Lasix is clearly one of U.S. Racing’s more controversial subjects. Some in the industry see it as but a performance-enhancer: A diuretic, Lasix helps shed water weight prior to a race – lighter equals faster – and as a system flush, may also aid in concealing some of the more nefarious stuff. On the other side are those who maintain – some sincerely, some maybe not so much – that Lasix helps control, or at least decrease the severity of, pulmonary hemorrhage, thus making the drug humane.
I have written extensively on this subject, going as far back as 2013. But for this post, let’s leave aside the performance-enhancing qualities (of which I have no doubt exist) and instead focus on the “Lasix is therapeutic” argument.
On that, this past week, the Thoroughbred Daily News published an LTE signed by a virtual who’s who in American racing: William Mott, Chad Brown, Mark Casse, Jena Antonucci, Ron Moquett, and Eric Hamelback. It is, without question, one of the more damning self-incriminations you will ever read. (The letter itself was prompted by an upcoming HISA vote on Lasix – whether to extend the ban across the board. Currently, it’s only illegal in 2-year-old racing and in stakes races inside of 48 hours.) It begins:
“If a human Olympic runner bled into his lungs every time he sprinted, no one would call treatment ‘cheating.’ They would call it medicine.”
And more:
“Exercise-Induced Pulmonary Hemorrhage (EIPH) has been studied extensively, including by researchers affiliated with the American Association of Equine Practitioners. During high-speed racing, extreme cardiovascular pressures can cause delicate pulmonary capillaries to rupture. In mild cases, bleeding may be microscopic. In more serious cases, repeated episodes can lead to scarring, chronic inflammation, diminished lung function and, in rare instances, catastrophic outcomes.
“Horses are obligate nasal breathers. Unlike human athletes, they cannot open their mouths to increase airflow when exertion peaks. The physiological stress generated inside their chest at racing speed is extraordinary. This vulnerability is rooted in anatomy….”
Wow. Allow me to add these older quotes from other renowned trainers:
Dale Romans: “Racing causes [EIPH] in 100% of horses.”
Rick Violette: “Horses bleed. That is a fact.”
Mike Rogers: “This BS that horses don’t bleed is insane. They actually bleed so much, they’re drowning.”
“Drowning.”
One of the first things I wrote for this blog was “The Big Lie.” You know, in what other sport are the athletes: condemned to a life as literal chattel; kept in intensive, solitary confinement; led around by lip chains and controlled with chunks of metal in their mouths; whipped – beaten – for motivation; afflicted with osteoarthritis as adolescents; routinely dying on the playing field; bled-out and butchered upon retirement?
But if the words of these trainers are to be believed, if true that lung bleeding is inherent in a racing-horse, then we could practically close our case on just this: In what other sport does the fundamental physical action – think throwing, shooting, swinging, kicking, leaping, or, as the LTE writers led with, sprinting – universally cause some level of pain and suffering? This is just too easy, folks.
To Big Heart Racing:
It is insane to think that the richest of the rich racing industry people are going to stop breeding, racing, and doping horses that are less than perfect thereby forfeiting millions of dollars of “income and tax breaks” for the sake of allegedly “improving” the breed. Improving the breed is not their objective; improving their bottom line is their primary objective regardless of what happens to the disposable gambling chips and what drugs they think they have to inject into these disposable four-legged gambling chips to get there.
It is insane to think that any horse that bleeds from the extreme exertion of galloping at top speed for a prolonged distance under the abusive whipping hand of a rider who is hell-bent to force the horse to cross the finish line first even when the horse doesn’t have a realistic chance to do so could ever have a so-called “second career” as you put it.
The only “second career” that a bleeder has is the kill buyer, the slaughter house, the meat market, unless they are used for breeding to produce more unfortunate four-legged gambling chips predisposed to become “bleeders”.
The racing industry diehards are not going to stop exploiting horses in cruel and dishonest ways as long as there is some sort of financial gain to be had. With less than 18,000 new Jockey Club foal registrations per year and actually continuing to decline, the use of Lasix will continue to be an issue. It is a no-brainer that breeding farms have invested time and money in producing horses that potentially can be raced regardless of breed improvement.
