I worked at the track as a groom (decades ago), and it was for a young trainer just starting out, so I think there was one allowance horse in the bunch, the rest were claimers. We took darned good care of those horses, and that trainer did his best to get them ready to run and pick a race they could do well in. The idea is to win races, and if you abuse or run those horses into the ground, well, that kinda defeats the purpose, doesn't it?
Saying these horses are forced to run is kinda like saying Huskies and other sled dogs are forced to run as well. So why can dogs love to run, but not horses?
I do wish TBs weren't raced so early but some of that is the government's fault. Used to be horsemen could write off their expenses in raising these thoroughbreds but now they can't and owners want to see some return for all the money they sink into their horses. If they don't show a profit within seven years, the IRS can declare their business is a hobby and they can't write off anything.
Saying these horses are forced to run is kinda like saying Huskies and other sled dogs are forced to run as well. So why can dogs love to run, but not horses?
I do wish TBs weren't raced so early but some of that is the government's fault. Used to be horsemen could write off their expenses in raising these thoroughbreds but now they can't and owners want to see some return for all the money they sink into their horses. If they don't show a profit within seven years, the IRS can declare their business is a hobby and they can't write off anything.
Most race horsemen take better care of their horses than the majority of private horse owners IME :/. There are some who run their horses into the ground, just like there are some guys who don't care for their pony horses very well, there is this one guy who is always using other people's horses because he doesn't take care of the two he has :/, and he is always cycling through horses, selling them after about a year because he overuses them and breaks them down.
I HATE people like this because they make the public think that ALL people in the racing industry are bad people who are bad to their horses. We treat all our horses (yes even our claimers) like they are living creatures with thoughts, opinions and feelings of their own. If they just don't "have it" and we try everything to see if its something we are doing (or not doing) and they still don't respond, we advertise to the horse community that we have some horses who aren't working out, we have lots of feelers out in the general horse community and some of them are picked up to be outriding or pony horses, some to be barrel horses, and in the case of TBs, hunters, hunter jumpers and even dressage horses.
I have never worked with a TB trainer, but I know people who train TBs and TBs require a LOT of care (if you are doing it right). its not unusual for TB grooms to be at the barn until 6pm in the evening, sometimes later. Some don't even get a break at lunch.
QH's are easier, since they don't run as far or train as much, they are lower maintenance than TBs.