I have only heard this through the grapevine and would be delighted to
find out the info was wrong, wrong, wrong...however, I have been told
the Middle Eastern countries have "endurance" events racing horse
against camels against jeeps across the desert. No vet control at all
and as huge sums of money are bet on the outcome, it is not all unusual
for horses to die. Although it was not related to this type of racing,
I remember talking to a vet who had visited a government-owned and a
number of privately owned studs in the Middle East and let's just say
that the attitudes towards the horse's welfare in a very different
culture is strikingly different in many instances. This is not in any
way an attack on their culture or beliefs, I'm only passing on what I
heard, which (in the former case) was admittedly third or fourth hand
hearsay and may have gained or lost alot in the telling. I certainly
hope that this is all incorrect.
Susan Evans