Why are horses killed because they have broken bones?

Question

Can't they heal? Or is it just because people are stupid and do it cause they won't be able to run for them anymore?

Answer 1

Well a horse depends on his legs for everything....their legs has to carry all of the weight and if they break any bones in their legs they more than likely have to be put down because they cant adapt to standing on three legs such as a dog or a cat. If its not really bad they can try to save them but its a good chance that they will set up laminitis which is worse.... Hope this helps

Answer 2

Me too dogfoot, my heart is broken. I was feeling guilty for even watching, but I was cheering for her...now I feel horrible!

Answer 3

not true.

healing broken legs in horses has been done.

it takes a lot TIME & MONEY, which greedy buttholes don't want to spend.

they get a sling and they stay in it until they're healed just enough to swim in a special pool for horses, then it all goes from there.

& please don't say it doesnt work because it has worked.

i hate people.

Answer 4

Horses with broken leg or ankle or foot bones often have to be euthanized because infection is so common after the injury.  Even if surgery is done, the horse can't be allowed to stand on the injury, but getting the horse to lie down safely is nearly impossible.  The great majority are euthanized to save them further suffering.  

Barbaro's surgery and aftercare were really extraordinary, but they wanted to try to save him for his stud potential as well as for sentimental reasons (he would never race again, obviously).  But infection set in any way and he had to be put down.

There's a lot of controversy about whether three-year old colts are physically ready to race.  What's unarguable is that after centuries of inbreeding, thoroughbreds have longer, skinner legs and bigger chest cavities than normal horses.  So they are designed to run fast, but some will always break down because of this imbalance.  

Would the injuries not happen if the horses raced at four or five years of age?  We don't know, because nobody is wlling to wait that long to get a payoff for an enormously expensive investment.

Answer 5

They are on their feet constantly, they will not let the bone heal.  They would die anyway.

Answer 6

If your talking about Eight Belles, who was just put down on the Kentucky derby, she broke bother her front ankles.

Horses depends on their legs a lot. If a human breaks a bone, we can put them in a wheelchair, and they'll manage. But with something of that size, it would be extremely hard first of all, to get her out of there on some sort of stretcher, and she sould be immoblie for a very long time. Yes, it would most liekly heal, but not being able to move would probably cause some health complications, and she may have ended up dying anyways. I guess they decided that it was better to just euthanize her, instead of having her suffer for an extremely long time.

I agree, it was extremely sad.

Answer 7

It depends on the type and location of the fracture.  Most fractures on one limb can be repaired, but a fracture on both front limbs poses an almost impossible scenario since you cant splint multiple compound fractures (bone penetrates through the skin) to even get them in the ambulance.  If you could get them to surgery, the chances of success would be poor due to the inability to bear weight on two fractured front limbs (the front limbs carry about 70% of the horse's weight).   Even fracture repairs in one limb pose a problem with the non-fractured limb developing what's called laminitis or "founder."  This is a condition that causes the bone inside the hoof to lose its stability and rotate through the bottom of sole, if severe enough.  The fractures heal just fine like human bones would, but laminitis in the good limb happens frequently.

B. Dubynsky D.V.M.

equine veterinarian

Answer 8

Leg fractures are very hard to heal properly in a horse. Horses rely on their legs for everything, their bodies are not designed to be in a laying position for extended periods of time. The lower leg of the horse is all bone, tendon and ligament, which doesn't get the blood supply that muscles do, which makes any type of healing extremely difficult in that area. The quality of life for the horse while undergoing such a recovery and the mental breakdown that often accompanies it makes euthanasia a better decision. Just look at Barbaro. He never recovered, eventually lost the will to live, had a low quality of life and eventually had to be put down despite everything they did to help him recover. It's the only fair thing to do in this situation. Eight bells racing career was over, even if they wouldn't have euthanized her. What would have been more selfish is if they would have made her endure such a trying and nearly impossible recovery, for the sake of using her as a broodmare. They did her justice by ending her suffering. Unfortunately, this is a part of racing. Horses die in all horse related sports, not just TB racing. You only hear more about it in the TB industry because it is so highly publicized.

It's a bittersweet ending to the greatest race in the world.

Answer 9

I have heard that also their is a high risk if they attempt surgery. Because the animal is so large and if they are sedated they lay on one side. Its a very tricky and fine line between killing the animal while even sedating it.

Its a shame, such magnificent animals are put down, because of something so minor.

Answer 10

Sadly, in many cases its more inhumane to try and rehabilitate a horse with a broken leg, especially the front legs which bear most of the horses weight.  Horses don't take well to being "bedridden", they would have to be placed in a sling for months.  Its more for the humans than the horse.

Its just sad that it even happened.  Sometimes I feel like these horses get run too hard when they are young and their bones are underdeveloped.  But I guess I'm not a horse racing expert.