If the racing industry intends to remain solvent how far will they go to achieve this goal at the expense of the very creature that it is dependent on it?
Or is it beyond repair?
The "Sport of Kings" is in desperate need of a major overhaul especially in terms of the safety and humane treatment of the Thoroughbred.
One wonders why the breeding industry seems oblivious to this component until one realizes what drives it – MONEY!
Sadly these economic forces take precedence over the welfare of the horse.
Poor judgment and irrational breeding practices over the past 5 decades or so has finally taken its toll.
With the formation of syndications, over-booking of fashionable stallions and shuttling between the Northern and Southern hemispheres, the industry has all but destroyed its life blood.
If this ceaseless inbreeding is allowed to continue will the average horse only race once then be discarded or retired to the breeding shed?
And what about those who don’t make the grade – the redundant?
What is crucial in reviving the breed is the need for out-crossing to regain the diversity once present. Unfortunately this would require the Jockey Club stud books to “open” to allow these sturdier horses in.
As Ellen Parker says:
" . . . . that ain't gonna happen. Breeders are stuck with what is in there now. The Jockey Club sees itself as a guardian at the gate, protecting the purity of the breed from the mongrel hordes, the Quarter-Horses and Standardbreds and all the other hybrids who eat grass. Intruders are not welcome. Post no bills, Tonto. Take a hike. The door is closed". [1]
There are many lessons to be learned about what has taken place since the commercialization of the horse racing industry. However most importantly one must first and foremost think of the horses and the harm that has been cast upon them as a result of greed, desire for short-term gain and dearth of reliable breeding knowledge.
"Which brings us to the bottom line: Thinking outside the box and doing the right thing takes courage and a willingness to ride out the storm. Taking short cuts has all but ruined this wondrous creature born of desert sires and mares who carried knights into battle.
"The breed has not evolved, it has devolved. Those who care about more than the sale price of their yearlings had better get moving because by the time you are ready, there will be nothing left to use…we are nearly there now.
"What I had foreseen twenty-four years ago is happening every day before my eyes and I do not care for the landscape. I do not know what to say to people who ask me how I can support such a sport, how I as a horse lover can even watch it anymore. It is getting harder and harder to find answers to those questions." – Ellen Parker [2]
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[1] http://sports.espn.go.com/sports/horse/triplecrown08/columns/story?columnist=nack_bill&id=3399004
[2] http://www.reines-de-course.com/soundness.htm