Barbaro and his fight for life

[K9soul]

This magnificent horse has become a symbol of hope and inspiration for so many. Day after day, touching articles, tributes, art work, and sheer love and general community support for this amazing horse pours in through the internet, news articles, message boards, television and radio. If you aren't aware of what happened to Barbaro, the original story of his injury during the Preakness is HERE (http://petoftheday.com/talk/showthread.php?t=105290).

But it has become so much more than the tragic story of a promising and athletic young horse injured on the track. Barbaro has become an inspiration and a beacon of hope for thousands around the world who are continually amazed at his will to survive, his fighting against all odds, and through it all his wonderful positive attitude and enjoyment of life despite all. I cannot begin to say how deeply he has touched me during a very difficult time in my own life.

I saw an article this afternoon that really sums it up and I thought I'd repost it here.

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Barbaro's will to stay alive is worth celebrating
Jerry Brewer


He should be dead by now, and we know that.

We just don't like admitting it because morbid thoughts scare and depress us. We'd rather hold onto Barbaro's life than submit to his demise. It's a most human sentiment and a proper one, too.

But in order for us to appreciate this horse right now, we have to look at the dark side. It shows us how much of a champion Barbaro remains. It shows us his strength. It shows us that his willingness to confront death, to fend off death, surpasses any dominant achievement he had on the track.

Poor Barbaro? Yes, but how about more Barbaro?

Keep going. Keep battling. Keep showing us even more than we knew you had.

What's harder? Winning the Kentucky Derby by 61/2 lengths or surviving for eight weeks while being required to prop 1,200 pounds on a shattered right hind leg?

Ever sprained your ankle and tried to stand on it for hours and hours, days and days, until it healed? Didn't think so. For the most part that has been Barbaro's assignment since he hurt the leg during the Preakness Stakes on May 20; only his injury is way more painful and his girth way more problematic.

A survivor

Eight weeks ago we heard doctors say any other horse would've been put down instead of having surgery to insert 27 screws and a titanium plate on a delicate limb.

Eight weeks later Barbaro is still fighting.

Four days ago we heard Dean Richardson, Barbaro's chief surgeon, describe how the colt had developed a severe case of the potentially fatal laminitis in his left hind leg, his good leg, and faced "long shot" odds of survival.

Four days later Barbaro is holding steady.

Every day is the same perilous struggle, and there's no clear timetable for relief. His dilemma just keeps rewinding itself.

"We monitor his condition very closely because signs can change quickly," Dr. Richardson said in a release Friday. "However, it's important to remember that Barbaro's treatment could easily continue for several weeks and, if all goes well, even months. Our goal is to keep him as comfortable as possible, and clearly that comfort level will be a major indicator for our treatment decisions."

There are so many things that could go wrong. If Barbaro develops laminitis in another foot, he'd likely be euthanized because the pain would be too much. It might become too painful even without a spreading of laminitis.

He should be dead. But he continues to live. He continues to impress.

There's a positive

Thoughts of what a healthy Barbaro could've accomplished do not matter anymore. What he's accomplishing seals his legacy as talented and tough.

He's teaching us something about horse racing, too. We appropriately put considerable emphasis on what went wrong and how the sport needs to challenge itself on safety issues. But Barbaro's not going to be remembered as a champion who showed us the ugly side of horse racing.

His story is showing us the heart of this sport. We're discovering why we love animals so much. We're appreciating how special it is just to watch a racehorse compete and walk away healthy.

All athletes put their bodies in danger every time they play. But when we see LeBron James or Tom Brady writhing in pain, our thoughts don't immediately wander to death. They do with horses.

I can still hear the screams of a woman at Pimlico Race Course when Barbaro pulled up lame. She cried and yelled and jumped over a rail to yell more. She knew the morbid possibilities.

Barbaro dismissed death that day. He's dismissed death for 58 straight days now.

