Race Horse with Broken Legs

Question
I was so saddened by tonight's Kentucky Derby and Eight Belles injury and euthanasia.  Why didn't they try some kind of harness and at least give her a chance.  Why haven't our brilliant veterinarian scientists and technology experts, given all the money available in the racing industry, been able to come up with a successful treatment program for horses with broken and injured legs.  While they might not be able to race again, they may make a wonderful pet - is this all just about money - didn't anybody care about her enough to even try?

Answer
Many people think they let these horses go because they can't race. Race horse owners in this game have more money than the average horse owner and can afford to pay, and will, like in Barbaro's case to save the horse. Eight Belles was more likely to be saved because in fact that filly would have been a very valuable breeding mare. It's simply too much for a young horse to go through a long hard recovery and they are sure to suffer. A horse needs to stand to eat and digest properly. The filly broke both front ankles and they could have been so badly shattered that surgery to rebuild the joint may have been impossible. As sad as it may be, it's best for the animal to be put down because otherwise it would suffer through treatment. Also, it may never heal properly. Barbaro had 3 good ankles and he did not make it, so the filly's chances were much slimmer. A harness may work well for less complicated injuries like simple bone fractures, but not for a shattered ankles. Horses will develop what is called "founder" if they can't put weight on their feet. Proper circulation in the foot is necessary for a healthy hoof. Founder is very serious because the coffin bone, which is the equivalent to the last bone in your finger, will rotate down through the bottom of the foot as the foot becomes week. She would be at very very high risk for founder while healing.

In my opinion, it would have been inhumane to try and keep her alive for breeding purposes. It's rare for a filly like her to come along and beat 18 top colts in the country on the biggest day in horse racing. I just couldn't enjoy the great performance of Big Brown because it was over shadowed by the tragedy of that beautiful filly.