I am so distraught over Barbaro.

When will the racing world realize they are racing babies? The minimum age should be brought up to 3 years old.

And the breed needs to have some more solid stock interjected in the line. Thin boned horses race faster but not safer.

Get well soon, Barbaro

It broke my heart to see him break down like that. I just read that he came through the surgery very well, however, and has a chance for recovery. They said he shattered his long pastern bone was in 20 pieces. He also broke his cannon bone and the sesamoid. Wow. They fused his fetlock joint together. But he came out of the surgery well and is standing.

Yep, I've been monitoring the news about him.

I was completely devastated. It shouldn't happen to any animal, but to one so young with such promise....:(

He's putting weight on all fours, but only time will tell.

It's well beyond time for them to introduce some sturdier leg stock into the breed.

I just noticed this thread and wanted to update it. I had been wondering lately how Barbaro was getting along, as he is barely mentioned in the news these days, and found this article from Penn State U. :



Barbaro had another good week

October 24, 2006

KENNETT SQUARE, PA � It has been a little over five months since Kentucky Derby winner Barbaro was brought to the University of Pennsylvania�s George D. Widener Hospital at New Bolton Center. �I am happy to report that Barbaro had another good week, and his appetite and vital signs remain excellent,� said Dr. Dean W. Richardson, Chief of Surgery at Penn�s George D. Widener Hospital.

Barbaro�s right hind leg remains in a fiberglass cast. �We are being very conservative with the right hind (fractured) limb in order to help protect the foundered left hind foot.� said Dr. Richardson. �The hoof is growing slowly and not uniformly so it has a long way to go before it is acceptably strong and functional,� said Dr. Richardson. �The foot will require meticulous care for a long time and setbacks here and there are probable.�

Barbaro remains in the Intensive Care Unit of the University of Pennsylvania�s George D. Widener Hospital, where he is recovering from injuries suffered at the Preakness on May 20.

Due to Barbaro�s continued improvement, the University will now be posting updates biweekly. The next update will be posted on Tuesday, November 7, unless there is a significant change in Barbaro�s condition.

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I know that the vet surgeons had to remove around 3/4 of his left hind hoof back in the summer after laminitis set in, but according to this article, all is going well. What an amazing creature Barbaro is! I watched him run (televised) in the Derby and then the Preakness, and seeing him break down was devastating. The first time I saw him was in the Derby, and while watching him race I was reminded of the great Secretariat, who ran in 1973...I was 15 at the time and was 'horsecrazy'. I never thought there'd be another Secretariat, at least not in my lifetime, but the moment Barbaro set foot on the track at Churchill Downs, chills ran through me. It was almost haunting...like watching Big Red himself come back to life...and I do believe had Barbaro not broken down, he would have been a very close contender to racing's glory horse.

And judging from the way Barbaro has been overcoming the odds to survive such a horrendous injury, I believe it is proof to us all at just how tremendous a spirit he has, and what an enormous heart he possesses. My prayers are still with him for continued recovery...

I too believed Barbaro was the next Triple Crown winner. Unfortunately, light training (both a good and bad thing) led to his bones not being strong enough. More than anything, I wish the racing industry would see that they are racing babies. The minimum age for juvenile races needs to change to 3 years rather than 2. That would at least give them time to get stronger.

Barbaro is indeed a jewel, and was one of the lucky ones who got the care needed. At the Breeder's Cup this weekend, they gave an update and said the cast is coming off in a week. But his laminitis problem is the worrying thing now. I do hope and pray that he will pull through. <img src="/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />