[QUOTE=VirginiaBred;2174088]
Michael Matz had a nice winner earlier in the day at Gulfstream, Crusader Rabbit, paying $130.40! [/QUOTE]
I mentioned this in another thread - IT WAS AN AWESOME RACE!!! WHAT A HORSE (and the jockey was fabulous too!!!). The horse went to the front, got put back in place, then it looked like he began to tire, but boy was I wrong!!
I went to the races with $50 to put on him to win - when I saw the odds I wimped out and put $20 on him to show!!! OOPS!!!
This is so incredibly sad and pathetic. I do hope this poor creature gets the eternal rest very soon that he has so greatfully earned. :sadsmile: 
Increasing the jingles and prayers for Barbaro and Team Barbaro.
Go, Bobby, go!
I’m off to light candles, too…
Update 1393: An update from New Bolton: Update from Dr. Dean W. Richardson on Barbaro’s condition:
On Saturday, January 27, Barbaro was taken back to surgery because we could not keep him comfortable on his right hind foot. That foot developed a deep subsolar abscess secondary to bruising when he went through a period of discomfort on the left hind foot. It is not laminitis but the undermining of the sole and part of the lateral heel region are potentially just as serious. We attempted to manage the right hind foot in a cast and then in a custom fabricated brace but it was impossible to have access to the foot for treatment as well as acceptable stability and comfort. We elected to place his right hind in an external skeletal fixation device in order to provide the foot a chance to heal. This means that two steel pins have been placed transversely through his right hind cannon bone. These pins are connected to external sidebars that in turn are connected to a lightweight alloy foot plate. This results in the horse eliminating all weight bearing from the foot; the horse’s weight is borne through the pins across his cannon bone. There is significant risk in this approach but we believed it was our only option given the worsening of the right hind foot problem. The major risk of the external skeletal fixation device is that the bone bearing the weight can fracture. Unfortunately, we felt we needed to take this risk because this approach offered our only hope of keeping Barbaro acceptably comfortable.
He had a perfect recovery from anesthesia and has been in and out of the sling since then. His left hind foot appears to be stable at this time. We remain concerned about both front feet. Remarkably, his attitude and appetite were excellent overnight.
We will continue to treat Barbaro aggressively as long as he remains bright, alert and eating. This is another significant setback that exemplifies how complex his medical situation remains because both hind limbs have major problems. Barbaro remains in the Intensive Care Unit of Penn’s George D. Widener Hospital at New Bolton Center. Updates will be provided when new information is available.
Sorry to hear this. The spirit and will that this horse has is incredible. Might be easier if he didn’t try so damn hard.
Here’s pulling for you Barbaro! 
As for the naysayers…(where is the upchuck icon when you need it):mad: :dead:
I’ve admired Barbaro’s spirit throughout all of this, and have been quietly hopin g that he’d pull through. But with this latest news, enough is enough…let the poor horse go with whatever dignity he has left.
Sounds to me like he got a halo for his ankle. Thats nothing particularly innovative in human medicine. If they can keep him acceptably sedated so the abscess can heal, then maybe nature can bring him back to bearing weight on all four legs equally.
Poor horse! Such a lot to have to endure, but people do it all the time.
So upsetting to hear this news… but I wanted to share a little something positive, anyway. Hope this is ok.
We have a horse in the lesson barn who was kicked in the pasture and came in with a broken bone in a hind leg. He’s being kept on stall rest and under supervision of our vet and very experienced barn manager, and we’re hoping for a full recovery.
As people come in the barn (and we have dozens of riders in for group lessons each day) many ask - “What’s wrong with Icy?” We explain and tell them that even though his injury is much less severe, he’s kind of like our own Barbaro now. They understand - even though they are mostly inexperienced with horses - that this means a long recovery time, and that he may not recover at all. They ask questions and come back to tell us what they learned while they were at home on the internet. We even have some young riders who have announced that they want to be vets and take care of horses!
We were talking about this in the barn a few days ago, and our BM said that maybe the most important things Barbaro has done is that his story has educated people and kept them interested. Vet visits for us now bring an audience of riders who want to learn more about what’s going on. They understand that Icy has a long road ahead of him, and that he might not make it. They know more about the challenges of laminitis and infection.
It has been an educational (allthough sad) experience for everyone, and I know that Barbaro’s story has contributed to that. Even if we lose Bobby, his influence will still be felt and appreciated by those who have learned from him and about him, and the horses that benefit from what we have learned.
That being said… Go, Bobby, go! (And Icy too!)
Sounds to me like he got a halo for his ankle. Thats nothing particularly innovative in human medicine.
He is bearing all his right hind weight on pins inserted through his cannon bone. How this compares to a human halo is beyond me. Maybe if a human received a halo and then was dangled by it so it supported their weight.
Maybe I’m reading too much between the lines, but it does sound to me as if they are at least considering that it might be time.
I have total faith in Team Barbaro to make the right decision for the horse, whatever that decision may be.
Still, this is terribly sad news.
