Horse Racing

Horse racing is a beautiful and skilled sport. The thoroughbred horse is one of the most magnificent creatures in the world.

However, they are a breed with almost no hybrid vigor.  Their lineage traces back to just one of three stud horses.  The Godolphin Barb, the Byerley Turk, and the Darley Arabian.  While these three were probably bred to other fancy horses of the day, mostly Arabians or Barbs the offspring of the first two horses were breed back to the Darley Arabian.  Thus 95% of all Thoroughbred stallions trace as their great whatever grandfather one horse.

This combined with today's drugs, racing giant babies too early for their structure, I believe brings about catastrophe.

I must not leave out greed and ego.  Greed to make back a buck and ego to be the best cheating trainer, or owner in the game.  Or to get that colt syndicated for millions of $$$$$$$$$$$$$.

What would be wrong with limiting two-year old colts and fillies to two races as two-year olds, and three-year olds to no more than 4 races. 

Now the killer, why not make the triple crown only for four-year olds.

Horses who would have had time to grow into their bodies and would make a great show.  Other sports make regular changes to rules to help with physical needs, overall health needs, safety,  and so forth. 

But then these are just dumb animals who may fight through a broken cannon bone, a ruptured ligament or training abuse for human ego and greed.

Nearly all of the great Thoroughbreds were big stock horses, bred for the heavy lifting.  Today we race small boned, light weight nags for the quick speed not the true speed of the breed. 

This is like forcing six-year-old child to run five miles with a 12-pound backpack on their back while being beaten in order to go faster.

In 2018 nearly 10 horses a week died on American racetracks; we have no idea how many died during training. 

I am not against horse racing, let's just do it smarter.