Head
Strong: Eight Belles a victim of exploitation
It's wrong
to breed animals for human pleasure, unless, of course, it's for something to
grill.
5.11.08
By Michael
Smerconish
Inquirer
Currents Columnist
The news of Eight Belles'
demise after the filly's second-place finish in the Kentucky Derby darkened
last weekend. It had been a gallant run for a young filly in a colt's world - a
run that ended once she crumpled to the ground immediately after the race had
ended.
The poor horse, which had
broken both front ankles, was euthanized on the track even before her own
trainer knew she'd been injured. And it all happened right before our eyes.
Our three sons asked why she
had to be put down. I did my best to take my time and offer a full explanation.
I really wanted them to know of my concerns that human exploitation had played
a role.
I was grilling while we
simultaneously played a game of family soccer. Four hand-molded ground sirloin
patties simmered on the flame alongside four all-beef hot dogs. The smell of
dinner wafted through the neighborhood as we staged a match between "Man
U" and "Chelsea." It was a day to savor. The forecast hadn't
been for such nice weather, or maybe we would have gone fishing and eaten trout
instead.
Checkers, our 13-year-old Labrador,
was sniffing around the fire hoping to steal a burger. Our miniature
dachshunds, Mr. Lucy and Floyd, were digging holes nearby looking for frogs.
Our Norman Rockwell scene wouldn't have been complete without them. We treat
our dogs like family.
And there I was, pontificating to my sons as to how the cause of Eight
Belles' death might actually be the way she was treated by the humans in charge
of her.
I told them that Eight
Belles was the only filly in the race and that she had outperformed expectations
with a heroic stride. The boys asked what a filly was, so I explained it
to them. They wanted to know why horses injured like Eight Belles were so
readily euthanized, and I tried to help them understand.
In the meantime, the hot
dogs were getting crisp, so I reduced the heat and put cheese on the burgers.
Checkers was alternating between sitting in her monogrammed bed and circling
the grill, all while staring at me. She really is a member of the family, I
thought - just like Winston, the wily cocker spaniel that stuck by my side for
almost 20 years until his death in 2006.
"Some people think that
the breeding practices are to blame," I told my sons. "See, there was
a horse named Native Dancer back in the 1950s, and this horse, Eight Belles, is
one of his descendants. In fact, every thoroughbred in the
race had Native Dancer in their family tree, which suggests in- or
over-breeding. It's just not fair what the humans do to those horses," I
said.
"In a lot of ways, it's
nothing but exploitation," I told them. "They just breed them so fast
and race them so young. And in this instance, it finally took its toll."
There was more I wanted to
say. But my wife likes her burgers fairly rare, the hot dogs were getting even more crisp, and it was time to get inside and eat. Checkers
was beginning to drool, and I wanted to keep her on schedule. I really love the
old girl.
I bit into my burger and,
mouth full, announced: "This just isn't right. Somebody's got to stand up
for the horses."
Michael Smerconish's
column appears on Thursdays in the Daily News and on Sundays in Currents. He
can be heard from 5 to 9 a.m. weekdays on "The Big Talker," WPHT-AM
(1210). Contact him via the Web at http://www.mastalk.com.