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TagsBY BOB HOLT
NEWJERSEYNEWSROOM.COM
The California Horse Racing Board stated that they will conduct a thorough investigation into the incident involving the third horse to die during the production of HBO’s horse racing series, “Luck.”
The latest thoroughbred death caused the network to cancel the series.
According to Bloodhorse.com, reports say the accident occurred when the horse was being walked to her barn. She reared, and then fell and struck her head, which led to the decision to euthanize.
HBO said in a statement, according to the Huffington Post, “Safety is always of paramount concern. We maintained the highest safety standards throughout production, higher in fact than any protocols existing in horseracing anywhere. Accidents unfortunately happen and it is impossible to guarantee they won’t in the future. Accordingly, we have reached this difficult decision.”
During the filming of the pilot for "Luck," a horse used broke its leg and had to be euthanized. Shortly after, a second horse had to be euthanized.
Dr. Rick Arthur, the CHRB’s equine medical director, said in a preliminary report that the horse reared and slipped on a hind leg, falling over backward and fatally striking her head on the ground. "Three equine veterinarians did everything possible on behalf of the horse," he said.
PETA criticized the series after the first two deaths. Kathy Guillermo, a PETA vice president, said, according to USA Today, "Three horses have now died and all the evidence we have gathered points to sloppy oversight, the use of unfit, injured horses, and disregard for the treatment of thoroughbreds." PETA has sent complaints about Luck to Arcadia police and a nearby animal humane society.
Maureen Ryan wrote in the Huffington Post that she was sad about the cancellation of "Luck," but she understands it. She believes that show creator David Milch clearly loves horses, and he made her care about the animals as much as the humans involved in their world.
Ryan feels that the horses remind people from the horseracing world that beauty does exist: but that beauty can’t come from death.
"Luck" hadn't been reaching a lot of viewers in its short run. The premiere drew just 1.1 million viewers and later episodes have been around 500,000 or lower.