Can he continue? I don't know. But it sure is amazing to watch him try.

link to original article (http://www.courier-journal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060717/COLUMNISTS02/607170396/1002/SPORTS)

Here's also a touching video tribute that basically tells Barbaro's story to this point: video (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gho6QbUpc0s)

[Vela]

Thanks for posting Jessica. The first thing I check for each morning is how he is doing, and I always check it last before bed. Still praying our Bobby boy makes it through. He is and always will be a inspiration. We love you Barbaro, and we won't give up on you. Keep proving them wrong, you have it in you.

[AvaJoy]

Barbaro's tribulations have captured my heart, and I cut out and save every article in my local newspaper about his plight. I'm not sure why but I need to save them. Thank you for posting this article, as it offers an insightful perspective on his struggle and what it teaches us about resilency and determination. May he oversome his current setbacks and continue painlessly on the road to survival. His fortitude is enviable and illustrates what a true champion this horse is and will always be, no matter what the outcome.

[Toby's my baby]

Wow, watching this video brough tears to my eyes. As a horseback rider, and shower, I know all too well how serious an injury to any horse can be.

This last weekend, I was at a horse show, and my friend Matt's horse was seriously injured. She (Two Socks) broke her halter while she was tied up, and got loose. She was frightened by the generators from the campers that were running, and jumped between a generator and a 5th wheel hitch on a camper. She sliced her right shoulder about 9 inches long, and 3 inches deep. There was actual muscle hanging from the hitch. :( Matt, Josh, and I spent the rest of the day with her. We got the bleeding to stop, and the vet came out, and sewed her up. She was pretty rough, but was able to walk (very slowly) by the next day. Hopefully she will recover to be the beautiful, fast horse she was...

[K9soul]

Avajoy, I feel the same way, as do so many others. He's had such an impact on people all over the world.

Another very touching article:

Barbaro a hero because he lacks human flaws
By Linda Robertson

McClatchy Newspapers

(MCT)

The cards and letters keep coming, enough to fill stables. Flowers, too - especially roses. Well-wishers drive out of their way to visit. Faith healers call. Schoolchildren send drawings.

The patient can't acknowledge the outpouring of affection. Nor is he aware of a nation's concern. He is, after all, a horse.

But Barbaro isn't just any horse. He was the Triple Crown favorite who broke down after bolting from the Preakness starting gate. Millions watched as his right hind leg buckled and cracked, then hung on a hinge of tissue, dangling grotesquely as jockey Edgar Prado pulled him to a stop.

These 1,200-pound thoroughbreds are so powerful, yet their legs are as delicate as the stems of wine glasses.

Now, Barbaro cannot do the one thing he was born to do - run. It is his immobility that could kill him. The casts and confinement are causing a chain reaction of infection.

He is fighting for his life. So why has Barbaro's heart captivated so many? He is, after all, a horse.

At first, it was thought Barbaro would have to be put down, euthanized like the filly Ruffian was in 1975. But after surgery to insert a plate and 27 screws, he was given a 50 percent chance of survival.

Seven weeks later come the complications Barbaro's veterinarian feared. Dr. Dean Richardson removed 80 percent of Barbaro's left hind hoof to treat acute laminitis caused by Barbaro putting too much weight on his good leg. It could be months before Barbaro is out of the woods. Or it could be days until his pain is too severe to manage.

His owners, Roy and Gretchen Jackson, face tough decisions. As Richardson said, if they sustain Barbaro's life and Barbaro doesn't make it, they'll be criticized for hanging on too long. If they put him to sleep, they'll be criticized for quitting too early.

Racing fans and people who know nothing about the sport have been riveted by Barbaro's plight and follow every update out of Pennsylvania.

Barbaro is, after all, a horse. Why the tears shed on his behalf?

He is a hero unencumbered by human flaws. At a time when so many of the people we look up to let us down, Barbaro doesn't lie, cheat or manipulate. In a world boiling with hate and revenge, he's not cruel, greedy or power-mad. After he won the Kentucky Derby, he was happy to receive pats on the neck and extra oats. His innocence prevents disillusionment. He gives and gets unconditional love.

Who hasn't adored a pet and the pet's unflagging optimism? Who hasn't fantasized about riding a horse, either off into the sunset like John Wayne or across the finish line like Pat Day? Who hasn't daydreamed about being an animal - carefree and content to frolic in an open field?

