Winning Often Exacts a Terrible Price
By Larry Palmer
Not long ago, it was my pleasure to remember a truly fine champion, Barbaro, who had suffered what turned out to be lethal injuries in the second star of the Triple Crown of horse racing at the Preakness. Then, as now, I had a hard time putting feelings into words. I watched this year's Kentucky Derby from the bar of a California Pizza Kitchen - in Naples FL, leaving my friends at the dinner table to do so. Horseracing is not a sport I follow. Too many beautiful creatures seem to be hurt or killed in the pursuit of titles and money. But, the Kentucky Derby. Who can resist it?
As in any physical competition, animal or human, there is always a risk of severe injury or even death. We see it all too often in other professional competitions. Bodies tuned to the very highest degree of perfection, strength and health "break" on a regular basis. Perhaps we demand too much for a better thousandth of a second or two more points. Maybe the price is just too high. At least human athletes choose, of their own free will, to participate in these activities. So, it is somewhat easier for me to thenaccept the collateral damage than when it happens to a creature that never had a chance to just say no.
The marvelous breed of Thoroughbreds has come about only through and because of the desire to win races, and the money. Many of the miraculous healing medicines and surgical procedures used on our show horses and back yard critters were developed due to valuable Thoroughbreds being injured that were fortunate enough to have owners with the financial power to hire the best doctors, try the untried and progress with new treatments. Too many, though, are asked to show us the final full measure of courage with thesacrifice of their life on the racetrack. Could we ask just a little less of them and gain almost as much?
I watched the champions fly from the gate hoping all would go smoothly – and it did. I followed the pack around the track. Suddenly the woman next to me shouted, "That's Eight Belles running second behind Big Brown". Just as suddenly, I found myself cheering on the dark gray, almost black, filly even though my wager was on another horse. God, how Americans love a winner! The more unlikely the candidate the more we cheer. Eight Belles held second. Eight Belles was the only filly in the race. Most owners and trainers don't like to run a filly against a stacked deck of usually bigger and stronger colts. But Eight Belles was just that good. She had proved she could run with the big boys, and beat them. Then, there was something wrong. A horse was down. Who, Where?, How bad?, the voices around me asked each other. Finally, someone said, "It's the filly. It's Eight Belles".
The horses were galloping out to cool. How can a horse go down AFTER the race? Two ambulances arrived immediately. Sometimes I feel shame that an injury to a horse hurts me so painfully, so completely but it does. It seems to touch a place so deep in me it's a place I seldom go. I simply couldn’t believe it. Those around me found themselves in the same denial and shock. She had run her heart out and somehow - no one knows, for sure, just how - broke both of her front ankles. She fell - and never got up, though she tried. She was put down there on the track. Her brave heart was stopped necessarily and humanely by injection. Another life-tribute to winning. No matter what. Do we run them too young and too hard? Are "enhancing" drugs legal or not regularly used? Do we breed light skeletonhorses and breed just for speed with no regard to health or longevity past their short racing careers? I don't know who is to blame. Maybe, none of us. Maybe, all of us. But, the price is high, too high.
As always, I read my story to my two Paso Fino geldings usually getting a wisecrack reply. But this time neither Dono nor Cal said a word. Dono's white face turned whiter than ever. He dropped his big head and snorted quietly. It is known that horses eyes water to clean matter from them but the droplet that slipped slowly down Cal's long nose from his right eye looked very much like a tear. I think it was. It looked just like the ones forming in my eyes.
Larry Palmer
Of Healing Larry writes of the miraculous power of healing with horses.
By Larry Palmer
Not long ago, it was my pleasure to remember a truly fine champion, Barbaro, who had suffered what turned out to be lethal injuries in the second star of the Triple Crown of horse racing at the Preakness. Then, as now, I had a hard time putting feelings into words. I watched this year's Kentucky Derby from the bar of a California Pizza Kitchen - in Naples FL, leaving my friends at the dinner table to do so. Horseracing is not a sport I follow. Too many beautiful creatures seem to be hurt or killed in the pursuit of titles and money. But, the Kentucky Derby. Who can resist it?
As in any physical competition, animal or human, there is always a risk of severe injury or even death. We see it all too often in other professional competitions. Bodies tuned to the very highest degree of perfection, strength and health "break" on a regular basis. Perhaps we demand too much for a better thousandth of a second or two more points. Maybe the price is just too high. At least human athletes choose, of their own free will, to participate in these activities. So, it is somewhat easier for me to thenaccept the collateral damage than when it happens to a creature that never had a chance to just say no.
The marvelous breed of Thoroughbreds has come about only through and because of the desire to win races, and the money. Many of the miraculous healing medicines and surgical procedures used on our show horses and back yard critters were developed due to valuable Thoroughbreds being injured that were fortunate enough to have owners with the financial power to hire the best doctors, try the untried and progress with new treatments. Too many, though, are asked to show us the final full measure of courage with thesacrifice of their life on the racetrack. Could we ask just a little less of them and gain almost as much?
I watched the champions fly from the gate hoping all would go smoothly – and it did. I followed the pack around the track. Suddenly the woman next to me shouted, "That's Eight Belles running second behind Big Brown". Just as suddenly, I found myself cheering on the dark gray, almost black, filly even though my wager was on another horse. God, how Americans love a winner! The more unlikely the candidate the more we cheer. Eight Belles held second. Eight Belles was the only filly in the race. Most owners and trainers don't like to run a filly against a stacked deck of usually bigger and stronger colts. But Eight Belles was just that good. She had proved she could run with the big boys, and beat them. Then, there was something wrong. A horse was down. Who, Where?, How bad?, the voices around me asked each other. Finally, someone said, "It's the filly. It's Eight Belles".
The horses were galloping out to cool. How can a horse go down AFTER the race? Two ambulances arrived immediately. Sometimes I feel shame that an injury to a horse hurts me so painfully, so completely but it does. It seems to touch a place so deep in me it's a place I seldom go. I simply couldn’t believe it. Those around me found themselves in the same denial and shock. She had run her heart out and somehow - no one knows, for sure, just how - broke both of her front ankles. She fell - and never got up, though she tried. She was put down there on the track. Her brave heart was stopped necessarily and humanely by injection. Another life-tribute to winning. No matter what. Do we run them too young and too hard? Are "enhancing" drugs legal or not regularly used? Do we breed light skeletonhorses and breed just for speed with no regard to health or longevity past their short racing careers? I don't know who is to blame. Maybe, none of us. Maybe, all of us. But, the price is high, too high.
As always, I read my story to my two Paso Fino geldings usually getting a wisecrack reply. But this time neither Dono nor Cal said a word. Dono's white face turned whiter than ever. He dropped his big head and snorted quietly. It is known that horses eyes water to clean matter from them but the droplet that slipped slowly down Cal's long nose from his right eye looked very much like a tear. I think it was. It looked just like the ones forming in my eyes.
Larry Palmer
Of Healing Larry writes of the miraculous power of healing with horses.
