You can't make this stuff up ... two days ago, Sen Clinton made a bold prediction about today's Kentucky Derby:
"'I'm betting on the filly' -- a sentiment that Clinton has expressed. She has picked Eight Belles, the only filly in the 20-horse field."
Well, guess what happened? The filly - Eight Belles - had to be euthanized on the track after breaking both of her legs finishing second. To a horse named Big Brown.
-Education Dude
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My parents, who've become die-hard Hillary supporters, called me the minute word got out that this poor horse had to be euthanized. They were quite disturbed, both for the animal and because they recalled Clinton's mention of the horse.
I'm not sure if it's really accurate to describe horse racing as inhumane or barbaric. I hsve no doubt that the veterarians on site did anything other than their best to help the injured horse, and I don't have any reason to believe that the owners of the animal would have chosen to euthasize it if there had been any other choice. I don't have enough facts to render an opinion on the large question But I do have to wonder if the breeding standards for horses contribute to these kinds of incidents. I find it hard to believe that an animal which evolved as a fast runner to avoid preadators would be this vulnerable to injury absent selective breeding by humans. It just doesn't make sense.
Beyond my childhood experiences with my family's Appaloosa and my reading of Walter Farley and Marguerite Henry, I don't know much about horses. So I could be wrong. But I would hope that the equestrian community and the horseracing industry would place enough value on the lives of these animals both to evaulate the likelihood of injury from the inevitable stress of racing and to select horses whose progeny would be less prone to such injury. Right now, it would seem as though there is a perverse bargain, by which owners are encouraged to race swifter, lighter animals in an all or nothing game, where the animal's physical weakness may result in a short-term advantage and owners are incentivized to risk the welfare of the animal, betting that the creature's speed and energy will win out over its inherent frailties.
It's unfortunate that Clinton elected to identify with a Derby entrant who had the bad luck to come in second and sustained a severe injury. Of course, people are not horses. Thankfully, the photographic evidence indicates that Senator Clinton has more robust ankles, calves, and thighs than the average horse. And, of course, she has also demonstrated significant emotional fortitude. In the event that she does come in second in this race, I have no doubt that Senator Clinton is well positioned to enter the race in 2012 or 2014.
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