Race horses aren't bred to be cuddly creatures. They're not as smart as Lassie. But there's something about their majesty and the "brightness in the eyes" that Richardson checks for in Barbaro that makes them idealized objects of affection.

Americans loved Man O'War, Seabiscuit, Citation, Secretariat, Ruffian, Seattle Slew, Funny Cide. Now they are rooting for Barbaro to give it his all in recovery as he did on the track.

The thin legs and small hooves that carried him so swiftly have turned into the source of his entrapment. A human would have to land on his middle finger to approximate the same proportion of weight a thoroughbred's hoof supports when it hits the ground.

Barbaro is like a bird without wings. He's hobbling or harnessed in a giant sling, caught in a race for his life.

link to original (http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/sports/15060420.htm)

[ramanth]

Thanks for posting these articles. And I love the video photo montage you made. :)

Keep fighting Barbaro!

[K9soul]

I was surprised to see this thread again, thanks Kimmy :). I am glad you enjoyed the articles. Barbaro has continued to amaze the world with his defiance of all odds. After the Preakness when it was discovered how badly shattered his leg was, most people said it was all over. Barbaro proved them wrong. After it was discovered he had an infection in the bone graft, and then laminitis in the opposite foot, even more said it was all over. Barbaro again is proving them wrong. He's healing, the infection appears to be under control/eliminated (for now), and he's showing the beginnings of new hoof growth in the foot with laminitis. He's learned to use his sling and has even "asked" to be put into it when he feels like "sitting" for awhile.

He's an amazing, inspiring and magnificent creature, and I'm not ashamed to say he's my hero :D. He has demonstrated to me in the most touching way, that there is always hope, even when our lives are suddenly changed forever. Make the best of it, adapt and learn, and keep fighting.

For daily updates on Barbaro, this is the site to visit: http://www.timwoolleyracing.com/

[My Peanuts]

Thanks for the update. I was wondering about him, but I was too afraid to search. More Prayers for Barbaro on the way!

[ramanth]

Thanks for the link Jess! :) That's really cool that they posted the videos you made. :D

[cyber-sibes]

That is a very touching video, I got les watchng it. A friend was gafawing at the news when they showed pictures of Barbaro's flowers & the pictures kids drew for him, my friend said he didn't see why this was news, but I tell you my heart feels lighter when I see reports on his progress. I hope that he recovers well enough to live a long and happy life. Sure, maybe he'll never race again, but he has already given hope and strength to so many others.

[Vela]

Well if you don't like it don't come to the threads or check the updates. Nobody is trying to make you. Those of us who deal with major life obstacles find some gratification in seeing him do well in spite of the odds and it gives us hope. And gosh, some people just admire his fighting spirit not to give up and just die. I personally find it amazing that anyone who cares about animals, or even life in general, wouldn't find his story and will to live amazing in the face of everything going against him and find perhaps some hope for themselves when things look bleak. Maybe those who don't appreciate the struggle have really never faced hardships that give them an understanding.

EDIT: This was a response to a post that was removed, quoted below by K9soul. Sorry for any confusion it leaves now. But my sentiments remain the same so I won't remove my post. I just found it inappropriate for someone to come to a thread like this just to say something of that nature. Some of us do care what happens to him, and don't ask others who aren't interseted to join in.

[K9soul]

I'm wishing Barbaro the best..

but I don't see why everyone is suddenly a Barbaro fan. I'm getting a little sick of it all. lol

It has nothing to do with being a "fan" if you are thinking of it in the light of a Michael Jordan fan... Barbaro is not some new fad toy, he's an amazing creature who is defying incredible odds to survive. He may not even survive yet, his prognosis is still "poor." I've followed him since before the Derby, saw the breakdown happen on live television, wept with the thousands of others who witnessed it and thought he was going to be euthanized on the track. I know not everyone can see the miracle in him but I do, and many others do. Seabiscuit brought people and the nation together in the same way. I think it's wonderful for people to become so united and inspired by him. I'd much rather see reports about him in the news than see it always filled with the latest murder or sick crime or frivolous lawsuit that makes me lose more and more faith in human beings. When I see how many people are inspired by him and brought together by him, I see it as a miracle in itself.

