Why do they always shoot racehorses when they break a leg?

Question

...is it a heartless money related thing, or is a broken leg really fatal for a horse?

Answer 1

no not always!! barbaro wasn't shot!!!

Answer 2

a racehorse would be no use with a broken leg so it would be cost effective to shoot it

Answer 3

As others have said, breaks are not necessarily fatal.  Actually many horses break bones and return to competition.  The biggest factors are the type and location of the break and the circumstances in which it happens.  That said, complicated breaks (fractures of multiple bones, or bones in multiple limbs, anytime the bone breaks through the skin, etc.) are rarely treatable.  In circumstances like these it is truly more humane to euthanize the horse as quickly as possible - the horse will usually have gone into a euphoric shock and won't feel pain initially.  I think if you speak with vets you will hear stories of owners and trainers asking 'can you fix it' a whole lot more than 'how much will it cost'.

Answer 4

A bit of both really...a horse with a broken leg will never race again, and is unlikely to be able to be ridden.  Horses are expensive, as are vet's bills so unless you have a proven horse who you could breed from, it's unlikely that a stable would choose to pay long-term vets bills for a horse that is going to be of no use to anyone.  A break takes a long time to heal, and bear in mind that these horses are like athletes - they are used to a lot of activity, so to stand in a stall with a cast, and possibly in a sling to keep them upright, for months is not pleasant for the horse either.  Of course, there are breaks too that cannot be set and there is no chance that the horse can even be put out to pasture so it's the kindest thing to humanely destroy the animal.

Answer 5

I believe it's because horses are so heavy and that the bone will never heal properly. also the horse will be forever in pain... so only humane thing to do... better to ask a vet... however my grandfather used to raise horses and that was what he told me

It's not a money thing at all as all horses are treated same way

Answer 6

Have you ever heard of "Barbaro"?

They spent months and months and untold amounts of money to try to fix his leg.  

He ended up dying anyway.  

Yes, it still is fatal and your average trainer/owner doesn't have hundreds of thousands of dollars to throw into a hole.

If it werent' for the hope that Babaro could earn money breeding he would have been put down after being injured, too.

Answer 7

Race horses are bred for racing, I know we don't shoot footballers when they get injured so I suppose it boils down to vet bills and a lack a patience on the part of the owners.

Answer 8

Here's why!

Unless the owner is a millionaire, it's just not worth the money.  

You'd have to pay a lot of money, and I mean a lot!

And Yes, some times it is a "heartless money related thing", but a broken leg can surely be fatal if it was bad enough. However, in my opinion, most owners just don't want their horses to suffer.

Answer 9

Probably a money thing, do they shoot the jockey if they break one though? talk about double standards!

Answer 10

A broken leg is usually fatal for a horse, it is not money related.  The reason horses are often euthanized (a gun is not typically used) after a break is because their quality of life during the healing process would be too bad.  They would need to be immobilized for too long of a period, and problems like laminitis make immobilization a problem.

Answer 11

it is NOT a money thing...people that have horses as pets that do nothing with them if that were to happen they would do the same thing. Just like a previous answerer said look at Barbaro..they did all they could it mostly is a fatal thing ;(

Answer 12

race horses are given the best possible care, and are rarely shot. (i.e. nuts who don't humanly put horses down.) Generally the reason for putting a horse down after a break is because they have a  compound fracture that has displaced and broken the skin, which would lead to infections in the area that couldnot be treated. Having worked with racehorses for 25 years money has rarely been an issue when it comes to a horse with a fracture it is mostly what is best for the horse. Even if the horse can never race agian they still can have another career.(riding horses, broodmare, hunter etc.) Just a bit of trivia for you they use to put horses down with a device called a bolt, I won't tell you how it works unless you really want to know. its kinda gruesome

Answer 13

Evidently you don't watch the news or you would have seen the torture that racehorse went through when they tried to save him after he broke his leg.    They spent months and much money trying to save him for stud and all they ended up doing was allowing him to suffer.    Horses have to stand most of the time and they get infections that are hard to treat, not only in their legs but in their hooves.    It is more humane to destroy them than to try to save them.    It just doesn't work much.    And the owners don't enjoy having to destroy their animals.

Answer 14

Leg breaks are nasty in a horse.  It leads to all sorts of problems.  Many horses who are non-race horses are put down after a leg break.  It depends on the situation.  Horses do not do well on three legs.  Things have kinda moved on from the shooting days!!!! And no I am not supporting the unnecessary killing of horses.  I am a horse owner...

Answer 15

They don't shoot them, they humanely euthanize them. And a horse rarely can recover from a broken bone especially a horse that has been built up and ready to run fast the way a race horse is.  You might be able to get a slow, easy going farm horse to stand still or hang in a sling for weeks and weeks for it's recovery. A racehorse has too much energy and is too frantic generally to make a good patient. It can happen occasionally but that's the exception and not the rule.  Further, horses are made to be on their legs all the time. They generally do very poorly in any other situation. Even a sling is a poor substitute.  Also, the type of injury will have an impact on whether the horse is saveable or not. A clean break in a single bone is more likely to be saveable as opposed to a break in the joint or in multiple bones.

