Thanks for posting those radiographs. That’s quite an arsenal of metal he’s got in there!
Thank you so much…I am still choked up over the entire thing…what a BRAVE horse, jockey, trainer…I am glad that he is in the best hands. Please keep the updates coming.
Can we try to get an address for Prado and flood him with thank yous? I’m sure he has an agent? Totally uncalled for and dispicable. I can only imagine how badly this man feels. That people would add to that is just so unkind.
I have basic cable. No CNN, no ESPN, etc., but I get plenty of channels carrying infomercias. For the past several months, Adelphia has been giving us of week of some of their various digital channels; mostly stuff I would never watch. Last week, however, I was dismayed to see ESPN news. But what do you, know, they broadcast the live interview with Dr. Richardson and Michael Matz (?spelling) last evening. It was excellent except for the commercial ESPN popped during the midst of the interview for Ezcite (the male enhancement pill). After a minute of that, they went back to the interview.
thanks to whoever posted the links to the pictures of Barbaro at the hospital.
Wishing him the best recovery and hopefully lots of ladies in his future.
Amazing photographs and radiographs - thanks for posting them! Quick question regarding the future (knock on wood): will he be able to flex his ankle with all of that metal, or is it now a “fused” joint?
It’s fused forever. But most horses adapt quite well provided they can bear normal weight on it.
Such great news that he has done so well so far, still jingling for long term success and a healthy happy life!!
As for fused- it WILL be fused, if all goes well, but currently the plates and screws are just holding the fragments together. Those fragments will hopefully all form one big callus of bone and all fuse together. The plates are not strong enough to support the weight of a horse, so the hope is that all those pieces will heal together in one big “glom” of bone. Either way, he will definitely never bend the ankle again. It is quite sad to think of that magnificent boy not being able to run and play like he was born to, but I am just SOOOO happy to hear he is alive and eating and acting like a normal horse. I am sure if he gets over the hump he will figure out his own way to frolic and run! 
AP article - updated at 8:45 am EST 5-22-06
Just an excerpt …
He said Barbaro was showing positive signs and “acting much more like a 3-year-old colt should act.”
Barbaro was trying to bite in his stall and even showing interest in a group of mares who stopped by to visit.
“There’s some mares there, and he’s extremely interested in the mares,” Richardson told ABC’s “Good Morning America.”
Nevertheless, he emphasized that the horse had a long road ahead, and would never race again.
“Realistically, it’s going to be months before we know if he’s going to make it,” Richardson told CBS’ “The Early Show.” “We’re salvaging him as a breeding animal.”
Barbaro’s surgery to repair three bones shattered in his right rear leg at the Preakness went about as well as Richardson and trainer Michael Matz hoped. It wasn’t long after surgery when Barbaro began to show signs he might make it after all.
After a dip into a large swimming pool before he was awakened – part of New Bolton’s renowned recovery system that minimizes injury risk – Barbaro was brought back to his stall, where he should have been calmly rested on all four legs.
Barbaro had other ideas.
“He decided to jump up and down a few times,” Richardson said, smiling. “But he didn’t hurt anything. That’s the only thing that really matters. It had Michael worried.”
That’s not much to worry about after the agony of the previous 24 hours. Barbaro sustained “life-threatening injuries” Saturday when he broke bones above and below his right rear ankle at the start of the Preakness Stakes.
Those x-rays are incredible! What an amazing job Dr. Richardson and his team did.
Prays are answered
Thanks so much to Edgar Prado for pulling Barbaro up the way he did. He is a true horseman.
Thanks to Michael Matz for giving all of us a chance to dream.
Thanks to the owners of Barbaro, for their love for their horse.
Thanks to Barbaro for that dream, may you live long and produce a TC winner!
BIG thanks is to Dr. Richardson and his team for the wonderful work they did in putting Barbaro back together.
Keep praying.
Thanks for the xrays and the photo from the pool!