[ramanth]

Um Vela? Who are you responding too? :confused:

I haven't seen anyone post that they aren't routing for Barbaro or not inspired by him.

*edit* Nevermind... I guess a post got deleted, but Jess quoted it and responded. My bad. :o

[My Peanuts]

I just wanted to say, I am not a horse racing fan. I didn't know who Barbaro was before all this, but he is an animal and I'm an animal lover. I don't care how many races he won or what he is/was worth money-wise. I didn't root for him (or anyone) on the track, but I'm rooting for him now.

I am very touched by him and the articles written about him for the same reason mentioned in the articles. He's innocent and pure and the poor guy has no idea why this happened to him. If he was an old haggard pony with no value other than to his owner I'd feel the same way about him. Just look at what I did for my Jimmy. A mutt with no $ value to anyone, but to me and my family he's priceless and we've spend many thousands of dollars on him since August to get him well. Hearing that Barbaro, like Jimmy, isn't giving up puts a smile on my face.

Sorry for rambling, but I find this inspirational. If the worst does happen at least his owners know they did all they could do, just like every animal owner should do.

I'm not jumping on a bandwagon. Like I said, he's an animal and I'm an animal lover. :)

[My Peanuts]

He's improving! :D

Usa Today-Barbaro (http://blogs.usatoday.com/ondeadline/2006/07/barbaro_update__4.html)

[K9soul]

I loved reading the comments on that article. As I said earlier, I find it such a miracle that his will to survive has touched so many so deeply. The one person who commented is fighting cancer, and has felt inspired by Barbaro in dealing with their own ailment. It renews my faith in humanity to see how much people care for this noble, beautiful soul.

[Sevaede]

Hooray! :D

I am not trying to cause anything so pleast take what I say with an open mind.

Why do they PTS horses with broken limbs? I understand the strain of the weight on the fragile limb but is it because it is difficult to repair? I don't understand about the will to live thing. I thought, generally, everything had a will to live. Have they tried to save horses with similar injuries before and they (the horse) just gives up and dies?

[Tralee]

Hooray! :D

I am not trying to cause anything so pleast take what I say with an open mind.

Why do they PTS horses with broken limbs? I understand the strain of the weight on the fragile limb but is it because it is difficult to repair? I don't understand about the will to live thing. I thought, generally, everything had a will to live. Have they tried to save horses with similar injuries before and they (the horse) just gives up and dies?


I think it gets to apoint when the horses quality of life will not be good enough. One has take into consideration what is best for the horse. If the horse will never be able to live a happy comfortable healthy life, IMO the best thing to do is put them down. Our family had to make the decision when my moms horse coliced. He could either be put down or have colic surgury. He did have colic surgury and he did make it, he is now showing 3rd level dressage. We were lucky that he made a 100% recovery. If we ever had a horse that coliced again and required surgury we would most likely put them down. I don't have time to go nto details.

[Vela]

Wenisrubber,

That is a good question. They do try to save horses with broken limbs if there is still blood flow to the area, the area is not an open fracture (most horse's leg fractures are open and therefore too much infection and debris is in the wound, as well as destroyed blood supply. Barbaro's leg did not have an open fracture and that is the only reason they were able to try), and the horse's attitude can tolerate the confinement, medications, and pain with a good attitude. Most horses, especially racehores, do not have the mental stability necessary to take being confined and having so much done to them for the length of time it takes for the bones to repair. Even beyond the physical limitations, a horse has to have the mental fortitude and "want" to go on. Some horses do just give up, get depressed, and die. No matter how much medical science is involved, if a horse truly gives up, they will go downhill and die, no matter what people can do for them. Racehorses are bred to run, fast, and most cannot tolerate the confinement, sling, surgeries, etc. to the extent that Barbaro has, and still keep the happy, loving life attitude. That attitude of his is what is keeping him going at this point. He hasn't given up and become depressed and laid down to die. I think that is what has touched so many people, he has gone as far down as a horse can get, to the point he was given almost no chance to live, and he still lives on, he is still happy, he asks to go in his sling, he does everything right he has to do to make it. I know that may seem odd to many, but I beleive he knows what is going on. He will always have a funny walk and maybe a funny hoof and odd looking leg that was broken, but if things continue to heal, he will walk out of there on his own legs. I beleive that is what inspires people.

