Would horse racing be safer if the turns were eliminated? Any way to make that practical?

Question

In light of the Eight Belles tragedy at the 5/3/08 Kentucky Derby where the second place winner had to be euthanized on the track after breaking both front ankles, there is greater public interest in finding ways to make horse racing safer.

When it comes to racing sports -- be they for horses, cars, or humans (i.e. track & field) -- my sense is that more accidents occur in the turns versus the straightaways, although I have no hard statistics on this. The 100 yard dash is a race in the straightaway that is very exciting and one of the most competitive in track & field, giving the winner the title of "Fastest Human on Earth" for the shortest time on a worldwide basis. The problem is that the 100 yard dash is over so quickly, other competitions have to be brought in to make the arena event worthy of greater attendance.

I realize that eliminating the turns in horse racing is probably not realistic. But is there a creative way to do this or to make the competition safer?

Answer 1

what you are suggesting is an impossibility.

Answer 2

turns are not the problem...quarter horses race in straight races, no turns. happens to them too!

Answer 3

I personally love point-to-point racing, and even though it is bad for spectators it works fine for the much larger TV audience. I doubt it would sell in a sport where risk seems part of the allure. If only there was a legend of some rider in 1880 riding from one village to another in a certain amount of time...that would be the kind of historical background for a great point-to-point race. The legend here...is all about the oval track.

Answer 4

For horses the equivalent distance would be several km. As it is a spectator sport this would not be feasible.

Corners are not the only danger.

Answer 5

You do have some good ideas on this sport, but what I think would help a lot is not not let a horse race until it is 4 years old. When my daughter got her first horse, it was barely 3 years old and she was taught to only walk it and ride for short distance only for that first year as the horses are not done growing until about 4 years old. Racing a 3 year old horse is kind of like letting a 15 year old person run a marathon. Not a good thing. Most human runners reach their peak at 30 years old. So that ,I think is where the problem lies.