If a horse breaks its legs, why does it need to be put down?

Question

Eight Belles, the 2nd place winner in today's Kentucky Derby, fell and broke 2 front legs (calves? not exactly sure which). Anyway, they had to euthanize her on the spot because they said the injury was fatal. So sad! :(

I was just wondering: why is that kind of injury fatal for a horse? Do horses really need to be put down if they break their legs? Or did they kill her because they knew she would never race again and therefore saw no point in keeping her?

Answer 1

Well, horses aren't like us, and they can't stay cooped up in a stall for long periods of time without excercise. ESPECIALLY racers. It would be abuse. And she would be in SO much pain.

RIP Eight Belles. You have earned your wings.

Answer 2

No, horses do not "need" to be murdered after they break a leg.  It is only done because it is expensive to provide vet care and most owners either can't afford it or don't consider it worthwhile to pay for it.  Eight Belles' owners might have made a different choice if she had been a stallion who could have made them a lot of money in stud fees in the future.

Also, there is a misconception among some people that broken bones in horses cannot be treated.  This is not true, but the myth persists, leading to murders like we saw today.

You'd never see someone ask a doctor to euthanize their child because they didn't want to pay for medical care, but you see it all the time with other animals.  It is sick, and it should be outlawed.  But don't hold your breath; that won't happen anytime soon.

Answer 3

These injuries she sustained would be like snapping a twig off a tree. They were that hideous and there was nothing - nothing - that could have been done to save her.

Answer 4

I know... Eight Belles did so well and now she is dead! It is mostly because a horse with broken bones is VERY hard to heal... VERY hard. My neighbor is a horse/dog rescuers (from shelters and stuff) and a man had a pasafino horse that got hurt from getting its leg caught in the trailer. They were about to put him down when she wanted to take him in. They gave him to her for free and now he is the most beautiful graceful horses I have ever seen. So there are some happy endings but a lot of the times not, especially with race horses. I am sorry you are sad- but your are not the only one. Good Luck and God Bless.

Answer 5

A horse is an animal. It wants to walk and feed. You cant put two casts on a horse and ask him to lay still for 2 months. It's worse to try and save the horse then put it to sleep.

Answer 6

Horses are put down after breaking bones because, being thoroughbreds, they are hyper to begin with and cannot stay calm enough for the six weeks for the bones to heal.  They tried it with Barbaro, and utimately had to put him down.  Most breeders don't care anyway.  The horses are insured.  Why do you think that stables are still made of wood, rather than cement?

Answer 7

A horse, like any other animal, doesn't understand bed rest or recoop time.  For an animal weighing hundreds of pounds, it's more rules than a horse can really do.  The bones never heal back properly.

It is a sad think to have to put them down, but in the long run it's the most caring thing to do for the animal.  They just don't understand 'being injured'.

Answer 8

exactly..its because rich people dont wanna take the time to heal the horse.....they are all in it for themselves...Its because they didnt wanna take the time to heal her...im so upset.....RIP Eight belles

Answer 9

A broken leg is a VERY poor prognosis for a horse. To break two legs, practically incurable. You'll recall Barbaro broke just one leg and despite the best vetrinary care in the country was later euthanized. Horses are very large animals and their bodies cannot handle bearing wait on less than all 4 legs. To fix a broken leg a horse needs to be completely off the leg while it heals- this involves placing them in a full body sling and suspending the in their stall. Being stationary that long is not good for a horse either- they need to move to aid their digestion, and they are naturally very active herd animals. To tie one up and isolate it for so long would be VERY cruel. On top of all of that, because horses weigh so much, it is hard to be sure that a newly mended leg will be able to bear weight at all- they can easily rebreak, or you can but the horse through several months of surgerys, slings etc and still not have a horse that can walk. A horse that can't walk has NO quality of life. Rarely a broken leg can be fixed, but it requires enormous effort and money, as well as a quiet, cooperative horse. It also has to be just the right type of break, many breaks simply don't heal well.

So, with two broken legs there was really no hope she'd ever walk again. It was the kindest decision to put her down. -Neb

Answer 10

She broke both of her ankles....a very tragic story. It' very hard to correct broken legs on horses. I believe part of it is because it's hard to keep them off their feet during the healing process or they can develop infections. The story of Barbero helps me understand why they put horses down if this happens. The filly was also in a lot of pain and the vet felt it was the most humane thing to do.

Answer 11

it is sad, but usually it will need to be put down.

in some cases the horse does survive though.

Answer 12

Because a horse that can't put weight on one leg is at high risk for developing laminitis (a painful and debilitating disease of the hoof).  Laminitis is ultimately why they had to euthanize Barbaro - his bones were healing.

A horse that can't put weight on EITHER of her front legs is not only in incredible amounts of pain, the chances of recovery are so slight that it's more humane to euthanize than to force her to endure months of "recovery" from not only the broken ankles, but also the laminitis which is highly likely to develop in her hind feet as a result.

The way a horse is built, they need to be able to bear weight on their feet.  It is part of the way their circulatory system is built - they need the pressure on their feet in order to get blood return back up their legs.  A horse who can't put weight on its feet is a horse who is going to end up with necrotizing tissue in his feet, inflammation, laminitis, severe pain, the toe bone sinking out through the sole of the foot, and ultimately death.

Horses are not built like dogs or cats or humans.  They can't lie down for long periods of time.  They can't stay off their feet for long periods of time.  Their anatomy and physiology DEMANDS that they bear weight on all four legs, and at a relatively even pressure across all four of them.  You take that ability away - by breaking two of the four legs - and you condemn the horse to a slow, painful, hobbling death.  Unless you do the humane thing and euthanize it.

I wish all these idiots crying "Murder!  Murder!" would do some reading on static laminitis.  If that's what they'd rather make a horse suffer through, then they are sick individuals.  I'd offer a link for Rowena's education, but there are too many big words there for her.

Answer 13

This has nothing to do with people being "in it for themselves." Even someone completely ignorant to horses and racing had to catch a clip about Barbaro at some point during his attempted recovery and know what his owners were willing to do to try and save him. But the above poster is right; horses are exceptionally complicated where leg injuries are concerned. They need to be able to stand; try telling a 1400 pound animal that's used to getting out and running  to hold still for a few more months while she's poked and prodded and in pain. More often than not, trying to save a horse with the kind of injuries Eight Belles sustained winds up putting the animal through needless amounts of suffering before they either give up on life, develop secondary health issues, or re-injure themselves. Ruffian was another great filly who sustained life-ending injuries on the track; her owners attempted to save her, but when she same around from anesthesia after surgery she thrashed around so much she broke her legs again. Euthanasia was the humane thing to do, and if you think it was easy for her owners or trainer or jockey, ask yourself why Larry Jones or Gabriel Saez were too upset to interview.

Answer 14

It was both of her front ankles. They did not put her down because nobody wanted to heal her or because she would never race again. There just wasn't anything they could do for her. She had a very painful injury that would kill her, so they euthanized her to save her the misery. It is very sad and I feel sorry for her, too, but there wasn't anything they could do to help her. It was more humane to kill her than to keep her alive.