"Do We Need a Sturdier Racehorse?"

[Round Pen]

Originally Posted by Danzig

i think the number one culprit in the changes to the sport/breed would be commercial breeders. horses raised like hothouse flowers, not allowed to romp in fields to get much needed exercise. instead, they are stall kept to keep from marring their coats, limbs, because they won't bring as much at auction if they aren't perfect. surgeries to correct impairments to make them look good. steroids to make them look big, fit. then there's the fear of running a horse enough to bring losses, as that affects stud fees when they retire.

in 'the good old days' breeders raced their horses to show they had the right breeding programs, to show off the results of their hard work at finding just the right combination of sire and dam which could take years of hard work to create good families. the colts and fillies showcased the stallion, who got more business because he showed he could get a good horse. his progeny raced often, and for years, to show off a farm and it's efforts. now, it's race enough to get a gr 1 and retire to chase that money.
the sport isn't about racing now, it's about money. it's why i still root for the few farms with homebreds and old school methods like claiborne, and of course the phipps.

You absolutely hit the nail right on the head babies need to be babies. Just think about it from the time a horse is born till the time it makes its first start, there is a possibilty that horse could go through 3 or 4 sales. and when there in a sale they are in a stall sometimes weeks or even a couple of months prior to the sale. And that time spent in a stall could be spent romping around in a paddock and that is what builds bone when there young.