A BIG “WHAT” BEHIND “WHY” RACING KILLS HORSES

The following blog post is thanks to one of our favourite, long time advocates for horses – someone who prefers to remain anonymous.  Even so, we thank you for all you do for so many.

Racehorses’ legs and bodies remain in motion even if while racing their bodies fail them.

For example if they suffer a bleeding attack, a tendon failure, a broken leg or heart problems – their legs keep going – they can’t stop – momentum keeps them moving forward!

In the past you may have seen videos of horses continuing to run after a leg has snapped – it’s gruesome to even think about – but it is important to realise that it happens more than we’d like to think.

Racehorses generate extreme forces and high speeds, up to 70 kilometres per hour (43 miles per hour) and that creates a huge amount of momentum in their body — momentum that they are powerless to control.

This means even after suffering a catastrophic fracture, or any serious injury, their limbs keep rotating – they keep running – for another 200-400 metres.

Stroke Of Luck fractured his off side forelimb right on the point of the turn into the straight.   This shows how dangerous centrifugal forces are for racehorses and greyhounds who are forced to race around turns at high speeds for the entertainment of the public.

It took Stroke Of Luck another 300 metres to stop due to the momentum contained in his body.  Yes, even though he had a fracture – he couldn’t stop.

In another race –  ON THE SAME DAY AT THE SAME TRACK – Libertad, a 3 year old colt – was “eased out” of a race at the 300m mark after suffering from cardiac arrhythmia.

Just like Stroke Of Luck, Libertad was a victim of momentum in his body and even though he suffered a cardiac arrhythmia,   momentum kept his limbs rotating – he kept running –  for another 350 metres.

To see Stroke Of Luck in his final race was extremely distressing – and to see Libertad struggling on that same day – was also distressing.

What happened to each horse is a classic example of the extremely cruel phenomenon of momentum that affects thousands of fatigued and injured racehorses.

These same types of scenarios play out day after day on tracks throughout Australia —  or even as in the case of the two poor horses above — more than once per day on the same track.

Every moving body has momentum which measures the quantity of motion possessed by the body. 

Momentum is the product of mass and velocity which means a body can have a large momentum by virtue of having a large mass (a racehorse weighs 500-600kg) and/or by moving with a high velocity (gallops at around 70 kph).