Question about Barbaro for the DU horse people:

[Redstone]

Why is it that a race horse who breaks a leg can't have an amputation and a prosthesis?

I've wondered about this for a long time. It's a serious question; I had a dog I named Ruffian in honor of the horse. And another named Mayday, after May Day Eighty (still my all-time favorite, except for John Henry).

Redstone

[Horse with no Name]

1. Because you can't keep a horse off their feet

for as long as it would take for it to heal and the horse weighs too much for an effective prosthesis.
I remember the race where Ruffian went down.
It's something I have never forgotten.:cry:

[Redstone]

2. Thank you. So it's the weight factor. That makes sense.

Maybe some day. It just seems such a shame to have to kill a horse for a broken leg. As you know.

Redstone

[Marlie]

13. One other thing

Horses sleep standing up, taking the weight off one front leg from time to time.
They rarely lay down. I think they race these horses way too soon,they are not even fully developed when they force those fragile legs to run for the money.
I hope he makes it and enjoys a very long life in pasture, flirting with
the fillies - that's what horses were meant to do anyways.

[XOKCowboy]

19. Amen brother...

Racing even 3 year olds is idiotic. Way too much stress on a body that shouldn't even have had a rider on it's back till this year. Then there's quarterhorse racing..

I also hope he spends his remaining days in belly high grass with some fillies.

[Born_A_Truman]

25. Not all horses

My horses lay down and sleep every day and they lay down at night and sleep.

[bridgit]

3. Barbaro is already up, and displaying tremendous heart...

:thumbsup: a joy to see :-)

[Redstone]

7. I was happy to hear that, too.

Redstone

[bridgit]

15. yes sir, good news, sir

:hi:

[iamjoy]

8. Yeah, Pisses Me Off

When the media made a bigger deal over Bonds hitting some record tying home run than over Bardaro.

Bonds wouldn't be where he was without steroids, no heart. Bardaro tried to run a race on three legs and is showing tremendous spirit dealing with an extreme injury. Now I know Bardaro probably doesn't realize his racing career is over, but everything he's been through must be painful and frightening, and still he's rallying.

A lot of professional human athletes could learn something from Bardaro, IMHO.

[bridgit]

14. i'm serious it was breaking my heart watching him trying to run...

:cry: i'm glad he's up, and i have refrained from entering these flames fests about how stupid his plight has been...he is a champion and i do not care what people say or suggest to the contrary :hi:

[aaronbees]

28. He sure is a champ...

and what he's accomplished so far is far greater than any Triple Crown, in my book. His attitude and receptivity toward his human friends has helped given himself a chance at survival. I agree with the other poster who said Barbaro has much to teach us.

[Booster]

24. I hope this wonderful horse the greenest of pastures and the

prettiest of mares for his remaining days. I know what you mean about "human" athletes. I remember Kobe Bryant rolling on the floor in pain cause somebody bumped his shoulder - this was the same week the young surfer girl had her arm ripped off by a shark and never cried not even once. She showed more heart than Kobe even knew existed.

[spindrifter]

4. Here are thoughts about it:

these horses weigh in at about 1100 lbs. Think of some of the amputees you may have known and how much trouble they have with their prosthetic legs, including swelling, etc. Also, think about how you are going to teach the horse to walk on the prosthesis. Last night there was a clip on a local station about a returned veteran who lost both legs and has state of the art artificial legs. It was clear that even with the computerized "nerve" impulses, he has a really difficult rehab situation--one that it seems would be overwhelming for a horse. Part of the computer sensing involves making adjustments for variances in terrain, which would be key for a large animal, IMHO.

[iamjoy]

5. Maybe A Question About Prosthesis, Too

How do they work? Are they like a "tool" in that they require some amount of thought to use (whereas most of the time we don't have to think about how to use our limbs)?

[two gun sid]

6. Horses have to distribute their weight on all their feet...

or they tend to develop laminitis in the opposite hoof or they founder.

Ruffian's leg was repaired but, she would not accept the cast on her leg and she tried to kick the cast off and ended up damaging her other leg. Also, Because it was a compound fracture she had dirt from the track in the wound. She probably would have developed infection.

Dr. Fager's sire had a plastic foot. Only one I've ever heard of. His name was Rough And Tumble.

[Redstone]

10. I remember that. They tried very hard to save her. They did.

Redstone

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

9. I think it greatly depends...

on the nature of the break and where an amputation must be performed.

Every break is different.

[u4ic]

11. I think you'd also have to look at temperament

in addition to everything else said. Horses are prey - fight or flight is inherent in them. The ability to be mobile, and flee at a moment's notice is paramount.

I can't see a prosthetic allowing for that type of mobility, which would be incredibly unnerving for a horse - which could lead to more injury.

[TomInTib]

12. Several reasons...

First, the circulatory system of a horse is dependent on the legs. They act as a sort of radiator to cool the system.

A three year old has not fully settled into its joints, as they have not yet matured.

Prostheses have been tried and have never worked. There are far too many pounds per square inch exerted on the hoof. Fusing is, so far (and, unfortunately), the only answer.

Hey, redstone, we were in a locked thread the other evening regarding Barbaro.

