember that not all injuries happen during the race, many stress related injuries show up after the race or during training workouts. Even these injuries are lower in the Standardbred race industry.

The Finish Line

So there you have it, I have scratched the surface and revealed some facts about horse racing you may not have considered. All things which exploit animals for people to profit off of, are all in some ways cruel, you have to decide how much cruelty you are willing to accept or support. By betting on racing a person is supporting it, because much of the purse money comes from the betting public and admission fees.
I would say to the person who likes watching horse racing, and enjoys betting on the races, but is conflicted by the feeling they are supporting a cruel industry, to perhaps switch to Standardbred racing, otherwise stay away from racing in general.

 

The handsome men in their expensive suits are suave and elegant. The perfectly groomed females in their most spectacular hats and designer attire only add to the atmosphere.

The hype and the television coverage are grossly overused for a simple two minute race.

The Kentucky Derby is yet another affluent American indulgence attended by the supremely prosperous and only watched on television by the mass majority.

The Kentucky Derby was a horrible tragedy this year. Big Brown was the winner. But Eight Belles, a filly had to be euthanized while still on the track. Animal lovers everywhere were outraged and sickened by this seemingly “fun sport.”

Horse racing is a sport for the very rich. It is extremely expensive to maintain and raise quality thoroughbred racing horses. There is a positive and uplifting side to horse racing in the story of “Sea Biscuit.” Then again, there is a terrible and sad side in the story of “Black Beauty” and now Eight Belles.

A racing horse is truly an awesome and inspiring creature. They are massive beasts of both beauty and grace. Their large bodies effortlessly carried by four slim legs. But the legs of these magnificent beasts are most vulnerable. We witnessed this year at the Kentucky Derby, that the limbs of a race horse can be very fragile.

We can cradle distressed whales in large hammocks and rescue them from the ocean. But horses are not sea mammals. Horses have to stand. Euthanizing Eight Belle where she fell was the only option.

I want to believe that the trainers and owners of these fabulous creatures care and love them. But the reality is that horse racing is big business. I cannot help but be a little skeptical of their motives. Winning horses make more money for their owners than most of us can even fathom.

I know that the vision of that lovely filly lying on the track moaning in pain will haunt horse lovers forever. It is true that euthanizing was the only humane choice. But is participating in horse racing whether as a fan or owner a humane choice?

Rest in peace Eight Belles, where all your pastures now will be eternally green.