[K9soul]

Excellent post Vela, you really explained it all well :)

[gini]

http://www.vet.upenn.edu/barbaro/

You can send a message to Barbaro at the site listed above. Just be sure to keep your message below 250 characters.

The story of this magnificent beauty has touched me very deeply.

[Sevaede]

Ahh, thank you much Vela! I understand it 100 percent better now. I never could until now. It all makes good sense. :)

[Vela]

Some great news about Barbaro, he is regrowing new hoof! While that may not seem impressive in itself, there was a real chance his hoof would not grow back due to the severe damage to the laminae in the hoof, so this is wonderful news!

http://thoroughbredtimes.com/todaysnews/newsview.asp?recno=65358&subsec=1

[K9soul]

I really enjoyed this article from The Japan Times (http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/ed20060731a1.html) (text copied below).

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Monday, July 31, 2006

EDITORIAL
Sympathy for a racehorse

The world's compassion is notoriously quirky. Just consider where it has been directed over the past couple of months, a period as replete with tragedy and disaster as any in recent memory. Another lethal tsunami struck Indonesia. The sectarian slaughter in Iraq worsened, with Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki conceding last week that some 100 innocent Iraqis are now being killed daily. War hovered in the Horn of Africa and exploded in the Middle East, producing heart-rending images of dead, injured and displaced civilians, particularly in Lebanon. Yet while all this misery was unfolding, many people, in many countries, appeared more concerned about the fate of a horse.

Or so it appeared to some. Charges of unseemly sentiment flew. But really, it's time for the critics to calm down -- and let people's feelings flow where they will.

The steed in question is not just any old horse, of course, but the fabulous American colt Barbaro, the Kentucky Derby winner that famously shattered his hind leg running in the Preakness Stakes 10 weeks ago. Since then, the ups and downs of Barbaro's condition -- he has been stabilized, but his survival remains a long shot -- have been the subject of daily bulletins from his surgeons in Pennsylvania and frequent reports in newspapers worldwide, including this one.

The horse has also been inundated with good wishes in the form of truckloads of carrots and apples, which he is said to appreciate, and get-well cards and e-mails, which he sensibly ignores. Even God, who you might think would be much too busy to care, has been bombarded with requests for divine veterinary intervention on Barbaro's behalf.

Noticing all this, quite a few professional commentators and other public scolds have climbed onto their high horse, so to speak, to call attention to the moral idiocy of valuing, or appearing to value, an animal's well-being over that of human beings. "People, it's a horse!" they like to point out, as if Barbaro's well-wishers hadn't spotted that.

They also contend that it's hypocritical to fret over the fate of a single animal when the industry that produced him mistreats and discards so many anonymous others. Yes, Barbaro was a winner, they admit, one in a million even, and a bright, attractive horse to boot. And yes, it makes sense for his owners to spend millions on all that long-shot care -- screws and slings and recovery pools and the rest of it -- because the "little Barbaros" they have said they want would earn them their money back many times over.

But it makes no sense, in their view, for strangers to care about Barbaro's fate when they don't know him, have no stake in his recovery and apparently couldn't care less about all the other injured or worn-out racehorses who end up as pet food.

Those are sound, logical arguments. The fact is, though, that most of us don't respond to the news with logic. The critics are right: People are sentimental. Most of us are also not very good at grasping abstractions or imaginatively comprehending misery experienced en masse, whether by human beings or by horses. So we zero in on stories and anecdotes about individuals. We yawn at statistics and charts but wake up for a photograph or a movie -- anything that personalizes. That doesn't necessarily denote hypocrisy, though. Chances are Barbaro's saga has done more to publicize the dark side of the racing industry and the vulnerability of thoroughbreds than a hundred earnest studies or editorials ever could.

