The last few necropsies from California in 2021.
Major Cabbie, Oct 23, Santa Anita R
“[Multiple] comminuted fractures; [multiple] severe, complete ruptures. Additional findings include severe and chronic medial suspensory branch desmitis in the right forelimb and palmar osteochondral disease of the medial condyle of left cannon bone.” Major Cabbie was six years old – the age of maturity for the typical horse.
Star of Africa, Oct 31, Santa Anita T
“Sudden death while galloping on training track – cause undetermined.” Also: “focally extensive gastric ulceration/erosions.” Star of Africa was four years old.
Restiany, Nov 25, Santa Anita T
“Catastrophic right humeral fracture with ruptures of [multiple] muscles and severe hemorrhage.” Also: “severe ulceration of gastric mucosa.” Restiany was four years old.
Medina Spirit, Dec 6, Santa Anita T
“Sudden death while working. Cases of sudden death in racehorses are frustrating to deal with, and frequently remain unresolved, as in this case.” Also: “mild-to-moderate degenerative joint disease, fetlocks and elbows.” Medina Spirit was three years old.
Medina Spirit born and buried on his real birthday. No more drugs,whips,traipsing around the country, getting his humans in trouble,etc. At least he didn’t end up in the landfill or rendering plant. And at last,peace. Hopefully being able to be a horse.
Before MEDINA SPIRIT won the Kentucky Derby and when Bob Baffert was still allowed to skate around all of the doping rules, etc., I felt like the pro-racing media was building this horse up to be the next Triple Crown winner and the third one for the barbaric buffoon. The story of this horse selling for One-Thousand Dollars and so on and so forth making him out to be a “rags to riches” story was seemingly a build-up to something greater than the twisted tale it actually became. Since Baffert seemed to have been able to more or less buy his way out of the thing in Arkansas and go to the Kentucky Derby, it did look like he might have been able to go all the way to winning the Triple Crown. Baffert and his people would have partied for longer than a week, don’t you think? I read that they partied for a week after winning the Kentucky Derby 2021. All of this partying took place while the horse, MEDINA SPIRIT, suffered from this hideous cruelty in silence.
Every time we see Medina Spirit`s name mentioned we cry a little, no actually a lot! He should never have died at so young an age! Just for you all`s info. right now on social media according to someone we spoke with on Wednesday, near Emerald downs, there are lots of of OTTB`s available anywhere between $400 to $1,200 supposedly for retraining for other uses. The caller told us she tried one & the gelding almost harmed her as the poor horses mind was shot & any kind of noise would have the horse rearing dangerously while she was in the stall.The NW industry already dumping poor horses while in the beginning of Emerald`s racing season!
Only experienced and knowledgeable people with the proper facilities and deep pockets would be able to save these poor horses. It is so sickening that the majority of these horses being dumped/ discarded/ culled will most likely be shipped across the border of the USA. There is a killbuyer with a feedlot near Sunnyside, Washington that gives some of the horses he buys a second chance, but without a rescue group to come up with the money and everything, the horses are doomed.
My cousin would buy Thoroughbreds off the track and retrain them. They would strike at her with their front feet, slam her into walls, flip over with her, all kinds of dangerous things, but she worked with them and many of them went on to have very successful second homes as hunters. For years I thought Thoroughbreds were just “crazy” but after learning about the hell they live in, almost from the day their born, I know now that so much of their behavior was defensive and simply the signs of being constantly overwhelmed, treated harshly, and denied the chance to even be a horse.
God bless your cousin, Rebecca.
Rebecca,in my snooping around have come across a girl named Jessica. I wondered if she was someone you are related to when I saw the writeups.
This was a while ago when researching knowledge to help with our plight here at HRW.
WOW
Give me a moment to hurl — I’m sorry — I cannot help it — SHUT DOWN unconscionably cruel, depravedly indifferent HORSERACING industry — FOREVER
These poor creatures are better off dead. They know what’s coming once is more than enough. ‘They love it’ This is not enjoyable for the horses with broken legs and terror in their eyes.
When you are forced to utter the words, “they’re better off dead” — what does this mean? — we must SHUT DOWN evil HORSERACING.
Horses are sentient beings who are of a gregarious nature. They need to be able to move as in walking, for example, to graze and be relaxed more often than not. In being confined to stalls for 23 hours a day, the horses are not allowed to enjoy life. This is cruelty in and of itself. There are several things that are WRONG with the racing industry. Horses don’t love to be abused and routinely tortured which is what the people in this industry do to horses. Even though some horses don’t get broken bones from racing, they’re still treated in an INHUMANE manner.
I would not rule out micro-fractures when they are forced to carry one-hundred pounds and up AND run so fast that it is EGREGIOUS CRUELTY AND INHUMANE TREATMENT OF HORSES.