With Loving and Costly Care, Barbaro’s Long Odds Improve

[Herman Munster]

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/08/21/sports/othersports/21...

Barbaro wears a bandage around his neck to protect a catheter, and his left hip has a few white splotches, healing blisters from a combination of his sweat and the antiseptics used in his initial operation. When he awakened from a serene slumber, however, his eyes burned as bright as a Kentucky Derby champion’s. After all, he is a Derby champion.

Barbaro’s owners, Roy and Gretchen Jackson, notice that look in his eyes, as does his trainer, Michael Matz, and the medical staff at the George D. Widener Hospital for Large Animals. It is why they have never left this horse for dead.

They refused to do so when Barbaro took a catastrophic misstep and shattered his right hind leg in the opening yards of the Preakness Stakes on May 20. They forged on in early July when the colt developed severe laminitis, a painful and often-fatal condition that afflicts horses that bear excessive weight on a limb.

Instead, they have combined aggressive medical treatment with tender loving care in one of the most extraordinary efforts ever mounted to save a top-flight racehorse. Gretchen Jackson comes here twice a day with fresh grass clippings to feed Barbaro. Mr. Matz also arrives daily to change the leg bandages on the best horse that he has ever trained. Barbaro is also fed the carrots and apples that continue to arrive here from the public. He has been doused with holy water sent by well-wishers.

[Lindacooks]

1. I'm so glad he's doing better.

I just wish that the racing industry wouldn't race such young horses in the first place.

[LWolf]

4. Agreed.

I also wish the racing industry would abolish performance enhancing drugs like lasix, used to make less than sound horses able to race. I wish the industry would focus on breeding for all-round soundness with speed, instead of speed over bone density.

Those 3 things would make racing more humane.

[CottonBear]

21. Those are excellent ideas. I am so glad Barabro is doing better.

He still has a long period of recovery ahead. I hope the leg will be strong enough to allow him to graze freely in a paddock at some point in the future.

[KT2000]

2. Good to hear this

there's nothing like the heart of a race horse like Barbaro.
Thanks for the update

[xchrom]

3. that horse ROCKS!

[aceman2373]

5. I am probably going to get slapped here...

But who cares, it is just a horse. How many other horses have this problem but because they do not race, they get no attention. It is like when a famous actor dies, everyone gets all upset. Ask yourself this question, would they be upset if you died?

[Name removed]

6. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[madokie]

12. yea, a real horse's ass too

[HeeBGBz]

8. Nice show of compassion

It's quite endearing.

Welcome to DU.

[Lochloosa]

10. I type slower than you HeeBGBz

[HeeBGBz]

13. LOL, reinforcements. n/t

[Lochloosa]

9. It's called compassion.

Might try it sometime.

[greguganus]

11. SLAP!!! Why do some always have to rain on our parade?

Can't we enjoy a victory, a recovery or a triumph against all odds without the "who cares?...it's just a blah blah blah...." ?

[antigone382]

18. Dude, if you don't care, why did kick the thread back to the front page?

I'm glad you've got your priorities in such good order that you feel free to shit on the rest of us for daring to be happy that Barbaro is doing well. Because, let me tell you, the fact that I'm rooting for this horse is TOTALLY distracting me from caring about the people dying in Iraq, the displaced Katrina families, and everything else that's wrong with the world. I just can't think of all those things right now, because damn it, I'm glad that Barbaro is probably going to live, and that the technology used to save his life will probably eventually find its way to horses who aren't famous or extraordinary (like mine). If I was a GOOD person I would wish he had been put to sleep a long time ago so that he wouldn't continue to distract us all. Thank you for showing me the error of my ways...

Oh, and I don't base my concern for the life and well-being of others based on their concern for me.

[DarbyUSMC]

20. We don't know other horses. If we did, we'd care about their recovery

as well. No horse is "just a horse". Most of us will never own a horse of any kind so we rally around this horse because we saw the accident either while watching the race or on the news and cared. We cared because it is in our nature to care.

As to the other part of your post ----- never mind, I'll save myself from trying to explain why famous people won't be upset when I die.

[Taoschick]

22. Most

Other horses with injuries as severe as Barbaro's are put down.

So don't mind those of us who are cheering his recovery because we appreciate the fact that a group of people are concerned about his survival not because of his worth as a racer or as a stud...but because they genuinely care about him.

[Dorian Gray]

24. Ditto to what Taoschick said...

This is a triumph because they care enough about the horse to save him. It's an uplifting story for those of us who ride and love horses. A nice, uplifting story for once.

[madokie]

7. Thats great, may he, Barbaro live a long life

edit to clarify

[bklyncowgirl]

14. The people around this horse are also remarkable

Ordinarily when a horse stops racing the trainer's job is over. Michael Matz & his assistant Peter Brett have stayed in this horse's life, visiting almost every day with the sort of devotion you'd find hard to muster for a very close human friend.

As for the owners, they seem genuinely unconcerned about whether Barbaro will ever make money as a stallion. Visiting every day and bringing presents--of course the only present a horse would care about is food--is way beyond checking up on your investment from time to time the way most wealthy racehorse owners do. They are also active in horse rescue organizations and have a farm full of old pensioners.

Dr. Richardson seems like a fact based sort of guy but you can't help but think he's developed a great deal of affection for his most famous patient. According to an interview I read with Mrs. Jackson, he was actually in tears when he told them the horse had come down with laminitis.

Good things sometimes happen to good people and the Jackson's second best three year old--a bargain purchase named Showing Up, has become a top turf horse after losing to Barbaro in the Kentucky Derby. The trainer of that horse incidentally, is Barclay Tagg the notoriously cranky--horses first trainer of Funnycide--who spotted the Showing Up at an auction and convinced the Jacksons to buy him for $60,000.

[lost-in-nj]

15. The owners were

talked about allot when this happened. The sportscasters and news people said they were "hands on" owners who did allot of the work and
stuff themselves, a rare breed in the horseracing world.
I'm so glad he is doing well, I watched his leg go from under him during the race and thought I knew what was coming (putting him down) I am so glad I was wrong!

bklyncowgirl if you don't mind me asking where in NJ are you? I'm in Passaic county and have my horse boarded in Morris county.






lost

[bklyncowgirl]

27. I'm in Monmouth County not far from Monmouth Park Race Track

I keep my horse down in Howell--still pretty rural but being overrun by McMansions.

I thought Barbaro was a gonner too but when he came to a halt and stood quietly, I thought he might have a chance.

[xchrom]

16. doesn't that just make you feel good all over!

[DarbyUSMC]

17. Thanks for posting this.

[The Stranger]

19. Won every race he was ever entered.

Never placed or showed, or failed to place.

But he will never race again.

[lonestarnot]

23. Silent on how much suffering he will have to look forward for

the rest of his life. He's a race horse, and when they get high behind you can't keep them down unless you drug them. I'm not into that either.

[Philosoraptor]

25. This Animal gets better health care than I do.

I could give a damn

[aceman2373]

26. Isn't that the truth ....

I am glad someone else finds this as ridiculous as I do.