RIP Barbaro

[dman]

I'm on the fence about this whole thing. I guess if Barbaro's owner(s) were willing to fork out the cash to save him, then hopefully what they have learned out of this ordeal will help in another area of equine health.

[TeamBoone]

I was so sad to hear this. He hung on for so long. Breaks my heart.

[George Foster]

I was so sad to hear this. He hung on for so long. Breaks my heart.

Sad day here in Kentucky. He was a man among boys. He dominated the derby, and would have won the triple crown. I watch a lot of horse racing and he was the real deal. He could not wait to race in Baltimore, if you remember, he busted out of the gate early. I don't cry much but I cried when I saw him break his leg, I knew his career was over.

The only reason they tried so hard to save him was for the stud fee. This is not a bad thing. A wonderful legacy for Barbaro would be for him to sire another Kentucky Derby winner.

Note: It is a rule that all horses that race in triple crown races must be conceived by natural means.

[WMR]

Sad day here in Kentucky. He was a man among boys. He dominated the derby, and would have won the triple crown. I watch a lot of horse racing and he was the real deal. He could not wait to race in Baltimore, if you remember, he busted out of the gate early. I don't cry much but I cried when I saw him break his leg, I knew his career was over.

The only reason they tried so hard to save him was for the stud fee. This is not a bad thing. A wonderful legacy for Barbaro would be for him to sire another Kentucky Derby winner.

Note: It is a rule that all horses that race in triple crown races must be conceived by natural means.

Do you know if they preserved/harvested any of his semen?

[savafan]

Note: It is a rule that all horses that race in triple crown races must be conceived by natural means.

Too bad Barbaro didn't contact Hospice for a final wish.

[LoganBuck]

Do you know if they preserved/harvested any of his semen?

Thoroughbreds must be concieved naturally. Artificial Insemination is not allowed.

[Red Heeler]

Thoroughbreds must be concieved naturally. Artificial Insemination is not allowed.

I'll bet they tried to freeze some semen "just in case." The problem is that he may not have been producing many live sperm cells. A healthy three year old race horse is likely to be subfertile due to the high level of training they are in. Add in the stress of Barbaro's injuries, and he may have been shooting blanks. While I was in school, we attempted to harvest semen from a stallion with severe laminitis in both front feet. We did not recover any viable sperm.

Honestly, the natural service rule would be unlikely to hold up in court if it were challenged. The American Quarter Horse Association was sued for restraint of trade several years ago over a rule that a mare could only have one offspring per year by embryo transfer. A Texas court ruled in favor of the plaintiff, and the rule was changed.

[minus5]

Oh never mind. I thought John Travolta died when I glanced at the thread title.

[LoganBuck]

I'll bet they tried to freeze some semen "just in case." The problem is that he may not have been producing many live sperm cells. A healthy three year old race horse is likely to be subfertile due to the high level of training they are in. Add in the stress of Barbaro's injuries, and he may have been shooting blanks. While I was in school, we attempted to harvest semen from a stallion with severe laminitis in both front feet. We did not recover any viable sperm.

Honestly, the natural service rule would be unlikely to hold up in court if it were challenged. The American Quarter Horse Association was sued for restraint of trade several years ago over a rule that a mare could only have one offspring per year by embryo transfer. A Texas court ruled in favor of the plaintiff, and the rule was changed.

Given the nature of Barbaro's injury I would be leery of using him for breeding. Race horses have this problem enough.

I have thought for a while that they should clone Funny Cide. I am sure they have come up with rules about this but the issue is the same. Funny Cide was a gelding because he had a nondescended testicle, his clone would not, allowing his genetics to be realized. I don't think cloning Barbaro would be a good idea, as he suffered this type of injury. The industry has enough problems with this why let Barbaro continue to spread the fragile bones, through his popularity.

[Red Heeler]

Given the nature of Barbaro's injury I would be leery of using him for breeding. Race horses have this problem enough.

I have thought for a while that they should clone Funny Cide. I am sure they have come up with rules about this but the issue is the same. Funny Cide was a gelding because he had a nondescended testicle, his clone would not, allowing his genetics to be realized. I don't think cloning Barbaro would be a good idea, as he suffered this type of injury. The industry has enough problems with this why let Barbaro continue to spread the fragile bones, through his popularity.

I don't disagree with you about the wisdom of breeding to Barbaro. OTOH, don't kid yourself into believing that there wouldn't be a line around the corner for a chance to use his semen if it were available. One of the many problems with the racehorse industry is that they have spent decades breeding for nothing but speed. Soundness be damned.

Cloning is going to be the American Quarter Horse Association's next legal battle. Right now, cloned animals cannot be registered. However, the same group of people who sued to get the embryo transfer rule changed have already cloned the all-time leading sire and dam of cutting horses. It will be interesting to see what happens when they sue AQHA again.

[LoganBuck]

I don't disagree with you about the wisdom of breeding to Barbaro. OTOH, don't kid yourself into believing that there wouldn't be a line around the corner for a chance to use his semen if it were available. One of the many problems with the racehorse industry is that they have spent decades breeding for nothing but speed. Soundness be damned.

I know it, it happens in all species. People see dollar signs and throw common sense out the window.

[George Foster]

Given the nature of Barbaro's injury I would be leery of using him for breeding. Race horses have this problem enough.

I have thought for a while that they should clone Funny Cide. I am sure they have come up with rules about this but the issue is the same. Funny Cide was a gelding because he had a nondescended testicle, his clone would not, allowing his genetics to be realized. I don't think cloning Barbaro would be a good idea, as he suffered this type of injury. The industry has enough problems with this why let Barbaro continue to spread the fragile bones, through his popularity.

Any horse can break their leg, he was bumped and went hard right and broke his leg, it was a freak accident. It's a moot point however.

[LoganBuck]

Any horse can break their leg, he was bumped and went hard right and broke his leg, it was a freak accident. It's a moot point however.

Genetics have a big role to play in situations like this. Holstein dairy cattle have been correctively mated for years to have straighter legs that require less hoof trimming and provide for longer lives, a side consequence is that they have less flexibility in their stifle joints, and have higher pins, with their thurls placed back. Which means that instead of moving in or flexing the legs move out on slick surfaces, or in times of excitement. A recipe for ligament and cartilage tears, it may affect 1 in 100 but the recipe is there for others to be affected. Horses are bred for speed, which means longer lighter bones, and more muscle to provide torque. Barbaro shows the extreme negative effect from this breeding. True any horse can break their leg, but this is more of an indictment on the current system then on one individual horse. And like Red Heeler said, people would have been lined up around the block for his semen to perpetuate his genetic influence.