Eli5: Why are horses who break their legs so often euthanized?
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The current top two answers are correct but a common complication in horses that are trying to heal from a broken leg is called laminitis or founder. Laminitis is a nasty condition where the coffin bone inside the hoof separates from the hoof wall and in severe cases the coffin bone can turn inside the hoof. Imagine wearing shoes that are too big and your foot gets turned sideways inside the shoe. It would be painful to walk around in. This is a permanent condition. Minor cases can be managed but severe cases are a death sentence because horses simply need all four legs and feet. To ask them to live with just 3 good ones is condemning them to live a life in pain and suffering and the other 3 will end up having issues as well. This is common in horses with broken legs because their other legs end up over compensating for the broken one and put too much weight for too long of time on them. This is what ended up happening to the Kentucky Derby winner that broke his leg, Barbaro.
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