Eight Belle's did they really care about her or Is it a money thing?

She would be of no use to her owners because she would never race again. And I am sure they have insurance they collect when one of their horse's die.|||Of course not.





ONE broken leg is devastating to a horse. It's an extremely long and difficult recovery, IF the horse recovers at all. Two broken legs is simply a death sentence. Horses do not understand that they can't walk on those legs, and they'll keep trying to get up. They will just keep rebreaking the legs and will suffer constantly. They are very top heavy, and their legs are quite thin. With her TWO front legs broken she'd just have no way of recovering. She'd have to be lying down for months, and that's just not possible with a horse. They won't do it. Not to mention the gastrointestinal problems they'd have doing that. Horses are not meant to be lying down that way.





Not everyone is the devil. Euthanizing her was the most humane option.|||No - it's not about the money. The horse was in pain and wouldn't have survived the surgery. Any pet owner will tell you that the pet's comfort and survival chances are most important.





Same thing here. She would NEVER have recovered and most likely would have died before surgery. She was in pain. They saved her from suffering.





She WAS a valuable horse, but insurance could never recoop her potential winnings and potential colts/foals.|||they did the right thing. Both front legs were broken.|||do you understand horse care or are you speaking from an emotional place?|||living in a sling is not going to work...|||What so many people fail to realize is just how catastrophic a broken leg is to a horse, not to mention two. With Eight Belles, she fractured BOTH her front legs, leaving her with no support whatsoever. It would have been virtually impossible to try and stabilize her, not to mention incredibly painful for her. Imagine how hard it is for a person with a broken leg, who can verbalize and understand that they need to keep weight off the injury, relax, etc. You cannot tell those things to a 1200+ pound horse.





And with mares, they are of use to owners after an injury, as they are breedable. It doesn't necessarily mean they should all be bred, but at least there's something to fall back on in case of damage. Most owners of high-end horses like these do have insurance aginst certain injuries and losses, but the payments vary.|||Honey I VERY much doubt the insurance money was 1/10 of what she could have earned as a broodmare had she stayed sound (or even had a relistic chance of survival) Insurance companies usuallly refuse that degree of insurance.


Her breeding value (due to her race placements) was far above what she could have won in purse money


Fruthermore do you think the insurance company would pay out if they had a choice in treating her? I assure you, knowing insurance companies, if she had a relistic survival chance they would NOT cover....


Besides of which if what I have heard of the extent of injury her survival chances were nill|||This Kentucky Derby had the second largest turnout for spectators in history. Eight Belles was a beautiful 17hand 3 year old filly. They cared enough to put her down at the track in front of everyone but she would have made them lots of cash had she survived. They cared enough to not put her through pain and suffering and eventually try to breed a horse who would never be able to even stand on those two ankles. Its always about money or there wouldnt be racing. Thankfully her owners did the right thing ,but it was a sad day.