Can a Horse could really be Saved after breaking legs or ankles?

Question

It bothers me really bad that a so awesome and beautiful animal at the Kentucky Derby had to be euthanized because it broke the two front ankles...

What do you think?

Can a horse be saved when that happens?

Can a horse be saved and put to pasture or be adopted?

Answer 1

A horse can *sometimes*  be saved with ONE broken ankle.  But not two.  If a horse can't stand, it can't recover.  If it was possible, they would have done so.  The owners of racehorses really do care for them, give them the best medical treatment.  The horse was in a LOT of pain, there was nothing to be done but to end it.  Trust me, if it was a possibility, the owners would have saved it.  These horses are worth a TON of money, even if they can't race, they can still be bred.

Answer 2

No sadly enough nothing could have been done. She would never really be able to walk again. If it had been just one ankle then she would have had 3 good ones to help support her body weight. With just 2 good ankles she would have been in a lot of pain if she had lived and had no quality of life. It's so sad, it would be nice if there was some way to save them but as of now there's not. The best thing for her was to be put out of pain.

Answer 3

his ankles were shattered so badly, even if the doctors woul have been able to perform a successful surgery, the horse would have to live in pain his entire life. Unfortunatly, this happens a lot in the horse racing business and frankly that is why i find it to be such a barbaric sport. Even horses who win and race without any injuries usually end up retiring once they at 4 and end up living a short life with great discomfort in what should be the "prime time" of their lives. And all of this for money... it is just sad

Answer 4

Eight Belles could not have been saved. Both of her ankles were basically shattered. She wouldnt have been able to stand. Horses cant lay down because their organs begin to fail.  

If she would have broken just one she might have been able to be saved, but the chances she would have made a full recovery are slim.

Answer 5

There really is no way to save a horse that has broken both legs.  Horses are rarely able to survive after breaking one leg, due to the fact that they absolutely must distribute their weight evenly on all four legs (I can't remember exactly what happens, but I know that it causes immense damage to the other three legs, making the situation even worse and more painful for the horse, oftentimes causing death).  There are certain braces and structures that can help rehabilitate a horse that has broken a leg, but these only work if the horse doesn't struggle too much and cooperates (struggling simply makes the break worse, and healing impossible).  Even with the technology we have now, there is no way to guarantee that a horse can recover after breaking ONE leg.  So breaking two...a horse simply does not stand a chance.  Eight Bells had to be euthanized, because otherwise she would have died a much more painful death later on, due to the fact that she would not be able to stand.

Answer 6

it is very hard to save a horse when it has broken a leg. horses' bodies are not built to lie down for long periods of time, and it is really stressful on their bodies to use the slings like Barbaro used. even with the help of a sling, the horse usually ends up dying. it is best to put them out of their misery right then and there. if the horse did end up being saved, they would go to pasture and be bred.

Answer 7

Not humanly. Not two legs, especially the front legs, being the primary weight bearing legs. She would never have had any quality of life. That wouldn't have been an issue really, if she were a stud they would have kept the horse alive long enough to harvest some very valuable sperm, then "done the right thing" and finally let their cash supply die.  I just wish they would stop racing horses so young that their bones aren't developed. Let them grow up enough to run safely.

Answer 8

Not when it is both front legs! It it was just one of the front legs it may have been possible. Being that she could not stand on her own, they had to put her down. Very sad day for Horse racing.

FYI she was a 3year old

Answer 9

It is truly sad to lose any living creature especially a horse as it seems to  connotate freedom with it's sheer beauty, grace and speed. I'm sure that the with the substantial financial investment in this horse everything that could be done to save it was attempted.

Answer 10

Do you have any idea how much a horse that size weighs ?Then look at the size of their legs. It can not take the weight at all.They die from other medical problems if they can not stand.Horses even sleep standing.Imagine both your legs are broken in 5 places and your are still forced to stand.It would be impossible .

If you lay down  u will die from circulation problems before they heal.

I think those horse's in particular are so fast and powerful from hundreds of years of breeding that their own speed and power breaks their legs.

I know its sad but not putting that horse down right away would have been so cruel and she would have had unbelievable pain and then probally died in a few weeks anyway. Who said life was fair?

Tust me she was worth alot of money and even if she never raced again her babies would have been worth alot of money.She was very young and could have made her owner alot of money just but haveing a few colts. They did not want to do that.

Answer 11

This was the question a couple of years ago with Barbaro when he broke his hind leg during the Preakness.  Unfortunetly, horses depend on their feet more than us humans do.  So, its better to euthanize the horse than have it suffer through multiple surgeries and recovery.

Answer 12

Absolutely not.  A horse weighs too much for them to lie down for more than a few hours at a time.  So she needed to stand.  Horses put 70% of their weight on their front legs.  That's over 700 pounds on her front legs, both with broken ankles.  She could have stood with more weight on her back legs to support her, but when a horse distributes its weight unequally a lot of hoof problems can result including laminitis which is the disease that killed Barbaro early last year.  It is extremely hard to heal a racehorse with a severe injury.  It's impossible to heal a horse with two serious injuries.  To try to fix her, they would have been torturing her for a few weeks and I guarantee that they would have put her down anyway.  It was better to end it now.  It is a shame that we lost such an amazing horse today.  I am devastated.  I have a final exam tomorrow and haven't studied at all because I can't think of anything but that poor little filly.  I can only say that she's happier now and she's running with Ruffian.

Answer 13

Remember Barbaro?? He only broke one, and they fought and fought to save him, not to race again, but to live quietly and maybe be a stud horse. But after 8 months they finally had to put him down too. The animal just suffers too much, no quality of life, constant battles with infections and pain. So very sad, but this animal did not need to suffer this, and her injuries were much worse. Makes me cry, but what heart she showed.

Answer 14

If the injury is not too bad, they can usually nurse the horse back to health. If after healthy it still can't run, they have the option to "stud" it, or in other words they let it reproduce with other racing horses to hopefully make an even better one.