Answer 16

It is not a decision lightly taken, but generally what happens. Sometimes with minor breaks or lots of available resources attempts are made to save the horse, but it is very difficult for the bone to heal with the stress it has to support.

Answer 17

They dont anymore. Some owners do care and keep them the only ones who usually get euthanized these days are the geldings as they cant be bred.  Most people these days will put them in a rescue to get rid of them when their racing days are over.  I have 2 with broken legs and they dont act like they ever broke them as they are both geldings and are happy living out the rest of their life.

Answer 18

It is nice to see at least some of the other respondents finally recognize that Barbaro died from a DISEASE, not because he was shot after his leg broke. Horses are normally euthanized if they suffer a fatal or catastrophic injury the way this colt did. But because his owners LOVED him, and because so many others did as well, the Jacksons made the difficult decision to try to save him. From the first, they made it clear to the whole world that their efforts were motivated by LOVE, NOT MONEY. Look, folks, I have been where these people were more than once in my long career and association with horses. I have seen horses die in accidents that were far worse than this one, and I have also worked with and known horses who died of laminitis ( called founder by those of us in this business) and these horses inevitably suffer terrible pain before they are put down. There comes a time in each situation where it just simply is cruel to keep the foundered animal alive. They can't stand on their feet, because their feet HURT and HURT, and there is no way for them to get any relief. This was definitely true in Barbaro's case, especially after the disease struck his front feet. That left him without a pain free foot to stand on- all of them were hurting him badly by that point. We don't know why founder strikes when and where it does- and we also don't know all of its causes, and we really don't have effective treatments for it, let alone a cure. One of the good things that will come out of this tragedy is that there will finally be more money available for research into the disease and how to treat and hopefully to cure it. This is an ugly, cruel disease, yes- but it is just that, a disease, and Barbaro's owners made the only decision that they could when the time came. It might mean something to you to know that Barbaro's vet was in tears afterwards- as was just about everyone else who was there that day and for days afterwards. I know what they were dealing with from personal experience- a LOT of that. No one that I have ever met ever wants to put a horse that is gravely injured or ill down- it's just like with people, in that we are always hoping and praying for a miracle. Racehorses are no different in that respect than any other horse- do you think that Go for Wand's owners got any kicks out of seeing her break down so catastrophically in front of an audience of millions? I hardly think so. They would have known she was in agony and would have wanted to stop her pain as quickly as possible. Sometimes, there is no other choice possible with injuries that are that severe, just as there is often no other choice when a person suffers a serious brain or spinal injury. Shooting is something that is only done in extreme circumstances- the normal method of dealing with a horse that has broken down is to euthanize it with a lethal dose of drugs- which is not unlike what we do to our crimminals on death row these days.  That is far more humane than letting the person or animal suffer. Money is, at best, a secondary question for most of the people I have met in this business. They are mainly concerned with the animals' welfare. This was true for the Jacksons, and it is true in the performance horse side of the business as well. If a horse breaks a leg, efforts are made to save the animal if possible- but if the injuries are too severe, then the needle is often the only choice. This is just my thinking on this subject.

Answer 19

Well,yes its fatal because then it cant run its a race horse. It will be fatal to its career so they shoot him. They wont need it anymore.

Answer 20

its a money thing. no-one want a lame racehorse. extremely cruel in my opinion

Answer 21

They don't always euthanize horses when they suffer a broken leg.  

Broken legs are very serious in horses, and the decision whether to treat the horse and try to pull it through, or to euthanize it is always a hard one.  I'm sure that the high cost of rehabilitation is part of the decision, as is the comfort of the animal, the quality of life the animal could expect after treatment, and other factors too.  The s*x and reproductive ability of a horse weighs in, as well.  For example, a stallion or mare, if rehabilitated, would have the ability to produce offspring, but a gelding would not.  Owners would take that into consideration.  

I watched a report on a horse with a prosthetic leg not long ago, he was enjoying a life of retirement after his surgery!

:D

Answer 22

Not every racehorse that breaks a leg is put down - look at Mill Reef and Dubai Millennium.  The key issue is the severity of the injury: if it is a clean break the horse can sometimes be saved, but it the bone shatters it is kinder to put the horse to sleep.

Horses are flight animals (ie they flee in the face of danger rather than fight) and as such spend most of their time on their feet ready to run.  Trying to treat a horse with a broken leg is very difficult: you cannot tell a horse that it can't put any weight on the injured leg.

Another factor is secondary infections and conditions.  Barbaro ultimately died as a result of Laminitis in his good hind leg.  This condition developed because of all the extra weight he was putting on his good leg and thus caused the separation of the laminae from the hoof wall.

We do our best to save injured horses, but sometimes it is kinder to put them down.

Don't forget that HORATIO NELSON was lost in the Derby last year - he was owned by one of the richest men in racing (John Magnier), if it was going to be possible to save him they would have done it.