RIP Barbaro
 

Ordnarily, I'm not a big horse racing fan, but there was so much attention paid to this story, it struck me as sad that a decision was made to finally put Barbaro down. :(

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2007/more/01/29/barbaro.ap/index.html?cnn=yes

http://i.a.cnn.net/cnn/2007/images/0...babaro2.ap.jpg

Sad yet humane.

Very true...

I don't understand why horses can not survive on three legs. Anyone know?

Horses don't have the best circulation in their legs which is what makes recovering from leg injuries so difficult. If they develop any kind of infection it spreads quickly to the rest of the animal.We had to put down one of the horses we had boarded just last week. It's a hard thing to watch. It's even harder to watch the disposal service come out and pick up the animal. They very unceremoniously wrap a cable around the hind legs and drag it up into the truck. You can hear the animals bones snapping from 20 feet away.

One of the reason is that they put to much strain on the leg,
that is what eventually happened to Barbaro, the other leg developed laminitis (sp) and the problems went back and fort.
from what I've heard.
RIP Barbaro

Gino

Its a horse. yes a famous horse, get over it. Its a horse, yes a fast horse, but still, just a horse. There have been many more famous and faster and there will be more to come. But it's JUST A HORSE. I'm sure the owners are crying because he died; no, they're crying because they won't get the BIG DOLLARS he could have brought them. Get over it.

This is a horrible question but since he was a champion whose primary value in retirement was to rehabilitate his leg enoughto put him out to stud, do you suppose they, uh....er...."harvested" his sperm for freezing and eventual sale? I imagine its value would be HUGE, especially now that there will be no further source of supply. Anyone know?

P.S. to the "just a horse" comment. Yes, but so what. It was a living thing and one that was exceptional and whose story was of interest to many people. I'm not crying over his demise but it is too bad and a sad thing.

Dan, I'd be willing to bet they were "milking" that stud as much as they could just in case he couldn't be saved.

Yeah, you're probably right. Can you imagine the cost for the medical they've been doing on him for 8 months? Probably will do not much more than cover those expenses.

At least he got a little "enjoyment" out of his extended convalesence!

Excuse the analogy but horses grow to be champions just like running backs strive to get touch downs, they not only have muscle and talent but they have heart. I am convinced it plays a more significant role in animals than it does in humans. A good animal is not prone to squandering it's talent like a human. Nor does the horse see the $$$ that humans seem to respond to so readily.

I would not want to tell the doctor that euthanized Barbaro that "it was just a horse" he might turn the needle on you.

To be an official thourobred, conseption must be naturally inseminated. So no offspring of Barbaro will be doing any racing.

Gino

Not a small needle either. It's about 3" long and inserted into the neck. The vet that put our horse down shot two tubes into her. Each was about the size of a tube of silicone. She stood there for about two minutes before quietly falling over, gave one last gasp and passed.

So all the innocent people in Iraq, far less famous mind you, are not worthy of our sympathy, but a horse is?

BOO YAA!!! I am now the undisputed champion of Iraq war bashing. Who is going to challenge me. YOU? I think not friend. Your talking about a guy who managed to turn a heart felt post about a dying race horse into commentary about the war. I got mad skillz. :D

WE do for animals we love what we will not do for terminally ill people we love.

This should be a good subject for debate, especially for anyone who has watched someone die painfully over a period of months.....

I know a guy who milks and sells "horsepower."
I've never seen him at work, but I've seen his multi-million dollar Westside home now and then...

Seems like you need a horse-sized pill. Or schvantz. Or both...SmileWavy

RIP

http://www.pelicanparts.com/support/smileys/men_ani.gif It's drugs right? That lets you make a connection like this?:rolleyes:

I got wrapped-up in the story of that horse, and was very saddened to hear that he could not be saved. He deserved to live out his days eating hay and just relaxing, or whatever horses like to do.

"Just a horse"? Horses are great animals, and humans get very attached to them. Been going on for centuries. Some people just think of animals as *****, though, I guess we got one of that kind here.