The first horse racing network learned that the official Tokyo Olympic Games released news on August 1 that a foal participating in the Olympic equestrian cross-country race could not be repaired because of the rupture of the right lower limb ligament during the day's race, and for humanitarian considerations, with the consent of the horse owner and the rider, it had been euthanized. The 14-year-old stallion, named Jet Set, is part of Swiss rider Robin Godel. The current race status of the foal is shown as "RT", which means Retired.
Image from NBCOlympics
The official FEI announcement said: "We are sad to announce that the colt 'jet' from Switzerland had to be euthanized because he was seriously injured during the match held at the Forest of the Sea. Swiss equestrian Rider Robin Gaudel, who took the "jet" to the race, posted a eulogy on social networks: "It was injured just a few steps from the finish line ... Its favorite thing to do is sprint and leap obstacles. ”
Screenshot of related announcements
It is reported that the "jet" was visited by a veterinarian immediately after the injury, and after an initial assessment, it was transferred by horse ambulance to the on-site veterinary clinic. Ultrasound scans showed that the horse's right lower limb ligament rupture could not be repaired, just above the horse's hoof. For humanitarian reasons, with the consent of the owner and the athlete, it was decided to let the horse rest in peace forever. According to THE FIA Veterinary Regulations, the race organizers have taken samples from the horses and will perform a post-mortem examination.
Network illustration
Netizen outside the circle: Why can't a horse live if it is injured?
After the news that the "jet" was euthanized was reported by the media, it aroused the attention and heated discussion of many netizens, and related topics even appeared on Weibo hot search. Some netizens said that they did not understand why horses could not live if they were injured, and could not be a lame horse? Is euthanasia of horses a humanitarian or financial concern?
Euthanasia of a horse with a broken leg is not only humane, but also very necessary; on the contrary, it is inhumane not to be euthanized. The practice of "euthanasia" is in line with international practice and is currently the most "humane" way of dealing with it.
Friends in the horse circle all know this truth, but netizens outside the circle may think that this sounds a bit appalling. Below, Xiaobian will explain why.
First of all, we humans can't hold the injured horse, and the horse with broken leg is basically incurable. And the cost of the treatment process is also very large.
I believe that friends who have experience in raising pets know that if our cats, cats and dogs have broken legs, treatment is OK, but this is a very troublesome thing, as the saying goes, tendons and bones are moved for a hundred days, and animals and people are different, animals will not obediently control themselves like humans after fractures, so if you want to treat cats, cats, dogs and dogs, you must do a good job of Baoding to prevent them from breaking again before the fracture heals.
Cats, cats, dogs and dogs can still try, the horses are huge and the power is infinite, and humans can't hold it at all.
So, if the treatment is adhered to, it will only cause the horse to fracture the bone again before the broken leg has healed. This process causes them great pain, which is a double physical and psychological pain.
Since the broken leg is not cured, some people may ask, is it okay to amputate the limb or find a way to hang the horse's broken leg in the air?
The answer is also no.
As shown in the following figure:
Horse is a very special animal, the horse's body weight of up to half a ton, such a heavy weight but only rely on a thin leg on a knuckle standing, you can make up the horse standing when the equivalent of the ballet tiptoe with only one toe support, such a special structure, determines the precision of the horse's leg, if you only stand with three feet for a long time, not only the broken leg is not good, the good leg will be tossed due to a long period of compensatory effect.
All in all, a horse with a serious leg injury will not only break the leg and not cure it, but also affect the health of other legs, and if the treatment is insisted on, it will only bring endless pain to the horse, and finally die more tragically.
So before all this happens, give him a dignified death, and end the physical and psychological pain that will inevitably occur in the future early.
So euthanizing a horse with a broken leg is precisely a humanitarian practice.
Does euthanasia require consent from the owner or rider?
In this regard, Xie Taishen, a senior veterinarian of the Guangdong Equestrian Team, said in an interview with the first horse racing network before that if a horse suffers serious injuries such as fractures during the race, lying down and unable to stand, etc., the treatment is ineffective or can not do any treatment, in order to minimize the pain of the horse, with "horse welfare above all else" as the starting point, the horse can be "happy" after the referee and veterinarian jointly decide, without the consent of the owner or jockey. This is true not only for endurance races, but also for other equestrian races.
Guangdong Equestrian Team senior veterinarian Xie Taishen
Guangzhou Equestrian Team Head Coach Zhao Hualiang also said in an interview with the First Horse Racing Network today that euthanasia is a more extreme embodiment of horse welfare, in order to minimize the pain of horses, the general sports horse in the face of irreversible injuries or illnesses, in the case of obtaining the consent of the horse combination riders can be euthanized, euthanasia is to minimize the pain of horses. Overall, the design of the triathlon cross-country track of this Olympic Games is still relatively difficult, so the confidence in the horse, the cooperation between the rider and the horse is a big test. For example, this time the injured horse is a ruptured Achilles tendon, and then some horses will suffer serious fractures and other injuries, which will cause him great pain, then usually in this case he will be euthanized.