Great news again! Thanks VB!
GO BARBARO, GO!!
BOING BOBBY, BOING!!!
Thank you SO MUCH for the continued, in-depth updates on Barbaro and his wonderful team, and for the Barbaro clips – what an incredible horse, to say the least! Great to hear he had another good night. Godspeed Barbaro and all!
I HATE that i can’t get the internet at my house because I don’t get the chance to check up on him very often. I watch the news like a hawk and once the Barbaro update comes on, I feel better. Fortunately, I live in Maryland and they update him frequently on the local news.
GO BOBBY GO!!!
The videos were wonderful and brought tears to my eyes.
Boing on, Bobby!
Thank you glorious God! Please keep the jingles coming for continued good news:yes:
Morning jingles from me and the Avemonster in GA… Keep boinging Bobby!!
Oh my gosh - I still have my copy of that book! Awesome read for any racing lover!
God bless Barbaro.
Another day and Barbaro is not the lead story on the news so I know “no news is good news”. Glad to hear he had another comfortable night. This site is the first place I check in the morning to see how Bobby is doing. It sounds like he has figured out how to use the sling to be most comfortable. I don’t think a “dumb animal” would be able to do that. What is so nice about this site is the POSITIVE thoughts that we all have. I have been on other sites where some of the comments are “so what - he is just a dumb animal - put him down and be done with it”. How people, whether you love horses or not, can be so cold hearted is way beyond me. I am happy that I am one of the ones who know how special these creatures are and how much my own horse enriches my life every day.
Again, many thanks to VB for all your efforts and updates. All of us here appreciate it so much. Hang in there Bobbby…
Barbaro Still Stable, Appears Playful By DAN GELSTON AP Sports Writer
KENNETT SQUARE, Pa. Jul 18, 2006 (AP)— Barbaro seems downright playful. The Kentucky Derby winner squirms in his safety device, and even sits on his damaged hind legs the way dogs do when they beg for treats. The sling Barbaro spends most of the day in was designed for comfort in his recovery. The 3-year-old colt instead sees it as a challenge.
“He was using it similar to a jolly jumper,” said Dr. Kathleen Anderson, Barbaro’s attending vet when the horse was racing and stabled in trainer Michael Matz’s barn at the Fair Hill Training Center in Elkton, Md.
“He was almost doing like children do when they’re bored, they do the jolly jumper where they kind of boing around the stall. He was boinging, boinging around the stall a little bit.”
Those are encouraging signs for the ailing colt, though the odds of Barbaro’s full recovery from a severe case of laminitis and a reconstructed right hind leg are really no better than they were a week ago.
“It is important for people to understand this is not a ‘routine’ laminitis,” Dr. Dean Richardson said Monday in a statement. “The care involved in treating a hoof with this degree of compromise is complex.”
Barbaro’s condition was stable Monday, his vital signs, appetite and heart rate were normal after another comfortable night.
“We will continue to manage his pain successfully, and he is alert,” Richardson said.
He said the fiberglass cast on the colt’s left hind foot will be changed so the hoof can be treated and watched for signs of infection. Because of laminitis, a painful and often-fatal condition, 80 percent of the hoof wall was removed last week.
The cast on the colt’s right hind leg shattered shortly after the start of the Preakness Stakes on May 20 has been changed at least four times in the last two weeks.
“He has learned how to adapt his posture to the sling so he can benefit from the most comfort,” Anderson told The Associated Press.
Anderson left a mid-afternoon visit feeling good about the way the colt looked, though she noted that the prognosis for his recovery was still not encouraging.
“The reality is, you have to say poor at this point in time,” she said. “It doesn’t mean it’s hopeless and I think that’s the big difference.”
Nearly everyone who has visited Barbaro during the past week has said the same things about his appearance: He looks bright-eyed and alert.
Those seemingly never-ending deliveries of apples, carrots and peppermints from fans don’t seem to be going to waste, given the reports of his hearty appetite. Kennett Florist makes several deliveries a day to the hospital, its vans overflowing with roses and gourmet baskets sent from well-wishers.
“It’s been very good for business, but it’s been very time consuming,” store owner Alie Berstler said. “These people are very, very upset.”
