New horse ambulance in response to Kentucky Derby tragedy
The National Thoroughbred Racing Association was sent scrambling for a solution following the Eight Belles’ fatal breakdown in the Kentucky Derby. Race officials have decided on a similar approach used by the NFL where carts take injured players off the field for treatment. In this case the thoroughbreds horses usually weigh upwards of 1,200 pounds and a much more substantial vehicle was required.
Officials have settled on the HC-Hevlav 1200 (below) the large truck has a heavy lifting system that will allow the tranquilized horse to be safely transported off the track.
Even with the new ‘ambulance’ horses may still need to be euthanized admit sources within the racing association. In the wake of the tragedy and the fallout from the Eight Belles’ fiasco has prompted immediate action. The new vehicle will be available for all new races in 2008 following the Kentucky Derby.
“Anatomically speaking, they run on their toes,” said Lawrence R. Soma, professor of anesthesia and clinical pharmacology at the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine. “That makes them very fragile.”
According to the Science Daily article, a human would have to put all his weight on his middle finger to duplicate the proportion of weight a horse’s hoof supports as it hits the ground.
In 2005, Steve Wood, superintendent of Del Mar’s dirt track, told the San Diego Union-Tribune that a hoof strikes the ground with 5,000 pounds of pressure on a bone the size of a person’s wrist. Del Mar has since changed to a synthetic track.
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Amid the fallout from Eight Belles’ fatal breakdown after the Kentucky Derby on Saturday, the National Thoroughbred Racing Association pumped out some protective spin. Part of the information it passed on was a statistic attributed to the American Association of Equine Practitioners, stating American racing suffers approximately 1.6 fatalities for every 1,000 horses that start a race.
There is some truth to that. Sometimes, even the greatest of care cannot prevent a tragedy. The physics of race horses leaves their very existences fraught with peril: large, muscular animals running very fast on very thin legs. Bad steps do happen, and when they do, they can be lethal.
5 at Belmont, Funfair broke a hind leg in the Breeders’ Cup Mile and was euthanized that day. (That race was on turf, not dirt.)
Now horses will have a similar system to NFL players.
In ‘06, we had the Barbaro disaster at the Preakness, followed by the long and ultimately unsuccessful attempt to save the Derby champion’s life. While that was still ongoing, we saw Pine Island’s fatal breakdown in the Breeders’ Cup Distaff that fall at Churchill Downs. In a savage bit of irony, the Distaff race was won by Round Pond, who was trained by Michael Matz — the same man who conditioned Barbaro.
With the new vehicle in place officials will see to it that the same thing never happens in front of a live TV network audience. With mounting pressure from PETA and the public something had to be done immediately Steve Arsetti was quoted as saying. “The new system will see to it that the animal is humanely transported to awaiting veterinary personnel. ”
9 Responses to “New horse ambulance in response to Kentucky Derby tragedy”
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Carbon neutral pledge:
I think that when the horse needs to be euthanized the jockey should be too.
Damnit, Jerome. Call me, you ass.
You know the digits.
I think that we should not force horses to do what they were Not born to do. These animals should not have to suffer the consequences of what our sport requires of them to do. I believe no animal should have to do what we want them to do for our own entertainment puposes or money issues as well. It is dispicable and disgrace full. It would be one thing if the racing industry had a little heart for the horses but it doesnt all that matter to the industry is if they are making money not about the horses wellfare at ALL. They show no emotion when a horse cant make it in the industry so the horse is sold for slaughter, or starved on some ranch because he was no good enought. It is disgusting if you ask me!
Dogs think horses taste like chicken
For one, horses were born to run we dont force them. And the horses are treated very well. Enough of the nonesense that people just assume. If you have ever gone into the backstretch or worked on the track you would have a completely different opinion. And thise who do not make it to the races you see on tv are not just thrown to the woles, there is a ‘B’ track circuit too. and races are run 4 out of 7 days a week there is a different type of race for all levels of horses. It sickens me that people just continue to assume and try an force their opinions on people when they them selves are blind.
well. horses were born to run. just the way they want to, not forced to work their hardest running around a track, they want to run on the soft grass and run freely and naturally, horses would rather be wild horses getting dirty, drinking from gross ponds, and rollion in the dirt, and walking in the rain, not in a stable on shavings and getting their tales braided, horses are horses adn thats all they want to be. They might love to run, but making them isnt making love it.
Horse racing sucks. That’s all there is to it. I mean yeah its good entertainment… until someone or the horse gets hurt. Think of it this way…. What if we had “human” racing where someone rode you, you mis-step and break something.. we put you down your family is sad. Horses are not just animals… they DO have feelings.. they are living creatures. Believe it or not, horses have family. It’s the people who own them… if you asked any horse person if they love their horse for them or because the work they do 3/4 would say that they love them because they are nice and gentle.. because the owner doesn’t make them do sh*t they don’t wanna do.
Horses have made us what we are today, without them we would still be living in grass huts, they have carried us far and helped us buil our cities and countrys to what they are today, they were bred for it and they are treated like royalty these days, especialy the racing horses, They are born then they recieve all the vet care and relivant care needed, they are handled in minimal stress manners, they are handled from day one so when breaking comes along they dont through themselves into the fence and csar themselves up and get all sorts of horrifific injuries, they are trained and made fit before they are even concidered fit, they are ridden in the most natural positions and when they do break down, they are assessed on the recovery status they may make, a broken leg will not heal very well so it is the kindest thing to do when they are put down, and they are taken to markets to be sold, not strate to the slaughter, not every horse can be bought and fed and cared for so some have to be slaughtered, not a nice thing but instead of they money needed to buy them, transport them, feed, agistment , vet ect they are best to be slaughtered. Horses used at pony clubs have it hardest, they are taken out and beeten around and given a hard time for not jumping high enough, not collecting tight enough or not standing still enough, or worse still, 20yo horses being flogged around by children, that is the cruelest thing, people say the horse loves it, but he is old and has no heart in him left to be a horse, he does what he is told because he has no choice. Race horses love to run, if they dont they dont race they are used as performance horses for something eles. you hear of people having a thoughbred thats lazy or isnt very fast, chances are he didnt want to be a racer, so he was used for something else, not all of them get dogged, just the few unlucky ones, but such as life, if you have a problem with slaughter, go buy these horses before they get sluaghtered, and you care for them and feed them and then see how long it is before you are selling them back to the slaughter house, sometimes there is no other rational choice and if you buy the horses you will see the point.
Horse racing sucks. That’s all there is to it. I mean yeah its good entertainment… until someone or the horse gets hurt. Think of it this way…. What if we had “human” racing where someone rode you, you mis-step and break something.. we put you down your family is sad. Horses are not just animals… they DO have feelings.. they are living creatures. Believe it or not, horses have family. It’s the people who own them… if you asked any horse person if they love their horse for them or because the work they do 3/4 would say that they love them because they are nice and gentle.. because the owner doesn’t make them do sh*t they don’t wanna do.
i agree with the person that wrote this we are seeing too much trainer caring about money i would love to put a saddle on them and a harsh bit and make them race round and if they break something or lose a top race im going to send you to the hounds coz all i care about money
these horses have helped us devolop they have carried us and looked after us they have feelings and care about things as well they are not machines they are not ten foot nine and bullet proof they are animals just like us and i bet if you asked an horse what he thought of it i wonder what they say coz they understand every word!