This is a blog about Morgan horse shows. However, there was a tragedy today in the broader horse world. I’m sure many of you have seen the news about Eight Belles. For those who haven’t, here’s the video:
[kml_flashembed movie="http://www.youtube.com/v/1HClCiD5UDM" width="425" height="350" wmode="transparent" /]
Eight Belles, a three year old filly, finished second, fell to the ground after the finish, shattering both front ankles. She was euthanized on the track a few minutes later.
Ironically, the veterinarian at the track was also the vet at the 2006 Preakness, where Barbaro was injured at the start.
“It will happen sometimes after the race. It’s not unheard of,” said Bramlage, who also was the on-call vet during the 2006 Preakness Stakes at Pimlico, when Kentucky Derby winner Barbaro broke down at the start. “They’re taking a load on their skeleton. The difficult thing to explain with her is it was so far after the wire. She was easing down on the turn.”