And yes, we anthropomorphize shamelessly, projecting our own fears, hopes and predilections onto animals because that's just what people do. Would pandas be so popular if they didn't look so much like giant human babies with black eye patches? True, Barbaro doesn't look like us. He's much better-looking. But he certainly behaves enough like us to win us over -- nickering at the mares in the neighboring stalls, falling asleep on his visiting jockey's shoulder, looking out his window, enjoying his feed bag.

To many people, the daily updates headlined "Barbaro: His Day" conjure up a life they wouldn't mind living themselves if it weren't for those leg casts and screws. They identify with this horse.

Barbarophilia is certainly not logical. And it is sentimental, outrageously so. But here's a thought the anti-Barbaro crowd seems to have missed: Compassion isn't an either-or proposition. Interest in the fate of an injured horse in Pennsylvania doesn't preclude concern for terrified children in West Java or Baghdad or Tyre. Very likely, it's the same warmhearted people caring about the lot of them. Even if it wasn't, you can't legislate the flow of sympathy.

To borrow an old -- though hopefully not prophetic -- idiom, the critics who think otherwise are just beating a dead horse.

The Japan Times
(C) All rights reserved

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And this article from the UK details everything about him and surrounding the incidents very well: http://observer.guardian.co.uk/osm/story/0,,1830761,00.html

[Vela]

A video for those interested in how Barbaro is doing.

http://www.vet.upenn.edu/newsandevents/news/BarbaroClip8-14.htm

You need Quicktime to watch it. It's wonderful to see.

[sasvermont]

August 28, 2006 Update (http://www.vet.upenn.edu/newsandevents/news/Barbaro_Update8-28.htm)

Barbaro has cast change

August 28, 2006

KENNETT SQUARE, PA —Veterinarians at Penn’s George D. Widener Hospital changed the right hind leg cast of Kentucky Derby winner Barbaro yesterday, Sunday, August 27. “The cast was changed because there was a small crack in it,” said Dr. Dean W. Richardson, Chief of Surgery. “Based on new radiographs that were taken, the leg looked excellent under the cast. The pastern joint looks completely fused, and there is only a small area in the long pastern bone that has a little farther to go before we take him out of the cast completely.”

In addition, the radiographs showed that there were no signs of infection. The cast change took place under general anesthesia, and Barbaro had another successful pool recovery before returning to his stall.

The colt’s left hind foot has laminitis, but Barbaro seems comfortable with that foot as well. The bandage on the left hind foot continues to be changed daily.

According to Dr. Richardson: “Barbaro is bright and happy this morning with an excellent appetite.”

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.

The next update will be posted on Tuesday, September 5 unless there is a significant change in Barbaro’s condition.

For more information on Barbaro, please see www.vet.upenn.edu.

The University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine Background

Penn’s School of Veterinary Medicine is one of the world’s premier veterinary schools. Founded in 1884, the School was built on the concept of Many Species, One MedicineTM. The birthplace of veterinary specialties, the School serves a distinctly diverse array of animal patients, from pets to horses to farm animals at our two campuses. In Philadelphia, on Penn’s campus, are the Matthew J. Ryan Veterinary Hospital for companion animals, as well as classrooms, laboratories and the School’s administrative offices. The large-animal facility, New Bolton Center, in Kennett Square, Pa., encompasses hospital facilities for the care of horses and food animals as well as diagnostic laboratories serving the agriculture industry. The School has successfully integrated scholarship and scientific discovery with all aspects of veterinary medical education.

[My Peanuts]

This is so weird. I just looked Barbaro up on Google to see how he was doing, then I come on PT and the update was here.

Great news!

Keep it up Barbaro! :)

[delidog]

I was in the Show Jumping World for 17 years
I Worked alongside Michael Matz Often
What A Gentleman!!!
Nobody Cares for His Horses Like Michael!!!
End Of Story!!!