Saturday, May 3, 2008

Remembering Eight Belles

I stretched the canvas of my homegrown art while I was watching the Kentucky Derby today. Big mistake. Now every time I look at it, I’m going to remember Eight Belles.

I turned off the tv a minute after the track vet announced what had happened. I couldn’t bear to watch the commentators focus on Big Brown and his trainer when they should have been focusing on the fact that yet another race horse had just broken down and the horse racing industry had damn well better turn itself inside out to get to the roots of this problem and fix it. I can’t find the words to express my outrage at this industry right now, so I’m just going outside to hug my horses.

4 comments:

  1. Amen to that. I spent extra time with my horse, Shiloh, too. I can't watch horseracing.
    Harmony,
    Janet Roper

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  2. LInda - When I wrote my post about Big Brown, I had this bad premonition that something would happen. Everyone asked me yesterday if I wanted to watch the Derby, but I just couldn't. As in the accidents at Rolex last week-end , I only hope that this kind of public display of the cruelty and the severe problems in these sports will create a loud enough outcry that it will force them to change.

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  3. Linda, I love your artwork on the wall! It looks wonderful there.

    I never watch horse racing or Rolex. (well, we haven't had TV for years, so we couldn't even if I wanted to! but even when we did have TV I didn't watch these types of events) Our Pony Club sells tickets to a big steeplechase every year as a fundraiser and this year we sent the tickets back unopened. We didn't want to go to the steeplechase nor did we really want to support it.

    It seems clear things need to change wrt to some of the training methods and ages of horses competing, as well as with the courses, etc.

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  4. I had a weird premonition and just couldn't watch it, but then felt sick when watching the news. Hardly any coverage on Eight Belles or the dirty secrets in racing. Just lots of kudos for Big Brown and a small 'sorry' for Eight Belles. How awful.

    Your art is beautiful, though...and should only remind you or your beautiful and humorous equine family.

    Love the little peek into your pretty home, too.

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