Berstler said one fan ordered four dozen roses at a time, and estimates she has probably delivered more than 400 roses, 300 apples and 150 pounds of carrots since late last week.
Copyright 2006 The Associated Press.
Barbaro a hero because he lacks human flaws
By Linda Robertson
McClatchy Newspapers
The cards and letters keep coming, enough to fill stables. Flowers, too - especially roses. Well-wishers drive out of their way to visit. Faith healers call. Schoolchildren send drawings.
The patient can’t acknowledge the outpouring of affection. Nor is he aware of a nation’s concern. He is, after all, a horse.
But Barbaro isn’t just any horse. He was the Triple Crown favorite who broke down after bolting from the Preakness starting gate. Millions watched as his right hind leg buckled and cracked, then hung on a hinge of tissue, dangling grotesquely as jockey Edgar Prado pulled him to a stop.
These 1,200-pound thoroughbreds are so powerful, yet their legs are as delicate as the stems of wine glasses.
Now, Barbaro cannot do the one thing he was born to do - run. It is his immobility that could kill him. The casts and confinement are causing a chain reaction of infection.
He is fighting for his life. So why has Barbaro’s heart captivated so many? He is, after all, a horse.
At first, it was thought Barbaro would have to be put down, euthanized like the filly Ruffian was in 1975. But after surgery to insert a plate and 27 screws, he was given a 50 percent chance of survival.
Seven weeks later come the complications Barbaro’s veterinarian feared. Dr. Dean Richardson removed 80 percent of Barbaro’s left hind hoof to treat acute laminitis caused by Barbaro putting too much weight on his good leg. It could be months before Barbaro is out of the woods. Or it could be days until his pain is too severe to manage.
His owners, Roy and Gretchen Jackson, face tough decisions. As Richardson said, if they sustain Barbaro’s life and Barbaro doesn’t make it, they’ll be criticized for hanging on too long. If they put him to sleep, they’ll be criticized for quitting too early.
Racing fans and people who know nothing about the sport have been riveted by Barbaro’s plight and follow every update out of Pennsylvania.
Barbaro is, after all, a horse. Why the tears shed on his behalf?
He is a hero unencumbered by human flaws. At a time when so many of the people we look up to let us down, Barbaro doesn’t lie, cheat or manipulate. In a world boiling with hate and revenge, he’s not cruel, greedy or power-mad. After he won the Kentucky Derby, he was happy to receive pats on the neck and extra oats. His innocence prevents disillusionment. He gives and gets unconditional love.
Who hasn’t adored a pet and the pet’s unflagging optimism? Who hasn’t fantasized about riding a horse, either off into the sunset like John Wayne or across the finish line like Pat Day? Who hasn’t daydreamed about being an animal - carefree and content to frolic in an open field?
Race horses aren’t bred to be cuddly creatures. They’re not as smart as Lassie. But there’s something about their majesty and the “brightness in the eyes” that Richardson checks for in Barbaro that makes them idealized objects of affection.
Americans loved Man O’War, Seabiscuit, Citation, Secretariat, Ruffian, Seattle Slew, Funny Cide. Now they are rooting for Barbaro to give it his all in recovery as he did on the track.
The thin legs and small hooves that carried him so swiftly have turned into the source of his entrapment. A human would have to land on his middle finger to approximate the same proportion of weight a thoroughbred’s hoof supports when it hits the ground.
Barbaro is like a bird without wings. He’s hobbling or harnessed in a giant sling, caught in a race for his life.
So true…and beautiful.
[B]My thanks again to Alex & Tim:
[/B]Update 266: Reading through many of th recent articles that have been published. Much of the content we already know. I did enjoy this article: Barbaro a hero because he lacks human flaws that discusses why we love Bobby, an excerpt:
Barbaro is, after all, a horse. Why the tears shed on his behalf?
He is a hero unencumbered by human flaws. At a time when so many of the people we look up to let us down, Barbaro doesn’t lie, cheat or manipulate. In a world boiling with hate and revenge, he’s not cruel, greedy or power-mad. After he won the Kentucky Derby, he was happy to receive pats on the neck and extra oats. His innocence prevents disillusionment. He gives and gets unconditional love.
