Quote:
Originally Posted by KDK241
If she would have only broken one ankle, they probably would have tried to splint it and hoped it would heal, but since it was both ankles that wasn't an option since she didn't have a good front leg to stand on. It was a terrible, sad end to a great race.
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Actually, with how bad the break was in both legs, it's probably best she broke both and they didn't try that.
I LOVE horses and refuse to watch horse racing because I don't want to see them die (I do follow it, and I don't "hate" racing. . .After Barbarro 2 years ago, I just can't do it) They're just SO young to be running. . . When you raise horses, though, you understand very quickly how it's so humane to put them down when they break a leg.
Horses aren't like us, they're bones are 60+% marrow (ours are 75% calcium) so when a horse breaks a leg, it's much less likely to be a hairline fracture and much more likely to break to the marrow. This increases their chances to die of infection once the marrow enters the blood stream and clots from the marrow being open.
And horses are even-keel. . .they can't limp. They have the exact same amount of weight on each foot no matter what, so even splinted, it's very likely a break won't be able to heal. Hence them needing to put Barbarro down even though it looked promising at first.
It's so sad, and it breaks my heart, but I'm glad they put her down quickly without trying to move her. poor baby. She was SO incredibly beautiful.
Run free in fields of green, Eight Belles. Keep my Diamond and Dusty running while they're waiting for me