Dr. Jacque Jenny was the mastermind of that pool. He was one of the surgeons who save Hoist the Flag nearly 40 years ago, who had a similar hind leg injury.
PRAYING FOR BARBARO
Just wanted to say thanks to everyone who is posting links to articles/photos and keeping us all informed. Although after looking through those pictures of Barbaro and Prado, I have tears streaming down my face again.
Come on big guy. You have the heart of a champion. You can make it through this!!!
Thank goodness he’s done well so far. As to the jumping up and down…I would have had a heart attack if I was there!
Question. Are there any neutraceuticals or calcium or something they can give him to encourage his bones to heal?
Thanks for all the updates, photo’s and links.
I was watching as much news coverage as I could find when they showed him in his stall w/ his cast and just being interested in his " horsey nurse". It was good to see him, if nothing else it made me feel better.
Prado is a HERO - a true HERO - for the immediate action he took on Saturday. My heart broke in half while watching the race. Like everyone else I was in shock with tears welling in my eyes. The pictures of the race and of Barbaro’s xrays were heart wrenching to look at.
The only silver lining to that cloud was that noone was harmed (human wise) and that Barbaro is making a good recovery. I truly hope he will be able to stand at stud - my heart tells me that he will be able to do so. (I have a beautiful mare that I would love to introduce to him!)
I am hoping the crowds were “booing” not at Prado and Barbaro but to show the dissapointment they felt towards the situation at hand.
Get well soon Barbaro - you need your fighting spirit now more than ever!
Thanks for the news
I heard nothing yesterday and was so excited to log on this morning, knowing the COTH would no if anyone knew. I am jingling like mad for this brave horse and thank all involved for saving his life.
Jingling for you Barbaro!!! You will be forever in my thoughts!:sadsmile:
New Bolton & Kennett Square
Well see, now New Bolton has made Kennett Square not just the mushroom capital of the world (which by the way depends on the racing industry) and can’t leave out Longwood Gardens, but thanks to this brilliant surgeon has drawn all eyes on this state of the art facility in Kennett which will only bring in more funds to make it even better. Their Field Service is great too and reasonably priced. With all that they offer, nothing to compare, they don’t have to be so nice but they always are. Without these great facilities Barbaro would not have had a chance.
But the prayers made the biggest difference. Let’s not stop since he’s not out of the woods yet.
I’m so glad to hear everything went ok during the surgery. I was so upset when I saw Barbaro injure himself at the Preakness. I have dial up (yeah I know it’s bad) and my phone line was out and I could not get on the board. It was so hard not being able to read and post w/ everyone else. My only news source was ESPN and I had to wait through endless baseball replays to get any news. And I did get online a bit through my cell phone. It was dodgy reception however. I was praying hard though.
I’m still praying and jingling b/c I know there’s still much more that Barbaro has to go through. My heart goes out to the owners, the jockey Mr. Prado, and Michael Matz.
I have a 15 y.o. OTTB mare with a fused right front ankle. That gal loves to run! She runs laps around the pasture EVERY morning after she eats - just for the joy of running! To watch her, you wouldn’t know she can’t bend that ankle. My trainer has an Oldenburg mare whose left hind ankle is fused. She just had her first foal in February (a little over a year after surgery to fuse the ankle) and I was watching mom and baby running two weeks ago.
If Barbaro comes through it all - he’ll get around just fine. From the look of those x-rays it will be a pretty long time before he’ll be allowed to test it out though. I’ll keep jingling and checking here for the best updates :yes:
News
Thank you for the encouraging update. I am jingling and praying constantly for this courageous horse and all the loving caring people who are working so hard on his behalf. Like someone else said, I loved on my horses in a different way this weekend.
Bones
Bone cells are one of the body’s fastest healing cells. Many times osteocytes get too enthusiastic about their healing job and produce too many. Sometimes this is exactly what is needed and other times it causes problems.
&Alt=BARBARO%20SURGERY&Height=342&Width=512){kind=link}