For Whom the Belles Toll
I watched the Kentucky Derby on Saturday and had I been betting, I would have placed a bet on Eight Belles. She just caught my eye. I watched Big Brown cross the line with the filly right behind him. It was all the magic that horse racing is for me and I turned the t.v. off as soon as the race was over.
So, yes, I was deeply saddened when I read the next day that she collapsed after crossing the finish line with both her front ankles broken. Of course this type of injury required that she be euthanized. But it doesn’t make it less sad.
She was as old as my filly. And I can’t ride her until this summer. I agree with PETA on increasing the age of the horses racing. But, as I understand it, the racing industry needs to change since the more races a horse competes in, the more its stats are known, and weight is then added to the saddle in order to level the playing field. {I could be very very wrong with this last statement and since I have admitted it, I would prefer that anyone who is going correct me does so politely.}
Back to my filly, I respect that her body is still growing and as much I want to feel her move beneath me (oh, that sounds dirty), I’ll wait until she’s physically ready. In the meantime, I’ll hope that things change so that horses like Eight Belles can live and run for years and that those of us who love watching them will be able to do so without feeling so damn guilty.
