Comeback Horses!

[sumitas]

Originally Posted by Rupert Pupkin

If you took away the drugs and trained them hard, there would be no horses left. It's hard enough to keep them sound when you baby them.

I'll give you an analogy. Let's say that you have a really sore knee and you need to compete in a big tennis match this Sunday. The smart thing for you to do would be to take it easy between now and Sunday. It wouldn't be good advice for me to tell you to go and train really hard all week on your bad knee. If you trained hard all week, you probably wouldn't even be able to play this weekend.

You have the same situation with most horses in training right now. Most of them have leg problems and if you work them really hard, you will break them down in a hurry.

we just don't want to see drugs used to the extent that all pain is eliminated and the horse is then running with an injury. if no drugs were allowed to ease pain, then we would know if the horse was really healthy or not by observing the walk.

[Rupert Pupkin]

Originally Posted by sumitas

we just don't want to see drugs used to the extent that all pain is eliminated and the horse is then running with an injury. if no drugs were allowed to ease pain, then we would know if the horse was really healthy or not by observing the walk.

They should get rid of most of the drugs. There are way too many legal drugs and most of them are not necessary. Pharmacology is probably almost half the game these days. It's ridiculous.

In my previous post, I was simply saying that if they trained the horses really hard that the horses wouldn't last. If they trained them hard, the horses would be much sore than they are now. If that happened, then the horses probably could not run without drugs.

[Scurlogue Champ]

Originally Posted by Rupert Pupkin

They should get rid of most of the drugs. There are way too many legal drugs and most of them are not necessary. Pharmacology is probably almost half the game these days. It's ridiculous.

In my previous post, I was simply saying that if they trained the horses really hard that the horses wouldn't last. If they trained them hard, the horses would be much sore than they are now. If that happened, then the horses probably could not run without drugs.

Richi,

I know we have shared several posts about this topic, but do you think that if we did do what the poster suggested by training them hard and running the piss out of them, we would eventually get a sounder breed overall.

It would obviously take generations to weed out the weak lines, but don't you agree that there is a tougher form of thoroughbred underneath all of the high-priced yearlings and unproven sires?

Do you feel that the breed is just categorically unsound, and can't be pushed or expected to run drug-free?

By the way, did you read Alan Shuback's article on the German horse Soldier Hollow (3rd in the Arlington Million) and how he has never raced on medication and it is illegal to stand a stallion in Germany if they ever raced with raceday meds?

It was pretty interesting.

http://www.drf.com/drfNewsArticle.do...8&subs=0&arc=1

[Rupert Pupkin]

Originally Posted by moodwalker

Richi,

I know we have shared several posts about this topic, but do you think that if we did do what the poster suggested by training them hard and running the piss out of them, we would eventually get a sounder breed overall.

It would obviously take generations to weed out the weak lines, but don't you agree that there is a tougher form of thoroughbred underneath all of the high-priced yearlings and unproven sires?

Do you feel that the breed is just categorically unsound, and can't be pushed or expected to run drug-free?

By the way, did you read Alan Shuback's article on the German horse Soldier Hollow (3rd in the Arlington Million) and how he has never raced on medication and it is illegal to stand a stallion in Germany if they ever raced with raceday meds?

It was pretty interesting.

http://www.drf.com/drfNewsArticle.do...8&subs=0&arc=1

I don't know if that would work or not. It certainly makes sense. That's how natural selection works. The ones with the strongest genes survive. In theory it makes sense. As you said, it would take several generations.

In practice, it would obviously never happen but in theory it makes sense. People are not going to intentionally break down their horses in hopes that it will help the breed in the long run.

I'm not familiar with the German horse you mentioned. I will read the article if I have a chance.