8 horses in 9 days

CA actually passed a law a few years ago banning racing of horses not yet two actual years old. Before that, a foal could be born on Dec 31 and be considered a yearling the next day, and raced a year later.

It is time to end horse racing. One of the big tracks here in So Cal closed a few months back. I was happy.

AND they're kind of fragile to start with... most of the popular "English" horses (dressage/jumping/hunting, etc) are crosses between Thoroughbreds and cold-blooded horses to give them some heavier bones.

Deb and Ed M wrote:
This seems like a particularly high "toll" for a track - but as long as they keep racing BABIES (a 2 yr old horse is NOT mature, particularly in a large breed like Thoroughbreds), these senseless deaths are going to happen.

X10.

Yup. Their growth plates are not closed at that age. My horses do not go into training for riding until they are 4 years old.

This seems like a particularly high "toll" for a track - but as long as they keep racing BABIES (a 2 yr old horse is NOT mature, particularly in a large breed like Thoroughbreds), these senseless deaths are going to happen.

Very sad to read that.