Artificial insemination is not allowed in the horse racing world, it has to be live cover. They are not doing it for that. They love the horse, and would do the same thing for a horse that had never won a race. There have been numerous interviews with them and interviews with the vet who has dealt with them before and knows how deeply they care. They could have made a fortune off him in insurance if they had just put him down the day he broke his leg, but they continue to shell out money for him. Barbaro has maintained a bright attitude and a voracious appetite. If he had shown any signs of losing the will to live or constant pain, they would have let him go. Gretchen Jackson has said repeatedly if he cannot come home and just be a horse, he will not come home at all. The chances of him studding are slim, if he survives. Gretchen brings him cut grass from their farm every single day without fail. She has been a tireless advocate for horse welfare and is active politically for horse protection laws. I think it's important to know the full story before making statements that they are out for money. Nothing could be farther from the truth. They have even turned down direct donations people wanted to send to help with Barbaro's vet bill, and asked people to instead donate to horse charities, because they have the means to pay his bill without problems.
Edited to also add: It has also been stated that Barbaro is insured for $20 million, which is more than they could ever make if he made it out and was able to stud. If he can fight through this, and I think if he is going to, he will have to turn a corner soon, one way or the other, it is VERY iffy that he would be able to stud safely. I've been following Barbaro since before this happened. You can get daily, in depth updates at www.timwoolleyracing.com. Gretchen Jackson is an amazing, kind woman. She has helped provide many of the updates on the site, keeping everyone informed. A quote from an interview Alex (the person who runs the site) had with her: (from last fall) "Today (9 am) We had a great visit, he was nickering for his grass, which I pick from our farm. I will be returning again this evening. It is no big deal for me to visit, I live so close and usually visit twice a day. Bringing the grass gives Barbaro something to do while I visit, and of course he likes it a lot. I like to visit, he has done so much for us, it is the least I can do."
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