There’s a lot to enjoy for a new fan introduced to thoroughbred racing. There is the beauty of the animals, the excitement of watching them move and the joyful feeling of outsmarting the other horse players and cashing in on a bet.
But there’s one cold fact about the sport that can be hard for fans — and impossible for critics — to accept: Sometimes a horse gets hurt and sometimes it’s euthanized, often right on the track.
Earlier this month, seven horses died at Churchill Downs in the run-up to the Kentucky Derby, including four that broke down while racing or training. And National Treasure, trained by Bob Baffert,’s victory in the Preakness was clouded by the collapse and euthanasia of another Baffert racehorse at Pimlico Race Course earlier in the day.
People who are against horse racing on principle often point to such events as they make their case. Even for racing fans, the disturbing reality of breakdowns can beg the question: Should something as seemingly simple as a broken leg lead to the death of a horse? The unfortunate answer, vets say, is often yes.
Horses are just different from many animals, even other equines. “They can run really fast,” says Dr. Scott E. Palmer, medical director of horses for the New York State Gaming Commission. “And because they weigh about 1,100 pounds, the forces acting on their legs are very large.”
Palmer continued, “All their muscles are high. When you get to the lower part of the leg, there’s literally skin and bone and tendons and blood vessels and nerves. If something breaks, the area’s circulation can easily be compromised by the injury.
As a result, horses are vulnerable to breaking their legs; it happens running on the racetrack, or running in a pasture, or kicking a stable door. The problem is that it is very difficult to heal a broken leg on a horse.
Fracture fractures in horses can also be much more serious than in a human or other mammals, due to their weight and the fragility of their legs. “Because of the high energy impact, the horse can crush that bone more than just a simple crack, making repair much less likely,” Palmer said.
To repair a broken bone on an animal, the fracture must be immobilized. But immobilizing a horse comes with numerous challenges. Horses are restless and skittish. Thoroughbreds are bred to run. It is difficult to keep them in one place for an extended period of time.
Horses also spend almost all of their time on all fours, even when sleeping. So all four of their legs are carrying their weight. If suddenly three legs have to carry that weight, the uninjured legs can quickly get into trouble.
Most commonly and more dangerously, horses can get laminitis, a painful condition that develops in the tissue between the hoof and bone. “The hoof is attached to the bone by organic fasteners such as a Velcro system,” Palmer said. “When those hooks swell, they come loose. That is impossible to arrange.”
The whole treatment experience can cause severe pain to a horse who, of course, cannot understand what is going on the way a human undergoing a painful treatment would.
The pain for the horse is consideration “No. 1, No. 2 and No. 3,” Palmer said.
Laminitis causes “unbelievable pain,” he said. “They can’t stand on that leg. Now you have a horse with a broken leg and can’t stand on a second one.”
Horses cannot just lie down for long periods of time to avoid putting weight on their legs. Lying down for more than a few hours will cause muscle damage, restricted blood flow and accumulation of blood in the lungs.
Any complicated or unusual process to try to repair a badly broken bone can cost thousands of dollars. Few horse owners are willing to spend that much money on a painful treatment process that may not work and probably won’t get the horse back on the racetrack. Euthanasia is usually the unfortunate choice.
When 2006 Kentucky Derby winner Barbara broke his leg in the Preakness two weeks later, his owners Roy and Gretchen Jackson decided to try and save him.
His injury was serious: the leg bone was broken into 20 pieces. He underwent five hours of surgery to insert 27 pins and a stainless steel plate.
Palmer was at the scene the day of the injury. “I said, ‘The fracture is terrible, but none of the wounds came through the skin. That’s why I believe surgery is possible.’ I really thought that was the best chance he had of surviving.”
Two months after his surgery, Barbaro developed laminitis, which required the removal of most of a hoof. He had a few good months then. But the hoof did not grow back properly, which led to another procedure. He got a foot bruise and more operations followed. Complications led to laminitis in two more limbs, and Barbaro’s anxiety increased significantly.
“We’ve just reached a point where it would be difficult for him to move on without pain,” said Roy Jackson. In the end, the extraordinary efforts extended his life by just eight months.
“From a purely surgical perspective, it was extremely unsatisfactory because he didn’t make it,” said Dr. Dean W. Richardson, the surgeon, at the time. “Professionally I think we did our best.”
The dazzling filly Ruffian had 12 hours of surgery in 1975 after a bad fracture. When she awoke, she began thrashing about in her stall, which caused another pause and led to her euthanasia.
If euthanasia is the only option, the horse is sedated and then administered a barbiturate solution, usually behind a screen to block spectators’ view.
Advances in equine treatment have been made in recent decades, including the development of better antibiotics and the aluminum splint, and a better understanding of laminitis.
There are also improvements in prevention, which, given the horse’s unusual anatomy, is perhaps the most promising way to progress.
After a string of horse deaths at Aqueduct in 2011 and 2012, Palmer and others made recommendations, including improving the racing surface, changing claim and purse rules, and strengthening drug regulation. Those have helped race deaths come down and stay down.
Palmer is hoping for Fitbit-type devices — biometric sensors that can identify horses with gaits that could lead to injuries before those injuries occur. A trial at Saratoga Race Course last year showed promise, he said.
But the challenge of caring for horses will probably always remain. Palmer said of the difficulties of the operation: “We have to put a broken leg back together with screws and plates, and they have to be able to stand on it immediately after the operation. That is a huge challenge.”