It's the end of the race for Barbaro
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by user Barkingclam
It keeps getting worse and worse for Barbaro. For the horse that had such a bright future ahead of it - from it decimating the crowd at the Kentucky Derby to having a memorable spot on PTI's "Role Play" - it's demise came faster then it can run.
It started with him shattering his ankle during the Preakness - which caused so much damage and needed so much repair that he would never race again. In a flash, his career was over... And his life was in jeopardy. Even the most optimistic doctors were saying that his chances of survival were 50/50. It wasn't really a natural tragedy, but we all took hold, anyway. People were sending in flowers, apples and even cards - all for a horse that can't even communicate with people, let alone read.
But still, nobody likes to see a winner go down like Barbaro did in the Preakness. Granted, it wasn't as bad to watch as Joe Theismann snapping his leg or Clint Malarchuk catching a skate to the throat... But Bo Jackson didn't face death when he hurt his hip, either. Even if Barbaro is just a horse, his accident was still a horrid sight to witness. Here was a powerhouse of a horse getting cut down in his prime - all because of a misstep.
And now the news keeps getting worse and worse. Barbaro's shattered hind leg has healed, yes, but at the expense of his other hind leg - which has developed laminitis, an incurable ailment of the hoof. His career as anything - a stud horse, a racing horse or just as something that some rich girl would get from her rich dad - is over beyond a doubt. Barbaro's life is in serious doubt now - even his own doctors are calling his chances of survial poor. Granted, it's almost impossible to look after an injured horse, especially one as injured as Barbaro has been, without having some aftereffects. It's only a matter of time before he's put down by the same doctors that were working on him not two weeks ago.
But what can you do? The horse is going to suffer from this for the rest of its life and it surely would not even still be here if it wasn't the famous horse it is. So maybe it's time for Barbaro's race to finish (so to speak). Yes, having him put down is a depressing move - but it's the only humane one there really is.
Date
Thu 07/13/06, 10:37 am EST
