Might be a crazy question, but why are horses killed ('put to sleep') when they break a leg? It usually seems to happen with racing horses. Is it simply because they can't race any more and are therefore of no value to the owner, and may in fact cost him a lot of money? If that is the only reason, then I find it very difficult to accept. I know that there are such things as prostheses for horses just as there are for humans - so, even if a horse loses his leg, he shouldn't have to die because of it. Does anybody know more about this than I do - ie are there "good" reasons why a horse with a broken leg is killed?