God Bless You, Eight Belles

tykesmom · Posted: Sat May 03, 2008 6:42 pm Post subject: God Bless You, Eight Belles

I don't know how many of you are racing fans, but I know all of us are animal lovers. My heart is just broken tonight.... the racing world lost a beautiful and incredibly promising horse tonight. Eight Belles was put down after finishing 2nd in the Derby...If you look at the films down the homestretch, she bobs her head to the right as she changes leads... she broke both ankles in her forelegs, and fell to the ground after crossing the finish line. She finished her race on two legs and a very big heart. The courage of these wonderful animals that share our world overwhelms me sometimes...Well done, beautiful Belle...and rest in peace

And for those of you in doodleland, thanks for listening to a horselover who feels like she lost one of her family tonight......
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Kim and Tyke

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sessa35 · Posted: Sat May 03, 2008 6:48 pm Post subject:

I'm right there with you....how sad...and it was a last minute entry to bring her in too from what I had gathered...she gave them all a good lesson in dedication and bravery!! Crying or Very sad

(#19 position jockey is a relative of my boss. Wink

they were all there watching and called us to give us up-to-date info...don't think he even showed, how sad...AND, I CAN'T believe the winner came from #20!!! wowie!! Shocked

)
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MichelleB · Posted: Sat May 03, 2008 7:00 pm Post subject:

Kim, Thank you for posting. I to, feel a great loss tonight.
I have been a horse lover since I was a little girl. I rode jumpers professionally for 20yrs. Watching the race tonight I was so pulling for Eight Belles. I was so thrilled she came in 2nd, only to see her go down seconds later was heart wrenching. I have seen many tragedies in the horse world and it never gets any easier. Thanks for letting me share.
Rest in peace Eight Belles...
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blueteal · Posted: Sat May 03, 2008 7:20 pm Post subject:

I am also a horse lover and we were watching
the Derby today..............my heart is hurting...............
Crying or Very sad

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Cinsmom · Posted: Sat May 03, 2008 7:54 pm Post subject:

So sad.

lmtoth2 · Posted: Sat May 03, 2008 8:13 pm Post subject:

Poor horse Sad

I was out all day and didn't see the race, but my husband told me what happened...I'm glad I didn't see it Sad

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Leslie M

MaxandMe · Posted: Sat May 03, 2008 8:43 pm Post subject:

I'm with Leslie......i would have been crying had i seen something that sad
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annabelles mom · Posted: Sat May 03, 2008 10:25 pm Post subject:

I'm glad I did not see that. So sad Crying or Very sad

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lisarundell · Posted: Sun May 04, 2008 9:05 am Post subject:

How heart breaking! I can't imagine what the jockey who was riding her must be going through also.
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Linda · Posted: Sun May 04, 2008 1:25 pm Post subject:

Too sad! I think I read that the best racehorces have the thinnest, most fragile leg bones enabling them to be light as a feather and fast as the wind. Unfortunately, they could also have a disastrous break so easily.

hmz819 · Posted: Sun May 04, 2008 4:48 pm Post subject:

I saw the race but didn't see the horse fall down. I felt so bad for the horse.
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tykesmom · Posted: Sun May 04, 2008 6:09 pm Post subject:

To make it even more heartbreaking (if that's possible), from what I've seen on the Bloodhorse website, she actually was injured AFTER the race - her jockey was galloping her back afterwards, to cool her down, and said he heard a "pop" and then she started galloping funny. He tried to pull her up, but couldn't and she collapsed a few seconds later. She might have stood a chance had she only suffered one break, but the weight she placed on the other leg after breaking the first one may have caused the second. It was a terrible, freak accident, and the vet who put her down said he had never seen anything like it. What a terrible loss...I feel so sorry for her trainer and her groom - they know these horses so well - how sad it must have been to go back to an empty stall! Crying or Very sad

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Kim and Tyke

"You say dogs will not be in heaven? I tell you they will be there long before any of us." - Robert Louis Stevenson

Megan · Posted: Mon May 05, 2008 5:25 pm Post subject:

Thank you for posting this. I was watching & shocked...really terribly sad.
Should we race horses?
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Megan

Shaia · Posted: Mon May 05, 2008 11:20 pm Post subject:

i grew up on a horse farm - did the show jumping circuit and then 3-day eventing + dressage. can't bring myself to watch racing for reasons like this. at that age their bones haven't fully fused and they are often retired (at age 4) with debilitating injuries. i think it's cruel. we've rehabbed many horses from the track. had some great ones! some crazy ones and some injured ones Sad

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tykesmom · Posted: Tue May 06, 2008 5:49 am Post subject:

Interesting bit of trivia - Man O' War, probably the greatest racehorse ever, did NOT win the Triple Crown. Although he won both the Preakness and the Belmont, his owner, Sam Riddle, felt that May was way too early to ask a 3 year old to go a mile and a quarter. This was in 1920!
I love horseracing, and still get goosebumps when I see clips of Secretariat in his Triple Crown races, but the same thing could have just as easily happened to him. You see horses like Cigar, John Henry, etc., who didn't really start racing so hard until they were around 4, and their careers were much more long lived and they had fewer injuries. If I were an owner, I don't know that I would have the nerve to race them so early either. I'd be scared to death every time they walked onto the track.
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Kim and Tyke

"You say dogs will not be in heaven? I tell you they will be there long before any of us." - Robert Louis Stevenson