... and just because I know not everyone reads the retirements thread (and because this thread is so sickeningly sad) here's another nice story...

On Who's the Cowboy.... :)

http://www.bloodhorse.com/horse-raci...#ixzz2Xe8nUdvh

good god.

i bet it turns out that the trainer is the same guy as the person charged for cruelty...they need to change that bs about keeping a trainers license!

How nice!

Regarding Monzante, I can get as worked up as about anyone, but I'd like to see what information the investigation brings to light -- including the severity of the injury -- before I want to lynch anyone.

That makes me sick. :(

http://www.drf.com/news/trainer-says...-was-suffering

:zz: He does know you can give a horse more drugs, right? If this guy thinks he's a good guy for what he did and why he did it, I'm just not seeing the evidence for that. Saving a horse and rehabbing them costs a lot of money. Putting that much into Monzante and then he might get an infection and die anyway causing you to lose what you put in is a risk you take. You can balance that with the chance of success from a person who's going to give it to you straight, not that Thacker really did that. He's not a doctor, he's not the one who should be judging the horse's medical condition. Of course he's in pain, he's got broken bones. Bones can heal.

That private vet is gonna do what he tells'em regarding saving or not saving a horse with a sesamoid injury even if they would've tried it were it their horse. It doesn't seem like a medical opinion was even what swung it. He's not saying 'we asked the vet and they really thought the odds were poor.' He went with his gut emotion (he claims) and his wife using google. We're only hearing his side on the horses that starved. No telling what that was really about. Feels weird that someone could send you malnourished horses and the situation isn't dealt with before some drop dead. If nothing else, cover your butt and report the other person.

http://www.bloodhorse.com/horse-raci...-monzante-case LA Plans No Further Action in Monzante Case

Of course they don't. :rolleyes:

ETA: I listened to the ATR guests today, and I just wanted to say, Steve, that I appreciated the discussion and the issue that many people, when offered money to buy these horses for retirement, just don't want to do it. They want to campaign the horse, and probably don't like to admit that the horse may be a ticking time bomb because that would reflect negatively on them. They might believe there are a few more races in them. Having a former G1 winner like Monzante makes me think Thacker would've said no to selling unless it was to more than he was worth. I've seen it happen frequently that connections won't let the horse go or if they do, they jack up the price trying to make money off what they see as a bleeding heart. So frustrating that this is part of the situation, but it is.

On the happy side of things, a horse we've all seen run in NY -

Stud Muffin has been selected as part of the Retired Race Horse Project:

http://www.retiredracehorsetraining....son&Itemid=402

Learning to jump:

http://www.retiredracehorsetraining....son&Itemid=402

:tro:

* * *

For anyone interested...


In memory of Monzante

Remember Me Rescue is setting up a special fund to allow us to contact owners and trainers of horses that have earned more then $500,000 and are running for a claiming price of $5000 or less and offer them retirement, rehabilitation, retraining and rehoming.

Donate to help us help our horses who have contributed so much to racing. Now it is our turn to contribute to them by funding their retirement

http://www.teamkeen.com/monzantememorialfund.html