Failboat in gray
Toe grabs should have never been banned.
They haven't been banned on hinds here in Texas.
It boils down to each states racing commissions and stewards kissing liberal ass
Balderdah! The SRCs that have banned grabs on fronts have done so primarily on the basis of several university studies that compared the statistical incidence of catastrophic breakdowns of horses running with grabs vs running without garbs. Once banned, how much ass smooching do you feel is involved in the concept of, "Fair for one, fair for all?"
and bowing down to PETA
Ingrid, "a boy is a rat", Newkirk and the lunatic fringe who comprise PETA were/are against all animal use: livestock growing, hunting, racing, horse shows, rodeos, circuses, horses, zoos, etc. In reality, PETA didn't have damn-all to do with banning grabs on fronts, you'll have to blame that on common sense, dead Greeks and live scientists.
and other self proclaimed crusaders...
I sincerely hope I had some small part in getting grabs on fronts banned. I've been lecturing vets and vet students, preaching to trainers, grinding off grabs and in general crusading against grabs on fronts since the early 1980s, simply because there's no reason for them - other than bowing to the incredibly foolish daddydiditthataway mentality that seems to infect many trainers. Once forward motion is established, the carpus is locked, the front hoof is weight supporting immediately on impact and remains loaded through the fetlock descending and fetlock ascending phases of motion, at which time the shoulder has passed over the hoof; in other words, front end DOES NOT pull, the horse is strictly a rear wheel drive model. Inertia, not the front end's "pull," maintains forward motion. The physics are inescapable.
Since you appear to be a proponent of grabs on fronts of race horses, I've got to ask: Have you ever seen an ultra slow motion video or movie of a race horse in motion? [Extra credit: Why is this germane?]
The only time a runner pulls with his fronts is away from the gates, and that's only for a few strides. If you feel there's ever a viable reason for grabs on fronts, please share it with this forum - but please don't say anything silly like, "A horse pulls with his front end while he's running."