Post by Calaminty Jane on Oct 7, 2009 11:55:50 GMT -5
By Robert M. Miller, DVM
Robert Miller is a very well known and respected vet, throughout the
country, and had published some very popular equine health and breeding
books.
The Nation was shocked when Barbaro broke down shortly after leaving the
gate at the Preakness. I saw the repaired fractures in TIME magazine.
What I think happened is that the sesamoid bone fractured, a common
injury. As a result, the fetlock collapses causing the pastern bone to
explode into multiple fragments, probably with the next stride or
two.The last time the general public was exposed to a racetrack tragedy
like this was when the great filly, Ruffian, fractured; the injury
eventually resulting in her death. The news media focuses on great
champions like these, but what most people don't realize is that such
injuries are relatively common occurrences in horse racing. Part of the
cause is that we have bred athletic power into our racing breeds far
exceeding what nature requires for the horse to survive in its natural
environment.
All wild horses need to do is outrun a
big cat. We have selectively bred for speeds that the anatomy of the
horse cannot always cope with. In addition, we train and race them long
before they are mature. The immature are often capable of spectacular
athletic performance. Every time I watch an Olympics and I see gymnasts
as young as 13, 14 or 15 years of age, I wince at the thought of the
damage I know is occurring to some of their bodies. I started a year of
gymnastics at17 years of age, and I wasn't very good, but I still
managed to do damage that manifested itself many years later.
Fortunately, I was drafted into the Army at 18, which ended my gymnastic
career.Half a century ago, when I was cowboying, "colts" were started at
four years of age or older.
Once in a while, one might be started as a three-year-old. Despite some
very hard work, barring accidents, those ranch horses were still sound
and working into their 20's. I'm not opposed to racing. It's a great
sport and has motivated mankind to produce truly great horse breeds. But
I am opposed to any practices which contribute to premature crippling of
otherwise healthy horses.Some years ago, the annual convention of the
American Association of Equine Practitioners (A.A.E.P.) was held in
Dallas . The same week, the national cutting horse futurities were being
held in nearby Fort Worth .
Three colleagues from Sweden told me that they wanted to see the cutting
horses.
So, one evening, after the day of scientific lectures had ended, I
accompanied the three Swedish vets to Fort Worth . After watching several
horses perform, the senior Swede, a professor from the vet school in
Upsula , Sweden , said, "This is incredible! It must take many years to
obtain such performance from a horse." "But," I answered, "this is a
futurity." "I do not understand this word," he said. "These are colts,"
I explained. "These are just three-year-olds. " He looked shocked,
turned to his companions and explained to them in Swedish and then said
to me in English, "I have only two comments: One, it must take great
skill to be able to train a horse to do this in so brief a time. And,
two, what is happening to their poor legs?"Today, we have all sorts of
futurities - reining, cutting, barrel racing, etc. I have tried many
times to get owners to postpone arduous training to give the colt a
chance to mature.
Most of the time, I was ignored. The lure of winning something or making
some money was too great to resist. My strategy when the owner insisted
on going ahead with training and/or competition that I felt was
premature was to say, "That's okay. You go ahead. What you are doing is
very good for my business."Why is it that the protests against
over-using young horses come primarily from the people who profit from
such abuse - the veterinarians? Is it because we best understand the
trauma being inflicted upon immature skeletons, joints, ligaments and
tendons? Just as I am not opposed to racing, if properly conducted, I am
not opposed to horse shows or competitive equine events.
Horse shows, like all livestock shows, were conceived of long ago to
"improve the breed". They were designed to demonstrate and reward the
people who were doing the best job of breeding, of selecting bloodstock,
and of creating superior bloodlines. Unfortunately, human nature, vanity
and greed have corrupted the horse show industry.We see grotesque
caricatures of the original character of each breed. Stock horses, the
working ranch breeds, are shown in Western Pleasure classes traveling in
a manner that would drive a working cowboy crazy. With lowered heads,
going in a downhill manner, these horses greatly magnify the forces
placed upon the forelimbs.
Once again, good for us vets. It produces income, but the horses suffer.
The wonderful Tennessee Walking Horse is shod and shown in distorted
gaits that can only be called "grotesque".If it weren't for the frequent
veterinary checks, which are mandatory, can you imagine how many
endurance racing horses would die because of their riders' consuming
desire to win? I remember the early endurance races. Saddlebred, with
surgically distorted tails, and gingered anuses, are exhibited with the
pupils of their eyes dilated with atropine. How many people who
sincerely consider themselves to be "horse lovers" wean foals at three
months of age, or even earlier, which nature never intended?How many
horses, a gregarious species, spend their lives locked in box stalls?
