Eight Belles

[ksmith]

Son of a bitch.

Just before it started, I thought just let them all get through the race.

I used to love to watch horse racing, but I'm developing a serious aversion. It just seems like the horses can't take the pounding.

Comments

[scbutler.livejournal.com]

US thoroughbreds are also more overbred (inbred) than European and Asian thoroughbreds. I believe the US has several times more deaths per year than other countries. And it's getting worse.

[kristine-smith.livejournal.com]

What's worrisome is that poor breeding practices seem to spread more than sound practices, either because everyone makes more money, or the horses look "prettier"/flashier, or some combination thereof.

I don't have anything to do with horses now, but I was horse-mad as a youngster. Read the Marguerite Henry and Farley books and every book I could find about different breeds. Played with little model horses--my grandma made me a barn out of a cardboard box and covered it with holiday wrapping paper. When I was eight or nine, I was always asking my Dad if I could have a horse. We were in no financial shape to even think about getting one, so Dad said that there were too many stones in our yard and that a horse would hurt itself--I needed to clear out the stones before we could even consider getting one. So there I was, in the hot Florida sun, walking though the yard searching for stones...

I still like to watch horses. This year, I am going to visit the Tempel Lipp farm and watch an exhibition.

[scbutler.livejournal.com]

Never caught the horse bug myself. Just wanted to be a football player.

What's Tempel Lipp farm?

[kristine-smith.livejournal.com]

http://www.tempelfarms.com/index.html

Lipizzans. Horses raised right.