What do you do about old horses who are still running?

[Swaps1955]

I know we've all had our favorites, the horses we started watching as two year olds and who are still running at 8, 9, 10 and sometimes competing decently with wins, seconds & thirds. And then we pick up the paper and see the horse broke down and was euthanized after stellar performances for so many years. (Right now 'm thinking of million plus earner Full Moon Madness who's ten. How long is he going to last? He goes today at Fairplex. But there are lots of others that we all know. Another horse I know was 9, broke down and was euthanized in June at Hollywood after 71 starts and the trainer told me he didn't know he'd started that many times. This 9 year old horse was pulled up in one race 4 months before he broke down and was a vet scratch two races before he broke down. He had to work before the vet after than and worked well. But, wasn't the message already in cement at that point?)

I know some states have regulations about not starting horses after a certain age, but what does the industry do about these wonderful old horses who race week after week and then break down? Each trainer/owner says that s/he would never race a horse that s/he knows is not sound, but they run them and they break down anyway. Of course, we all know young horses that break down, too. But these wonderful old horses are often a breakdown waiting to happen due to age and the rigors of racing. Full Moon Madness is gorgeous, a wonderful competitor and deserves to be more than a moneymaker and silks bearer for someone.

What can be done? Any suggestions?

[Secretariat73]

How often do they race Full Moon Madness these days? If the Pedigree Query listing is up to date, he's had 48 starts to date, which given his age doesn't sound excessive.

Isn't the jockey supposed to report to the track vet if h/she thinks a horse is not fit to race?

I remember reading of one case where someone complained to track stewards about an older horse that was still running at 13 or 14. I don't know what they did about it, if anything.

[Secretariat73]

I see Full Moon Madness won his claiming race today without any noted problems! And he's a grandson of Secretariat!! And he's finished in the money in 41 of 49 starts!!!!

I know what you mean that they tend to run these gelding claimers until they drop. Maybe someone knows the owners or the trainer and can reassure you about their character.

On the other hand, they did eventually retire Zippy Chippy!

[LSB]

What can be done? Any suggestions?

Claim the horse and retire it.

[Swaps1955]

Wish I had the money. Then I'd retire Full Moon Madness, Razik, etc. etc. etc. It's not just the number of starts a horse runs. It's also the repeated training, medication and underpinnings combined with age.

[wilf]

Unfortunately your worried mind will rarely find peace in the racing world or any other equine pursuit for that matter. I ran a horse made of iron until he was 14 yrs old and he won at age 14 and now enjoys a great retirement at my place. Similar stories abound throughout this land , however the horses that are used, abused and then discarded by their owners and/or trainers tend to get far more publicity. Not even the mantle of greatness will save some poor beasts............ Exceller and Ferdinand would attest to that. In the world of class 2 racetracks I see many horses passed around like junk until they are of no use to anyone for any other career. I hate it and have saved a few but while there are get rich quick shysters and horse traders with not a shred of compassion especially for a hard-knocking old time runner that deserves more than the meat-mans gun, then the problem will go on and continue to infuriate you, me and many others who feel that horses are a companion/work partner in daily life.

[mightyhijames]

if you didn't follow the maryland millions races, la reines terms - age 10 - won the turf race. below is the link if anyone is interested. personally, i think it's a great story. i hope i get a good turf horse in this lifetime.


www.laurelpark.com/NewsEvents/FeatureSt ... Turf05.htm

[Elusive City]

We raced our mare from 3 to 9 with no ill effects (63 times to post)
of course she was a special hoss and there is no way we would have never taken a chance racing her unsound. She retired sound and to the life of a broodmare and has produced 3 healthy (and hopefully fast--**LOL**) foals with one in the oven.

[Tairaterces]

if you didn't follow the maryland millions races, la reines terms - age 10 - won the turf race. below is the link if anyone is interested. personally, i think it's a great story. i hope i get a good turf horse in this lifetime.


www.laurelpark.com/NewsEvents/FeatureSt ... Turf05.htm

Hi mightyhijames,

Thanks so much for the link . . . .great story about La Reine's Terms!!!

Tairaterces
PS: I hope you get your turf horse too . . . . . . . .

[StrawberryFelidos]

Personally, I think that if the horse is still sound and still running decently it's okay to run him for many years, but if he's showing a severe drop in class (ie: grade 1s to claimer) and/or he's starting to show soundness problems, then one should really think about stopping.

I hate watching good horses deteriorate over the years (Funny Cide might be becoming an example of that) and I doubt the big-hearted former champions like it much when they're finishing up the track. If a horse has always run in low-level races then it doesn't hurt as much to watch it, but when they once had "the magic" and now can't even win in claiming... ouch. Be good to the ones who have been good to you.

With soundness, I think trainers should be very considerate of an older horse's body and not try to push them when they start to show warning signs- that one you mentioned who was pulled-up and then vet-scratched should have set-off a warning bell in the trainer's head. A Huevo should have set off a lot of warning bells. Sometimes it's the "look the other way" phenomenon and/or the pocketbook that finally get these old guys and that shouldn't be the way.

[reenci]

personally i would run my horses till they tell me in their own way that they dont want anymore....try to remember...they were born to run & race if not 95% or more would not have ever been born.

[Curtis]

I claimed a horse to retire him a little over two years ago. Before I did it however, I conferred with a few trainers who were familiar with the horse and thought it was the right thing to do. The trainer that claimed him for me said that he feared that the horse could snap a leg at any time. He also said that even if you didn't care about the horse that more than one jock could be hurt since the horse often ran on the lead early. Now I have a happy pleasure horse. I wouldn't advocate retiring a horse simply due to age. They will usually tell you when they've had enough.

[Swaps1955]

The problem is not the owners/trainers who carefully monitor a horse and are not out to get just one more race. It's true when you say, "The horses were bred to run". However, we brought them into this world and it's our responsibility to make sure their life and death are humane. It would be nice if everyone racing an old horse like Razik or Full Moon Madness were humane and caring and knew exactly which race was a horse's last. However, in my original posting I commented on a horse that had started 71 times and the owner/trainer said "When the horse tells me he's ready, I'll stop." But he didn't. The horse told him several times (vet scratch, jockey scratch) and he ran the horse anyway. The horse NEVER got a break from the track in 3 years. Gave the track vet a wonderful :58 and change workout and broke down the next race. This horse is NOT the exception. Just look at "Thoroughbred Champions" website and see the number of old, popular horses that break down and are euthanized. I guess the best you can say is, they were euthanized quickly (hopefully) and didn't go from home to home ultimately being neglected and finally taken to the killers or some horrible auction stockyard. They were once our heroes and they deserve better.