I had replied re: the effect of a TBB passing at speed in close proximity and the results (wetting pants) thereupon. You had a great reply that I was not able to address.

You are forever my friend with your appreciation of the great Ruffian (there has never, ever been a filly with a bigger heart {I stlill get all misted up just thinking about her}) and the one and only John Henry. I had the great pleasure of spending time with The Man and watching him run many times.

Tom

[aaronbees]

27. John Henry....

I too had the pleasure of seeing him ... it was the Budweiser Arlington Million some 20 years ago or so. Absolutely the most inspiring, crotchety old champ I've ever seen run. Total guts and determination. Apparently, he's still full of the same zesty attitude at Kentucky Horse Park (and I believe he just turned 30), which is wonderful to hear.

Ruffian ... never headed.

[TomInTib]

29. I was fortunate enough to spend time with GoManGo late in his life

He was at the King Ranch in South Texas.

27 years old and you could have lit a cigarette off the flint in his glare.

They had to keep him in a barn and pasture by himself with his cats and goats so he couldn't see other horses running because he would become hypertense.

In my opinion, there is no finer being than a blood horse, be it Arabian, Quarter, Walker, Percheron, you name it.

But the TB beats 'em all.

I'll take them over most humans any day.

[Divernan]

16. A number of observations.

Initially Barbaro broke only one bone, but as is the nature and heart of thorobreds, he kept racing despite the pain. His jockey commented that most horses who break a bone in a race cannot be stopped until they have literally run themselves into the ground by breaking more bones. Barbaro was smart enough and well trained enough to respond to his jockey's efforts to stop him.

The jockey did a fantastic job of shifting his weight off of the injured hindquarter, and managing to bring his mount to a three footed stop - really incredible riding which the owners and trainer credited with saving the horse's life. Another critical factor was that none of the broken bones punctured the skin, thereby preventing massive infection from exposure to all the dirt,etc. of the track. It was because the skin was not broken that an effort could realistically be made to save him.

A major improvement in post-operative treatment was able to prevent Barbaro from thrashing his leg and shattering his cast as he came out from under the anestheic - this was what had happened to Ruffian and meant they had to put her down. With Barbaro, while he was still out from the anesthesia,they put him into a foam rubber padded sling with his four legs hanging down through holes. Then they lowered him into a pool of water. When he started to come out of anesthesia and began thrashing his legs, as Ruffian did, he did not hurt himself. Then when he was fully awake they calmed him down and lifted him out of the pool.

The vets' immediate concern at this point is preventing infection.

Horses must move around in order to digest their food. If they can't do this they develop colic which is so painful it can mean they must be put down.

Another concern is that his hind legs will be out of alignment resulting in the bones of one foot actually coming through the bottom of the horse's hoof - major pain which will prevent the horse from normal movements, leading to colic, leading to having to be put down.

As to the age of race horses, yes at three he is still a juvenile. The racing industry, i.e., gambling, has changed to the point that "successful" horses are raced just enough to make a name sufficient to justify high stud fees. The top horses are no longer run through their normal racing lives. Although occasionally a horse breaks a bone in a race and is put down, the far bigger tragedies are the thousands of thoroughbreds which are destroyed every year because they have not proven to be fast enough. Today's thoroughbreds are bred for flashy looks and early speed, not for long term racing careers. Another tragedy re horses are the mares kept at the estrogen farms, always in a pregnant state and kept in almost total immobility in stalls, where their urine is caught for use in the estrogen drug, Premarin. Only urine from PREGNANT mares can be used. The foals they drop are not particularly healthy and are routinely destroyed.

All of the above information is courtesy of my (adult) daughter whose hobby is dressage riding and has training in stable management, and is the family equine expert. Any errors are mine in trying to remember all of her comments.

[SeattleGirl]

18. Thanks Divernan.

I heard a little of this info the other day on Al Franken's show, but your additional information (or rather, your daughter's info) helped me understand more why most horses are put down after they break a leg.

[XOKCowboy]

21. Very informative

and I totally agree with the state of the racing industry.

We always dealt with working horses. You never rode a 3 yr old. They were barely green broke and way too delicate for normal cattle work. You need horses that have stamina and experience. That also meant taking care of your horses to ensure a long healthy life. From that perspective, the people that breed racehorses might as well be from another planet.

[petersjo02]

17. Actually there have been foot prostethes

for horses but not very many. It is a tricky process, to say the least. At least one such case was to salvage animal for breeding purposes, IIRC a horse on the west coasst, maybe Washington State. It did work, but after initial publicity, I've never heard any more about it--how long animal was able to function, etc. Horses are built to operate on all four legs. Edited to add link to one such case.

http://www.oandp.com/edge/issues/articles/NEWS_2002-09-27_01.asp

[pola]

20. how is Barbaro doing today ?? eom

[petersjo02]

22. Very well

Is standing well, napping when he wants too, was able to use left (uninjured) hind foot to scratch behind left ear, so that means he can stand comfortably on three legs long enough to get that itchy spot.

[pola]

26. thanks for the good news... praying for full recovery

[petersjo02]

23. Do a search on:

prosthesis + horse. Several links describing successful efforts.