Thoughts

I keep thinking about horse racing and the horses who run.

I used to live in Lexington, KY and I used to drive out to the horse farms and I would see the colts run. They were beautiful in the early spring morning, fog rising, burning off the heat, colts running through the fog, playing. I had seen that scene too many times, so I truly believe that the horses are supposed to run.

I seriously think something needs to be done. I have been listening, only a casual fan, to the debate, reading and thinking about what could be done to improve something that is obviously broken.

Horses are meant to run. They run because they want to run. I've seen more than my fair share of horses. They aren't cows: acquiescent to standing in a field. That want to run, they want to feel the wind in their mane. I truly believe that.

But horses shouldn't be breaking like they do. Eight Belles, or Vinstar today, both euthanized because they were not able to be fixed. I don't fault the vets for making the decision (strangely enough, I know the vet who euthanized Eight Belles). I fault the system for breeding horses who are breakable.

It's a shame. I don't know what'll fix it. It just needs to be fixed.