SaddleSore

Horses of old would run forty top level races before retiring to a nice stud farm some where. Today on the other hand, they are lucky to make it three months as a professional race horse before retirement-if they live that long.

When will the limit be reached, where it will become apparent that breeding for speed is robbing them of hardiness, and that the toothpick legs that they now have are not strong enough to carry them? When we it stop, and some better genes be bred in?

MorganManiac

I didn't realize that race horses had such little hardiness these days. Are you talking for all types of horse racing or just certain things? I should think speed is important but sturdiness and stamina should be just as crucial in a good race horse.

SaddleSore

That's a figure from Time magazine, and the article has so far only been published in the paper copy, not online. The online stuff tends to be about two months later.

But yes they said three months is the average career for a thoroughbred race horse now. I couldn't confirm or deny this since I don't have anything to do with racing.

The breeding issue is that it is always the fastest horses that are bred for the next generation. Those are not the sturdiest to begin with and the net effect over generations has been a loss of sturdiness. They need to reset the balance, only breed one racehorse with one more sturdy horse each time or something like that.

pickles

I don't see anything changing anytime soon unless a nice thick legged horse starts making headway. Probably not going to happen as TBs aren't known for their thick legs, but rather for having more slender legs.

The real problem with the length of career (which isn't really a bad thing after all) is that the top breeders don't have to make their one racer last forever. They have dozens to enter into races. Many racers of olden days had to not only last longer to get back the money sunk into them but also run it all, short races, long races, wet tracks, dry tracks, etc. Now they have one for short races, another for longer races, and another for races on wednesdays

Its also not tracking what happens at "retirement" or what it defines it as. If its just not racing thats one thing, but many racers who don't make it go to slaughter, or long careers as riding horses.

ilovehorses

Wow, I had no idea that racing horses had such short career and life spans. It is kind of sad that horses are not as strong as they used to be