The physical issues in race horses start early within their lives. One of the main reasons to as why race horses end up with bone related issues is being of premature training. Normally, a race horse will begin training at the age of two or three in which their bones are too immature to withstand the weight and pressure of racing which has the possibility of resulting in the horse being euthanized from injury (HORSERACINGKILLS.COM). This is also one of the bigger issues in the racing industries as it leads to a higher death toll. Injuries such as bad hock angle, overstep, balance issues, chipped bones, bowed tendons are all signs of premature racing (ANIMALSAUSTRALIA). Common injuries that are shared between all race …show more content…
In more extreme cases bleeding from the lungs can exit the horse’s nose, not only affecting breathing but can be caused by numerous things such as wind sucking and performance drugs (SAAWINTERNATIONAL). A study for a standardbred association concluded that 92.9% of the 100 horses have had at least one musculoskeletal injury within the year (HORSETALK.COM). A healthy sound l horse eventer requires a chiropractor or physio from every month to every six months. With an ex-race horse this will become more frequent because of previous injuries that may resurface as well as the process of building muscles on their left side will cause ligaments/ muscles to be pulled out of place (NARRIE, 2015). One of the most noticeable physical issue within ex-race horses is sacroiliac damage. The images in Figure 3 depict two race horses who in turn race either clockwise or anti-clockwise (THEHORSEBACK). Since they only race on the one side, there is an imbalance of muscle as well realigning of the joins, which is what causes sacroiliac damage. Sacroiliac damaged is mainly caused by the movement of the joint located at the back of the pelvis between the sacrum and ilium (DICTIONARY.COM). This issue is difficult to repair and will often become an ongoing issue for the …show more content…
In order for a horse to be successful in other professions, the horse needs to be in almost perfect behaviour although this can be hard to achieve. Unless the horse is known to be 100% bombproof (sound under any conditions), the horse will most definitely let the rider know when sore or has an issue with something in the nearby surroundings. As said from a professional chiropractor, “It’s mostly aggression and objection. Often horses will experience some discomfort during treatment, particularly in circumstances of severe injuries. In such cases, it’s common for horses to kick or bite during treatment.” This also means that some horses can be sensitive to human affection and is capable of lashing out even in a harmless situation (NARRIE, 2015). Although, in a contradiction, the chiro also mentions later in the interview, “I 've rarely had behavioural problems with thoroughbreds or Standardbreds due to the regular handling and therapeutic treatments they experience. Many race horses get treated weekly if not monthly to help keep them in optimum condition and keep them happy and comfortable. Just like football players, race horses are athletes and its important address their physical wellbeing.” This leads to the two sided fact about race horses; some will be bombproof and harmless to even a fly whilst some will be just as dangerous and a serial killer. Asked within a public survey, 50% of the people were highly