How many horses in the U.S.A, like so much of our human population, are
damaged healthwise by excessive nutrition? Such abuses exist in every
breed, every discipline, in every equine sport.
We need to step back and analyze what we are doing. One of my clients
was a prosperous, educated couple. They were very congenial, and they
owned three Quarter Horses. One day, they called me to come to their
home to worm their horses and check them over and booster their
vaccinations. When I arrived, I found only two horses, so I asked where
the third one was."Oh, he's in training as a reining horse, with
____________ " (a successful and notoriously brutal trainer who also
happened to be one of my clients). I said, "Oh, I see." Then the wife
said, "We know how cruel he is to the horses, but he wins!" I never felt
the same toward those people, again. This same trainer (he's been dead
for many years) once said to me, "Doc, why can't you guys cut the tails
on my horses? Why do you make me drive 300 miles round trip to get my
tails done?" He was referring to the illicit surgical paralyzing of the
tail, common in reining horses so they can't switch their tails. ALL of
the horses in his barn had their tails cut. I said, "Were you ever
beaten in a show by a horse that you knew had its tail cut?" "Oh sure,"
he said. "Lots of times." "Well," I told him, "I didn't cut the tail nor
did my partners. We won't do anything against the association rules."
This same guy, a world-class competitor, kept every horse in his barn on
Serpecil, a tranquilizer not approved by FDA for use in horses. I have
no idea where he got the drug, but somebody was selling it to him.I
believe that a conspiracy exists in the horse show industry. The
trainers are judges, and the judges are trainers. Too often, they
scratch each others' backs.
If Western Pleasure horses were shown as they were 50 or 60 years ago, a
good amateur could turn out a champion. But it takes a real pro to
produce the freaks seen in today's Western Pleasure classes. And, after
the horse goes back to the owner from the trainer and is no longer
winning, it has to go back to the trainer for a "tune-up". A few days
before I wrote this article, I got back from Bishop Mule Days, a unique
event I attend every year that has no equal anywhere in the world. I had
the pleasure of seeing Western Pleasure mules that WERE NOT "peanut
rollers". The trend began some years ago, but the mule people balked at
it and ruled it out.
GOOD FOR THEM! You see, to be a mule lover, you REALLY gotta love
horses!
Robert Miller is a very well known and respected vet, throughout the
country, and had published some very popular equine health and breeding
books.
The Nation was shocked when Barbaro broke down shortly after leaving the
gate at the Preakness. I saw the repaired fractures in TIME magazine.
What I think happened is that the sesamoid bone fractured, a common
injury. As a result, the fetlock collapses causing the pastern bone to
explode into multiple fragments, probably with the next stride or
two.The last time the general public was exposed to a racetrack tragedy
like this was when the great filly, Ruffian, fractured; the injury
eventually resulting in her death. The news media focuses on great
champions like these, but what most people don't realize is that such
injuries are relatively common occurrences in horse racing. Part of the
cause is that we have bred athletic power into our racing breeds far
exceeding what nature requires for the horse to survive in its natural
environment.
All wild horses need to do is outrun a
big cat. We have selectively bred for speeds that the anatomy of the
horse cannot always cope with. In addition, we train and race them long
before they are mature. The immature are often capable of spectacular
athletic performance. Every time I watch an Olympics and I see gymnasts
as young as 13, 14 or 15 years of age, I wince at the thought of the
damage I know is occurring to some of their bodies. I started a year of
gymnastics at17 years of age, and I wasn't very good, but I still
managed to do damage that manifested itself many years later.
Fortunately, I was drafted into the Army at 18, which ended my gymnastic
career.Half a century ago, when I was cowboying, "colts" were started at
four years of age or older.
Once in a while, one might be started as a three-year-old. Despite some
very hard work, barring accidents, those ranch horses were still sound
and working into their 20's. I'm not opposed to racing. It's a great
sport and has motivated mankind to produce truly great horse breeds. But
I am opposed to any practices which contribute to premature crippling of
otherwise healthy horses.Some years ago, the annual convention of the
American Association of Equine Practitioners (A.A.E.P.) was held in
Dallas . The same week, the national cutting horse futurities were being
held in nearby Fort Worth .
Three colleagues from Sweden told me that they wanted to see the cutting
horses.
