The horse of Swiss Olympian Robin Godel suffered a torn ligament - and was put to sleep afterwards.
A doctor explains why “Jet Set” had to die.
Tokyo - It is one of the saddest moments at the Olympics *: The horse of Swiss rider Robin Godel kinks on landing after jumping and tears a severe ligament.
It must then be put to sleep.
In human athletes, the torn ligament is not an uncommon injury - and certainly does not end in death.
Many therefore ask: Why is such a drastic step necessary with the horse?
The Swiss veterinarian, Rolf Hanimann, is
now
providing information on the Swiss portal for
20 minutes
.
"In a horse, fractures or torn ligaments are generally difficult to operate," he says.
"The stress on these parts of the body is many times greater than that of humans."
Olympia: Horse has to be euthanized after a torn ligament - humans and animals are not comparable
A horse's forefoot weighs around 200 kilograms.
“It's a question of dimensions.
It is as if a person had to walk on the fingernails of their middle finger, ”compares Hanimann.
In human medicine you can involve the patient in the healing process - a person knows that he has to take care of the affected area and acts accordingly.
It's not that easy with an animal.
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“You can't let a horse run around on crutches,” says the doctor.
“It will put full load on the injured leg right from the start.” The leg would be permanently weakened.
Horses are flight animals, which makes it impossible to put on some kind of compulsory harness for better healing.
"That would not be mentally tradable for the animal," Hanimann makes clear.
Olympia: German successes in equestrian sports in Tokyo
He also emphasizes that equestrian sports and animal welfare are not mutually exclusive.
“Everything is done so that the animals can tolerate it as well as possible, from training to nutrition.
You work with the animal.
Otherwise such performances as in the Olympic Games are not possible at all. "
Fortunately, the German horses were spared from injuries.
On Monday there was the next German gold medal for eventing rider Julia Krajewski.
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