To win races is more important to the diehard racing industry people, therefore Lasix it is, plus all of the other painkillers and performance enhancers used to manipulate the outcome of a race.
Lying, cheating, and sociopathic greed is what epitomizes the mindset of horse racing and the doping is just an every day part of this routine mistreatment of horses in pursuit of the “Almighty dollar”.
Although I approved your comment, it most certianly doesn’t belong on these pages. Better that you direct it to TDN, Paulick, Horse Racing Nation and the like. There, you can commiserate with other woefully misguided souls on the inexorable decline of your cherished industry. We’re here to “cull” horseracing itself.
From a breed and breeding standpoint, bleeding is a physical and genetic issue. Period. Lasix is covering up the fact that the current thoroughbred has a genetic flaw. These horses need to be culled from The thoroughbred population, and the only way is to take a tough stance: ban Lasix.
If you remove Lasix, the careers of the lower level horses will end and they can go into their second careers. Fillies/mares who bled should be discouraged from being bred. And stallions who blood should be identified as such. Responsible breeders, who care about the breed would not therefore breed to stallions who were themselves bleeders.
This is the only way to weed out the bleeders. For the sake of our beautiful thoroughbred, we need to take the steps to eliminate the weakness that it’s far too common in the North American genetic pool. Otherwise we face genetic collapse. There’s already the troubling genetic fact that too many horses are being bred to too few stallions.
HISA needs to be brave. The Jockey club already tried by limiting the number of broodmares to stallions each year, but that was struck down by the courts because of the lobby and challenge by the big farms.
This is our only shot at getting rid of the genetic flaw of breeding bleeders to bleeders.
They know, and yet, they still hurt and kill horses for “Sport”, for Money!
“Some sincerely [believe], some maybe not so much – that Lasix helps control, or at least decreases the severity of, pulmonary hemorrhage, thus making the drug humane.” Lasix does not strengthen lung tissue.
It reduces the pressure placed on it. EIPH correlates strongly with
maximal speed; duration at maximal cardiac output; and frequency of racing. Comparison to natural running such as pasture galloping is
self-limited at variable speeds and stops when stimulus dissipates. Racing is jockey driven with competitive pressure to sustain effort beyond fatigue signals. Repeated high-output are expected across a season. The difference is not that racehorses are incapable of the effort. It is that they are asked to repeat maximal physiological output at frequencies and intensities not seen in the wild. Medication enables continued racing rather than rest, modified training, or retirement. The horse may not be physiologically suited for that level of exertion. Economic incentives often override welfare decisions.
In other words: Is the drug protecting the horse, or protecting the race schedule? Bleeding lungs are not caused by fear or flight instinct. They are caused by overload during maximal exertion. A playful pasture gallop and even exuberant bucking does not approach the pulmonary pressures seen in a graded stakes race. Repeated hemorrhages contribute to inflammation, fibrosis, and long-term decline. In addition, underlying selective breeding pressure remains unchanged. Lasix is a way to preserve racing. It can contribute to electrolyte imbalance if not managed and causes 20–30 pounds of acute weight loss (mostly fluid). Bottom line, if a horse cannot compete without medication, it should not compete.
Their article arguing for the usage of Lasix is bunk! We have galloped many horses of many breeds,Arabians,Belgians,Thoroughbreds,BLM feral`s, Percheron, etc. We have NEVER had one bleed that we saw or experienced when a horse would slow down because of respiratory difficulties. This is all about trying to keep the horses running when they should not be! Agree 100% with you Wanda.
The argument to keep Lasix based on “if human beings needed it” is what makes it all complete bullshit for me. You know from that lame beginning that they want to keep it legal or it will directly affect their bottom line which is money money money.
They don’t care that they are causing horses to feel immense pain and suffering from internal injuries!
Of course, bleeding from the lungs is not the only pain. Take arthritis in the ankles; wouldn’t you just love to be a racehorse and be forced to run in that kind of pain (as if arthritis in the ankles wouldn’t be painful enough just standing still or walking)???
So the “need” for painkillers and performance enhancing drugs is as much a part of the racing industry as the horses and the MORAL DEPRAVITY of the human beings who exploit the horses.