So, one evening, after the day of scientific lectures had ended, I
accompanied the three Swedish vets to Fort Worth . After watching several
horses perform, the senior Swede, a professor from the vet school in
Upsula , Sweden , said, "This is incredible! It must take many years to
obtain such performance from a horse." "But," I answered, "this is a
futurity." "I do not understand this word," he said. "These are colts,"
I explained. "These are just three-year-olds. " He looked shocked,
turned to his companions and explained to them in Swedish and then said
to me in English, "I have only two comments: One, it must take great
skill to be able to train a horse to do this in so brief a time. And,
two, what is happening to their poor legs?"Today, we have all sorts of
futurities - reining, cutting, barrel racing, etc. I have tried many
times to get owners to postpone arduous training to give the colt a
chance to mature.
Most of the time, I was ignored. The lure of winning something or making
some money was too great to resist. My strategy when the owner insisted
on going ahead with training and/or competition that I felt was
premature was to say, "That's okay. You go ahead. What you are doing is
very good for my business."Why is it that the protests against
over-using young horses come primarily from the people who profit from
such abuse - the veterinarians? Is it because we best understand the
trauma being inflicted upon immature skeletons, joints, ligaments and
tendons? Just as I am not opposed to racing, if properly conducted, I am
not opposed to horse shows or competitive equine events.
Horse shows, like all livestock shows, were conceived of long ago to
"improve the breed". They were designed to demonstrate and reward the
people who were doing the best job of breeding, of selecting bloodstock,
and of creating superior bloodlines. Unfortunately, human nature, vanity
and greed have corrupted the horse show industry.We see grotesque
caricatures of the original character of each breed. Stock horses, the
working ranch breeds, are shown in Western Pleasure classes traveling in
a manner that would drive a working cowboy crazy. With lowered heads,
going in a downhill manner, these horses greatly magnify the forces
placed upon the forelimbs.
Once again, good for us vets. It produces income, but the horses suffer.
The wonderful Tennessee Walking Horse is shod and shown in distorted
gaits that can only be called "grotesque".If it weren't for the frequent
veterinary checks, which are mandatory, can you imagine how many
endurance racing horses would die because of their riders' consuming
desire to win? I remember the early endurance races. Saddlebred, with
surgically distorted tails, and gingered anuses, are exhibited with the
pupils of their eyes dilated with atropine. How many people who
sincerely consider themselves to be "horse lovers" wean foals at three
months of age, or even earlier, which nature never intended?How many
horses, a gregarious species, spend their lives locked in box stalls?
How many horses in the U.S.A, like so much of our human population, are
damaged healthwise by excessive nutrition? Such abuses exist in every
breed, every discipline, in every equine sport.
We need to step back and analyze what we are doing. One of my clients
was a prosperous, educated couple. They were very congenial, and they
owned three Quarter Horses. One day, they called me to come to their
home to worm their horses and check them over and booster their
vaccinations. When I arrived, I found only two horses, so I asked where
the third one was."Oh, he's in training as a reining horse, with
____________ " (a successful and notoriously brutal trainer who also
happened to be one of my clients). I said, "Oh, I see." Then the wife
said, "We know how cruel he is to the horses, but he wins!" I never felt
the same toward those people, again. This same trainer (he's been dead
for many years) once said to me, "Doc, why can't you guys cut the tails
on my horses? Why do you make me drive 300 miles round trip to get my
tails done?" He was referring to the illicit surgical paralyzing of the
tail, common in reining horses so they can't switch their tails. ALL of
the horses in his barn had their tails cut. I said, "Were you ever
beaten in a show by a horse that you knew had its tail cut?" "Oh sure,"
he said. "Lots of times." "Well," I told him, "I didn't cut the tail nor
did my partners. We won't do anything against the association rules."
This same guy, a world-class competitor, kept every horse in his barn on
Serpecil, a tranquilizer not approved by FDA for use in horses. I have
no idea where he got the drug, but somebody was selling it to him.I
believe that a conspiracy exists in the horse show industry. The
trainers are judges, and the judges are trainers. Too often, they
scratch each others' backs.
If Western Pleasure horses were shown as they were 50 or 60 years ago, a
good amateur could turn out a champion. But it takes a real pro to
produce the freaks seen in today's Western Pleasure classes. And, after
the horse goes back to the owner from the trainer and is no longer
winning, it has to go back to the trainer for a "tune-up". A few days
before I wrote this article, I got back from Bishop Mule Days, a unique
event I attend every year that has no equal anywhere in the world. I had
the pleasure of seeing Western Pleasure mules that WERE NOT "peanut
rollers". The trend began some years ago, but the mule people balked at
it and ruled it out.
GOOD FOR THEM! You see, to be a mule lover, you REALLY gotta love
horses!