RIP Barbaro

[WMR]

Euthanized, per ESPN.

Poor Barbaro, I was hoping he'd make it.

[RedFanAlways1966]

Sad. I hope the work that was done on him somehow helps future horses with the same problem, so that we can find a small bright side in this. Such a beautiful animal.

[BRM]

KENNETT SQUARE, Pa. -- Kentucky Derby winner Barbaro was euthanized Monday after complications from his breakdown at the Preakness last May.

"We just reached a point where it was going to be difficult for him to go on without pain," co-owner Roy Jackson said. "It was the right decision, it was the right thing to do. We said all along if there was a situation where it would become more difficult for him then it would be time."

Roy and Gretchen Jackson were with Barbaro on Monday morning, with the owners making the decision in consultation with chief surgeon Dean Richardson.

It was a series of complications, including laminitis in the left rear hoof and a recent abscess in the right rear hoof, that proved to be too much for the gallant colt, whose breakdown brought an outpouring of support across the country.

"I would say thank you for everything, and all your thoughts and prayers over the last eight months or so," Jackson said to Barbaro's fans.

On May 20, Barbaro was rushed to the New Bolton Center, about 30 miles southwest of Philadelphia in Kennett Square, hours after shattering his right hind leg just a few strides into the Preakness Stakes. The bay colt underwent a five-hour operation that fused two joints, recovering from an injury most horses never survive. Barbaro lived for eight more months, though he never again walked with a normal gait.

The Kentucky Derby winner suffered a significant setback over the weekend, and surgery was required to insert two steel pins in a bone -- one of three shattered eight months ago in the Preakness but now healthy -- to eliminate all weight bearing on the ailing right rear foot.

The procedure on Saturday was a risky one, because it transfered more weight to the leg while the foot rests on the ground bearing no weight.

The leg was on the mend until the abscess began causing discomfort last week. Until then, the major concern was Barbaro's left rear leg, which developed laminitis in July, and 80 percent of the hoof was removed.

Richardson said Monday morning that Barbaro did not have a good night.

LINK

[Sweetstop]

Makes me sad. He was beautiful and a fighter.

[Javy Pornstache]

Hate to hear that. Heard a lot of good news on Barbaro over the months and all of a sudden, a turn for the worse.

[TeamSelig]

sad story... was hoping he would make it

however, if this is the only story ESPN talks about for the next week I am going to kill myself

[savafan]

Originally Posted by TeamSelig

however, if this is the only story ESPN talks about for the next week I am going to kill myself

Remember me in your will TS

[macro]

Originally Posted by TeamSelig

sad story... was hoping he would make it

however, if this is the only story ESPN talks about for the next week I am going to kill myself

Look on the bright side. At least it won't be news about T.O.

[Ltlabner]

I don't know why I feal connected to this animal. I'm an animal lover but I'm not a huge horse racing fan or anything. But just seeing/hearing about the accident and hearing the periodic updates I was really rooting that he'd pull through.

Sad.

[Chip R]

Originally Posted by TeamSelig

sad story... was hoping he would make it

however, if this is the only story ESPN talks about for the next week I am going to kill myself

Thank God for the Super Bowl, huh? If this had happened next week, then there'd be non-stop Barbaro-talk.

[IowaRed]

Reminds me of how I felt as a kid when Ruffian went down. My sister, who is now a vet., was inconsolable when she found out Ruffian was to be put to sleep. Sad story

[Ben]

yeah, RIP Barbaro...watching him go down in the Belmont (I can't remember which one it was) gave me the same feeling as watching Carson Palmer get hurt in the playoff game. It was one of those moments where you want to yell out in anger while crying out in sadness at the same time. Although CP made it back better than ever, I was hoping for the same for Barbaro. At least he'll be in a better place...RIP once again Barbaro

[LoganBuck]

Originally Posted by Ben

yeah, RIP Barbaro...watching him go down in the Belmont (I can't remember which one it was) gave me the same feeling as watching Carson Palmer get hurt in the playoff game. It was one of those moments where you want to yell out in anger while crying out in sadness at the same time. Although CP made it back better than ever, I was hoping for the same for Barbaro. At least he'll be in a better place...RIP once again Barbaro

The essence of being involved with livestock on a daily basis..........

Quietly those that deal with livestock on a daily basis don't like how much attention that ESPN has put on this. This horse probably should have been put down a while ago. ESPNews is running a report talking about how close he was to coming through all this. To quote a very accomplished Veterinarian I know, "That horse was dead the second his leg snapped. They are going to waste millions, and only prolong his suffering. The next time this happens, and it will happen again, the outcry will be "They did it for Barbaro, why not (insert generic horse name)." This veterinarian I know actually knows the head vet in charge of Barbaro. He knew the situation was very grim. I remember in the fall, there were reports that Barbaro would probably recover, and I saw the vet say that he was not out of the woods by any means, and ESPN ran with it like he would be mounting mares soon. Just a sad situation the whole way around.

Just stating the facts.

[Red Heeler]

Originally Posted by LoganBuck

The essence of being involved with livestock on a daily basis..........

Quietly those that deal with livestock on a daily basis don't like how much attention that ESPN has put on this. This horse probably should have been put down a while ago. ESPNews is running a report talking about how close he was to coming through all this. To quote a very accomplished Veterinarian I know, "That horse was dead the second his leg snapped. They are going to waste millions, and only prolong his suffering. The next time this happens, and it will happen again, the outcry will be "They did it for Barbaro, why not (insert generic horse name)." This veterinarian I know actually knows the head vet in charge of Barbaro. He knew the situation was very grim. I remember in the fall, there were reports that Barbaro would probably recover, and I saw the vet say that he was not out of the woods by any means, and ESPN ran with it like he would be mounting mares soon. Just a sad situation the whole way around.

Just stating the facts.

As an equine veterinarian, I knew very well that his chances for survival were slim at best. However, if we never try to save these animals, we will never know if it can be done. Equine orthopedics will advance due to this case, and the next, and the next. Eventually, a horse's life will be saved that would not be possible today.

The attention that this case got from the national media will undoubtedly raise a great deal of money for veterinary research. I don't mind it a bit.

[Highlifeman21]

I went out to see Barbaro at Kennett Square and he was a beautiful horse, and just had a primadonna swagger to him, which was amusing to me. The horse knew he was a big deal, and knew that many people cared for him.

Sad to see him go.