Why did they just euthanize Eight Belles?

Question

It had 2 front broken ankles so why cant it just recover?

Answer 1

I know- I couldn't believe it either. Watching it, I was holding my breath for like 10 minutes in disbelief(okay, that's an exaggeration...). But please, remember, if a human breaks his/her ankle, they can just put a cast on it and not walk on it for a few weeks. With a horse, that's not an option. A horse can't just sit down in a chair and not use its feet. She would have to hang like a slap of meat in a sling from the ceiling for FOUR MONTHS. THAT would be cruel to her. If you know anything about Eight Belles, you know that she was very high-spirited, according to her owners, trainer, jockey, and exercise riders. She had an incredible amount of energy and wasn't very patient. Not moving for 4 months would be torture for her. When she woke up from the anasthesia, she'd thrash around and probably break the casts and reinjure her ankles again. There truly was no hope for her, as sad as it is.

Many people might say that Thoroughbred racing is a cruel, inhumane mistreatment of animals, but that's not true. I have an off-the-track Thoroughbred mare, only 5 years old, and if she didn't have a long run every day, I think she'd freak. My horse, Whirlwind, loves to run more than anything, and more than that, she loves to race. If she sees another horse galloping, she'll explode into a gallop until she beats them. Windy loves to run, to win, just like every other Thoroughbred. Once, Whirlwind was lame for a few weeks with a bruised sole. When she watched other horses run while she was trapped in her stall, the look in her eyes just made my heart break. It was a longing like nothing I've ever seen before. Thoroughbreds need to run, especially the young ones, and it would be cruel NOT to let them do their very best. I hope this helps you understand better.

Answer 2

It would have been VERY painful for her to have to live with, and the truth is she wouldn't ever fully recover.

The sad thing about horses and injuries is when they break a leg or ankle, they aren't much of any use anymore and have to be put down. More importantly, they wouldn't be able to enjoy their lives; they'd be stuck in a stall all the time and in a great deal of pain.

Eigh Belles was better off being put down so she wouldn't have to deal with all the pain, but it was so sad, I felt very bad for her. :(

I'm still waiting for the vets to find some way to save horses when injuries like these happen, and I hope they do someday.

Answer 3

she broke both her front ankles she was in alot of pain she couldnt get up to walk no way to get her up off the track one of her ankles penetrated the skin that would be hard to heal with out getting an infection in that leg plus she would be in a sling for a long time that isnt the life for a horse  plus i dont understand why they break them so young they are racing at two why not when they turn 3 break then race at 4

Answer 4

it's too hard to fix a horse's legs.  It's possible if there's only 1 injured leg.  But she broke both of her front legs.  It's just too painful to ask her to recover from that.  Horses need to stand because they have so much body weight.  If they lie down too long, it cuts off blood supply and it can crush their organs.  They can harness the horses up, but not for too long.  Eight Belles would have been too uncomfortable for too long.  It was better that they ended her pain now.  If it was just 1 leg, it could be done.  But to break 2 front legs, it's just a lot to do... horses stand with 60% of their weight on her front legs.  And they ahve to distribute their weight on all 4 legs or else they can get hoof problems like the one Barbaro died from.  I think the major reason they had to euthanize her immediately was because they couldn't get her to stand up and get her to the vet.  If she broke one front leg, she could put more weight on the other one... but to break both of them, it hurts her too much to stand up even for a short time.  It's absolutely a shame.

Answer 5

Because thats what they do to horses if they break an ankle.  Horses can never recover fully from that.  It's standard procedure when that happens.  I once saw a horse get euthanized right in front of me at Laurel Park in Md. It's very sad but they put the horse out of its own misery.

Answer 6

al that weigh on two broken ankles,it would never walk right and always be in pain,arthritis would set in.it was the best thing to do,the horse doesnt suffer.not easy but it was best.

Answer 7

The horse would have been under WAY too much pain if they had to transport her to a hospital, where she would still not have a very high chance of recovery.  Have you heard of Barbaro?

Answer 8

For a horse, there is no recovery from 2 broken ankles.  It's a sad thing, but it's life.  It would have been Barbaro all over again, and we all know how that turned out.

Answer 9

It is extremely difficult for a horse to recover after breaking a leg or ankle. When additional weight is placed on their other hooves while recovering, they are likely to develop the painful disease laminitis (affecting connective tissues in the hoof). Barbaro, who won the Derby in on 2006, broke his leg in the 2006 Preakness and suffered from laminits while trying to recover and had to be euthanized for this reason. Since Eight Belles broke both of her ankles, it was virtually impossible for her to ever recover and, due to the pain she was in, was euthanized.

Answer 10

I'm not a big animal rights guy, but I think it horse racing is outdated.  Boxing and MMA is fine since the human has a choice but horse and dog racing is a joke.  Dog fighting is outlawed because it's inhumane when a dog dies...horse racing is ok because the horse only dies when useless or used up.  Either way an animal dies for human financial gain.

I understand the horse's desire to run...but horse racing is a lose lose situation for the horse.   If they win, they keep racing...if they lose or break a leg, they are useless.  

Breaking a leg in the pasture is one thing,  Breaking it on a racetrack is another.  I'm amazed that they are able to make an immediate diagnoses and put down a horse in 30 minutes.

If it was still a viable income for the owner, I'm sure it would take more time for diagnosis.

Answer 11

I know that's what i was just thinking. They should have assessed her better and given her a chance to recover, they didn't ever give her a chance. I know if a horse breaks both angles there chance of survival is bad but they still should have given her a chance even if it was only for a day.

RIP Eight Belles

Answer 12

How sad.  I did hear that with both front ankles broken, they could not wrap them enough for her to have strength to even walk into the ambulance

Answer 13

Horses have fragile legs. When a horse loses two at the same time, its system is compromised. Euthanizing a horse with this kind of serious injury is the most humane way to prevent an inevitable slow and painful death.

Read: It is inevitable. There are no complications because the horse will die in a week. It's sad, but it's the truth.

Answer 14

Horses have insanely fragile ankles/ bone structures. I think it was the best thing to do, because it means that the horse didn't suffer.