Who hasn’t adored a pet and the pet’s unflagging optimism? Who hasn’t fantasized about riding a horse, either off into the sunset like John Wayne or across the finish line like Pat Day? Who hasn’t daydreamed about being an animal - carefree and content to frolic in an open field?
Race horses aren’t bred to be cuddly creatures. They’re not as smart as Lassie. But there’s something about their majesty and the “brightness in the eyes” that Richardson checks for in Barbaro that makes them idealized objects of affection.
Americans loved Man O’War, Seabiscuit, Citation, Secretariat, Ruffian, Seattle Slew, Funny Cide. Now they are rooting for Barbaro to give it his all in recovery as he did on the track.
This horse is one of a kind. From what I read he is such a strong guy with wonderful character. :sadsmile:
Bobby I am jingling like mad!
Thanks to VB and others for the updates!
I really feel for what all Barbaro’s closest people (and that now includes all those caring for him at NBC) are going thru. Those of us who have had horses near death and who have had to contemplate unthinkable choices know how difficult that is. And you know those medical people who always would have been sad to lose a patient are now emotionally bonded to him “as a person” as well. To go thru this publicly for weeks (hopefully months) has got to be emotional torture. Sure, its nice to know so many people care, but having to talk publicly about it all the time would be really difficult for me! I am amazed at the openness and grace of ALL those involved.
BTW, did they do X-rays and change the cast on the laminitic foot Monday? I havent found any particulars there.
yes, a never ending thank you VB, you have been wonderful to keep us up to date, and with such detail. ever greatful : )
“…unencumbered by human flaws…” just so true, and that, for me, is where the beauty and strength live.
jingles continue in mass.
No. I am thinking that’s the next thing we’ll hear about.
Praying for good news here in Virginia…
Thank you VirginiaBred. You’re the best!!! Continuing the prayers and jingles for Barbaro. I love the thought of him “boinging” in his stall. His personality is shining through.
There’s a new fairly upbeat update on the NBC site. They’ve changed the cast.
http://www.vet.upenn.edu/newsandevents/news/Barbaro_Update7-18.htm
Keep on boinging, Big Boy!
This just in:
Update 267: New Bolton’s press release today: Barbaro’s casts changed discusses the much anticipated cast change:
Kentucky Derby winner Barbaro remains in stable condition with good vital signs after a restful night, according to Chief of Surgery Dean Richardson. “Yesterday afternoon we changed his right hind leg cast to take new radiographs and to examine the incision,” said Dr. Richardson. “The radiographs looked good; the plates we placed on July 8 to fuse the pastern are intact and the fetlock fusion is unchanged. The leg and the incision looked as good as we could have hoped.”
The right hind leg cast supports the repair of the injury suffered at the Preakness on May 20, and it extends from the colt’s foot to just below his hock.
The modified foot cast, which acts like a bandage on Barbaro’s left hind foot, was also changed yesterday. The foot cast is rigid and provides stability and support, but will be changed often so that the hoof can be treated. Both cast changes were performed with Barbaro lightly sedated in a sling. He has adapted very well to being managed as needed in the sling. “He is a very intelligent horse,” said Dr. Richardson.
I enjoyed reading this article: Barbaro on minds of Matz, DelPark fans. Micheal did mention to me yesterday that so many people were offering their support throughout the day. However, this piece of the article really caught my attention:
Michael Barnes and his 7-year-old daughter Taylor came to Delaware Park with a sign that read, “We Love You Barbaro; Get Well Soon.” The Akron, Pa., residents showed the sign to Matz, who signed it and posed for pictures with the family.
Barnes said he and his family planned to stop at the New Bolton Center to put the sign up among the hundreds of other signs wishing Barbaro well.
“My daughter asks me every day how [Barbaro] is doing,” Barnes said. “Everybody is really worried and everyone is saddened for the horse.”
I also saw the poster and met Taylor and her parents. You can see a picture of the poster with Taylor in our gallery, and it is now featured on the homepage.
phew…can take another deep breath since the casts changed have been done and went well. He just encompasses all of the attributes of the TB that make them so special to me. High intelligence, self-preservation, and incredible heart. You just cant beat the good ones in my opinion. I am a TB fan forever!
