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Why The Cliffsofmoher had to be euthanised at Melbourne Cup

Leading equine vets have explained why The Cliffsofmoher had to be euthanised on the track after the Melbourne Cup.

The Melbourne Cup was again been marred by the death of a horse on Tuesday, this time the Irish-trained The Cliffsofmoher.

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The Aidan O’Brien-trained horse suffered a fractured shoulder during Tuesday’s race and had to be euthanised, Racing Victoria’s executive general manager – integrity services, Jamie Stier, said in a statement.

“The horse received immediate veterinary care, however it was unable to be saved due to the nature of the injury sustained,” he said.

Equine Veterinarians Australia spokesman Ian Fulton has since explained why it had to happen so quickly after the mishap.

Ryan Moore riding The Cliffsofmoher (L) drops back in the field after he injury. (Photo by Vince Caligiuri/Getty Images)
Ryan Moore riding The Cliffsofmoher (L) drops back in the field after he injury. (Photo by Vince Caligiuri/Getty Images)

“When the limb is very obviously broken you can tell with the leg… and it’s very easy to come to the decision that it’s what we call a catastrophic unrepairable fracture,” Dr Fulton told News Corp.

“But the decision has to be made very quickly because if the horse has sustained an unrepairable fracture it’s vital that horse is not allowed to suffer.

“The decision is made very quickly but also with a lot of experience.”

Dr Fulton said the shoulder was an area that vets simply couldn’t repair.

“In recent decades we’ve become very good at fixing lower limb fractures from the knee or the hock down so many horses can be salvaged but these fractures that occur at the top of the limb, the weight of the horse and the fact they can’t survive to stand on three legs, means some of these fractures are simply unrepairable.”

The Cliffsofmoher couldn’t be saved. Image: Getty
The Cliffsofmoher couldn’t be saved. Image: Getty

Dr Lester Walters from the Eagle Farm Equine Consultancy Services and Veterinary Hospital also said the fracture would have been irreparable.

“If that happens you just cannot repair them, you really put the animal through a lot of pain and misery with no resolve,” he said.

“The shoulder is a particularly difficult one, as is the elbow, because it’s hard to stabilise them and a big horse – most of those horses in the Melbourne Cup would be average 550kg – is well over the mark for contemplating a successful recovery,.

“I’d say if the vet has made that call, he’s made a call that would be extremely beneficial to the horse.”

Celebrity vet Chris Brown said if a stress fracture was already there, the bone would have ‘exploded’.

“Multiple, misshapen bone fragments are then left behind,” he said.

“Fragments that then can’t be pinned or plated back into place.

Ryan Moore checks Cliffsofmoher after the mishap. (Photo by Michael Dodge/Getty Images)
Ryan Moore checks Cliffsofmoher after the mishap. (Photo by Michael Dodge/Getty Images)

“The other issue is rest. Unlike a dog or cat, horses struggle to cope on three legs while one is mending. Nor can they lie down or be suspended on slings.

“That big body of theirs becomes susceptible to circulation problems and pressure sores if they’re doing anything but standing on all four legs with their weight evenly supported.”

Fourth time in six years

Animal rights group People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals has called for an investigation into the death, which it described as “the most recent victim of the cruel annual spectacle”.

It is the fourth time in the past six years that the Cup has been shrouded by the death of horses.

French-trained horse Verema had to be put down after an injury suffered in the 2013 Cup.

A year later pre-race favourite Admire Ratki died after collapsing from heart failure in the stalls minutes after the race.

Ryan Moore walks back to mounting yard. (Photo by Vince Caligiuri/Getty Images)
Ryan Moore walks back to mounting yard. (Photo by Vince Caligiuri/Getty Images)

In the same 2014 race, import Araldo had to be euthanised because of an injury suffered when he was returning to scale.

Araldo placed seventh but was spooked by a flag in the crowd on the way back to weigh in, kicking out and breaking a rear leg on a fence.

In 2015 crowd favourite and three-time Cup runner up Red Cadeaux had to be euthanised two-and-a-half weeks after the Cup as a result of complications from an injury suffered in that year’s race.

“Considering Australians hate cruelty to animals, commemorating a day on which horses routinely die in the Melbourne Cup is fundamentally un-Australian,” a PETA spokesman said.

Stier said the injury to The Cliffsofmoher was an unfortunate incident that happened infrequently, as Victoria had one of the best safety records in world racing.

“Our sympathies are extended to Coolmore and the Williams family, the owners of The Cliffsofmoher, jockey Ryan Moore, trainer Aidan O’Brien and his staff who cared for the horse and are greatly saddened by their loss.”

with AAP