Do horses with broken legs have to be shot? | HowStuffWorks
Back in the Wild West, a horse with a broken leg might have spent its final seconds staring down the barrel of a cowboy's the old days and today, horses are commonly euthanized after breaking their legs because they have a small chance of successful recovery. Researchers are working hard to try and discover new techniques that will improve an equine's chances in the face of a fracture.