Horses are infuriatingly fragile. I've always said that they are "livstock, doing everything they can to become deadstock." Horses die from lying down in their stalls, getting 'cast' (stuck against a wall) and injuring themselves when they struggle to stand up. They die from stepping in holes in their pastures. …

Whenever someone from outside the business talks about the sport, it is quite the herculean feat for racing people (even fans) to withstand the inevitable deluge of ignorant, broad brush hysteria without verbally Danza-slapping the newb in question. (nb: Broad Brush was a very good horse, incidentally, winning the Big…

What a tragic story. I've witnessed two on-track deaths in my life and was pretty affected by both. Great tone to this article as well, as you pointed out just how avoidable this was. Huge video boards and speakers and crowds are an effect of big-track draw, but serve as startling and uncomfortable stimuli for the…

This particular incident is not that big of a deal. It's sad that a horse died, but could have happened to any horse, anywhere. Some horses are 'skittish' and simply get scared around loud noises, unexpected movement, etc... I feel bad that the horse died, but it wasn't some crazy horrible negligence. Could have…

It may not be a big deal overall, but the fact is that the behavior that you call "bugged out" was trained into the horse deliberately. If she had been startled by some random loud noise, that would just mean that she is not as bomb proof as some other horses. They are prey animals, so they react to scary loud noises.…

Relevent...

The dullards who own and operate tracks have been trying for decades to appeal to a younger audience, and the only ideas they've managed to come up are various means to make the races seem like a giant outdoor video game. Infield jumbo-trons spooked and scared horses when they were first installed, and for all I know…