http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/24443844/

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Big Brown backed up his trainer’s boasts with an explosive finishing kick and won the Kentucky Derby on Saturday.

But the cheers of the crowd were cut short when the filly Eight Belles, who finished second, was euthanized on the track minutes after the race with a fatal injury.

-I think horse racing sucks as a sport, as does the entire culture surrounding horse racing.

It's the sport of kings.

Herb

I'm particularly PO'd at people using Farm-designated land as a playground for their hobby.

My neighbor want to change his 20 acres from Forest-Agriculture to Farm use. He ALREADY has an arena built -- somebody must have complained (it wasn't me). I'm testifying at the county commissioners meeting and telling them not to do it.

Exactly what does "farming" horses contribute to to the food chain?

If you want to raise horses, fine, do it on high-taxed industrial or residential land.

ps: do you think horses really like being ridden or kept in captivity?

or whipped?

Probably about as much as cows like being butchered. You'd think with that much at "Steak" they would get a "Prime" lawyer defend them. That "Clown" they have now is not representing them very well. He seems to have a hidden agenda.

I'm with Vitalogy. Thank Gourd we got rid of dog "racing" here, hopefully horse racing is on it's way out as well.

There are plenty of "farms" out there that are just a playground for a non-horseracing-type hobby as well.

I say do away with the farm subsidies altogether. If a farmer can't make a living growing whatever it is, maybe the price of food is too low!

"There are plenty of "farms" out there that are just a playground for a non-horseracing-type hobby as well."

No doubt, but very few have such a negative impact on the evironment.

Who needs horses? Isn't their only practical use today as an ingredient in dog food? Horses are obsolete.

Not really.

For those in rural areas, horses are as viable as they ever were. Cost of ownership on a horse is not all that high, compared to other means for transport. They run on sustainable bio-fuels too, namely, grass!

For us city / urban people, they appear obsolete. That's just our perspective. Go talk to ranchers about the utility of their horses. Very competitive still.

Although I was being somewhat tongue-in-cheek, I thought that many of the previous posts were going in the direction of "horses, who needs 'em?" Thus, I thought I would pop the question. By the way, what is the environmental impact of raising horses?

KSKD, I've no problem with people using horses on ranches. My beef is with the show horse/race horse crowd.

"what is the environmental impact of raising horses?"

For one thing, taking acres of prime farm land out of production to raise horses is a bonehead move as far as the planet is concerned. Horses must have fairly level land as does farmland. One often see only a few horses per 20 acres. The same 20 could feed quite a few people per year.

Take a drive out to wilsonville and head East on wilsonville rd. Approx. 4 miles out, theres about 100 acres taken out of farm use (both sides) and a ten million dollar spread going up for horses. Go a mile further, 80 acres (both side of the road) -- home of the Country Classic -- another 10 million dollar spread, this time about 30 acres irrigated and has a maincured green lawn year round -- yet nary a horse is sight. Keep going and you'll see dozens of others in the area. All day long, trucks pulling long trailers hauling horses in and out. Where are they going? Where are they coming from? WHY DO HORSES NEED TO BE TRANSPORTED ANYWHERE?

This a dumb expensive hobby, hurts the planet and I've a hunch the horses don't appreciate being use in this manner.