Submitted by Wendy A. King, May 5, 2008 18:51

Mr. Watman writes a wonderful essay concerning the demise of the brave, little filly Eight Belles. All of us who love horses and all that goes with them; be it racing, eventing or the beautiful movements of dressage and the jump ring; will mourn her passing. It is a sad and tragic loss. My condolences go out to Mr. Jones, his family and his stable.

Yes, you are correct, Mr. Watman, to perhaps criticize the broadcast news media for what shots of Eight Belles were shown just before her death. But, then again, are you too harse? It was somehow appropriate that the van sent out from the stables blocked the camera's view preventing us from witnessing her death, and while some of us might have wanted one last look at her beautiful face, I don't think there is a horse lover alive who would have wanted to witness her pain. The former news journalist & Ithaca College-trained broadcaster in me would have liked to have seen more footage of the actual breakdown. I'm curious to know - Just exactly what DID happen? Was one ankle already broken before the finish line and the jockey whipped her to completion as some have suggested? Or did one ankle breakdown as they crossed the line and the second fail as her jockey worked to slow her down to a managable pace? We may never know for sure.

What is certain is that Eight Belles had a lot of "heart" and a desire to win and to run. Perhaps she did not realize the race was over and the champion within her urged her past her own bodies' breaking point in an effort to catch up to Big Brown. Only her jockey knows for sure. It was indeed a freak accident. Something that could have happened to any Thoroughbred currently running across the world. Mr. Watman is correct ,again, that this seems to be a "feature" stemming from they way thoroughbreds have been bred down the generations.

Perhaps more reforms need to be considered. I had not known, until this weekend, that the legs in 2 & 3-year olds were not completely closed and still forming. So where did this "tradition" of racing these horses at 2 & 3 begin? Where is it "written" that a younger horse is faster, swifter, more easy to race & win than a slightly older, more seasoned stallion or filly? After all, many of the breeds competing in eventing & jump, as well as, Lippizaners do not start their training until they are older and more "mature" as far as horse maturity is concerned. Perhaps it's time to consider waiting for a thoroughbred to grow up a bit more and not run them as "teenagers".

Then there is the issue of breeding. Have the "rules" concerning thoroughbred lines & breed standards led us down a path to fragility caused by too much in-breeding? Or is the tendency to wards light, fragile bones a result of breeding for speed rather speed coupled with endurance? Can we even correct for this? Perhaps it is time to re-introduce sound Arabian stock back into the fold, or perhaps Lippizaner or some Adalusian or Warm-blooded European Jump horse blood to try to "correct" for this deficiency. It is hard to say. As anyone who loves horse racing & thoroughbreds knows, three strong Arabian horses/strains were half the basis of the stock that "created" this breed centuries and generations ago. Perhaps we need some "new blood". But what ever the reforms, we need to make them swiftly, sooner rather than later, or I fear we will continue to see more accidents of the kind that befell Eight Belles this weekend and Barbaro two years ago. We can't afford to wait for all the icecaps and glaciers to melt, so to speak, before we make the changes that might prevent future injuries.

In closing, I say "goodbye Eight Belles." As we say in the Navy when a member leaves our group: "Fair winds and following seas." May your journey be swift and your troubles trail behind you.

W.A. King, LCDR, USNR-R

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