Thanks Alex~
Update 1395: Jeannine Edwards will be featured on ESPN News in a live telephone interview at about 1:50 pm. It is scheduled to run for 4 - 5 minutes.
Update 1394: Mike Jensen interviewed Dr. Richardson this morning, after New Bolton’s release. His article includes content from both: Barbaro undergoes more surgery. Excerpts from his interview with Dr. Richardson:
Richardson issued all that in a statement. In a telephone interview, he said, “The big thing is we NOT see anything bad happen at this point for awhile.”
And Richardson made it clear that there are real risks involved.
“The major risk of the external skeletal fixation device is that the bone bearing the weight can fracture,” Richardson said. He added, “The other thing – we’ve been really struggling … it’s one thing to have (problems with) one foot at a time, but to have two hind legs, it means he’s really going to overload his front feet. Clearly, laminitis in his front feet is a strong concern. The best way to describe this, it’s essentially like a house of cards. When one starts to go significantly awry, then more can happen.”
Of the risk involved, Richardson said, “Unfortunately, we felt we needed to take this risk because this approach offered our only hope of keeping Barbaro acceptably comfortable.”
Richardson and Barbaro’s owners, Roy and Gretchen Jackson, talked in advance about the procedure, as they always do, but there wasn’t any debate on whether the procedure was worth trying.
“This is a logical thing to try under the circumstances,” Richardson said. “There was no reason not to try it under the circumstances. This is not something that makes a horse real uncomfortable. Typically, when you put a fixer on, it makes him more comfortable.”
What’s that jaded old saying? Hope for the best but prepare for the worst.
Which is what I have done since the moment he broke through the gate at Pimlico.
Continued good wishes to those close to Barbaro. I hope the roller coaster ride comes to an end soon.
[QUOTE=Lisa Cook;2174316]
He is bearing all his right hind weight on pins inserted through his cannon bone. How this compares to a human halo is beyond me. Maybe if a human received a halo and then was dangled by it so it supported their weight.[/QUOTE]
Get educated girl.
It is similar if not the same as in principle to external fixation. I can happily tell you what a pain reliever it is.
I wish for the very best outcome for Barbaro - that he will eventually be happy and pain free. I have the utmost faith that Team Barbaro will continue to do what is the best for the horse himself, as I believe they have done all along.
As an aside, we all need to remember that Barbaro’s people are the ones calling the shots here and we need to respect their decisions. We may not all agree with their decisions but they are their choices to make, not ours. Bobby is the Jackson’s horse, not the public’s.
IF, at the end of this road Barbaro ends up not making the course the journey will NOT have been in vain. Each and every experience with Bobby and his injuries will teach his team something that could help a horse down the road, who could be one of our own horses. This was a chance for Team Barbaro to go “above and beyond” the norm and push the limits of modern equine science. The horse is giving it his best effort to cooperate and do what is best for him. The Drs.’ are doing their best, the Jackson’s as well, and Barbaro’s fans are doing what we can do by sending our positive energies and thoughts. If it isn’t enough, it isn’t for lack of trying on all our parts. We can’t let the circle of light and hope that is Team Barbaro dissolve into bitterness if the the story ends up having an ending other than the miracle we all hope for.
I have trust in Dean and Bolten. I don’t see a reason to give up hope until they say it’s time to let him go. And, Hung, if it don’t interest you any more, don’t pahticipate!
I have a human friend who came down off a ladder and shattered his ankle as badly as Barbaro shattered his. Now, before anyone points out the difference, I do know that the human ankle only has two bones to deal with unlike the horse. Still, he was plated and screwed back together with an external fixation device. Looked like something you’d find in a medieval torture chamber. He had to keep his weight off it as much as possible, which is where the horse comparison breaks down. (Bad pun. Sorry. :sadsmile:)
Still, Barbaro has his sling and his pain meds, he has both hind legs supported to try and equalize the load, and he is a fighter. I’m still very worried about the future and know that this is a day to day thing, but the Jacksons and Richardson and NBC, the ones seeing him every day, will know when HE thinks it’s time. At this point, I would think it’s as much his decision as theirs.
The external skeletal device that Barbaro has now is what was used with my neighbor’s horse, back when it fractured it’s P-1 into 9+ pieces, dislocated the fetlock, etc. That, combined with pins, plates, and a cast on the affected leg is what supported his leg for over six months.
I had wondered why something like it wasn’t used with Barbaro intially.
I think originally the bones were in the wrong place and too shattered for an external fixation device to have provided enough support and immobilization while healing took place. We have learned an awful lot about what is possible with Barbaro, which will just continue to make treating catastrophic injuries to horses, more possible with better results.
I am still jingling for Barbaro! I dearly hope he can pull through this and lead a comfortable life and I trust the Barbaro team to do what is best for him. Thanks again VB for keeping us posted.
By submitting your email, you agree to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. You may also receive promotional emails from The Chronicle of the Horse. You can opt out at any time.
For Customers
Company
Terms of Use
